Asus A8N-SLI Premium vs. DFI Lanparty nf4 SLI-DR

[bjlowe66]

i have a abit an8 sli and i have A 3000+ venice overclocked to 2.7 with a zalman 7700cu and cheep corsair tccd's and its rock solid stable

 

[Merovingian]

Originally posted by: Tip Top
In response to the rose colored glasses in the begining of the thread -- I have a Premium and I have real 1T issues and a seriously unstable system at 1T, trying to run the system as specified (no overclocking ).

I am in no way convinced yet my problem is rooted in this board, as there are certainly other components that fit the bill or my problems!

Now, I have standard good name brand pc3200 memory.
Now whether the problem is the CPU (remember the memory controller is on the CPU, not the motherboard), the memory, or the motherboard's pathways communicating the signals, I have not determined that yet. I will report back after I get some of the parts checked out/substituted.

In short, I wish I had purchased a 350 celeron premade system, then I cannot feel bad as I am only out 350 and I am at least able to use the system. Well , I guess I could use this system at pc2700 1t, or pc3200 2t dual channel mode (but that is not what I paid for!). But I got to spend hours putting all this stuff back in boxes. So where is my computer going to be, well in the mail!

On a postive note, it really is nice not to have a little fan spinning at high speed on the chipset.

Don't be silly, post a thread and pm me, you can get thought it.

 

[Shayde]

I've gotten very good results with this board as well and have had very few issues with it. Easiest overclocking board I've worked on in the last few years.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: TheMerovingian

Originally posted by: Tip Top
In response to the rose colored glasses in the begining of the thread -- I have a Premium and I have real 1T issues and a seriously unstable system at 1T, trying to run the system as specified (no overclocking ).

I am in no way convinced yet my problem is rooted in this board, as there are certainly other components that fit the bill or my problems!

Now, I have standard good name brand pc3200 memory.
Now whether the problem is the CPU (remember the memory controller is on the CPU, not the motherboard), the memory, or the motherboard's pathways communicating the signals, I have not determined that yet. I will report back after I get some of the parts checked out/substituted.

In short, I wish I had purchased a 350 celeron premade system, then I cannot feel bad as I am only out 350 and I am at least able to use the system. Well , I guess I could use this system at pc2700 1t, or pc3200 2t dual channel mode (but that is not what I paid for!). But I got to spend hours putting all this stuff back in boxes. So where is my computer going to be, well in the mail!

On a postive note, it really is nice not to have a little fan spinning at high speed on the chipset.

Don't be silly, post a thread and pm me, you can get thought it.

:thumbsup:

Me too! I would be glad to help, and have quite a bit of experience with the Asus boards

What is your memory? and what problems are you having?


I,m currently using the deluxe model which everyone says is problematic
running a 3700+ at 2805mhz w/ram at 236mhz 1T

 

[noacess]

Does anyone know if the A8N-SLI Premium has problems using 4 sticks of ram? I plan on buying one soon and have 2 x 512mb of mushkin PC3200 and 2x 512 of Geil PC3200. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[noacess]

Anyone?

 

[kman79]

First time builder here.

I planned this build out for over two months. I considered Asus and DFI as boards of choice. At first I was thinkin the Deluxe model, I was very happy the premium model came out. If your going for extrememe Overclocking and tweaking, DFI would be the one to go with, but in my opinion, at a cost of reliability. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I look back and wonder if I should have gotten the DFI board, but I always come back feeling good about my Asus purchase

If a modest overclock is what you want, just FYI, I can do 2.7-2.8GHz on my Asus stable. The motherboard layout makes for a clean case setup, everything is where it should be. OH, a big plus, if you plan on doing SLi, this board has the beste spacing between the two cards for the best airflow for the two cards to date!

Overclocking, like I said 2.7-2.8GHz stable on decent memory. I used 1GBX2 Crucial Ballistix RAM DDR500, easy 2750 OC. I ran them at 255 and got 2.8GHz 12 hour Prime95 stable. Stability, like I said 12 hour prime95 stable at 2.8GHz. Heat, CPU at 32C-34C on an XP-90 with a delta Fan at idle, Motherboard at 33C-35C idle. CPU is at 42C-44C max load, motherboard is at 38C-39C max load, heatpipe design works.

