Ok guys and gals, I need some advice. Here's the score:
I plan to build the following system:
Athlon 64 3500+
1GB Mushkin PC3200
Leadtek GeForce 6600GT PCI-E
120GB Western Digital 7200RPM/8MB Cache (IDE)
Enermax 460W Whisper II PSU
Samsung 52/32/52/16 CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo (IDE)
Creative Audigy 2
Cooler Master Centurion 5
This WILL all be based on an Nforce 4 motherboard. The question is, which one? I had thought about going SLI, but the prices are a bit too gouged, and will probably continue to be so. I do not plan on waiting for them to come down - I really don't plan to SLI anyway. I am currently favoring the Gigabyte K8NF-9 Nforce 4 4X.
Now, a few notes:
1) I do not plan to overclock, so that is not a consideration.
2) I am running IDE drives, so SATA is not a consideration (it's not like you actually use all the SATA bandwidth anyway)
3) I have heard that some 4X Nforce 4 boards have a problem with HyperTransport reaching the alotted 1000Mhz. While the benchmarks show that this has less than a 1% affect on performance, I would still like to know exactly what that trouble may mean to someone with a 4X board.
4) I seem to recall many Gigabyte NF3 Ultra boards and Corsair RAM not getting along. Are there any other RAM types (for example, say, oh I dunno, MUSHKIN?) that Gigabyte boards have problems with?
And finally, any other thoughts? Some of the features, like the Dual BIOS and the fact that the board does fine on a 20 Pin ATX Connector, I like ALOT. I just have these few minor anxieties I'd like to get worked out before I pull the trigger on an order.
So, does the K8NF-9 seem like a good choice for this situation? All other thoughts and opinions welcome.
Edits: Corrections.
I plan to build the following system:
Athlon 64 3500+
1GB Mushkin PC3200
Leadtek GeForce 6600GT PCI-E
120GB Western Digital 7200RPM/8MB Cache (IDE)
Enermax 460W Whisper II PSU
Samsung 52/32/52/16 CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo (IDE)
Creative Audigy 2
Cooler Master Centurion 5
This WILL all be based on an Nforce 4 motherboard. The question is, which one? I had thought about going SLI, but the prices are a bit too gouged, and will probably continue to be so. I do not plan on waiting for them to come down - I really don't plan to SLI anyway. I am currently favoring the Gigabyte K8NF-9 Nforce 4 4X.
Now, a few notes:
1) I do not plan to overclock, so that is not a consideration.
2) I am running IDE drives, so SATA is not a consideration (it's not like you actually use all the SATA bandwidth anyway)
3) I have heard that some 4X Nforce 4 boards have a problem with HyperTransport reaching the alotted 1000Mhz. While the benchmarks show that this has less than a 1% affect on performance, I would still like to know exactly what that trouble may mean to someone with a 4X board.
4) I seem to recall many Gigabyte NF3 Ultra boards and Corsair RAM not getting along. Are there any other RAM types (for example, say, oh I dunno, MUSHKIN?) that Gigabyte boards have problems with?
And finally, any other thoughts? Some of the features, like the Dual BIOS and the fact that the board does fine on a 20 Pin ATX Connector, I like ALOT. I just have these few minor anxieties I'd like to get worked out before I pull the trigger on an order.
So, does the K8NF-9 seem like a good choice for this situation? All other thoughts and opinions welcome.
Edits: Corrections.
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