Athlon64 upgrade....

[Dr Mordrid]

for one of our systems is immenent and after much reading I'm leaning towards either the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum or the ASUS A8N-E.

Asus page:

http://usa.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=A8N-E&langs=09

MSI page:

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K8N_Neo4_Platinum&class=mb

Toms Hardware conclusions:

http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20050513/socket_939-17.html

Any of you hardware fiends have experience with these or other suggestions? I've had MSI's in the past and they were great plus I've found this thing for as little as $70 USD online, but I've also read MSI is having problems implementing Dual Core in its BIOS and this capability IS an issue.

I've found the A8N-E for <$100 USD and my experience with ASUS products is also very good.

Dr. Mordrid

[The PIT]

Last time I had an MSI board it was a pig and looking at the time on the MSI forums it was a pig as well. Maybe worth looking there first of all.

Asus I like never had a problem with them.

[Wombat]

I think I'd avoid the MSI, a lot of people are having problems with them. My DFI is probably not what you're looking for, but I suggest you look into the Gigabyte motherboards. They're doing quite well, and some of them are totally loaded with USB and FireWire and dual-onboard NICs.

[UtwigMU]

I also heard a lot of bad stuff on MSI, ex MURCER IceStorm who moderates CPU MoBo on Ars would say for MSI to take it out in the backyard and shoot it.

[Guru]

I also heard a lot of bad stuff on MSI, ex MURCER IceStorm who moderates CPU MoBo on Ars would say for MSI to take it out in the backyard and shoot it.

Have some asus mobos he could take care of at the same time!

[Nowhere]

I'm surprised you aren't considering SiS chipped mobo



(just in case of another giveaway thread, this time from you: I'm in!!! (and a big one "" this time ))

[RichL]

Had an MSI Neo3 that was totally incompatible with the Matrox G550. Matrox said it was an MSI BIOS issue, MSI said "So what?" and failed to address the issue in 3 bios updates I know of before I returned the mobo to supplier.
I'd choose Gigabyte for reliability (as long as its not an SiS mobo - I had issues with a Socket A mobo and USB devices), a DFI or raw speed, or an Asus as compromise between the two. MSI are currently hovering just above ECS in my preferred Mobo suppliers list

I have an Asus A8 Via chipsetted 939 board that hasnt skipped a beat, and overclocks a Winchester 3200 to 235fsb before my stock Crucial PC3200 starts to squeal

[GT98]

I've had both boards...in the SLI Form crap out on me...I'm going to get the DFI board next.

[Jammrock]

Asus is typically the "old standby." Good features, rock solid (usually, and more often than others) design and components, and stable as can be.

MSI is kind of hit and miss. It's really board for OEMs and integrators. They are nice and cheap and have good features, but be prepared to fight with it a lot ... at least in my experience.

Gigabyte has been making a good name for themselves. Their boards are usually very fast, very solid, feature filled, and use very high quality components. They are currently #1 on my list of possible upgrade boards.

Foxconn is probably the best compromise. GOod features, well built, inexpensive. Their tweaks aren't typically as robust as others (depends on the board), but they are good if you don't plan on hardc0re tweaking.

As for which chipset to use ... nForce 4 Ultra all the way. It's the #1 chipset for A64's right now, and has tons of great features (like dual Gb ethernet and SATA II ... yummy).

I would also recommend looking at the Hitachi T7k250 HDD if you are looking for a new drive. The reliability of the drive is still up in the air, as the drive is brand new and recently redsigned to hopefully fix the Deathstar problems, but the drive is fast, FAST, FAST.

Jammrock

[Wombat]

I would also recommend looking at the Hitachi T7k250 HDD if you are looking for a new drive. The reliability of the drive is still up in the air, as the drive is brand new and recently redsigned to hopefully fix the Deathstar problems, but the drive is fast, FAST, FAST.

Jammrock

We're using those Hitachis, and their 400GB siblings, in some of our products. Definitely the best performing drives in their class, and with the best thermal profile so far, too.

[TnT]

I have the Gigabyte K8N Ultra-9. Been using it for nearly a month now and I am pretty happy. I chose this one for the fanless northbridge more for power.

[Dr Mordrid]

Most of these have been on my list, but because I have the RT.X100 I'm starting to again lean towards the SiS boards as I can find them. Anyone know of a SiS A64 board that will handle dual core?

Dr. Mordrid

[schmosef]

Is the RT.X100 well suited for SIS? I haven't used that card yet but my experience with SIS chipsets isn't good.

[Dr Mordrid]

The only chipsets the RT.X100 will work with consistantly are Intel and SiS. Both have very good PCI to host memory bandwidth, which is essential to realtime editing boards.

Some AMD chipsets also work at a slightly lower level of performance, but only if they are 100% AMD....meaning no VIA southbridge.

The Nforce and VIA chipsets do not have sufficient PCI to host memory bandwidth and as such Matrox has them on the banned list. Even though they are on the banned list I've tried several of each type and can confirm that they belong there, though VIA is the worse of the two.

Even some Intel and SiS chipsets have problems. Two in particular are the Intel 7525 and the SiS 648FX (for Intel CPU's).

The problem manifests as dropped frames and/or stuttered output during realtime previews, realtime DV and MPEG-2 exports to HDD and realtime DV exports to IEEE-1394 devices. Believe me, it ain't pretty.

The RT.X100 isn't alone in this as many Canopus Raptor RT and Storm 2 users on their forum report the same problem.

Dr. Mordrid

[schmosef]

I see.