Motherboard help

O

onthebusmall

New Member
Hi, i just rma'ed my second faulty Abit AN8-SLI mobo and would appreciate on advice on what board i should turn to next , i need a pci-e 939 socket mobo for under $200 and possibly a new PSU, i have a cheap thermaltake right now and it might not cut it. Heres my spec's:

Athlon 64 3000+ CPU
4x PNY DDR400 512mb sticks
1x Geforce 7600 GT XXX Video Card
Thermaltake TR2 430w PSU
Thermaltake Blue Orb II CPU Cooler (real large 120mm fan so i have to make sure it dosnt interfer with any bridge fans or heatpipes on the board)
1 maxtor ATA HDD and another SATA HDD
Asus dvd burner
 
Last edited:
You could try Epox. I had one for a while and it was really nice. The build quality seems better than some others I've had. I can't recall the model I had right off...something like 9NAPG or something like that. There's an SLI version, too.
 
Ok, i've narrowed it down to these boards:


Asus $184 A8N32-SLI Deluxe-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131568

Asus $180 A8R32-MVP Deluxe-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131004

Abit $177 AT8 32X-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127234

Epox $135 EP-9NPA+ SLi-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123246

ECS $121 KA1 MVP (1.0)-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813135211


The epox board seems to have good reviews and a nice price but how does it compare in speed and features against the others on the list? Also the heatsinks in the middle of the Asus boards look like they might interfer with my cpu cooler but i cant really be sure because it might just overlap it.
 
Last edited:
The Asus A8R32-MVP model seen at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131004#DetailSpecs is an ATI Crossfire model there. You can rule out SLI for that board if you intend to eventually go with a dual NVidia setup. The same can be said with the Abit model. Boith the Abit and ECS boards sound like lower end boards with Abit having a slight edge. That now leaves you with either the Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe or Epox EP-9NPA+ SLI

You always have to fight a little bit to get an extra sized cpu cooler in. Often I simply unfasten the psu and leave it resting aside while putting one inplace. That keeps the harness out of your way to make sure you get it seated properly.
 
I've run both ATI and NVidia cards on Asus boards with good results. MSI does come to mind at times. But the two I mentioned here are the top two from the list for SLI while I may favor the ATI Radeon chipset. Asus takes favor over the others for performance despite which chipset is run as a rule. Their online support is preferred over several other brands as well. Two votes for the Asus A8N32 SLI here so far.
 
A good number of the new boards out may need a fast update on the bios. The new EZBios makes life easier there eliminating the old floppy method. You simply download the update to the hard drive and press a certain on bootup to enter the flash utility there. Yet I just saw an MSI board that was a heart breaker too.

Due to a problem with the present chipset a rush order went in for the Asus A8N SLI model to replace the old Socket A board here. Asus will replace the chipset for a low cost on older boards. They have an excellent support system inplace to consider even on older products. But why worry when some of the latest boards out are well under $200- at newegg. Due to needing a fast fix on the Socket A system here a new mobo, cpu, and PCI-E card came to a total of under $250- including the S+H! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top