Gigabyte DS3 vs. S3

[sangchu3102]

I'm planning on building a Core 2 Duo system and I am a semi-noob
and was wondering if anyone could help with some comparison info on these 2 mobo's
S3 and DS3

 

[Sh0ckwave]

The only difference I can see is the DS3 has all solid capacitors, but I havent seen any reviews comparing them so not sure if it makes much difference...

 

[Hidden Hippo]

You want to beware of the DS3 at the moment. Until they release some new BIOS, lots of RAM is unsupported. There is a list on the Gigabyte product page to the supported RAM modules. Also, some people have had problems with running the DS3 with RAID and an IDE drive simultaneously. However, there is a person on another forum who has managed an 80% overclock with the DS, an E6300, cheap HSF and a small voltage increase, so it is an amazing overclocker.

 

[platbr]

Originally posted by: Sh0ckwave
The only difference I can see is the DS3 has all solid capacitors, but I havent seen any reviews comparing them so not sure if it makes much difference...

I came to the same conclusion last night while carefully looking at the spec sheets. Personally, I'm not sure whether the solid capacitors are worth it... but for an extra $23 or so it might make sense. That said, for ~$121 (ewiz.com) the S3 seems like a killer motherboard ($144 for DS3 at ewiz.com). Anyone think the S3 without solid capacitors might not overclock as well for some reason?

Any thoughts S3/DS3 vs. Abit AB9? I'm currently leaning toward the Abit AB9 for a couple reasons. First, Abit's reputation and experience and history of supporting products. I realize this is a personal thing, but there it is. Also, I like the heat pipe cooling system on the AB9, which seems like a nice addition since I'm planning to OC to some degree.

I'd also consider the DS4 if it were available... as I'd love IEEE-1394 on the board.

 

[NoStateofMind]

The new BIOS for the DS3 seems to have fixed those RAID/IDE problems

BIOS

 

[sangchu3102]

Thanks alot everyone!

I'm actually looking for a Abit ab9 pro but can't find one at a reasonable price with S&H included (sold out at ZZF and NewEgg)
and all those comments about RAM compatibility, RAID/IDE problems on the DS3 do give me concerns on my new system
and I surely wouldn't mind saving 20 something dollars if the S3 performs as well as a DS3