OK im hunting for a motherboard. I was trying to figure it out in my new rig thread but the motherboard in it self is a question and a half. So i want a socket 939 full atx motherboard. Want NF4 (just to point it out) Good built in audio (need the black and green connection (sorry not an audiofile) Handle a x2 processor Good for overclocking (say 2.0 to like 2.5 or so) Would prefer sata 2 (drive i want isnt thought) Would like SLI for upgradability but can be put off Now the hard one is the cost. I know the DFI would be great but i cant dish out 200$ on it. My budget intitles like 140$ at most for the motherboard. Thank you. And not to sound anymore demanding could you back up your information i dont like "well this guy told me it was great" i would prefer some review site or some personal experience. And again thank you The rest of the rig is x2 3800, 1gb ballistic, 7800gt, and the rest is blah.
I would choose a ASUS A8N-SLI- PREMIUM nForce 4 SLI Socket 939 Motherboard its one of the best around, really stable and never has any problems. In Australia that is, this is a site with some customer reviews http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=21&&bid=2&sid=12982 (Click on Read more to see more reviews) its only $265 Australian Dollars so like 112 pounds or something
Asus A8N-SLI Premium. You get all the features you want but with a snazzy passive northbridge cooler on top Alternatively, you could go for the DFI Lanparty SLI-DR. It has better onboard audio, but is notoriously picky about components - you'd have to be careful when selecting them.
Hmmm the board is over my budget buy i guess it would be best to spend more here now then later. THen i wouldnt have to buy a new motherboard later. Now ive gotten it down to 2 motherboards to choice from. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16813136158,N82E16813131540&SubCategory=22 The prices are about the same but which is better. I know you all say both are good. The Asus has some great feature but the DFI has better overclocking. Do either of them have the 16x SLI.
The only board that I'm aware of (short of the Tyan server board) that supports dual x16 slots, is the A8N32-SLI, which is sold out at most places, and costs about $230. As far as performance goes though, there's no real differnece between the x8 and x16 in SLI mode. The graphics cards out right now can't saturate the bandwidth of the 8x, so the 16x doesn't get used anyway. I'd have to go with the Asus board, partly because it's rock solid stable, and partly because of the passive cooling. The DFI is better for overclocking, but very picky about components. The Asus can overclock pretty well, just not as good as the DFI.
