Is the Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe Overkill for an Nforce4 Non-SLI System

[Starbuck1975]

I have been considering a gaming rig update for nearly a year now, but what has been holding me back has largely been the MOBO. If you look at reviews and threads across the various nForce4 ultra offerings, there doesn't seem to be a clear winner...boards that some have no problems with, others encounter major issues.

I have never overclocked before, although I am tempted to experiment with it a bit on my next build.

The reviews of the ASUS A8N32-SLI have been stellar thus far, and its stability and ease of use bios interface are definitely attractive should I go the overclocking route.

My last three builds have all been Abit, but as they seem on the brink of going out of business, not sure I want to invest in their boards this time around.

In terms of price point, for the same core build components, I am looking at a maximum of a $200 different to go with the A8N32-SLI, which is a small price to pay for stability.

My two builds would look as follows:

Build 1:
MSI NEO4 Platinum/ASUS A8N-E Ultra/ePox EP-9NPA+Ultra
eVGA GEFORCE 7800GT
Soundblaster Audigy 2
Athlon 64 X2 3800+
OCZ (2x1GB) PC3200 Dual Channel Platinum Series
320GB Western Digital Caviar SATA 3.0Gb/s
500W+ Compatible Power Supply
Cost: approximately $1200

OR

Build 2:
ASUS A8N32-SLI
eVGA GEFORCE 7800GT
Soundblaster Audigy 2
Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Corsair XMS-3500LL (2x1GB) Dual Channel Memory Kit
320GB Western Digital Caviar SATA 3.0Gb/s
500W+ Compatible Power Supply
Cost: approximately $1400

Thoughts

 

[Capt Caveman]

I don't SLI but I still go the A8N32-SLI for it's features, stability and overclocking.

However, it's not the best bang for your buck and I know others can chime in on less expensive boards that might fit your needs.

I picked build 2 b/c I'm bias'd, of course. But you can save a bit of money by getting some G.Skill HZ's instead of the Corsair memory. JMHO.

 

[Starbuck1975]

I picked build 2 b/c I'm bias'd, of course. But you can save a bit of money by getting some G.Skill HZ's instead of the Corsair memory. JMHO.

I picked the Corsair XMS memory because Asus' website states that it is optimized for compatibility with their A8N32-SLI Deluxe board...of course, I could go ValueSelect on the Corsair memory, or another value RAM option...then again, you are only looking at a cost savings max of $50-$100 for 2X1GB sticks

 

[jnjboc]

I agree with Starbuck,

I too went with the Corsair memory that was "guaranteed" on ASUS
website to be 100% compatible with this MOBO. My rig came up first time and has not burped in over a month.....

I know Corsair costs more than most and is fast, but not the fastest memory out there, but I have been using it for years and it has never ever let me down...

 

[Starbuck1975]

I know Corsair costs more than most and is fast, but not the fastest memory out there, but I have been using it for years and it has never ever let me down...

I thought all of the premium RAM companies were fairly interchangeable in terms of cost and performance.

Those Crucial Ballistix sticks sure are purty, but not sure they are worth the extra $$$...all of my previous builds have been Crucial.

 

[Tweakin]

I would prefer the added pci slot over sli...I just don't see me ever using it.

 

[keldog7]

check my build below...should give you an idea on my vote...
A

 

[Starbuck1975]

What about this option...deviates from the ASUS A8N32-SLI

MSI K8N Diamond Plus
eVGA 256-P2-N516 Geforce 7800GT
SPARKLE FSP550PLG-SLI ATX12V/ EPS12V 550W Power Supply
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor
OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Platinum
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

 

[Gaffney982]

Ugh, if you go to dfi-street forums and check out the problems with my sticks of memory (Ballistix Tracer 2x1gb Dual Channel PC4000) then you would think otherwise. I've rma's my set and I'm waiting for my other set to come back. I wouldn't recommend the Ballistix, go ocz plat's or vx's instead.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Yes, I will probably stick with the OCZ platinums as they are a reasonable price step up from the Corsair ValueSelect

 

[Jorakal]

How about considering the DFI Lanparty ultra board? Also if you don't need firewire then consider the ASUS A8N-E board. No reason I can see for spending so much on the upper end ASUS board if you don't need SLI.

Also for gaming, are you sure about the 3800 x2? Down the road the dual processor might make a difference, but for now the 4000+ san diego blows the 3800 x2 doors off on games for about the same amount of money.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Also for gaming, are you sure about the 3800 x2? Down the road the dual processor might make a difference, but for now the 4000+ san diego blows the 3800 x2 doors off on games for about the same amount of money.

