Which motherboard? MSI Neo 2 Plat vs Epox 9nda3+ vs Asus A8V ??

[morkys]

I'm looking to run an AMD64 winnie 3000+ or 3200+
Which motherboard do you suggest?

The Epox is the least expensive. The Asus is another $10 CAD and the MSI is another $26 CAD. Not a huge difference, but apart from an extra firewire port and Dual LAN with gigabit, I don't know what all the fuss is about the Neo 2 Plat.

So does anyone have any comments for or against one board or the other? I'm set on running close to stock, overclocking either from 1.8 ghz to 2.0 or from 2.0 to 2.2 ghz, nothing more, and in fact, I may not bother overclocking at all. I'll be mostly surfing, downloading and manipulating MP3's, WAV's, videos, capturing video, editing video, possibly doing GIS etc.

I want to spend as little money as possible. Also, if I must upgrade my PSU from my 350 watt enermax (17A 12v), what is the least expensive I could use? I was thinking an Enermax Noisetaker 465.

Thanx in advance for any feedback

 

[Preti9cboi]

Neo2!!! That's what i got. =D Its my first build and i had no problems.

 

[slpaulson]

My experiences so far make me not recommend an Asus A8V.
I know a few people who are having the exact same problem as me trying to get it to post....

I'm sure it's a fine board once it gets running, but there does seem to be a few problems going around.

You also might want to look at Soltek's 939 board. It seems solid from what other people say, and it's cheap.

 

[morkys]

Duly noted. Thanx for the input folks.

Why did you choose the MSI?
I'm going to a certain retailer and they don't have Slotek.

 

[Rhin0]

There isn't anything that makes the Neo 2 plat that much better than the Asus.

I would seriously take a look at the Abit AV8 if you have considered the Asus A8V. I bought two of them for 100 each (shipped). They have so many options and a little uguru program in windows that does just about anything. It sorta blew my mind...

 

[Andres3605]

neo 2 anyday, and about what makes msi special just say incredible oc and good features

 

[morkys]

I also want to have firewire 1394.

 

[SpeedSeeker]

I looked @ MSI's site & seems like the K8N Neo 2 Platinum can't run DDR400 with all 4 slots filled with double-sided RAM. That sucks. since I ordered from Monarch Computer this mobo w/a A64 3200 + 1GB of Corsair Twinx1024-3200XL (double-sided) & Monarch doesn't carry any double-sided RAM.

Is this a chipset limitation or can it be fixed w/a BIOS upgrade?

I'm worried about future upgradability.

 

[morkys]

Good question. Weird. I won't be filling all 4 slots myself, at least I didn't think I would.

What power supply should I get for this motherboard? I find it strange that on the one hand AMD says their new AMD64 CPU's will use less power overall due to cool n' quiet, and the fact that the 0.090 winchester core is lower wattage, and yet they still told me to get a 450 watt power supply even though I already have a 350 watt power supply. This alone is making me second guess bothering to upgrade. Its going to cost me another $200 +CAD to switch from an Asus A7N8X E Deluxe, Mobile 2500+ CPU to the MSI Neo 2 Plat and an AMD64 3000+. The stuff is un-used. I wonder if I should forget about 64 bit and just go with what I have for now.:disgust:

 

[morkys]

I don't think I can stomach the need for a power supply. I've spent $423 CAD on my 462 upgrade and to go to AMD64 its going to cost another $200 CAD including the power supply. I'm going to probably stay with 462 for now! Yikes. I'm nutty. I just can't justify spending more cash. I've blown my budget as is. I'm upgrading from a Slot-A 850 so I'm sure the mobile 2500+ will do me for a while

 

[morkys]

What power supply would I need for the MSI Neo 2 Plat and AMD 3000 or 3200 anyways? I have an Enermax 350 watt and some people, including my local store, say thats good enough. Others, including AMD, when I accidentally mentioned overclocking in an email to them (doh!), AMD recommends a 450 watt PSU. Do I really need something that powerful if the 939's are fairly efficient? Is it simply for when the CPU is at full load that it needs more power? I don't get it when the CPU doesn't seem to be rated for a huge amount of poewr compared to a 2500+ mobile, my old T-bird 850 slot-a or my dads K6 III 400.

What power supply is required for an MSI Neo 2 Plat and AMD 64 3000 or 3200?

And what PSU's are people using in their AMD64 systems?

thanx

 

[Shimmishim]

The Epox 9nda3+ is a great board... if you don't need firewire then the 9nda3j is for you... and it's a sub $100 board.

But like you, i'm also at a toss up at the moment between the EPoX and MSI.

 

[morkys]

I really need to know about power supply before I finalize what I'm doing. Upgrading my power supply blows my budget. A new PSU would cost me another $120.00 CAD extra. I'm sure I could get $40 to $50 CAD for my Enermax 350 whisper PSU but still, its adding up to lots of money.

My Enermax 350 watt specs:

12v 17A
3.3v 32A
5v 32A

The MSI with dual-LAN and an extra firewire is nice. I don't like the idea of doing without firewire.

 

[morkys]

Here's what my setup will be:

AMD64 939 3000+
MSI Neo 2 Plat
adaptec PCI 2930U scsi card with Pioneer 6x dvd drive internal and Umax 1200S externally connected scsi scanner
possible PCI lucent winmodem (or I may use my external serial USR)
onboard audio
onboard LAN
IDE 80 GB WD ata100 7200 rpm drive (possibly upgrade to SATA 200 GB 16 mb cache later)
Plextor 24/10/40
Matrox G400 max (possibly upgrade to an ATI AIW someday or grab a graphics capture card)

I don't play many games at all.

