*** The ULTIMATE Motherboard Selection Guide For New Users ***

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purplescarf

Junior Member
Jan 25, 2006
16
0
0
Is this USB problem only attributed to if you have AMD dual core processor? I'm trying to put the following together, not planning to do SLI or overclocking, but I am looking for a fast system for multitasking. My old Athlon XP has been sluggish this last year when i try to burn dvd and surf the web and edit some pictures all a once. Any advice would be great!

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 939 socket
Epox EP-9NPA+ (another choice I was originally thinking about was Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe or premium, but the epox seem to be cheaper and I don't need sli anyway)
eVGA 6600GT PCI express x16
Corsair XMS twin 512MB DDR400
WD WD800JD 80GB 7200 rpm HD
 

AU Tiger

Diamond Member
Dec 26, 1999
4,280
0
76
Most of what I read about Epox and USB 2.0 is dual core related. I have a Opteron 165 and am still leaning towards the 9npa+ even with the possible usb issues.
 

mondobyte

Senior member
Jun 28, 2004
918
0
71
This is a great guide but I noticed an apparent lack of information on Foxconn and AOpen motherboards.

I'd like to see some information on the offerings from AOpen and Foxconn.

Thanks
 

The Pentium Guy

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2005
4,327
1
0
Originally posted by: GlobalMutiny
I would honestly like to see some Intel compatible mobos on here as well...
No, you're right. But, given the immense popularity of AMD users on the forum, I think that it would be wise to hold off on that. The new Conroe might change things a bit, but we'll see - but a processor debate is a bad idea in a motherboard thread.

I've been out of the loop for a few months - sorry - anyone want to fill me in on details (via PM or otherwise)? Sounds like I'm getting some free time now - thanks.

-The Pentium Guy
 

DGig

Junior Member
Feb 20, 2006
1
0
0
Thanks Pentium Guy.

I'd very much like some discussion on the pro's and con's of SLI/Crossfire boards for those of us who have no intention of ever using more than one video card.

It seems that to get a feature-rich board (firewire, SATA II, gigabit LAN, passive cooling, lots of USB, higher order RAID, etc.) you have to go SLI/Crossfire. Is this true?

What's the drawbacks to going SLI/Crossfire? Is that second unused x16 graphics slot good for anything else (like a normal no-graphics x1 PCIe card)? The whole expansion slot situation seems to be really a mess nowadays. PCIe is being pretty much ignored by card makers (like audio), and usually the layouts block one of the PCI slots if you use a quiet cooler for your graphics card. That sometimes leaves just 1 or 2 useable slots!

David
 

R3MF

Senior member
Oct 19, 2004
656
0
0
what's wrong with the DVI on the MSI 2-FID board as indicated by the parent post?
 

The Pentium Guy

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2005
4,327
1
0
Originally posted by: R3MF
what's wrong with the DVI on the MSI 2-FID board as indicated by the parent post?

My bad - I missed over that fact when I updated it (the original board there was the ASUS A8N-VM, which had a problem with using DVI->Analog converters)
 

Shmalls

Member
Feb 24, 2006
131
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does any one have any advice on a good M-ATX board ( AMD, socket 939 )
i want pci-e for video, integrated sound, wont be OC'ing (probably, never know)
dual channel ddr 400... and so on
one thing, it will be in a totaly clear case, so it must be "pretty"
 

PrinceXizor

Platinum Member
Oct 4, 2002
2,188
99
91
Awesome thread! Helped out a bunch! The MCP heat issue is a great thing to know about when you are trying to run a silent system!

P-X
 

sygyzy

Lifer
Oct 21, 2000
14,001
4
76
Are there any cons not getting a SLI board? For example, I want to run only one (1) graphics card but maybe I care about Firewire and to justify the price increase, motherboard mfg's will add extra FW ports on SLI boards. Does this scenario happen? An analogy would be I want the leather trim seats but they only come in the EX trim which also comes with a bigger engine, bigger wheels, etc ... things I don't want.
 

PSUPef2k

Senior member
Mar 1, 2006
335
0
71
The first post doesn't include the ASUS A8N32-SLi deluxe...

I am going to build a system around an opteron 170...should I go DFI or ASUS A8n32?
 

cr0ssfire

Senior member
Sep 10, 2005
379
0
0
What would the best board for a novice overclocker be - something that has nice features and overclocks well, but is easier (friendlier) to use than a DFI board? I'm not really looking to use SLI. I've seen screenshots of the DFI BIOS and it scares me...

I was going to go with my AN8-Ultra once it comes back from RMA, but I'm wondering if there might be a better choice.
 

PSUPef2k

Senior member
Mar 1, 2006
335
0
71
Originally posted by: cr0ssfire
What would the best board for a novice overclocker be - something that has nice features and overclocks well, but is easier (friendlier) to use than a DFI board? I'm not really looking to use SLI. I've seen screenshots of the DFI BIOS and it scares me...

I was going to go with my AN8-Ultra once it comes back from RMA, but I'm wondering if there might be a better choice.

where did you see DFI Bios screen shots?
 

PSUPef2k

Senior member
Mar 1, 2006
335
0
71
Originally posted by: cr0ssfire
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/dfinf4ultralp/4.html

^ There's a few of them.

The DFI is obviously a very high quality board, but it just isn't geared towards someone like me.

I was thinking about going with an EPoX 9nPA+ ultra instead of the AN8-Ultra, but the memory slots are so close together that it scares me to think about placing my Ballistix in them.
thanks. That doesn't look as bad as I was expecting, although I wouldn't know what to do with ALL of that.
 

Leif Nut

Junior Member
Mar 18, 2006
3
0
0
Very nice compact summary PentiumDude! I'm an old f*rt that is considering a new PC. My 2001 Mwave special w/ Epox 7KXA and 30 gig maxtor is getting long in the tooth (not unlike moi, LOL). I was watching Sharky's value gaming guide for info on a solid system for cheap and started roaming the sites and boards again. The Epox EP-9NPA3ULTRA, Caviar 320 and ATI AIW 2006 are looking pretty good but like most geeks I need a little affirmation for my compulsing. For browsing cigar bulletin boards, and storing photos, and using a PC like a Tivo I think I can get a decent, stable system that will last me a few more years.
Thanks