I have bounced back and forth on this decision...on Tom's Hardware forums, the overwhelming recommendation is to go with the 4000+ San Diego...under the assumption that by the time software catches up to technology, the next latest and greatest tech will be available, which would require another upgrade anyway.

As I have no need to multi-task, I might be better off going with a single, but more powerful, processor.

How about considering the DFI Lanparty ultra board?

The DFI seems feature rich for overclockers, but might pose a challenge for someone like me who only has a few builds under his belt.

Also if you don't need firewire then consider the ASUS A8N-E board. No reason I can see for spending so much on the upper end ASUS board if you don't need SLI.

Largely because the more reputable MOBO manufacturers seemed to put all of their eggs in the SLI basket...the A8N-E does not come as well reviewed as the A8N32-SLI...I am also considering the MSI K8N Diamond Plus, as it has more features then the NEO4 Platinum and has an integrated Audigy 2 onboard sound solution....yet is far cheaper then the A8N32-SLI...as this board just came out, I may wait for the reviews to start pouring in.

 

[Jorakal]

Then you might want to consider the regular ASUS sli boards. A8N-SLI (least expensive @ $122 at newegg), A8N-SLI deluxe, or A8N-SLI Premium. All excellent boards.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Then you might want to consider the regular ASUS sli boards. A8N-SLI (least expensive @ $122 at newegg), A8N-SLI deluze, or A8N-SLI Premium. All excellent boards.

You are probably right...I jumped right to the A8N32-SLI without considering the other SLI options...although that MSI K8N Diamond Plus seems a better match to the features I want...I have waited this long...might as well do a bit more reading.

 

[Odeen]

Personally, I'd go for any board with a heatpipe, such as the Abit AN8-SLI or Asus A8N-SLI Premium. Chipset fans come, chipset fans whine, and chipset fans go, but if a copper heatsink with a pipe connected to it ceases being a copper heatsink with a pipe connected to it, you have bigger issues at hand than a burnt out motherboard

The MSI nForce4 16x board fails it, IMO, on that criteria alone - there is a fan on the NB HSF.

If I were in your shoes, I'd get the Abit board. No unnecessary thrills (like dual LAN, which isn't needed outside of server environments), heatpipe cooling, and an SLI flip card, which doesn't sap performance the way software-switchable SLI does. Just keep it on 16x/1x mode, and you're good to go.

 

[Starbuck1975]

If I were in your shoes, I'd get the Abit board. No unnecessary thrills (like dual LAN, which isn't needed outside of server environments), heatpipe cooling, and an SLI flip card, which doesn't sap performance the way software-switchable SLI does. Just keep it on 16x/1x mode, and you're good to go.

My last three builds have all been Abit...however, if you go over to their website, it states that most of the models, particularly Nforce4 SLI or ULTRA, are coming to the end of their productions runs...also it seems that Abit has some financial and management woes as of late...may not be the best idea to invest in a company about to go under, even if I have had great luck with their products in the past.

 

[hip]

Hey Starbuck,

I'm in the exact same boat your in. As a matter a fact, I'm looking at almost the exact same build as you! The only purchase I've mad so far is the memory and sound card. Hadn't really considered the ePox EP-9NPA+Ultra for some reason?

eVGA GEFORCE 7800GT (eVGA N517-AX)
Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS
Athlon 64 X2 4200
OCZ (2x1GB) PC3200 Dual Channel Platinum Series
320GB Western Digital Caviar SATA 3.0Gb/s
500W+ Compatible Power Supply

The best deal for the CPU and Video card I've found so far is this combo:
http://www.clubit.com/amd_promo.cfm

With a $63 difference between the Athlon 64 X2 3800+ and the 4200 it's almost a no brainer for me as I am always doing multi-tasking.

Don't wait too long as it expires: 1/31/06


I still can't come to any final conclusion on the mobo either - seems way too many quality issues on almost all!?

I was almost set to go with MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum, until I read the user complaints at Newegg - now have pretty much all but ruled it out.

I think I'm with you at this point, I'm looking at mobos with the features (at least 3 PCI and nForce4 and/or Ultra) and highest user ratings.

These 2 seem to be where I am at right now:
A8N5X with NVIDIA nForce4 and A8N-E with NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra

Not sure how much "real world" difference there is with or without "Ultra?"
I mostly do CAD, graphics video processing and may or never do gaming.