Overall, if your looking for maximum tweaking and want or need high voltage, go with the DFI. If you want a modest OC with enough OCing options for OCing on Air, stability and the best board layout, I'd go with Asus.

Hope that helped. Everyone that is in it for OCing and benchmarks tend to go with DFI. Everyone that wants reliability and good performance, go with Asus. BTW, I think the Asus board gets better gaming performance also.

 

[fastman]

I went with the Asus, because the DFI won't work with my components.

 

[FlyBono24]

Cool.... I'm getting the Asus then.

 

[alpha88]

I have an ASUS A8N-SLU and I love it.

I got it because:

Board Layout (way better than DFI)
Heatpipe
Open slot between cards for SLI
Extra PCI slot
Set SLI vs Dual vs Single in Bios not with the selector card. I often use 3 moniters, so I run two video cards - not in SLI. This is easy since I only need change the bios, rather than open up my case.
(my ram works at 1T dual channel at ~DDR466)

What you do miss is:
4 volt for ram.

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: noacess
Does anyone know if the A8N-SLI Premium has problems using 4 sticks of ram? I plan on buying one soon and have 2 x 512mb of mushkin PC3200 and 2x 512 of Geil PC3200. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks

Originally posted by: noacess
Anyone?

You MAY have been ingnored because you posted your question in a thread with a topic regarding one board versus another board, not about a specific board. However, I will try to partially answer your question WITHOUT being specific to the Asus A8N-SLI Premium. FYI, I am an owner of an Asus A8N-SLI (standard) and have just purchased/received the final items necessary for my new system build, including the revolutionary but pain-in-the-ass Antec P180 silent case.

Anyway, as you know, AMD A64 processors have a built-in memory controller. The problem with running 4 sticks of PC3200 (400MHz) RAM has as much or more to do with the A64 processor than it does with the specific A64-compatible motherboard.

A64 processors prior to the "Venice" core have memory controllers which default to 333MHz (from 400MHz) whenever FOUR sticks of PC3200 DOUBLE-SIDED DIMMs are used and one of the memory timings defaults to 2T even if your memory was qualified to operate at 1T. This was done to help improve system stability and because in some cases 4 DIMMS of double-sided PC3200 would just not run on an AMD platform.

AMD partially addressed this issue with their A64 "venice" cores and beyond. I say "partially" because NOW the A64's memory controller does not default the system to 333MHz when FOUR double-sided PC3200 400MHz DIMMs are used but STILL loosens the timing to 2T if the memory is "set" to run at 1T. MANY A64 users are waiting for the day when AMD addresses the "1T/2T issue" and developes a "core" which will allow one to use FOUR double-sided PC3200 DIMMs at 400MHz AND 1T.

Another issue you must keep in mind is memory compatibility. You want to use pairs of memory manufactured by different memory manufacturers. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that it is usually best to use memory of the same manufacturer and type. By "type" I am specifically referring to your memory's timings. You didn't mention the model number of your Mushkin and Geil memory modules so I couldn't do any homework to determine your individual memory's specifications but I can explain what I'm referring to by telling you about my "memory purchase decision" concerning the Asus A8N-SLI.

Initially I purchased Patriot model PDC1G3200LLK "dual channel kit" for use with my Asus A8N-SLI. This 1GB (2 X 512) PC3200 memory is rated at CAS 2-3-2-5-1T and I had confirmed before purchase from AT forum members that the memory can run at those timings on the Asus A8N boards with A64 "venice"s such as the 3200+ "venice" I purchased. I did, however, sell the Patriot memory and purchased a 1 GB Corsair CMX1024-3200C2PT PC3200 DIMM rated at 2.5-3-3-6 because that specific model is listed on the Asus A8N-SLI RQVL (Ram Qualified Vendor's List).

My intention is to move to 2GB total RAM. So, back to my point about compatibility, I now realize that when I upgrade to 2GB it will make sense to purchase another Corsair CMX1024-3200C2PT module, rather than say a Patriot 1GB PDC1G3200+XBLK DIMM rated at 2-2-2-5-1T because I would have compatibility problems with the Corsair which can, at best, run at 2.5-3-3-6 on AMD-based systems. The two different memory types might operate together but the Patriot would have to run at the "looser" timings of the Corsair RAM.

If I were you I'd sell one pair of your RAM; I'd sell the "lowest performing" of the two pairs and then purchase an additional pair of the remaining memory.

