Intel Mobo or Non-Intel Mobo - is it safe to stray?

[aceline]

I have been building systems for a while now. For myself, I tend to experiment (OC, etc...) and try different configs - for fun. However, when I build for others, I have always taken the conservative route by using Intel boards when using Intel procs. With AMD we have no choice - they don't make their own mobo - so we have to trust the 'partners' and 'approved' technologies that AMD lists on their site. As (my) history has shown, the long term effects of being conservative have gotten me very few (I mean rarely) tech support issues directly related to hardware.

I have been to the roadshows and heard the stats and the hype of all of the other mobo companies out there. I recognize some of the corporate sponsorships and deals that tend to pair certain hardware manufacturers together. I even like the direction some of them, like MSI, attempt to take by incorporating features which look towards the future (USB 2.0, on-board Raid...).

My questions, to anyone that has long-term experience with MSI, Asus, Gigabyte, Biostar, etc...: are the non-Intel mobos as stable as (my experience with) the Intel boards? Do they have the same life-span and integrity? Are they a better choice than Intel's selections? Should I make the transition when building for others?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

Steve

 

[DashK]

Non intel boards are better and faster IMO. Intel boards have no overclocking features at all, pretty much good for OEMs only.

 

[Amber]

I like you would only use Intel boards,but not any more they are over priced for what you get, in the last year I had 3 815e mob's go bad out of the 10 systems I build
I love MSI & EPOX they are rock solid a lot of bang for the buck come loaded with extras
it's time to move on to better motherboards I did and I'm very happy

 

[gerrick]

don't stray. Intel boxed mobos are the best on the planet. not overpriced at all. people fail to realize that stability and warranty matter. Time is money and Intel mobos don't require so much to get perfect and stay that way. buddy of mine uses them in a local OEM that is an Intel Plat partner. he moved from ASUS when RMA's increased. He has built thousands of Intel boards and seen very low fgailure rates.


AT work We have 40 d815EEA and D815EEA2's and have not had any go bad. We have 40 or so P2B-F's and they work well. after the P3bf we saw 40% failures on asus boards. We got them the hell out quick.

 

[Amber]

Time is money like the 34 days Intel takes to give you a RMA or the 48 days and still counting on the last of the 3 Inhell board that went bad in 2001
It a good thing that I bought a MSI 815 board to replace the Inhell the MSI works longer then 3 months

 

[aceline]

Amber,

I completely understand your animosity towards Intel due to their RMA issues. However, other than the recent problems with customer service, what is your opinion of the different lines of boards on a long-term basis? Have you used MSI boards other than the 815 line? Is MSI your first choice over Asus, Gigabyte and the rest?

Your opinions matter. Thanks!

Steve

 

[DaveSimmons]

<< Non intel boards are better and faster IMO. Intel boards have no overclocking features at all, pretty much good for OEMs only. >>

Or people like me who aren't planning to overclock. Given that Asus & Abit prices are actually higher for i850 chipset boards than the rock-solid intel mobos, I'd say stick with intel unless you want to overclock.

If you're on a tight budget you should be probably buying an AMD CPU anyway

I care more about stability and ease of setup more than raw speed or the cheapest price, so the last system I set up was a P4 + intel mobo, worked the first time and has worked since. I'm not an intel-mobo zealot though: some Asus boards have been classics, like my P2B and CUSL2-C. I still recommend the TUSL-C for people wanting tulatin support.

 

[aceline]

Gerrick,

What do you mean by "don't require so much to get perfect and stay that way." What steps/tweaks are needed to get non-Intel mobos to the necessary stability level?

Steve

 

[Doomer]

I've got a pretty unhealthy stack of dead and dying MB's and there is not an Intel board in the bunch.

When I build for myself I tend to go with what the street says is the fastest, most feature rich, forward looking board available. But for systems I sell, I learned the hard way that Intel is a no-brainer. I used to use Tyan exclusively until I had a rash of failures so now it's Intel all the way.

 

[aceline]

What is IMO? Other than the limited OC features, are there any other issues? I may be a bit more conservative than most, but I only OC my own boxes - never for friends or clients.

Also, is there a good reason why non-Intel mobos are faster? What is done differently to get the enhanced performance out of the chipsets?

Thanks for your opinions.

Steve

 

[oldfart]

My exp with Intel brand mobo's is positive. They are a little slower because of conservative timings. They dont have all the cool ram timing options and such. I have also had good luck with aftermarket boards from ASUS, ABIT, Gigabyte, and to a lesser degree, MSI.

 

[Amber]

aceline,
please don't get me wrong Intel makes verry good chips and boards it's only that as I learn more, I see that Intel is not what I wanted,VIA 266 not 266A chip set had some prob's but not as bad as people make out
when I was using Intel MOB'S 815E was the top with a P3 933mhz,the intel BIOS was a joke you could make few changes
as for the MSI MOB I've been running for awile, but if you go to overclockers.com do some reading you will see lots of people love MSI and EPOX
"I LOVE THE BLUE MEN I JUST DON"T WANT TO PAY THEM"
LOOK @ Ambersdog 1.6

 

[jfunk]

In my experience, all the various companies make both good and bad products. I switch up what I use depending on whats out at the time.

I've used a lot of different boards over the years and I have had the least amount of trouble (as far as boards dying goes), with MSI, Biostar, and Epox. Now Epox I've only used recently (since the KT133A) so there haven't been a ton of those.



j

 

[Wolfsraider]

msi+p-4 =true love

runs great, no crashes except that one time i loaded disc drivers for ati all in one radeon lol (xp)

seriously p3bf what a pos that is the only board that still gives me fits asus cusl2-c great board
and very stress tested by my two daughters lol

msi =>on my board shows overclocking but i dont overclock this one
asus=overclocking
i had intel 850 board but heat was too high i traded to msi but still had to add cooling but imho
this board is better more responsive and not 1 hiccup in 6 months or so and yes xp is a speed demon lol

hope this helps