Which nForce2 MoBo?

[dthyer]

I'm somewhat new at this...

I am considering primarily the Asus and Abit.

I will be doing some video and photo editing, mild gameplay. I'll use a wireless router, so I don't need duel LAN.

I also do not need the analog DD 5.1 out as I plan to use the SPDiF.

I would also like to set up a Serial ATA RAID-0 array with two of the new Seagate drives.

I plan to run 1 Gig of Duel-DDR CAS2 Ram in sync with initially an XP 2100+ or possibly a 2600+ 333MHz (if I talk myself into it I don't plan to do much overclocking if any, but I do want good and stable performance with standard aggressive BIOS settings.

Oh and BTW, I'll be building this in this Antec case and I want to hook up the front USB and firewire directly to the board if possible.

I've used ASUS in the past, and had some BIOS and driver issues, but I was still leaning that way. Because I don't need the analog 5.1 out or the duel LAN I'm open to trying a new company if it is recommended.

What's your vote?

Thanks!

 

[BD231]

8RDA(and +) are solid boards, I have the 8RDA and it's been great to work with, bug free for sure.

 

[MJ99]

Asus A7N8X delue and it already has the SPDiF included.

 

[RatDog8102]

I have the asus but I would vote for the epox. I order my board based on reviews. While I was waiting for the board to arrive at my door I was reading several message boards and saw many people having issues with asus. I looked around and saw far less people having trouble with the epox. As it turned out my board is very stable and I am pleased. But I think I may have been lucky. To summarize my ramblings - get the 8RDA+ from Epox.

Edit:
I just noticed you said you wanted serial ata raid. Get the asus then.

 

[ncage]

I have always used abit boards and never been unhappy. I now have a kr7a which is a great kt266a. For the price i would get the NF7-S. Mwave has this board in the 120 price range and this is a really good deal. The asus deluxe is to expensive for what you get i think.

Ncage

 

[Lord Evermore]

I just got the A7N8X Deluxe. No problems getting it running for me). Use the Asus version of the nForce drivers; the nVidia version won't properly run the sound processor and also isn't as good for the IDE channels.

You can also read this.

The Firewire connectors on the board are odd, unlike the ones I've seen on other boards. I haven't tried to connect my own case's Firewire port on the front yet. My Antec case's wires for the port are all separated, so they have to be connected one by one. I'm not sure how well they'll hold onto the pins on the board though, as they don't look like a normal pin length for that sort of connector (made for the special connector Asus provides).

 

[JavaMomma]

I have had the Asus A7N8X Deluxe for about 4 days now.

Initially it setup fine no problems & booted first try.
But when i went to overclock (which you say you dont want to do) I ran into problems and had to revert to an older BIOS version to unlock my CPUs multipliers. I'm not using the SATA so it's disabled. The onboard sound is very nice. I was easily able to connect the front USB to my case. My case doesnt have firewire so i just used the firewire bracket that came with the board (not sure if you can connect it to the front of a case). The board comes with SPDIF.

I think I have found the speed I'll be using 1800+ running at 10.5x166Mhz. Prime95 ran for 48 hours without any problems (so i'm sure the board is stable)
The only thing I hanvt been able to get working is the Wake-On USB (Keyboard / Mouse), not really a big deal I can live with pushing the power button.

Over-all the board seems to have all the features you want, it is stable although the BIOS could use a little more work, unless you find another board that has everything you want I think it would be a good choice.

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

A7N8X Deluxe! Just built my system based on this board yesterday.

Haven't used it much yet, but so far it rocks. No crashes yet and i've been using it for hours.

It's a fast, feature packed board that doesn't cost much.

 

[dthyer]

Thank you everyone for the input! I'm actually starting to lean twords the Abit despite this thread. I haven't seen the advantages yet to the ASUS for what I will be doing. I plan to use S/PDiF out to Yamaha TSS-1B speakers so I don't anticipate having any problems using the reference nVidia drivers as I will bypas the sub-par onboard DAC. Incidentally, does anyone have an opinion on these speakers? Is there an other comperable set of speakers with a digital in and a quality DAC that I should consider?

I'm also guessing that there might be a chance that the onboard 12V connection (3-phase) may add some stability in the future and be more likely to better support higher speed Barton CPU's and extend the usable life of the board. I know this may be far fetched, but isn't it possible?

I realize there are many more ASUS users here, but can anyone provide a benefit of the ASUS over the Abit as it relates to my use? Considering how it is now more expensive, there should be specific reasons for me to select it over the Abit, otherwise I should probably go with the better priced Abit.

 

[Sappster]

Asus A7N8X Delux ALL THE WAY!!! I JUST got my whole computer system TODAY!! I was SO excited to get it all together. Doing MAJOR O/C. But I MUST say go with the Asus. Practically onboard EVERYTHING. VERY satisified so far and TONS of great reviews on it if you look at website, ie. Neoseeker...

~Bradley

 

[Lord Evermore]

Celeron 1.8GHz and 128MB memory? Ooh, 1GHz P3 performance and lots of hard drive access!

 

[kusanagiz]

so is it safe to say Nvidia will not bring an IDE Raid version of the boards? I really want to get an NForce2 but I'm not willing to buy unless it can support my 6 devices.

 

[Bovinicus]

I would suggest the EPoX 8RDA+, but you need Serial ATA RAID. Then, I suggest ABIT's NF7-S. It will overclock if you need to, and it has all the features you mentioned. Also, they have really good tech support and RMA policies. It is about the same price as ASUS, but that added piece of mind is worth it for a few dollars less.

 

[lastig21]

I got my 8RDA+ from axiontech today. It was $106, up to $109 now. All the reviews I've read said good things about this board. Its fairly basic though, no raid or SATA. As far as overclocking though, it allows a 250mhz fsb and 2.2v for the cpu.