Chances of getting an A7N8X Deluxe rev 2.0

[Gerbil333]

I sold the computer in my sig locally for $650 and then ordered parts for a new system from Newegg. Here's what I'm getting for $623:

Asus A7N8X Deluxe
Athlon XP 2500+ Retail
Corsair 512mb XMS3200LL TWINX (2x 256mb)
PNY GeForce 4 Ti 4600*
Dual onboard NICs
SoundStorm 6 channel audio
Western Digital 40gb, 7200rpm, 8mb cache hd
Black Lite On 40x12x48 CD-RW*
Black Aluminum Chieftec Dragon Server Tower w/window & Blue cold cathode*
Blue Enermax 431 watt dual fan power supply
Windows XP Pro*

* = Already have

So, is it guaranteed I'll get a revision 2.0 A7N8X? I ordered everything from Newegg on Wednesday and I should get the parts either Monday or Tuesday. No matter what, I'll be happy because I made $27, got a major RAM and CPU upgrade, better audio, a better hd, a cooler looking PSU, and I hated my MSI nForce 2

 

[sodcha0s]

I got my a7n8x deluxe delivered Wed. from newegg and it was a rev. 2.0. Also got a stick of corsair xms3200 with it, and a 1700+ B from svc. Havent had time to play with it much, but I fired it up and haven't had a lick of trouble yet, we'll see what o/cing brings....

 

[Gerbil333]

Are you using the SoundStorm audio? If so, is there a humming noise when moving the mouse? There was with the onboard audio on the MSI nForce 2's I had, and I've read that it happens on the Asus A7N8X too.

 

[11427]

Originally posted by: Gerbil333
Are you using the SoundStorm audio? If so, is there a humming noise when moving the mouse? There was with the onboard audio on the MSI nForce 2's I had, and I've read that it happens on the Asus A7N8X too.

I use the Soundstorm on my A7N8X and it works very well. I have yet to find a reason to use anything else. No crackling, humming or anything else.

Mark

 

[rbV5]

Are you using the SoundStorm audio? If so, is there a humming noise when moving the mouse?

Nope, soundstorm working great here.

 

[MiExStacY]

let me tell you I have some generic labtec speakers and the soundstorm sounds so good i even went to OD to get the audigy for 30bucks there to test on this system and i basically i just gave the audigy to my cousin

 

[BG4533]

I am very happy with my Soundstorm audio for MP3s and CDs and I have noticed no problems with it. I do not play games with it though. I have this hooked up to a Denon receiver and reasonable speakers and I am impressed with the sound. When I got my deluxe a few weeks ago from Newegg it was a rev2.0. I doubt they still have any older boards.

 

[Gerbil333]

Strange. I read a thread about it on the Asus forums at nforcehq.com. I can hear the mouse hum right now with the master volume at about 20% on my MSI K7N2-L and MSI K7N2G-L. They're both non-SoundStorm nForce 2 boards, but they use the same Realtek ALC650 6 channel audio chip as the Asus A7N8X Deluxe. Then again, I've been really dissapointed by my K7N2-L.

One thing I've noticed is that the mouse hum and output noise is nearly inaudible at 100% master volume when my speakers are hooked up. I have to get very close to hear it. With my headphones (which is what I use all the time), the hum is noticeable even with the master volume at around 10%!

 

[BG4533]

A lot of the on board audio problems have actually been problems in the drivers for the boards. Many of the problems have been fixed by new drivers. They were not actually problems with the audio chips.

Brian

 

[Gerbil333]

That's good. That brings up a new question:

Which nForce drivers should I use on my new A7N8X Deluxe rev 2.0? I've been using the nVidia 2.03's just fine on my MSI K7N2-L, but those are old, and I've heard that Asus boards work best with Asus drivers.

Should I use the latest nForce drivers from nVidia, or the ones that come with the A7N8X driver CD?

 

[sodcha0s]

From what I've read, the nVidia drivers are crap, use the Asus drivers.

 

[Gerbil333]

Will the ones on the Asus driver CD be the latest, or should I download them from their site now?

 

[BG4533]

The drivers on the cd will likely be out of date. I would download the newest nForce drivers from Asus site and also the 1005 bios while you are there.

Brian

 

[Gerbil333]

Won't the board come with the latest BIOS? That's how other boards I've bought came. One week I bought a board and it had a version 3.2 BIOS, and then a couple weeks later I bought the same board and it had the newest version 3.3. Does Asus not do that? Those boards were from MSI. I believe they updated their driver CD's too. I remember Abit updated their driver CD's also.

I'd prefer to not start off by flashing my new board.

 

[RideFree]

I ordered my Asus A7N8X Deluxe from Newegg in Feb. and although it was never shipped as rev 2, it is.
I updated the bios the other day and now Redhat reports the nForce2 chipset as v.2.
Also, I tried the 2500+ Barton in it and it ran 200FSB without a hitch.
The v2s may have been in the pipeline for longer than we knew.

 

[RideFree]

Originally posted by: Gerbil333
Won't the board come with the latest BIOS?
I'd prefer to not start off by flashing my new board.

Come to think of it, MSI is the only board I've ever gotten with the current BIOS.

You seldom, if ever, start off by flashing a BIOS. It could be real hazardous. I suspect that lots of Newegg's returns are BIOS flashing hazzards. I can only think of a couple of scenarios in which it would be advisable to flash the BIOS as part of the installation process.
:clock:

Come to think of it, MSI is the only board I've ever gotten with the current BIOS.

Edited to reflect that this statement is also false.
The first MSI that I recently got had an engineering BIOS, later, the MSIs were current.

 

[BG4533]

Personally, if I plan on flashing the bios I tend to want to do it first. This way, before I get everything set up and settled in I know if the board is screwed or not. When I purchased my A7N8X Deluxe V2 the first thing I did was flash the bios. I am using a SATA Raptor and the 1005 bios was the first that actually fixed this boards SATA problems. I would not have considered using the board and SATA with any other bios.

Your board may come with the 1005 bios since it has been out for a bit, but I dont know. My board came with the 1003 bios and when I got it the 1005 bios had just been released.

Brian

 

[Gerbil333]

New questions:

1) What BIOS did your A7N8X Deluxe rev 2.0 ship with, and when did you buy it?

2) Are the Asus 1.16 nForce drivers the latest?