Chaintech VNF4/Ultra vs Soltek SL-K890Pro-939

dklingen

Member
Sep 24, 2004
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I have been reading and reading to figure this out in this forum. I believe that both are really good boards and that both have problems.

As for the Chaintech - there seem to be issues with HTT over 250 and 1T memory timings.

As for the Soltek - there seem to be issues with bios upgrades causing more problems then they solve.

Any input from people with experience would be appreciated. I don't really want to spend the extra money on an ASUS MB or DFI MB, but will if I can't feel comfortable with the suppliers above.

Thanks in advance.
 

ChineseDemocracyGNR

Senior member
Sep 11, 2004
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I would personally go with the Soltek, but there are a few features you will be missing.

The nForce4 Ultra chipset has 4 SATA ports and you can do RAID with any HD connected to the SATA or PATA ports. The SL-K890Pro has two SATA ports from the chipset, a third IDE channel and two extra SATA ports from a Promise controller. You can't mix them when doing RAID though, but I absolutely do not care about this (only have one single PATA HD).

The other feature of the nForce4 Ultra is the hardware-accelerated firewall. Again, I wouldn't use it if I had an nForce4 Ultra mobo, so I don't care about this feature.

The Soltek has a few advantages. It has a debug LED, what looks like a better Vcore regulator, a better package bundle. It's a "PRO" board from Soltek, which basically means a top board at a very good price. The Chaintech is a Value board. I also like the fact that the K8T890 chipset doesn't need active cooling even when overclocking. This was mentioned in two reviews of the SL-K890Pro-939 board, from cluboc and viper-lair. Links:
English
http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/motherboards/soltek/k890pro/index.htm
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/slk890pro939/index.html
http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/cpu_mobo/other/s939/slk890p/
http://legionhardware.com/html/doc.php?...dware=d7efce40a38302bb6b0584ca55027794
http://www.tbreak.com/reviews/article.php?cat=mobos&id=349 (ES performance tests)
Not English:
http://www.clubic.com/article-18279-1-via-k8t890-soltek-k890pro.html
http://www.hardware-test.dk/test_show.asp?id=3612

The SL-K890Pro-939 tops out at ~280-290MHz when overclocking.
 

ChicagoPCGuy

Senior member
Dec 11, 2004
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From what I have been reading, I would go with either the Foxconn nF4 board or the Soltek board. I just recently went through one heck of a time deciding myself. For one, I do not care about a SLI board, and have read through the forums that the more expensive nF4 boards, weirdly enough, appear to have instability and driver issues (BSOD, etc) and even some memory module compatibility issues. The Foxconn board has been reviewed about four times now, most recently by X-Bit Labs, who I trust because they tend to be tough, and seems to be fast and stable, but not a good overclocker. I ordered one just yesterday and will have it next week. What finally swayed my decision away from the Soltek board (and nothing against Soltek--I am using their nForce3 250Gb chipset mobo as I type this) is the use of the 8237 southbridge. Not there is anything WRONG with the 8237, but it is OLD and getting OLDER by the moment. VIA really needs to get off their butts and release the 8251. I wanted NCQ and hardware accelerated firewall and everything else the nF4 chipset brings that the 890/8237 combo does not offer. I was also somewhat worried about the fact the Soltek board is using a legacy 20-pin ATX power connector instead of the new 24-pin. Not that at this moment it should be an issue, but I was concerned that higher end video cards may start coming w/o extra power connectors on them (X800XL for example) and rely on the extra voltage provided through that 24-pin connector--which the Soltek board does not possess. I may have been worried about nothing, but I see every other board except the Soltek offering the 24-pin connector and that has given me pause. That all said, the Soltek board has been reviewed an equal number of times and has shown itself to be typical Soltek--fast, highly stable, and a surprisingly good overclocker. It would already be ordered and on the way if it were not for the outdated 8237 southbridge (not Soltek's fault) and the lack of the 24-pin ATX 2.0 connector (why did Soltek do this.....?)
 

dklingen

Member
Sep 24, 2004
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Good idea. I want her to clarify a couple of bios questions. I have seen her posts and I think it is spectacular that MB manufacturer has a representative answering questions.
 

dklingen

Member
Sep 24, 2004
127
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Does anyone else have any input on these two motherboards before the thread goes into oblivion...
 

MajorPayne

Senior member
Dec 23, 2004
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Originally posted by: dklingen
Can anyone else offer any input on this before I take the plunge?

Thanks!

I can. The Chaintech board does NOT have issues with HTT of over 250, or with 1T for RAM under the current BIOS. The original BIOS had issues going past 250HTT, and the second BIOS (that fixed the overclock options) had an issue with 1T on some RAM. The current BIOS has fixed BOTH problems.

I am currently running mine at 300HTT, which puts my A64 3000+ at 2.7GHZ. I DID add a fan to the chipset heatsink because I am clocked so high, and it DOES need the newer BIOS to get there, but it does a great job under the new BIOS.

I wholeheartedly recommend this board to anyone wanting a good board that does not cost a mint, and can be overclocked a lot.
 

dklingen

Member
Sep 24, 2004
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MajorPayne,

Thanks for the shining endorsement for the Chaintech! The board is even $14 dollars cheaper.
What brand is the fan you added to the chipset (Zalman)?
What cooler are you using for your CPU?
Is the 3200 worth the extra $41 dollars vs the 3000 in your opinion?

Thanks,

dklingen