 

[morkys]

And is this memory ok to use with the MSI Neo 2 Plat?

Dual Channel OCZ
2 x 256 MB DDR OCZ Premier 2.5-3-3-7

 

[Waylay00]

I would say get the EPoX

 

[morkys]

Ok folks, I've almost driven myself nutzo, but here is what I'm going to get:

Swapping my "un-used still sitting in the box" Asus A7N8X E Deluxe and Mobile 2500+ CPU for:

MSI Neo 2 Plat
AMD 3000+ 939 CPU
and buying either of
Enermax 370 or 425 noisetaker PSU (or 475? I don't think I need it). Unless I could get away with an Enermax noisetaker 370, I will get the 425 ??

I may not "need" the power supply, but since its rated with such high efficiency, I'll invest in the peace of mind. My whole goal in this will be to go for the ultimate in efficiency. I may get a better video card, but it'll have to be an AIW type of card. If people say that a 350 watt power supply is enough and I get the 425 and make a point of being as efficient as possible, ie no overclocking, eliminating PCI cards like my scsi card and winmodem, replacing one of my optical drives with an external drive (external dual-layer dvd burner) etc etc, my PC should be fine with the 425. I'd like to get away with the noisetaker 370, but the 27a 5v and 3.3v lines are a tad low.

So which power supply should I grab? The noisetaker 370 or 425???

I'll get it done today, put my system together, get it up and running and get organized.

 

[Ike0069]

If you're not going with a 6800 ultra VC, or something close, and don't plan to overclock, the 350 Enermax you have should be fine. I would wait and cee if the voltages are stable. If not, then get a PS.

 

[morkys]

Ok. Good advice. Still, a 370 or 425 noisetaker isn't too costly and they are very efficient. I guess if I really don't need one, then that would be nice.

How do I watch the voltages? My Enermax 350 has no readout. Will the BIOS and software for the MSI allow me to watch the voltages and current draw on the 3.3v, 5v and 12v rails?

Is there any risk of damaging anything by running a power supply that is too weak?

thanx

 

[morkys]

Well, between some people saying I'll get by with a 350 and others saying I need a 450, 500 or even a 550, I think the advice is all over the map. Since I'm not doing heavy CPU usage and major gaming, I choose the 425 noisetaker. I imagine my 350 would have been ok, or even the 370 noisetaker, but I figure the 425 is good peace of mind. The 470 didn't look any better really, and although it had more on the 3.3v and 5v rails, the 12v was lower than the 425. The 495 just seemed like too much for someone who is going to deliberately conserve power where possible.

Well, I've got the stuff. MSI Neo 2 Plat and AMD 939 3000 to go with my OCZ 512 PC3200 DDR. Hope it goes ok. I'll be reading the manual and double checking all the stuff before I boot up.

Will I need a new BIOS? I'll check the website to see about that.

So about the Enermax Noisemaker 425. If thats not enough I'll swap it for a 495, but do I really need to?


Reminder of my system and plans

MSI Neo 2 Plat
AMD64 Winchester 939 3000+ CPU
OCZ Premier series 2 x 256 MB PC3200 DDR
WD 80 GB 7200rpm 8 MB cache HD
Matrox G400 max
Plextor 24/10/40 IDE CD burner
Pioneer 6x scsi DVD drive
2930u adaptec PCI scsi card
PCI winmodem LT
1.44 MB floppy
keyboard
mouse
19" CRT Samsung 900 IFT monitor

Future plans:

Ditch scsi dvd drive and Plextor (not ditch, they'll go into my fathers or sisters PC).
Get a 52/32/52 CDRW and DVD reader
Get an external dual layer DVD burner ala USB 2.0 or firewire
Remove PCI modem and use my serial external modem whenever necessary (if and when I need it for faxing and/or dial-up when High Speed is down, although it hasn't
gone down yet).
REplace 80 MB WD with 200 GB SATA Maxtor drive
REplace G400 max with ATI AIW (which one I don't know) or just grab an MSI TV @ anywhere to accompany my Matrox G400or a Flyvideo 2 or 3000.
LCD 18 or 19" monitor to replace the 19" CRT


So which PSU is enough?
Enermax Noisetaker 425 or 495?

 

[boatillo]

If you want to make your psu more futureproof, buy one with a 24pin main connector as all the newest boards will be moving to ATX2.0 standard.

The 24 pin PSU is backwards compatible with 20pin through a little adapter - but 20 pin is not compatible with a 24pin motherboard

Something to think about.

 

[morkys]

Right. Thanx. Got that covered. The Enermax noisetaker PSU's are all ATX 2.0. I'm just deciding between the 425 or 495 model. The 470 is ok but doesn't seem like a good option.

 

[morkys]

Your Antec 430 is essentially similar to my 425, so I imagine if you are confident that you have enough power, the 420 watt I have should be good to go

...or are those xxxxxx's in your signature basically saying you've got a 430 watt Antec Trupower, but you're not AMD64 yet?

 

[boatillo]

Yup...still in the process of buying components and turns out the Antec truepower 430 I thought I could recycle ain't gonna cut it.

A64 systems recommend 24A on the 12v, 30A or more if you plan to OC a good amount. The older Antecs (mines just 1 yr old) got a weak 12v (mines 20A) whereas a brand new Antec of the same make & model gets a 26A 12v.

I have just started the process to RMA it for a new 26A version.


(The 430W is rated at max 410W for me, this should be enough to run most systems, but you want higher if you are going PCI-e, SLI, or running a lot of fans/drives)

 

[morkys]

How does that 12v spec work when you have two 12v sources? I have two 18A 12v with a combined 12v of 29a. How does that work? Is it ok that the individual 12v rails are 18a and the combined is 29a?