Should I stay off DFI Lanparty UT Ultra

[SteveBlack]

Well I have almostdecided my system.. However the more I read..the more concerned I am about DFI..

I am planning a system with

64 x 2 3800+
1 Gb Ram
Some low end video card (No gaming)
DVDR/RW combo
One SATA 160 gb drive

I had decided on DFI lanparty Ultra-D. Reading around a lot of people are saying it is a tough one to setup for a newbie ( I am one) and that it is finnicky about memory (I am not sure I have the budget to go with fancy memory, I am planning to use some reasonable value brand). I read DFI need a meaty PSU, where as I was thinking of getting a Aopen housing with a built in 350W PSU for budget and availability. I live in Dubai, United Arab Emirates..so most of the fancy tuff available in US so cheaply is not available for us.

I tried getting hand on an Epox 9NPA Ultra, but couldnt find any. I have access to Gigabyte models, Asus A8N-E (the only model available), and MSI Boards apart from the DFI board mentioned.

What do you suggest? Are DFI such picky board? Which other good boards will support 64 x2 3800+ to run @2.4-2.5Ghz and will not be so demanding of a meaty PSU or a choicest memory?

I would appreciate comments..

 

[SteveBlack]

Sorry for the bump..any suggestions pls..

 

[Ultralight]

The DFI board is an overcloker's dream but it also can be one that demands a lot of tweaking. If you know how and where to tweak it can be an awesome board but I needed stability with overclokability which is why I went with the Epox 9NPA+Ultra. The Asus A8N-E from what I have read is a good motherboard. Asus is not usually known for overclocking but for its stability, but there are those that do overclock their boards. I don't know enough about MSI.

As for your PSU the thing you want to look for is what does the 12v rail supply. You want at least 30A on the 12 volt rail otherwise you'll be underpowering your computer and then all kinds of issues can rise.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Mr. Black, I would like to piggyback in your query, but will edit to change this into an empty post if you object!

Because I often have dual-booted systems, with Win98 as a first OS underneath Win2000, I was interested in the DFI, since they were the only MB maker admitting to offering drivers to use with Windows98se on their NF4 boards. This isn't an immediate project, although the MB is already on hand. Mine is an OEM item, and thus had no CD, i/o plate, manual, etc. But it seems that since I last checked at DFI and/or nVidia itself, any NF4 Nforce (system) drivers for Win98 evaporated!

I have found Audio, LAN, nTune, Smart i/o, and WinFlash, for Windows98. I did not find "System" drivers, however! I'll happily pay the postage and a service charge to an owner of an original Retail version of the NF4 Ultra-D for a copy (copies?) of the CD (CD's?) from that package, in order to get the Win98 drivers.

Meanwhile, don't let anyone dissuade you from a DFI purchase on the basis of complex settings in the BIOS. I've OC'd a couple of the DFI NF2 MB's here, and they weren't that big of a deal. I'll be printing my (pdf) copy of the manual and expect to compare that to the NFii Ultra manual. Both of my Socket A DFI's have been stable as rocks.


:thumbsup:

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: SteveBlack
Sorry for the bump..any suggestions pls..

No need to bump in less than an hour. Some people like myself only come onto the forums about once a day so you can bump 10 times and I'll still not see it until the next day. Patience, my young Jedi.

Hoping for 2.4-2.5GHz is a mice and modest overclock, so just about any overclockable motherboard will work - no need to pay extra for the DFI.

Originally posted by: Ultralight
Asus is not usually known for overclocking but for its stability...

As for your PSU the thing you want to look for is what does the 12v rail supply. You want at least 30A on the 12 volt rail otherwise you'll be underpowering your computer and then all kinds of issues can rise.

Actually Asus is known for their overclockability, but that reputation was earned more on Intel boards, not AMD boards.

As for how much amperage you need on the +12v, there is no fixed answer. One rule of thumb is to go with a quality PSU such as Fortron, Zippy, Clio, Antec, Enermax, etc. The amount of amperage depends on how high an overclock, your video card (and how many video cards) and how many hard drives.