Soltek nforce4 finally shows up

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy
...I got the EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra and have been VERY happy with it. The board rocks. Expensive PSU, the mobo, A64 3500+, and a GeForce 6800GT, and now flat broke. But, I don't regret it.

OMG, look what I just found over here at Newegg ! It's an ECS KN1 Extreme board with nForce4 ultra with a "special" price of $110.99 delivered. I know, I know, ECS sucks. But is does have pretty good socket placement (with exception of the fdd connector). It also has active cooling for the voltage regulators, SIS RAID controller chip (in addition to the native RAID support), Marvell Gigabit LAN and Texas Instruments Firewire controller chip. The HSF for the nforce4 chip looks to be a little too close to the PCI-E graphics slot...... oh sh*t... ECS..... no way right??? What am I thinking ????

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy

FWIW, I was in the same quandry as you. I didn't think the nF4 was mature enough, and I thought the K9T890, while good, was too limited and there were no good choices at the time. I got the EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra and have been VERY happy with it. The board rocks. Expensive PSU, the mobo, A64 3500+, and a GeForce 6800GT, and now flat broke. But, I don't regret it.

ChicagoPCGuy:

I WAS leaning towards the Asus

I think I'm taking a liking to this DFI LANParty UT NF4 Ultra-D Mobo for $140 over here at ZipZoomFly or the same board over here at NewEgg for $130 ! There is a nice review of this DFI board series at Anandtech over here ! There's a good deal on the full blown SLI version over here at ZipZoomFly for $217 or a good deal on the MIDRANGE SLI version over here at Newegg for $179

What is your knowledge/experience with DFI boards ???

Does anyone know how long DFI has been around???

 

[Macro2]

RE:"What is your knowledge/experience with DFI boards ??? Does anyone know how long DFI has been around???"

At least 15 years because I had a DFI board in my old 386 machine. Never a problem.

In recent years DFI has gotten into the overclocker game and made some great hobbyist boards.

My problem with the DFI LANParty UT NF4 is the lack of serial ports and a parallel port.

If you do a search here there is tons written on the board.

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: Macro2
...My problem with the DFI LANParty UT NF4 is the lack of serial ports and a parallel port....
.

OMG, thanks Macro2 for pointing that out to me. I didn't even notice that the DFI boards I mentioned don't have either parallel or serial ports. For a while I would still need a parallel port but probably NOT a serial.

I'm closer to making a mobo decision. May I ask your advice on the nForce4 ULTRA boards I am considering???

First, should I consider EITHER of these budget solutions. The ECS KN1 Extreme Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra or the BIOSTAR NF4UL-A9 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ??? They both appear to have similar features and pretty good layouts. They each have a parallel port and 3 PCI slots along with the PCI-E slot. They BOTH have SATA 150 (SATA 300 on the ECS), onboard Gigabit LAN (the ECS actually has TWO onboard LANs - one is Gigabit, the other is 10/100Mbps), onboard Audio (6 and 8 channel respectively), onboard firewire and plenty of usb 2.0. I realize their quality may not be high nor their reliablity though. Actually, the BIOSTAR board looks warped in the photo, lol.

Then I thought, well why not step up to the this ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra which (along with wonderful ASUS quality and good board layout) has the obligatory SATA150, onboard LAN, 8 channel audio, parallel (but no serial) port and plenty of USB 2.0. Then I realized it DOEN'T have onboard firewire. I realize I could get a PCI/firewire adapter card but that swallows up one of the PCI slots.

Now I will probably have no use for SLI but ASUS A8N-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI board doesn't sacrifice a PCI slot to add the additional PCI-E graphics slot, it has firewire, Gigabit LAN, onboard 8 channel Realtek audio, SATA 300 (not 150) and tons of USB 2.0 ports/headers.

The last two considerations are the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra board and the GIGABYTE GA-K8N Ultra-9 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra board. (I ruled out the EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra that ChicagoPCGuy used because I don't like the placement of the P/S connector). Both the MSI and Gigabyte boards are quite similar. The MSI board has 4 PCI slots, SATA 300, 2 Gigabit LANs, 8 channel Realtek audio, plenty of USB 2.0 and onboard firewire. The Gigabyte has one less PCI slot (3) but has two Gigabit LANs, 2 firwires, and everything else is very similar to the MSI.

What is your opinion of these options ???

