NF3 or NF4?? need advice

[FesterOZ]

Looking for some advice on which mobo to get as I am getting a 939 pin A64-3500. Should I wait for nf4 boards to come out and get one or stick with a nf3 mobo like the MSI neo2?

I am using a 9800 Pro for my video so I do need a mobo with an AGP slot.

Thanks for any help
Fester

 

[o1die]

NF3. NF4 is almost identical, except it only supports pci-e video. No agp slots are available.

 

[FesterOZ]

Thanks oldie

I assume the MSI still rates as one of the best.

 

[gobucks]

I've heard of some problems with the Neo2, regarding them "stealth overclocking," running the HTT link at 4x and then upping the FSB to make up for it, which could cause a lot of problems with memory.

Anyways, NF4 brings a lot more to the table, like SATA-II support (you can now use NCQ and TCQ for newer hard drives), reduced CPU overhead for the hardware firewall, ntune (great overclocking tool, supporting multiple overclocking profiles for different situations like movie watching, gaming, etc.), and most of all, PCIe EXPANSION SLOTS! PCIe video is useful only for an upgrade. PCIe x1 slots are far more important, since they will allow for a generation of peripherals that are not possible on PCI. Creative's Zenith sound cards, SATA-II & III controllers, better HDTV recorders, etc. Also, reviews of the Asus and Gigabyte boards show that they can substantially outperform both the NF4 reference board and previous generation mobos, like the K8T800 Pro and NF3 ULtra. All in all, with these boards due before christmas, I'd say wait a bit.

 

[FesterOZ]

Gobucks

Problem is so far nobody is making nforce4 boards with AGP that I can see. I can't afford to upgrade my video board right now and its not really justified since a 9800 pro works pretty well.

 

[Kovie]

The MSI one only does that with half multipliers, otherwise its fine. Most of the people who get them have no problems with it.

Unfortunately Nforce4 will not at all have AGP, unless someone decides to make one with an AGP port off the PCI bus, which will reduce its performance by as much as 40%. That and there still is no definite word on when they will be available, being as the first reviews said they would hit the shelves two weeks ago.