NF4 board selection advice needed

[TeflonMan1]

Ok I currently have been trying to put together and Opteron 165 system since mid-December. My main problem has been my inability to get the memory to run in dual mode. The 1st few weeks the memory ran without problem. I am now on my 2nd bad DFI NF4 Lanparty Ultra-D board and I still cant get it to work in dual mode. I've tested the memory extensively based on the advice over at DFI-street.com and taken it to a local computer shop. They tested a different CPU and different RAM and still couldnt get it to boot in dual mode, all signs point to this motherboard being the culprit. So I'm going to RMA this one back to Newegg.

I convinced Newegg to let try a different type of board since I've been having bad luck with this brand. I need some advice on which board to go with. DFI support has been great, and there is a wealth of knowledge out there for overclocking. I've narrowed my choices to trying the same type of DFI board (and hoping for the best), getting the Epox EPoX EP-9NPA+ Ultra, or going with the Asus board.

A few other things to mention. I dont want to do EXTREME overclocking (watercooling, etc.), but I think having an Opteron 165 will give me a good chance to get a pretty good overclock since I have a pretty good CPU cooler (see bottom). The Epox board looks great but after reading about the USB 2.0 problems people are having on this board I'm a little worried. I wont be using external hard drives, but I might plug in other hig bandwith devices in there eventually. The Asus board seems to be a bad choice for overclocking. If I went with another DFI board, chances are this one couldnt be defective too, but then theres always that worry in the back of my mind that another DFI board wouldnt fix my problems.

What do you guys think I should do?

Here are the system specs.

DFI LanpartyUT nF4 Ultra-D (BIOS 06/23/2005)
AMD Opteron 165
2x G.SKILL Extreme Series 1GB PC 4000 3-4-4-8 F1-4000USU2-2GBHZ
PNY GeForce 7800 GT 256MB
Ultra 600w X-Finity Power Supply

Also will my current CPU cooler work in those other boards?
Thermalite BIG TYPHOON CL-P0114

 

[TeflonMan1]

bump

 

[Fallengod]

I run a 7800gt and an overclock opteron 144 on my epox 9npa+ultra. Rock stable. Cant complain. Id just get that if you got issues with the dfi. Thats the reason I went with epox over the dfi. I read too many problems with memory compatability and such with the dfi.

You might consider the Epox 9npa3 Ultra as well. Its the same as the 9npa+ultra except it changed some layout things and lacks firewire and accessories like cables. If you dont need any of that stuff, itd save $15. The 9npa3 ultra is like $85 the 9npa+ultra is like $100 shipped.

If you want a good place to buy the epox 9npa+ultra, chiefvalue.com is great. Has it for $99 with free shipping. Thats the cheapest around. They have great customer service as well. They have the 9NPA3ULTRA but its $90. Only $10 less than the 9NPA+ultra. Seems kinda pointless to save only $10 and lose firewire, and cables and such.

 

[mechBgon]

Just checking: you got all four power cables hooked up? This pic shows the locations in red, including the crafty, easily-overlooked floppy-style one. Presumably you've been over that 10000000 times already, though