Also, I thought earlier in this thread it was pointed out that SATA II in a feature on the ULTRA nForce 4 chip. If that is the case, why do some of the ULTRA boards list SATA 150 and others SATA 300??? Is that just an error on NewEgg's part???

Again, your (or anyone's) opioions would be greatly appreiated.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Originally posted by: Fisher999

Originally posted by: ChineseDemocracyGNR
...The vanilla nForce4 is only missing SATAII and ActiveArmor support compared to the Ultra. It does have Gigabit. In addition to SATAII and ActiveArmor the SLI chipset supports SLI...

Doesn't the ULTRA version of the nForce 4 chip also have support for the NCQ (native command queuing) drives as well as the SATAII support and ActiveArmor (firewall) already mentioned???

Greg

Yup.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Originally posted by: Fisher999

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy
Hi Greg. Yeah, for what you want to do a X700 is totally more than fine. Definitely get PCI-E! As for CPU/Mobo:

While it is true that P4 systems with HT do audio encoding somewhat faster than the A64, they totally suck for gaming. I mean SUCK. Now, with a 939 mobo (I recommend a Winchester core A64 3000+ for you right now for a small $146 PIB) you can go with a dual-core x2 Athlon 64 in a few months and they will totally annihilate the P4 in both gaming AND audio encoding and just about everything else. Even the lower end x2 A64 CPU's will trounce the P4 single or dual core CPU's Intel is releasing. If you should lose your sanity and go Intel, stay away from Prescott unless you want to add a heater to your house, in which case it will serve this purpose (along with the others you stated) quite well. The Prescott core is a slow and overheated dud. The Northwood is the better core, but then you will be limited to Socket 478, and there is NO FUTURE there.

Definitely go A64 939, PCI-E, nForce4 Ultra. I recommend the EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra. It is relatively inexpensive, trouble free, and has a good name. Shy away from SLI. Most SLI boards are:

1. Pricey
2. Not what you are looking for
3. Quirky

Take care.

Sorry I'm so slow in responding ChicagoPCGuy and thanks for looking at my post. I decided Sunday on the Asus Radeon x700 PCI-E card, the Fortron Source P/S (a mistake as it only has passive PFC) and the Patriot 1GB 2-3-2-5 RAM (512 X 2). I went ahead and ordered them. I also decided for sure on the AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Socket 939 "Winchester" and will order it soon.

I realize that history has shown the P4 to be superior to the Athlon in video and audio encoding (as well as content creation and 3D rendering) but inferior to the Athlon in MS Office apps and Gaming. My new system will be such a significant step up from my RIG 1 that I think I can live with the Athlon's limitations

Sorry I haven't done my own homework on this but does the NForce 4 (standard or Ultra) support the dual core Athlons that will be available ??? I think that was one point you were trying to make - that I could "ditch" the "Winchester" done the road and go for a dual-core Athlon, right ???

Soooooo, the only choice left is for the mobo. I will definetly go with an NForce 4 socket 939. The dilemma is non-Ultra vs. Ultra and the actual board choice which is why I am back to THIS thread. I REALLY WANTED to like this Soltek board and I still am interested in it but I think the reasons you stated earlier just make it a no-brainer to NOT go with this Soltek.

I usually equate Epox boards with low cost/low reliablity. Have you had good experiences with Epox boards? Is it a matter of "you get what you pay for" and I REALLY should opt for the more expensive Gigabyte GA-K8N Ultra-9 (with nFORCE 4 Ultra Chip) which is about $20 more than the Epox?

What do you think???

Thanks,

Greg

I use EPoX boards all the time, including their nForce3 250 based 8KDA3I board on lots of budget builds. No issues. EPoX does build good boards. The Gigabyte is a good choice, too.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Originally posted by: Fisher999

Originally posted by: grooge
...the Ultra...the firewall.. well, yeah. Still buggy in some area and incompatible with some router. So, no a big miss for me....

Has anyone heard if the nFORCE 4 ULTRA chip has any compatibility "issues" with cable modems since the ActiveArmor firewall, according to Grooge, is incompatible with some network routers???

I have not run into compatibility issues with the Active Armor or nVidia firewall since I do not use them. I am running a SPI hardware firewall with XP firewall. I am just using the basic nVidia driver for the ethernet. Others have had no trouble with the Active Armor or firewall, and yet some others have had nothing BUT trouble with them. It depends on your configuration. The latest standalone kit for nF4 seems to have resolved some of the issues, but not all. The drivers will mature, but are pretty good right now. FWIW, it appears the VIA is having driver issues as well....take a look over at viaarena.com in the forums. The grass is not always greener when you get there!

