Major Motherboard Help Needed!

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xeodragon

Member
Jun 25, 2005
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Hey guys, I'm going to be building my first custom computer in 1-2 weeks. I need your help on motherboard recommendations. At first, I was going for the EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra, but i live in CANADA, and it's not readily available. I probably won't be going SLI or overclocking anytime soon but i would like to learn how to overclock sometime in the future. This computer will be for gaming and work. I'm on a tight budget somewhat. I could get the DFI LanParty, but I'm not sure if i'll be able to set it up properly, and that'd mean i'd need to choose different ram. Maybe the MSI K8N Neo4-F (3rd best selling mobo on newegg)? I could go platinum for that card. I could also get the Asus AN8-E. Any recommendations are GREATLY appreciated! The DFI has been getting good reviews, and i would get that, but im abit skeptical, i am a beginner after all. I wouldn't mind a challenge setting up the DFI. please remember this will be my first build. Oh ya, would a a64 3000+ have the same performance as a intel 3.0ghz? Thanks.

This is my build so far (a good one if i do say so myself):

AMD A64 3000+ Venice
Antec LifeStyle Sonata II
BFG GeForce 6600GT OC
Corsair ValueSelect 1GB
WD Caviar SE 80GB SATA
NEC ND-3540A

Here are some choices that have been recommended

DFI LanParty UT NF4 Ultra-D - 175 CAD
Asus A8N-E - 140 CAD
Chaintech VNF4 Ultra - 130 CAD
Soltek SL-K890PRO-939 VIA K8T890 - 120 CAD*** NCIX Sale Ending Today (Great price, but on newegg revies, it said my HDD will conflict with the VIA chipset, i can switch drives)
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum - 175 CAD
MSI K8N Neo4-F - 105 CAD

 
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w00t

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2004
5,545
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EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra

order from usa do sumthing its ur best bet. Ati's new chipset xpress 200 is fairly nice might want to consider that.

edit: with that ram make sure you get a 1gig stick so you can upgrade without having to go 2T.

hd: seagate/hitachi/samsung

video card: x800xl, 6800gt.
 
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xeodragon

Member
Jun 25, 2005
169
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none of the places (newegg, chiefvalue) ship to canada i believe. can anyone help me find one that does? I'm on somewhat of a budget, what does 2T mean?
 
n7

n7

Elite Member
Jan 4, 2004
21,281
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Originally posted by: w00t
EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra

order from usa do sumthing its ur best bet.
Click to expand...

That's easy for you to say.
It's too pricey to do that though.





Best option on a tight budget: Chaintech VNF4 Ultra

It gets mixed reviews on how well it OCs, but it seems to be the overall winner unless you wanna spend another $50 on the MSI Neo4.

I wish we had the Epox motherboards here in Canaduh...ah well.
 
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xeodragon

Member
Jun 25, 2005
169
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ya it'd be a real hassle to get it shipped here. i could buy it from genitechcomputers.com, but they're WAY overpriced. the mobo there is 163 bucks CANADIAN + tax + shipping. i guess i could order from them...maybe i could ask them for a cheaper price. i'm having a few doubts about the chaintech because it's not as popular as the others, like the asus a8n-e. maybe the a8n-e is the better mobo? is the neo4-f a solid board? then again, the chaintech is 30 bucks overpriced lol.
 
n7

n7

Elite Member
Jan 4, 2004
21,281
4
81
That's not overpriced from what i can see.

I'd go for it, but they don't have it in stock.

You might be waiting for a few wks.


Oh, & get the BenQ DW1640.

Much better burner.
 
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xeodragon

Member
Jun 25, 2005
169
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well the EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra converted from USA --> CAD would be 130, and the one at genitech is 163+tax(15%)+shipping :(
 
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w00t

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2004
5,545
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Originally posted by: xeodragon
canada probably wouldn't have those products. thanks for the forum w00t!
Click to expand...

I couldnt find Epox boards at those sites but I did find that msi.

 
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birdpup

Banned
May 7, 2005
746
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The Asus A8N-E is a stable motherboard and works very well. Numerous people on the forum have purchased one.
 
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Some1ne

Senior member
Apr 21, 2005
862
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This is my build so far (a good one if i do say so myself):

AMD A64 3000+ Venice
Antec LifeStyle Sonata II
BFG GeForce 6600GT OC
Corsair ValueSelect 1GB
WD Caviar SE 80GB SATA
NEC ND-3540A
Click to expand...

My current system is very similar to yours, and I went with the MSI Neo4 Platinum and I've been very happy with it. It runs well at stock settings, and has no problem running my 3000+ at 2.46 GHz. Given that you have a Venice, while I have an older Winchester chip, if and when you do decide to overclock you'll probably be able to go even higher.

The one complaint I have with the board is that BIOS revisions past 1.4 have had some sort of bug in them that causes my PS2 mouse to not work anymore. This hasn't been an issue so far since the only reason to upgrade past 1.4 is to add dual-core support, but if MSI doesn't have it sorted out by the time dual-core drops to the $200 to $300 range, I'm going to be upset.
 
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birdpup

Banned
May 7, 2005
746
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0
Do you plan to use Windows only or will you work with (or intend to learn) linux, FreeBSD, or Sun Solaris? The operating system you wish to work with is an important consideration when purchasing a motherboard.

The northbridge chipsets available on the motherboard require drivers for proper motherboard operation and the 64bit CPUs require separate drivers than the 32bit CPUs for 64bit operability.

NVidia provides drivers for their NForce chipsets for Windows and Linux in both 32bit and 64bit. But NVidia currently has no plans to create chipset drivers for FreeBSD or Sun Solaris.

VIA K8T800 chipsets tend to work in FreeBSD, depending on the specific motherboard. It is a similar situation with VIA K8T800 chipsets on Sun Solaris.

ATI recently produced chipsets for motherboards but since these are new, they are not supported for FreeBSD or Sun. I assume ATI will write linux compatibility drivers but it is impossible to say when these might be available.

EDIT: but then I see you found abracadaver's thread so I assume you have read what I posted on choice of operating system and chipset compatibility.
 
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xeodragon

Member
Jun 25, 2005
169
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oh, i'll be working with windows, i'll end up with a nforce4 board most likely. i might be able to get the epox, gotta call in a week tho
 
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