You could also sell all four modules and purchase two IDENTICAL 1GB modules for the most stable operation.

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: kman79
First time builder here...

Hi:

Thanks for the information. I see that you are using the Seasonic Super Tornado 400 as your power supply. That model has been discontinued but I know someone that is thinking of purchasing one of the ones that you can still find out there in vendor-land.

Have you been happy with that power supply?

Would you recommend someone purchasing it to use in a system configuration similar to yours ???

Thanks,

Greg

 

[noacess]

Fisher999:

Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate the post. It cleared a lot of things up for me. The 2 sets of ram I have can be seen here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144310
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146299

I'm hoping they will work together in the board but if not I'll have to sell a pair or maybe both and buy some new ram. The motherboard should be here some time this week and I'll be picking up my 3200 Venice on Thursday so I'll have to just try it and see. Any further thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks again for the info.

 

[kman79]

Hey,

Well, the PSU seems to be running fine. Asus probe shows voltage being lower than what it's suppose to be, but you can't really trust what the MB says about voltages too much. I have not yet had the time to check with a Volt Meter. In terms of actual daily performance, it hasn't had a problem at all. Runs 24/7 without a reboot, even when the system clocked at 2.8GHz and hours and hours and hours of straight gameplay of Battlefield 2 with an OCed 7800GTX, not one hickup(sp?). So I would say it's pretty solid, I'll try to test it with a volt meter soon.

 

[Interitus]

Originally posted by: kman79
Hey,

Well, the PSU seems to be running fine. Asus probe shows voltage being lower than what it's suppose to be, but you can't really trust what the MB says about voltages too much. I have not yet had the time to check with a Volt Meter. In terms of actual daily performance, it hasn't had a problem at all. Runs 24/7 without a reboot, even when the system clocked at 2.8GHz and hours and hours and hours of straight gameplay of Battlefield 2 with an OCed 7800GTX, not one hickup(sp?). So I would say it's pretty solid, I'll try to test it with a volt meter soon.

I'm sure you will find it to be just fine. I have a Super Silencer 460 and AsusProbe always reads my 12v as 11.71 where a voltmeter reads 12.03.

 

[Steeldragonnyc]

which one of the 2 for a non overclocker?? I forgot where I read that the asus board is a little faster at default settings is it true?

 

[Jasin2069]

I deff want to buy the Asus, but I have a question, I heard it was strict on memory and I'm trying to run a budget, Anyone have a problem with this or think CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel will be fine, I'm gonna buy 2 sets and have 2 gig on it.

 

[virtualrain]

Originally posted by: FlyBono24
Cool.... I'm getting the Asus then.

Good choice. As a new-comer to overclocking, I also went with the Premium over the DFI. It also offered me all the I/O I needed, a software selectable SLI switch, and a heat-pipe vs. another (frickin) fan.

I wouldn't rule out buying a DFI board at some point in the future, but for a first timer to overclocking, I can't recommend the ASUS board enough.

An interesting side note is that when tightening my memory timings and working with the OCZ boys over at Bleedinedge, I was comparing my memory timing settings as reported in A64Tweaker to those of the guys using DFI boards, and my timings were often better and tighter than what they were able to achieve and at least a few of the timings were set automatically by the ASUS bios (no manual adjustments) while theirs were all set manually.

The bottom line is that just because you can't tweak a setting manually, doesn't mean it's not getting set optimally automatically! I think that many DFI owners seem to think that if you can't manually adjust it it can't possibly be set optimally. That thinking is flawed.

 

[foodfightr]

I've been pondering this exact decision for some time now. In fact, besides selling my current computer, this decision is the only thing holding me back.

ASUS
I love the CPU position of the ASUS in the P180 case. I'd expect to see some great air cooling and fairly low temps. Plus, I'm assuming it'd be fairly quiet.

DFI
I may go with a cheap case and a dangerden water cooling kit and do some nice overclocking. I'm assuming the water cooling would also keep the temps and the noise low.

I don't think I'm going to OC more than 50%, but the DFI seems to be king for overclocking....

In general, this forum tends to be fairly conservative (not a bad thing!) and will probably gear towards asus. I also posted some questions at extremeoverclocking.com to try to get everyone's perspective on this issue. Still can't make up my mind! For example, I just found this thread where everyone is bashing ASUS... Its just so hard to decide!!