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Originally posted by: Fisher999

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy
I suggest you look over at X-Bit Labs and check out their PSU article. Sad to say, but a 20-pin power connector is right on the edge of not being good enough when you are using a PCI-E video card like the X800XL without a power connector on it. You definitely better have a high quality PSU. Apparently a 20 pin connector is left with ONE PIN to provide power to the PCI-E bus as opposed to the additional pins a 24 pin connector provides, so it is not just a BTX thing. That pin can actually BURN. Here is the link: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/other/display/atx-psu.html

I think I can pretty much safely say Soltek made a big mistake, IMHO.

I wonder what's up with xbitlabs.com ??? The link you provide doesnt' work so I tried just to go to the home page of xbitlabs.com manually and I still got "the page cannot be displayed" error window. Hmm..... maybe their server is down...... will check later... thanks for the information though......

Their site is down.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Originally posted by: Fisher999

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy
...I got the EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra and have been VERY happy with it. The board rocks. Expensive PSU, the mobo, A64 3500+, and a GeForce 6800GT, and now flat broke. But, I don't regret it.

Chicago:

Sorry I already asked you if you had any experience with Epox boards. I hadn't got this far in the thread to see that you actually OWN the Epox. I looked at the board at Newegg and one thing bothers me - the placement of the p/s connector on the mobo. It's far back on the board BEHIND the cpu socket. I've had experience with that kind of p/s connector placement before and the cabling for the p/s can "hang over" the CPU and restrict airflow. I realize the main cable for a lot of new p/s are the "rolled" kind but I still am bothered by that p/s connector placement and the overall reliability of Epox boards.

I discovered this Asus A8N-E nForce 4 Ultra board at Newegg for $140.50 delivered. The organization of the board looks good and ASUS does make mostly stable boards. It does lack firewire but if I need that down the road I could always add one of the Koutech PCI add-in cards for $20 like this one at Newegg but there goes another precious PCI slot .

What do you think of this board???

Greg

Appears to be a good board pick, maybe one of the best (but there is no hard data yet). I might have gone with this board had it been released when I bought the EPoX. The jury is still out on the reliability of this ASUS board, and ASUS is not always the most stable. ASUS has turned out some pretty bad boards in recent memory--such as the A8V-E Deluxe K8T890 board.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Originally posted by: Fisher999

Originally posted by: Macro2
...My problem with the DFI LANParty UT NF4 is the lack of serial ports and a parallel port....
.

OMG, thanks Macro2 for pointing that out to me. I didn't even notice that the DFI boards I mentioned don't have either parallel or serial ports. For a while I would still need a parallel port but probably NOT a serial.

I'm closer to making a mobo decision. May I ask your advice on the nForce4 ULTRA boards I am considering???

First, should I consider EITHER of these budget solutions. The ECS KN1 Extreme Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra or the BIOSTAR NF4UL-A9 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ??? They both appear to have similar features and pretty good layouts. They each have a parallel port and 3 PCI slots along with the PCI-E slot. They BOTH have SATA 150 (SATA 300 on the ECS), onboard Gigabit LAN (the ECS actually has TWO onboard LANs - one is Gigabit, the other is 10/100Mbps), onboard Audio (6 and 8 channel respectively), onboard firewire and plenty of usb 2.0. I realize their quality may not be high nor their reliablity though. Actually, the BIOSTAR board looks warped in the photo, lol.

Then I thought, well why not step up to the this ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra which (along with wonderful ASUS quality and good board layout) has the obligatory SATA150, onboard LAN, 8 channel audio, parallel (but no serial) port and plenty of USB 2.0. Then I realized it DOEN'T have onboard firewire. I realize I could get a PCI/firewire adapter card but that swallows up one of the PCI slots.

Now I will probably have no use for SLI but ASUS A8N-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI board doesn't sacrifice a PCI slot to add the additional PCI-E graphics slot, it has firewire, Gigabit LAN, onboard 8 channel Realtek audio, SATA 300 (not 150) and tons of USB 2.0 ports/headers.

