Motherboard Suggestions

[Delta_]

Firewire? I don't even know what Firewire is so chances are I don't need it.

BTW when are DX10 cards coming out? I heard September. However it will take a while before DX10 games will come out. Any major price reductions I should wait for before buying?

Early next year.  Although by about May they should have fixed the bugs and DX10 cards will be a good buy then.

[cheesegrater]

I want to go with the Gigabyte because of the passive cooling on the southbridge. I'm afraid of fans because they always break down. However, at the same time I don't want it to overheat. I've read that the fan on that Asus board is not so great.

[congo]

You make a valid point but you are basing your decision around a $1 fan.

[Delta_]

To change the fan on the motherboard for a larger passive cooler is easy.  Zalman make great replacements.  I have completed the mod myself, it will be easier before you have put everything on the motherboard.

[cheesegrater]

The Zalmans are cool. Thats what a heatsink should look like - more surface area. Most of the people buying the heat sinks have ASUS A8N boards.

The good thing about the Asus board is that the Northbridge is really well placed between the two PCI slots. In the Gigabyte if you have a long card the card will cover the heatsink, so you can't even replace it. Also, Asus has a 3 year warranty while Gigabyte only 1. Asus is looking better and better.

The heatsink/fan on the Northbridge is held to the motherboard by plastic pins that you have to squeeze from behind the motherboard to remove. I hate those, I once broke a video card once trying to remove those pins. Although they didn't have that spring which probably makes removal a lot easier.

[NicksFXHouse]

My advice is to give it a few more months since AM2 boards have just been released. It will allow time for BIOS updates and issues to be resolved -or- a better board be released.

[Delta_]

The heatsink/fan on the Northbridge is held to the motherboard by plastic pins that you have to squeeze from behind the motherboard to remove. I hate those, I once broke a video card once trying to remove those pins. Although they didn't have that spring which probably makes removal a lot easier.

I push them through then cut the end of the clips and off the heatsink comes.  It is easier than fiddling around trying to pinch the ends.  Motherboard clips are more stiff than other ones, maybe it was just my motherboard.


Although for my GFX card i just pinched them and they released from the card.

[cheesegrater]

A problem is that the AM2 motherboards are so much more expensive than 939. Also, AM2 boards usually have only 1 IDE header. I need 2.

What do you think of Abit and EPOX boards? They price is appealing for me and I like the cooling setup on the Abit.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... CatId=2016
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ ... CatId=2016

[ctjoyce]

Abit is good, EPOX is shite, look at ASUS and Gigabyte.

Cheers
Cameron

[congo]

What's wrong with the Epox boards? On paper they look brilliant and have a bios as advanced as DFI and Abit.... not only that, many of their models are as fully featured as the Asus boards. I haven't used them because of local availability, but I had often searched for the Epox boards, have you had experience with them Cameron, in their NF4 incarnations?

[ctjoyce]

What's wrong with the Epox boards? On paper they look brilliant and have a bios as advanced as DFI and Abit.... not only that, many of their models are as fully featured as the Asus boards. I haven't used them because of local availability, but I had often searched for the Epox boards, have you had experience with them Cameron, in their NF4 incarnations?

Not personally, however I have heard many reports from kids in my clan that are on a budget that use them and aparently their manuals arn't that great, and it would seem that 1 in 4 people that use them get a DOA board.

Cheers
Cameron

[congo]

aparently their manuals arn't that great, and it would seem that 1 in 4 people that use them get a DOA board.

Sounds pretty normal to me

[cheesegrater]

An update: I got an Abit AN 32X because I found one at a good price.

[ctjoyce]

Good to hear. Good Board.

Cheers
Cameron

[congo]

Good Score