 

[papaHesch]

I looked at both and I agree with everything stated. The Asus is a little easier to setup and is stable once you get it working. Basically, it is like an AMG Mercedes; great, fast day to day driving car with all the bells and whistles. The DFI is like a Porsche; faster, stable when running, harder to keep running and setup, and it has most of the bells and whistles of the Mercedes. DFI is a little faster and the ASUS is a little more practical. I have had the 2t problem with memory timing but only when using 4 sticks of ram. Which I believe is an AMD memory controller issue.
Hope this helps,

 

[finbarqs]

wow asus A8N-SLI Premium board is really ticking me off.. just got one (rev. 1.02) and it will not POST with my OCZ Platinum EL Rev. 2 (2-2-2-5) memory which i upgraded from teh ASUS A8N-SLI DEluxe. I realize that The board will not post on anything but with "2" as the first setting, and whatever on the latter. But because the first MUST be 2, i cannot overclock worth ******. Even at 230 FSB, it will not pass ANY prime or anything.... maybe i have a ****** board

I have:

ASUS A8N-SLI PREMIUM BIOS 1007 (1011-001 BETA doesn't help either, but this is the BIOS that the board came with)
Opteron 170
OCZ Platinum EL Rev. 2
1x74GB WD Ratpor
1x400GB Seagate 7200.8
Antec NEOPOWER 480



P.S. I lost faith in ASUS, i should've been smart and went with DFI.....

 

[Fallengod]

Well, 2-2-2-5 are some tight timings. Not all mobos can do that tight. I dont know why people want timings like that. Just do 2-3-2-6 or something. Theres no noticeable performance difference anyways. Shoot, just so 2-3-3-7. It doesnt matter.

Originally posted by: finbarqs
wow asus A8N-SLI Premium board is really ticking me off.. just got one (rev. 1.02) and it will not POST with my OCZ Platinum EL Rev. 2 (2-2-2-5) memory which i upgraded from teh ASUS A8N-SLI DEluxe. I realize that The board will not post on anything but with "2" as the first setting, and whatever on the latter. But because the first MUST be 2, i cannot overclock worth ******. Even at 230 FSB, it will not pass ANY prime or anything.... maybe i have a ****** board

I have:

ASUS A8N-SLI PREMIUM BIOS 1007 (1011-001 BETA doesn't help either, but this is the BIOS that the board came with)
Opteron 170
OCZ Platinum EL Rev. 2
1x74GB WD Ratpor
1x400GB Seagate 7200.8
Antec NEOPOWER 480



P.S. I lost faith in ASUS, i should've been smart and went with DFI.....

 

[JustAnAverageGuy]

Originally posted by: finbarqs
wow asus A8N-SLI Premium board is really ticking me off.. just got one (rev. 1.02) and it will not POST with my OCZ Platinum EL Rev. 2 (2-2-2-5) memory which i upgraded from teh ASUS A8N-SLI DEluxe. I realize that The board will not post on anything but with "2" as the first setting, and whatever on the latter. But because the first MUST be 2, i cannot overclock worth ******. Even at 230 FSB, it will not pass ANY prime or anything.... maybe i have a ****** board

I have:

ASUS A8N-SLI PREMIUM BIOS 1007 (1011-001 BETA doesn't help either, but this is the BIOS that the board came with)
Opteron 170
OCZ Platinum EL Rev. 2
1x74GB WD Ratpor
1x400GB Seagate 7200.8
Antec NEOPOWER 480



P.S. I lost faith in ASUS, i should've been smart and went with DFI.....

Timings don't matter.

There is at most a 1% difference between 2-2-2-5 and 2.5-3-3-7

There is more than simply the "FSB" that you have to adjust when overclocking an A64.

The HTT shouldn't go over 1000 and you can also play with the memory dividers.

I'm running my A8N-SLI premium at 300HTT just fine.

 

[spamcop]

Originally posted by: Steeldragonnyc
which one of the 2 for a non overclocker?? I forgot where I read that the asus board is a little faster at default settings is it true?

I'm also looking for an answer here...anyone?

 

[DelD]

Well I bought the A8N-SLI Deluxe, only because I had $200 worth of Amazon gift cert and Amazon does not have the premium.

I plan on OC a 165 Opteron with 2Gig of Muskin DDR500, here is hoping everything goes well.

Wish I had read this post a couple of days ago.......