nForce 2 / SIS-655

[MJoshi]

I was originally going to build an nForce 2 system with the Asus A7N8X-Deluxe motherboard and AMD 2700+ processor. Now, after comparing benchmark tests with the Intel 2.53GHz processor, and the AMD processors, the performance of Intel chips seems to be better.

After reading the recent SIS-655 based motherboards reviews in the motherboards section, I have decided to build a system with the MSI 655-Max (FISR) motherboard and Intel 2.53GHz processor.

Is this the right choice? - I would also like good sound quality as I will be doing some editing (I know the nForce 2 chipset has excellent on-board sound, but I am not very familiar with the C-Media used with the SIS-655 chipsets).

 

[Vette73]

Well the nForce2 AMD setup will save you some bucks(also a lower speed Athlon XP will overclock like a champ on the nForce2). If you do any video editing or something that requires SSE2 then a P4 would be better.

I myself still run AMD, best bang for ya buck.

But the cmedia on-board sound is pretty good. Will do what you want unless you are going to do some major sound editing.

 

[mattjweb]

Marlin,
Do you like the C-media chip better than the Realtek that comes with the Gigabyte boards?

-Matt

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: mattjweb
Marlin,
Do you like the C-media chip better than the Realtek that comes with the Gigabyte boards?

-Matt

Both of them should be about the same, at least to the human ear. The south bridge and CPU are where a lot of the sound work is done with AC97 sound. That is why on-board was so looked down upon back in the less than 1Ghz CPU days. Now that the AC97 code has been updated and CPU's are 1.5Ghz or higher, the majority of people will get all they need from on-board sound. So pick a board based on price, north bridge, but not the AC97 sound chip.

But the best on-board sound right now has to be nForce2(with the MCP-T southbridge), but I am using a 2ch AC97 on-board sound and it does all I want.

 

[mattjweb]

Thanks Marlin,
I was trying to decide between the MSI 655 Max-LS and the Giga 8SQ800. Both are about the same price and use the 655 NB. I went with the Giga. I can't remember where but I heard the Realtek wasn't as good, but I think you're probably right and they are equivalent. I can always add a card if I outgrow it, in which case either chip probably would have been insufficient. Thanks for the advice.

 

[MJoshi]

Which RAM type would be suitable to make the most of dual DDR? I was initially going to purchase a single Corsair XMS3500 512MB module, but after reading a review on the MSI motherboard, it recommended using two RAM modules.

If I go for the Corsair Twin-X 512MB 400MHz (256MB x 2) TWINX512-3200LL, will it give the same performance as the Corsair XMS RAM?

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: MJoshi
Which RAM type would be suitable to make the most of dual DDR? I was initially going to purchase a single Corsair XMS3500 512MB module, but after reading a review on the MSI motherboard, it recommended using two RAM modules.

If I go for the Corsair Twin-X 512MB 400MHz (256MB x 2) TWINX512-3200LL, will it give the same performance as the Corsair XMS RAM?

You have to have 2 slabs of Ram to use Dual Ch memory. Get some PC2700 or PC3200 that is name brand. If you are not going to overclock much then PC2700 (like crucial.com) will do fine. If you are going t try and push it to the limit then get some PC3200.

But get 2 slabs of 256Mg to = 512. Also best if they match, so no mixing for best performance

 

[MJoshi]

Does anyone know which has superior sound - nForce 2 / SIS-655 (C-Media 9737)? There is very little information on the C-Media 9739. I would like to know about the actual sampling rates of the C-Media 9739 and the ADC resolution.

 

[KidChaos]

If ya go with the SiS 655 board, you'll need a sound card. That audio is in no way comparable to the nVidia audio (nforce2 boards with MCP-T and enabled nVidia APU). Personally, I'd go with Abit NF7-S Revision 1.2. If NF7-S, don't get Corsair Low Latency as there is a boot issue with it. The issue is cured with the 1.6 Beta BIOS but NF7-S 1.2 doesn't ship with that BIOS. I would get two sticks of Corsair XMS PC3200 CAS2.