POLL: Which AM2 board would you buy?

bluemax

Diamond Member
Apr 28, 2000
7,182
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0
Scrounged from a Dell E521, I have the following bits to put on this board:
X2 3800+ processor with big heatsink! (could cause issues with some boards?)
2x 1GB DDR2-533 (not fancy, I know.)
ATI X1300Pro VIVO
1x 160GB SATA HDD
1x IDE DVD-Burner
floppy
parallel laser
USB AIO inkjet (Dell unit, pooooor quality.)
mounted in an Antec Sonata II

MSI K9NU Neo-V

Pros:
3 PCI slots
more IDE & SATA plugs for future

Cons:
don't know much about this chipset, though it received OK reviews.

-- or --

ASRock AM2NF6G-VSTA

Pros:
ASRock memory booster - sounds cool! :)
Known chipset - isn't nForce 405 supposed to have very good IDE/SATA/USB performance?
I seem to trust the "ASRock" brand more than MSI.....?

Cons:
Only 2 PCI slots
Only 1IDE, 2SATA limiting expansion



Whaddaya think, folks? Ordering in less than 24 hours. I could get a fancier board, but I'm limited by the CANADIAN site I'm getting it from, and my very tight budget. Both these boards are a lousy $70. ;)
 

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
61
Why move away from the E521? It could be pretty good for gaming, just add a video card.
 

bluemax

Diamond Member
Apr 28, 2000
7,182
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Originally posted by: bamacre
Why move away from the E521? It could be pretty good for gaming, just add a video card.

I'm building a second system. The E521 does not have a DVD burner, only combo. Has NO IDE or parallel ports at ALL.

I'll be buying a Sempron to throw in the E521, along with an extra stick of RAM I have.

My inlaws get a shiny new Dell and are all happy. I get a good system with fancier parts, but can still use my old DVD burner and laser printer. Everyone's happy.

It's more work than I'd like, but it's the best way.
 

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
2
81
Originally posted by: bluemax
I'll be buying a Sempron to throw in the E521, along with an extra stick of RAM I have.

Heh, I did something similar. BITD I bought a Dell for my mom. It was a pretty killer deal at the time, around $450 shipped with a P4 2.53GHz chip, MS Word (not Office, just Word), XP Home, 17" monitor, all in one printer. I sold the monitor and printer separately and swapped in some Celeron (she just web browses and does email). Ended up with a nice $350 system for her, and a free P4 2.53GHz chip for me that did (and is still doing today after 3 years) 3.33GHz.
 

acegazda

Platinum Member
May 14, 2006
2,689
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Memory booster is pretty much what you said "it sounds cool", not much else.
I voted for the MSI because I have built a system for a friend around the K9N platinum and MSI's quality and compatability is good. It is much better for the enthusiest or mainstream pc builder and the ASrock, IMO, should only be considered if you have ~$500 to build a PC. I always associate them with 3rd teir mobos.
 

Smitty308

Member
Apr 15, 2004
143
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I have the Asrock and it is a great mother board. I am using a SATA 2 hard drive and it was easy to set up.
 

Operandi

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,508
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Originally posted by: Jiggz
ASRock! This is actually a division of Asus!

That may be but there is a good reason but there is a good reason they don't put the "Asus" name on ASrock boards.