Your expert advice ? (ip 35 pro or GA-P35-DS4) ?

[Samsonid]

Originally posted by: Heidfirst
so does abit & Asus & MSI ...

Well, I have checked their manual and their site and did not see mention of a windows based updater.
http://www.uabit.com/index.php...id=48&page=3&model=381
http://www.uabit.com/index.php...k=view&id=49&Itemid=93

& yet if you check you'll find more failed flashes using the Windows flash utilities.
In the same vain 1 thing in abit's favour is that they still use socketed BIOS chips which are easily replaced in the event of a bad flash.
Yes, no doubt Asus & Gigabyte will say that with their recovery utilities that it shouldn't happen but in the real world it does still happen & that means RMAing a whole board whereas on the abit you swap a chip.

There was one time that I messed up something and the BIOS became corrupt (it was years ago on a Gigabyte board) ... however, even back then the Gigabyte board had a back up BIOS. All I had to do was connect two pins and restore the factory default BIOS.

On an another occasion (a couple of years earlier) I had a bad BIOS on a board that had a removable chip. That was a bad experience. I did find someone to reprogram the chip but it wasn't fun looking around (and I only had one computer back then and had to go to the library to get online)

 

[SerpentRoyal]

http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en...ity&pMODEL_NAME=IP35-E

FlashMenu available for download. Anyone who is serious about this hobby should have a $3 floppy drive. The connector is there because it's still the safest way to update the BIOS.

 

[Samsonid]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Nippon Chemi-con (Y), Matsushita/Panasonic (T), and Rubycon (K) do not use an (X) break-away stamp at the top of the cap. Do you have a picture of these defective caps?

The ASUS A8v Deluxe has the (X) kind ... which is the most prone to leakage.

As I was following the capacitor news a few years ago it seemed to me that iWill was the only maker that was not seen in any reports as being affected. This manufacturer (though no longer in operation) was consistently using the highest grade components for its boards. I was having dreams of owning an iWill board some day. Those were $450 to $700 boards.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

You should be able to see the name on the cap...OST caps will usually come with an (X) relief top.

 

[Samsonid]

While reading the manual of both boards I notice the Gigabyte BIOS features the "F12 Boot Menu" thing, whereas I do not see this in the IP35-pro. Small thing, but there was a time, or two, that I wish my old board had this instead of having to go into the BIOS.

Also I see some comments like this that give some clues on manufacturing quality:

Was not impressed with stock cooling solution. The only copper is at the chipset base, everything else is painted aluminum. Removal revealed poor contact with moffsets due to heatsink being slightly bent, raising one side of heatsink. Also, heatpipe makes contact with a board component between chipset and moffsets

the heatsink on the board are copper plated but not really copper..i can c the aluminum under it if you scratch the copper

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Why check NewEgg when you can download the manual from the web? Other IP35-E owners can also confirm four rear USB ports and four on-board USB headers each capable of supporting two USB ports. Can we take 4 x 2, then add another 4 to make 12?

There's nothing wrong with paying more $ just because you like the name or look. Those who own IP35-E want high-performance with the least amount of $.

I wouldn't exactly call that a fair assessment. You're actually paying more money for:

(4) more SATA Slots
A more capable SATA RAID system
Gigabit LAN
(2) PCI-E 16x Slots - ATI CrossFire support
S/PDIF In
More USB ports


So it's not just a name or looks.

 

[Build it Myself]

Back to the topic at hand...

Someone needs to add a poll or something and we'll see how this turns out...these are actually the two boards I've been looking at as well, including the ip35-e, but people keep mentioning a double boot and only a beta-level BIOS update being available, so I'm hesitant.

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: Samsonid
Ok, I went with the GA-P35-DS4 board. This was a very close decision. Either board would work just fine, being so close it is only the little things that tip the scale (like the layout of the ports in the back, the number of USBs etc) Also, I found out the heatsink on Abit is not copper (it is painted to look like copper) and the BIOS updates on the Abit maybe a little more difficult.

I don't understand posts like yours. You ask people for their opinions and without hearing any you decide a few hours or so later. Do us a favor next time and don't ask.

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: Samsonid
Also Gigabyte has the @BIOS utility to upgrade the chip directly from within windows. Hands free, no floppies.

Um Asus?