The last two considerations are the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra board and the GIGABYTE GA-K8N Ultra-9 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra board. (I ruled out the EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra that ChicagoPCGuy used because I don't like the placement of the P/S connector). Both the MSI and Gigabyte boards are quite similar. The MSI board has 4 PCI slots, SATA 300, 2 Gigabit LANs, 8 channel Realtek audio, plenty of USB 2.0 and onboard firewire. The Gigabyte has one less PCI slot (3) but has two Gigabit LANs, 2 firwires, and everything else is very similar to the MSI.

What is your opinion of these options ???

Also, I thought earlier in this thread it was pointed out that SATA II in a feature on the ULTRA nForce 4 chip. If that is the case, why do some of the ULTRA boards list SATA 150 and others SATA 300??? Is that just an error on NewEgg's part???

Again, your (or anyone's) opioions would be greatly appreiated.

Thanks,

Greg

SLi boards are quirky, including the DFI. DFI has also been having packaging issues lately with their boards, and many folks have received physically damaged ones--and there is no apparent rough handling by the shipper, and from multiple sources.

nForce4 Ultra supports SATAII at 300. If you are looking at a board on NewEgg that is supposed to be nForce4 Ultra and they list it as SATA I (150), then it is a misprint. The basic vanilla nForce4 only supports SATA I.

Even though the power supply connector placement on the EPoX board is less than ideal from a build standpoint, it is actually the best placement for stability.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Look what else I found on NewEgg. http://www2.newegg.com/Product/ShowImag...VIA%20K8T890%20ATX%20AMD%20Motherboard

A K8T890 Pro board, with 24 pin ATX support, made by Gigabyte! This might be what you wanted in the first place.

 

[cpush]

that only has 800mhz htt... but look what I found on NewEgg

http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813170145

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Originally posted by: cpush
that only has 800mhz htt... but look what I found on NewEgg

http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813170145

Hey--I took at the link and it has 1000Mhz HTT. Incidentally, this board also has the Envy24 sound chip on it. That chip annihilates any of the AC97 codecs being used out there, including Azalia. This board also has 1394a, although no on-board header (bracket based).

This might be the board he wants. It also includes a 4-Phase power module. Are there any reviews of this board? It also appears to have gone through several BIOS revs (I looked at the manufacturer site), which means it is probably quite mature.

Oh, and it is 24pin as well.

I think we found him his board. Inexpensive, great on-board sound so no need to spend money on a sound card, appears mature, what he is looking for. Hmm, win-win.

 

[cpush]

yep yep, there is a review, I have it in this thread:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=29&threadid=1578540&enterthread=y

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy

Originally posted by: Fisher999

Doesn't the ULTRA version of the nForce 4 chip also have support for the NCQ (native command queuing) drives as well as the SATAII support and ActiveArmor (firewall) already mentioned???

Greg

Yup.

Thanks, I thought so !

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy

Originally posted by: Fisher999
I think I can pretty much safely say Soltek made a big mistake, IMHO.

I wonder what's up with xbitlabs.com ??? The link you provide doesnt' work so I tried just to go to the home page of xbitlabs.com manually and I still got "the page cannot be displayed" error window. Hmm..... maybe their server is down...... will check later... thanks for the information though......

Their site is down.

[/quote]

I just tried again and I still get the "the page cannot be displayed" error message. Too bad the site is down I was really looking forward to reading that article you mentioned.

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy
I use EPoX boards all the time, including their nForce3 250 based 8KDA3I board on lots of budget builds. No issues. EPoX does build good boards. The Gigabyte is a good choice, too.

Hmm, you use Epox boards but you do admit you use them in Budget Builds. But you don't have major issues with the Epox boards??? Good !!! Gigabyte boards do seem to be popular here at Anandtech.

Greg

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy

SLi boards are quirky, including the DFI. DFI has also been having packaging issues lately with their boards, and many folks have received physically damaged ones--and there is no apparent rough handling by the shipper, and from multiple sources.

nForce4 Ultra supports SATAII at 300. If you are looking at a board on NewEgg that is supposed to be nForce4 Ultra and they list it as SATA I (150), then it is a misprint. The basic vanilla nForce4 only supports SATA I.

Even though the power supply connector placement on the EPoX board is less than ideal from a build standpoint, it is actually the best placement for stability.

Are ALL SLI boards quirky and how are they quirky? Quirky to set up or quirky in operation? If they are quirky in operation are they ONLY quirky in operation when they are being used with two PCI-E graphics cards in SLI mode but OK when just using ONE PCI-E graphics card in non-SLI mode???

