Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 or Abit AN8?

[John Keats]

Basically I've narrowed down my mobo choice for a new build to these two boards for the most part... Build is:

retail Athlon 64 3200+
Leadtek 6600GT vid card
2x512 crucial DDR PC-3200

Might do a little bit of overclocking since I've heard the 3200s run so cool, but not much at all, I'm not hardcore techie.

Which of these two boards would you use and why? Keep in mind there's ~25$ price difference from the gigabyte to the AN8, so if they're mostly the same I"d rather go Gigabyte. Both have the features I want.

 

[John Keats]

Just one bump, as I'm about to order my system. Is the Abit AN8 worth the extra ~25 dollars, in your estimation?

 

[ChineseDemocracyGNR]

I think so. The Gigabyte mobo is a stripped down version of their more expensive boards (XP) based on the nForce4 Ultra chipset. The ABIT, OTOH, feels more like a top of the line board, though it's based on the nForce4 non-Ultra chipset. The layout on the ABIT is better in my opinion, it has a 4-phase power regulator with metalized caps, and other little things.

 

[UsandThem]

I am happy with the Gigabyte board. The only complaints on it I have is:

1. There seems to be a BIOS issue with plugging your keyboard in the PS2 port. If you use a USB keyboard you are fine.

2. The northbridge chipset is now passively cooled with a heatsink (no fan). It gets very hot to the touch. I have a 80mm fan in the front of my case, and a 120mm fan in back so I get plenty of airflow across it, and it cools it fine. This board is really stable.

Also, if you want to overclock, I would get the Abit (I never thought I would recommend Abit😛) or the DFI Lanparty.