 

[Samsonid]

Originally posted by: jonmcc33Um Asus?

No, the comparison in this topic is only about ip 35 pro vs GA-P35-DS4

Originally posted by: jonmcc33I don't understand posts like yours. You ask people for their opinions and without hearing any you decide a few hours or so later. Do us a favor next time and don't ask.

You will live. Also, there are other people that expressed interest in knowing the pros and cons of both boards. The thread is still useful.

I had read hundreds of opinions on the matter in the days prior, but since my current board is failing, I was not going to spend days and days leisurely waiting. If the Anandtech forums provided any last minute alarms or revelations, then fine, otherwise I felt I had enough already, from the other searches, to make a decision.

 

[kenrippy]

i really like the little clear CMOS switch on the back of the I/O panel of the IP35 Pro. it makes reaching the max OC easier. (less of a hassle)

IMO the abit people thought of the overclocking enthusiast and their needs. i have no hands on experience with the DS4 though.

 

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: Samsonid

Originally posted by: Heidfirst
actually I think that it may have even been before that but abit certainly had solid caps in 2006 too & I suspect someone like DFI may have been even earlier.

You would have to provide a link for that though.

Well, the AW9D certainly had solid caps & that came out in 2006.
Sorry but I'm not going to trawl back through all of abit, DFI & Gigabyte's previous mobos to find out who & when solid caps first appeared.
SerpentRoyal is largely right though in that equivalently specified electrolytic & solid caps should have no effect on performance but the solid should last longer.
Pretty much every mobo manufacturer had problems with substandard caps leaking - abit, Asus, EPoX, Gigabyte, Leadtek, MSI plus Dell & HP systems just off the top of my head.
abit was the only 1 that actually had the guts to do their washing in public though.

Should you ever need to replace a corrupt BIOS chip it's not a problem finding a supplier & abit USA will do it their mobos for you too.

& iirc it was Asus that first started painting aluminium heatsinks to look like copper - as long as they do the job does it really matter whether they are silver, blue or yellow?
Gigabyte obviously aren't bothered about colour going by their "explosion in a paint factory"
looks.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: kenrippy
i really like the little clear CMOS switch on the back of the I/O panel of the IP35 Pro. it makes reaching the max OC easier. (less of a hassle)

IMO the abit people thought of the overclocking enthusiast and their needs. i have no hands on experience with the DS4 though.

I build my own toggle switch to reset CMOS. Less than $1 worth of part. Best part is you can migrate this switch to any new MB.

 

[kenrippy]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal

Originally posted by: kenrippy
i really like the little clear CMOS switch on the back of the I/O panel of the IP35 Pro. it makes reaching the max OC easier. (less of a hassle)

IMO the abit people thought of the overclocking enthusiast and their needs. i have no hands on experience with the DS4 though.

I build my own toggle switch to reset CMOS. Less than $1 worth of part. Best part is you can migrate this switch to any new MB.

good idea, you and abit thought of it before i did i'll be sure to remember to do that on the next build if it doesn't have one.

 

[Smprc]

Just curious why you are/where interested in these particular boards, aside from all the cap talk and bios, which I find good. Is it for the 2x PCI-X slots or the Firewire/esata connectors? I simply ask as I looked up the cost for the DS4 and I figure there are more economical boards available, plus I am not sure at this point in time who would be interested in running crossfire setup. Just my 1.5 cents, simply because i am learning and am just curious to further my knowledge.

 

[de8212]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal



I build my own toggle switch to reset CMOS. Less than $1 worth of part. Best part is you can migrate this switch to any new MB.

care to make an edu on this for the less knowledgable members ?

 

[SerpentRoyal]

You can buy a 3-pin toggle switch at electronic stores. Flipping the switch will close pins #1+ #2, or pins #2+ #3. I mount the switch at the back of the case. Wire pin #2 to the middle pin of the CMOS jumper pad.

 

[hokiealumnus]

OMG I've never even thought about that. You should have mentioned that earlier! Gah...how stupid of me. Now I'm all overclocked out with no more CMOS resets!

 

[Deinonych]

Originally posted by: Smprc
Is it for the 2x PCI-X slots or the Firewire/esata connectors?

I think you mean PCIe (PCI Express), not PCI-X. PCI-X is an older parallel bus that is backward compatible with PCI.