I guessed maybe NewEgg wasn't getting their information correctly as I thought that the SATAII suppoet is built right into the nForce4 ULTRA chip itself.

Why is having the power supply connector in that placement the best placement for stability? Do you mean stability when you are plugging in the P/S cable to the mobo connector or do you mean overall electrical stability for the mobo itself???

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy

I have not run into compatibility issues with the Active Armor or nVidia firewall since I do not use them. I am running a SPI hardware firewall with XP firewall. I am just using the basic nVidia driver for the ethernet. Others have had no trouble with the Active Armor or firewall, and yet some others have had nothing BUT trouble with them.

How do you NOT use the Active Armor? Is there a way to opt not too when you install the nForce chipset drivers like "options" that are available when installing VIA drivers or is there a way to disable the feature in CMOS setup?

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy

Appears to be a good board pick, maybe one of the best (but there is no hard data yet). I might have gone with this board had it been released when I bought the EPoX. The jury is still out on the reliability of this ASUS board, and ASUS is not always the most stable. ASUS has turned out some pretty bad boards in recent memory--such as the A8V-E Deluxe K8T890 board.

Hmmm, I always used to equate the ASUS with quality, reliable products but I'll take your word for it that there reputation may have slipped this last couple of years. If that's true it's a crying shame.

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy
Look what else I found on NewEgg. http://www2.newegg.com/Product/ShowImag...VIA%20K8T890%20ATX%20AMD%20Motherboard

A K8T890 Pro board, with 24 pin ATX support, made by Gigabyte! This might be what you wanted in the first place.

Gigabyte sounds good! Via K8T890 does not sound so good ! In fact to me, anything VIA does not sound too good; I have used Via chipset-based boards in the past and (although they've come a long way) they are still often a pain to set up, have compatibility issues with hardware that you don't usually have with Intel chipset boards and are usually generally less stable and less reliable. I hate to do this but here is a quote for one of your earlier postings in this thread:

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy
...I didn't think the nF4 was mature enough, and I thought the K8T890, while good, was too limited and there were no good choices at the time...

See, even you admitted earlier in this thread that you didn't think the VIA K8T890 was a good choice at the time you purchased your EPOX/nForce4 ultra board.

Greg

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: cpush
that only has 800mhz htt... but look what I found on NewEgg

http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813170145

Thanks for mentioning it cpush! I'm checking it out now!

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy

Hey--I took at the link and it has 1000Mhz HTT...

This might be the board he wants. It also includes a 4-Phase power module. Are there any reviews of this board? It also appears to have gone through several BIOS revs (I looked at the manufacturer site), which means it is probably quite mature.

Oh, and it is 24pin as well.

I think we found him his board. Inexpensive, great on-board sound so no need to spend money on a sound card, appears mature, what he is looking for. Hmm, win-win.

Interesting that when you go to the manufacturer's link and read their specs on the board they claim in has only a 20 pin P/S connector but when you count the number of pin holes in the NewEgg pictures it adds up to 24 ????

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: cpush
yep yep, there is a review, I have it in this thread:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=29&threadid=1578540&enterthread=y

cpush:

Thanks for providing us with a link to a review of the board. I was unimpressed when I first started reading the review as the pointed out some of the board's limitations. Limitations like use of the aging VIA V48237R southbridge (which only supports two STANDARD SATA channels - although I doubt that is really THAT important) and the poor placement of the FDD connector, etc...

The initial benchmarks were not too impressive either UNTIL they got into the gaming benchmarks. It looks like this board will be an excellent board for gamers.

Does anyone know anything about this company? Like how long they have been in business? How reliable are their motherboards? How often do they keep up with BIOS revisions, etc ???

I'm almost aftaid to try another VIA board again.

If I do, will you guys be around to do some "hand-holding" if I get into trouble trying to get this board set up ???

Greg

 

[Macro2]

Greg,

If the Asus had a serial port I might try that. I like Asus. edit I see it comes with one you can stick in a plate in the back. NO firewire. If you need that you're going to take up a PCI slot and end up with 2 like the Soltek.

I've had good luck with MSI boards unlike some other people.

I skip ECS and Biostar.

I really want to like the Soltek. It does have everything I need despite the poor location of the video slot and only 2 regular PCI slots.

Really, all this nforce4 atuff is confusing as hell. Hard to get a grip on it.