Asus A7N8X or Epox 8RDA+????

[sianof]

I am building a machine and want to be able to overclock. I am a newbie but want the right stuff so I can do it.
I was looking at either the Asus A7N8X deluxe which is around $140 or the Epox 8RDA+ around $110 or so. I like the Asus but don't want to spend all the cash unless I have too. What do you guys all use ??? recommend??? under $120 shipped hopefully.
Also, I want to go with the Athlon XP1700 or XP2100 and overclock it a bit. but I DON"T want lots of fans and a loud machine. Any suggestions?
Let me know
Frank S

 

[BlueWeasel]

I really don't think you could go wrong with either when it comes to overclocking. However, I recall the Asus having more features and "goodies" than the 8RDA+.

I have an 8RDA (non + version) with an 2000+ and love it, granted I am not O/C'ing my system. Unless you need the features of the Asus, I'd go with the Epox board to save $$$.

 

[fhetw]

get the abit nf7-s 2.0 $114

 

[sianof]

I am open minded to ANY motherboard anyone thinks is Worthy. I just want a decent MotherBoard with decent features at somewhat of a reasonable price. Also, room to Overclock,etc. Someone else Recommended the Abit nf7-s as well. Thanks for the Comment
Frank S

 

[gplracer]

Go to Amdforums and read the epox, abit and others sections. I have the 8RDA+ and I really like it. I hear the Abit is easy to do the VDD mod if you can not get 200fsb. Most of the 8RDA+ boards coming out of newegg now have the A1/C1 stepping on them. I just got one with that and now my board is at 200fsb. My last board would only do 180fsb. Just beware that there will be people in each forum who have had bad experiences with every board. Do not listen to most of them. They do not know what they are doing for the most part. I have built 42 computers in the last two years and never had a bad motherboard. Some people do get bad ones but most do not. Good Luck!

 

[ChampionAtTufshop]

i have a7n8x (both deluxe and non deluxe) andim happy with them both

 

[Shimmishim]

i am the proud owner of 2 abit nf7-s v 2.0

they are great boards... all thebells and whistles of the a7n8x (except dual lan) and much cheaper...

excaliberpc.com is now guaranteeing rev 2.0's forthe abit...

but then again the 8rda+ was my first board andi loved it!

 

[bgeh]

imo, i'd get either the Abit NF7-S Rev 2.0 or Epox 8RDA3+

 

[qquizz]

Recently Edited

Hello again Sianof,

I am wondering if you made up your mind yet. If you havent read this already check out this AnandTech Article. Keep in mind that this is 4 months old article so there may be some minor improvement or revisions on these motherboards. Just go to the company's website to verify. Link to AT Article
Another good link showcasing Asus and others Link2

As you know I ordered the Asus Deluxe. Unless you already have a SB 5.1 or better sound card to put in, I would highly consider the Asus Deluxe if for no other reason than the Nvidia Soudstorm chip on it. See Link LINK (the non-deluxe has lower quality sound)

Keep in mind that there are two basic types of nforce2 mobo's. One has onboard G4MX400 video ready to go which usually does fine except for the MOST EXTREME gamers. This onboard video will play any game out there though. In most (if not all) cases these mobo's with the on board video will come with an AGP(8X) slot if you want to upgrade later.

I know the board costs a little more but price is has dropped to $142 at newegg. The advantage would be that you wouldnt have to buy addition stuff, and with the dual lan, you can act as a LAN server (share internet connection and more with other computers in your house)

Its highly upgradeable for future hardware including RAID/Serial ATA. Which will become the standard by all acounts. It has higher theoretical bandwidth than ATA133(UDMA6). All the hdd manufacturers are developing that technology as we speak.

All this not to mention 6 USB 2.0 ports and IEEE 1394. This combonation allows you to add any peripheral out there practically.

In regards to a QUIET machine read this:
Constant, high-pitched noise generated from heatsink fans are a thing of the past thanks to ASUS Q-Fan?. The ASUS A7N8X Deluxe with Q-Fan? technology intelligently adjusts fan speeds according to system loading to ensure quiet, cool and efficient operation.

Plus I'm bias maybe but I own an Asus and just bought the A7N8X Deluxe.

What ever you decide you cant go wrong with your choice of the nForce2 chipset when it comes to Athlon cpu.

Don
Let us know what you do.

 

[Sheriff]

Originally posted by: bgeh
imo, i'd get either the Abit NF7-S Rev 2.0 or Epox 8RDA3+

Seen any of the 8RDA3+ available anywhere?

:clock:

 

[mmx]

Go for asus deluxe model. I've had epox/msi/asus nforce2 mb's. All gave problems, except asus. Although early MB had bios update issues which they solved.

It offers the best compability with ram, and other peripherals.

 

[ChampionAtTufshop]

whichver one you go for (i dunno if this happens to ALL nforce2, but if it does just listen up)

-change only a few options at a time
-when you go exit and save, and if it looks like it is frozen, DONT hit the power/reset!....it is NOT frozen, itjust seems to take a while to save and exit

have fun