Pick a board for me!

[kwarkers]

I need a new mobo, ive got an a64 3500 venice (939). Im hoping to OC, just let me no what board you like. Thanks

 

[Puffnstuff]

I'm running the abit in my sig, a dfi lanparty ultra-d and a msi k8n neo4 plat on different machines in my house. With the right ps the neo4 will run like a champ and has lots of features. I love the stability of my fatal1ty however it doesn't offer many of the voltage features that the other two boards have. If you want to oc then the dfi ultra-d is your mb.

 

[kwarkers]

Is the dfi ultra-d very user friendly, cos im a newb to OCing.

 

[Wentelteefje]

The DFI is a difficult board... You have long lists of options to fiddle with... The MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum (I have one too) on the contrary is about the simplest you can go, without having to sacrifice overclocking potential... My highest HTT was 332MHz (that's an OC even some DFI's can't attain), but the t-break reviewers managed to hit as high as 370MHz...

This one's undeniably one of the better boards around, if you're going to overclock... It is very feature-rich as well, having dual LAN ports, FireWire, nV Active Armor...

EDIT: The BIOS version they tested with doesn't offer as much overclocking options as the newer ones, so don't get fixed on the low VCore e.g...

 

[kwarkers]

Thanks for your help Wentelteefje.

 

[dingetje]

asus a8r-mvp
passive heatsink and a great oc'er
no nvidia sli tho....its a crossfire thingy

 

[kwarkers]

Lol, a crossfire thingy, is that the technical term???

 

[Wentelteefje]

No need for CrossFire or SLI... The (relatively short) performance benefits don't outweigh the cost, heat etc. IMO...

 

[kwarkers]

Yeah i think SLI is a bit of a waist of time, unless you've got $2000 (AUD) to buy TWO awesome cards.

 

[Fallengod]

get an epox 9npa+ultra and be done.

 

[sparka]

Originally posted by: modempower
get an epox 9npa+ultra and be done.

:thumbsup:

 

[kwarkers]

Im guessing the Epox 9npa+ ultra is good?

 

[kyleb]

While I have an extensive tech background, it was years ago when PC133 was the standard. Now things have changed so dramatically that I consider myself new to the scene again, and I'm learning from the ground up.

I run a DFI nF4 Ultra-D (since I am not that big of a gamer, I do not mind not having SLI) and it's pretty easy to set up. Yes, there are a ton of options, and it can be confusing, but the initial setup is a breeze, and the board is feature-rich. When you want to OC and mess around, you'll have all the option you want and need to max out performance.

Good luck!

 

[kwarkers]

Excelent, thanks for your advice Kyleb !!

 

[kwarkers]

I just wanted to post that I'm stuck between the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum and the DFI nF4 Ultra-D. Please help me make my mind up!!!

 

[cryogenic666]

One advantage the DFI has over the MSI is memory voltage... if you can get your hands on some OCZ VX or Mushkin Redline, the DFI will go up to 4.0v on memory. No idea how high the MSI goes but *most* boards stop @ 3.2v. For the record, the OCZ VX recommends 3.5v. Good luck actually finding some, though. Personally, in reading the reviews of both boards I'd be more inclined to go with the MSI simply because the DFI bios just has TOO many options. Things I just don't understand the purpose of and quite possibly could never hope to. The MSI is a MUCH friendlier board for the non-hardcore OC'er. Also note that the MSI has 4 PCI vs only 2 PCI for the DFI. I'm not sure if you have any PCI devices but that may or may not sway your decision. It also appears that the MSI doesn't have SPDIF in or out onboard? Can someone verify this?

 

[Wentelteefje]

Don't start about the MSI only being for non-hardcore overclockers... A HTT of 332MHz isn't shabby at all, and much more overclockerfriendly mobo's like an Abit AN8 e.g. (or at least it should be) don't get this high... Such HTT's are amongst the highest possible with the nForce4 Ultra chipset, most of the time you don't even get this speed...

The K8N Neo4 Platinum has an "Optical and Coaxial S/PDIF Out"... I never tested them, but that's what mentioned in the manual...

The MSI is awesome, one of the best nF4 mobo's around...