Differences between Asus A8N-E and A8N5X

BernardP

Golden Member
Jan 10, 2006
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OK, the 5x is NForce4, the N-E is NForce4 Ultra

Functionally, from reading specs, I see only that the N-E has SATA2 (seems academic, as the drives themselves don't necessarily support the higher bandwith)

The current selling price of the A8N5X is much lower than the A8N-E. Comments on NewEgg seem more positive with the 5X. In particular, there seem to be no complaints about the chipset fan.

I don't understand why ASUS would launch 2 very similar products at about the same time (late summer 2005, from what I can see).

Am I missing something here?
 

BernardP

Golden Member
Jan 10, 2006
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OK, Here are the specs for your viewing pleasure:

A8N-E

A8N5X

You will also notice the obvious physical similarity between those boards
 

mb103051

Senior member
Oct 27, 2005
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the asus a8n-e came out in the us first.the a8n5x came out in october im thinking.the main difference is sata 2.they both use the same chipset fan.the latest one works and lasts as long as any other brands do.i own the a8n-e and after 3 other ultra boards its the best one out.the layout is near perfect,o/clocks well.not dfi insane o/clocks but 400-600 mhz at or near stk voltage and rock solid performance,you cant beat the board.any of the asus a8n series boards are all great boards,mature platforms,you really cant beat them.if o/clocking is your main intrest the dfi is your logical choise.id like to build a 2nd rig for hotrodding with the ultra d or expert board.but for running a business and everyday tasks,ill take my o/clocked asus.absloute perfect performance and its fast as hell.benchmarks are impressive and its not super picky with parts.nf4 is always picky to a point with ram but not like the dfi boards.
i run a 3200 venice @ 2500mhz with 1.38v cpu and 1 to 1 with corsair xms 3200 c2 ram with 2.65 v at 250 htt.thats 10 x 250=2500 1 to 1 with a ati x700 pro pcie card.this system flys and is perfect for my use.id reccomend this setup to anyone who is looking for a reasonable price for a darn fast system.
the only thing i remember about the a8n5x was a cold boot issue a few months ago amd it steered me to the a8n-e at that time.it may have been a bios issue and could be fixed by now,i dont know for sure,i just remember it was a problem.
 

WOVOW

Junior Member
Jan 26, 2006
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The UK price difference isn?t a lot, £72 vs. £62. I?ve not scrutinised the specs precisely, but I?d previously noted that the A8N5X lacks firewire.
 

renethx

Golden Member
Apr 28, 2005
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Both lack firewire. Differences between A8N-E and A8NX5 are
  1. Ultra vs non-Ultra (SATA2 vs. SATA1)
  2. More accessoreis in A8N-E than in A8NX5
  3. NB fan in A8NX5 is the new improved version (quieter and more reliable). But the fan in A8N-E may have been changed in recent packages.
  4. $108 vs $91 (the lowest price in US)
  5. Catch phrases "A8N-E: It's All About Performance" vs "Performance 939 Board for Everybody"
 

BernardP

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Jan 10, 2006
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Thanks renethx,

Accessories, yes... Just barely enough in the A8NX5. Leftover spare parts with the A8N-E.

The fan is supposed to have been improved on the A8N-E, with board revision 2.0. But when ordering, one can never be certain if he will get a rev. 2.0 board or some older back-of-the-warehouse leftover. I intend to order from a local shop so I would specify that I want a rev 2.0 board.

It is still between this and the MSI K8NGM2-FID. I like the MSI, but I would much prefer to have a BIOS 3.2 or so officially available on the MSI web site before I order. The shop would then have to update it for me before I take delivery, as I intend to buy a complete system.


 

renethx

Golden Member
Apr 28, 2005
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Another good choice is ABIT KN8 Ultra. Spec are more or less the same as A8N-E (no firewire, faned chipset), but it is cheaper ($98), with less accessories. If you are picky about fan noise, you will want to replace chipset fan with Zalman heatsink in either of A8N-E/A8NX5/KN8 Ultra.

I have used the SLI versions (A8N-SLI, KN8 SLI), but none of them can beat K8NGM2-FID in its elegancy...
 

BernardP

Golden Member
Jan 10, 2006
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Originally posted by: renethx
but none of them can beat K8NGM2-FID in its elegancy...

Elegancy is the word, I agree. The jury is still out, as my decision also depends on the local availability of other components.

 

Jorakal

Member
Jan 21, 2006
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I ordered my A8N-E from zipzoomfly and got the rev 2. Fan is good and quiet. Board works great.