Can't decide between the Abit AV8 or the ASUS A8V Deluxe! :(

[Rhin0]

hey guys,

This is one of the hardest choices when building my new system. I probably won't order until next week so if Abit or ASUS comes out with a GOOD nf3/nf4 S939 board and it is available to buy right then i'll get that but at this point the K8T chipset is fine. From all my reading and research the nf3/nf4 is not very impressive, it isn't that much better if any than K8T800. The nf3 board from Abit is only socket 754 that sucks! The speeds are about the same, features are different though. I almost caught myself think about getting an MSI nf3 neo2 plat but I just can't bring myself to do it, just not any better. I am having trouble even considering the ASUS. I have had some problems with ASUS stuff but not too bad. Abit has been outstanding.

I'm going to be using: FX-55, 1 gig Dual Channel ram, Hitachi SATA drive, possible SATA DVD burner, AGP video card ASUS V9999 6800 Ultra Deluxe(I think). Looks like i'm going to stick with AGP since PCI-E cards are impossible to get right now.


-Ok so what are the HUGE feature differences on these? The ABIT is slightly faster in just about everything but the ASUS has more SATA controllers it looks like. That really looks like about it? Anything else that is going to effect me? I am seriously having a hard time choosing guys, they are both GREAT boards.


- Audio- this is the other big thing. Is the ASUS sound any better than the ABIT? I see that the Asus has 8 channel and the Abit has 5.1. I'm more worried about sound quality than the 3 extra channels or whatever

Would be nice if Abit and ASUS made the boards a little more visually appealing to but that really isn't a big deal I guess.


Let me know guys, I need some input.

Rhin0


And..... If you think I should get one over the other please explain why don't just say ASUS > Abit because i'm going to ignore it, you're wasting your time.

 

[Mrvile]

"I'm going to be using: FX-55, 1 gig Dual Channel ram, Hitachi SATA drive, possible SATA DVD burner, AGP video card ASUS V9999 6800 Ultra Deluxe(I think)."

He who spends as much money on his comp as his car.

8 channel isn't really necessary as you'll probably be using only up to 5.1 if you're gonna be using onboard sound.

And yes, haha, the Asus board looks like poop. But the boards are very similar, and are both based off the same chipset so you can't expect too much of a difference. Personally I would get Abit because it's a TAD, a TAAAD, faster and just get an Audigy2 ZS if you're too concerned with sound and are gonna be using, say, 7.1 speakers.

Make sure you get a crapload of wattage out of your PSU or your 6800Ultra will be crying for mommy.

 

[Rhin0]

Originally posted by: Mrvile
"I'm going to be using: FX-55, 1 gig Dual Channel ram, Hitachi SATA drive, possible SATA DVD burner, AGP video card ASUS V9999 6800 Ultra Deluxe(I think)."

He who spends as much money on his comp as his car.

8 channel isn't really necessary as you'll probably be using only up to 5.1 if you're gonna be using onboard sound.

And yes, haha, the Asus board looks like poop. But the boards are very similar, and are both based off the same chipset so you can't expect too much of a difference. Personally I would get Abit because it's a TAD, a TAAAD, faster and just get an Audigy2 ZS if you're too concerned with sound and are gonna be using, say, 7.1 speakers.

Make sure you get a crapload of wattage out of your PSU or your 6800Ultra will be crying for mommy.

Thanks mrvile...

I agree with you on the sound and the boards do look like poop. LOL... There is barely any difference in the boards. They could be one in the same. I mean AV8 and A8V, almost identical too haha


I guess i'll just go over the features one more time to see if there is anything I really need. My friend told me I was stupid for even considering a soundcard since it has onboard but if it hogs down the CPU or the sound isn't nice i'll get a ZS maybe

As for PSU i'll be getting a 420-500 watt OCZ, Fortron, Zalman, Enermax. One of those... I should be good.



And as far as spending as much money on my car. Well I spent more money on my Jeep than the computer. I hate to even think about it! I'm making informed decisions on the computer components, I just can't see buying parts that are slower and having to upgrade sooner. Granted I could get a s754 with one of those cheaper 64 bit chips. Or I could get an FX-53 but the price is like 50 difference


appreciate your input!

 

[Stangs55]

I've just built a rig that is VERY close to the one you're building. I went with the Asus A8V, but it's pretty much a tossup. I chose asus for it's rock-solid stability. You can't go wrong with either.

The 6800 ultra w/my A8V seems to be a killer combo--I'm getting some pretty sweet 3Dmark03/05 and Sandra2004 scores.

Check the link in my sig as it has my full system specs and some benches. Hope this will help you out.

 

[Skoop]

I was considering the Abit board, too, but there so many reports and complaints about inaccurate temperatures with it that I bought the Asus. I don't know if those issues have been resolved.

Very happy with the Asus A8V.

In the grand scheme of things, there isn't a whole lot of difference amongst any of the players. Personal experience, anecdote, or brand loyalty--or a combination of all--typically force the decision, anyway. There are as many satisfied Abit customers as there are Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, etc.

 

[ca1n]

I had the asus and sold it to a friend and bought the abit to try it out. THe abit stock(2.6 fx 55) scores better in all benchmarks even when the asus was oc 2.8(fx55) but the abits temps are showing incorrect(idle 46 load 68c) I love the 3rd eye thing which allows me to see whats going on in games! THe abit will not prime 95 @ 2.8 where the asus did but I still can play all games @ 2.8 on the abit with stability! Bottom line is I score 650 points more on 3dmark 2001 on the abit stock compared to the oc asus!
I just hope upcoming bios fixes the temps.

 

[tallman45]

It was toss-up for me as well. It came down to 2 things in favor of the Asus.

1) 3yr warranty
2) 3 IDE channels

 

[ChineseDemocracyGNR]

Originally posted by: Rhin0

- Audio- this is the other big thing. Is the ASUS sound any better than the ABIT? I see that the Asus has 8 channel and the Abit has 5.1. I'm more worried about sound quality than the 3 extra channels or whatever

See this.

 

[Dewey]

I have the Asus A8V Deluxe and I'm running Suse (Linux) 9.2. I like the board, however the network controller doesn't seem to work under linux. I am reading that they need an Asus specific driver change for the built in Marvel Yukon controller.

 

[eagle101]

Rhin0................
ive had all these boards asus a8v r2 and (neo2 the 1st ones) i was going crazy like you untill the neo2 ULTRA Platinum came out......everything works excellient.....look at the scores from other sites on this board