Stability and AMD. Motherboard suggestion

[id3dwiz]

Hi all.
My old old old comp has died.
I'm seriously looking into getting a Athlon 64 X2 3800+ processor,
because its much more energy efficient than Intel.

Please suggest me the most stable motherboard. I'm completly
noob in AMD land.
I'm not a gamer, maybe only occasionaly. Stability is no 1 for me.
No OCing. I will do 3d modeling on my computer, Cad work,
and graphics. Watch movies etc. Heavy on Multitasking.
Also, please recommend the most stable and fast memory. Don't want any
of the value stuff.

Will only use one video card. SLI maybe for the future.
I have old AGP slot video card, I guess it's useless.

Support for RAID, want to get raptor WD 74GB.

Another quick question, why do some chipsets are called NVIDIA?
Does it come with a build in video card?


My budget for MB is around $150.

I'd appreciate any advice you guys can give me. Once again,
I'm a complete noob at AMD. thanks

 

[harobikes333]

I'm looking to get the 3800 X2 also looks like a sweet CPU and from what people around here are saying about them, its true.

Why is it that you want OCing ram and not valueram??? In AMD land you can use value ram if you aren't OCing.

SLI=Most people say nay to this.

 

[id3dwiz]

I prefer Intel, better proven stability. But, it's too power hungry.
I'm building my system with energy efficiency on the mind, and 3800 X2
seems sweet on that, plus Anandtech review was very good.
So I'm almost positive I'm willing to give AMD a try.

Just can't pick a board right now, read all over the forum, hard to make a call. Problems on each board kind of scare me.

No Value ram because ram does make a difference, quality vs value, even if it's not for OCing.

SLI, I think I have ruled this one out too. Too expensive and no reason.

One thing I don't get, people are recommending 500+ PSUs for AMD
systems, why is that, when AMD processor seems to need less.
And for Intel D, PSU req'ts seems lower.

 

[harobikes333]

well if you want an example of some sweet value ram here it is: The nice value ram

as you can see the reviews are great

 

[grooge]

Well, I don't know.. All my A64 board has been rock stable. I've use Asus, Gigabyte, Soltek, Asrock and even ECS... Most of them were running with Samsung memory... Some with corsair. Sure enough I never skimp over the PSU. I'm currently running the Asrock 939 DUAl SATA2. So far, it is rock stable, but I cannot yet recommend it because I don't know about long term use. The one I had before was the Gigabyte K8NF-9 and got it for 8 month, the I sold it to a friend because I wanted to try something else. This board was rock stable and never give any problem. I was running it with a 3000+ and Corsair twinX memory, now running Samsung generic RAM. My friend has the same setup and run his overclocked by 300MHz 24/7 full load without any crash or anything.

I've tried some other, but were socket 754, so useless in your case. I know someone that run an Asus A8N-E with a 3000+ and corsair value RAM without any problem, with all 4 ram slot filled. He has an Antec 380W PSU that came with his Sonata case.

I quit using Intel when I bought my first AthlonXP and never went back.. Never had any stability with any of my computer.. GOOD PSU is the common part that was in ...

 

[jamesbond007]

Originally posted by: id3dwiz
One thing I don't get, people are recommending 500+ PSUs for AMD
systems, why is that, when AMD processor seems to need less.
And for Intel D, PSU req'ts seems lower.

This is true and my guess is that many AMD fans are indeed gamers and love high resolutions. This means that some pump in a big 7800GTX or even two if they are serious. The new videocards of today's gaming world are pretty heavy on power consumption. Also, many enthusiasts enjoy having lots of storage space, which means that people will hook up 4-6 harddisks in one computer. Again, this equates to a higher power consumption where a 300-350W may not suffice.

Of course, they could be one of the people who have to have the biggest and baddest of everything available.

 

[Zebo]

I prefer Intel, better proven stability.

I call shens..

If it's proven you should'nt have a hard time at all proving it.

 

[id3dwiz]

So far I've been looking into:
DFI LanParty UT Ultra-D but I'm no OC'er. Seems very popular on these boards.
ASUS A8N line, seems popular, but also seems to have problems.

I'm going to check out the Motherboards you've mentioned.

I find it strange that AMD motherboards that have been around for quiet a while,
still exhibit many problems, different in each case. Compared to Intel chipsets which seem to give less of trouble.

I think I'll do a little bit more research for next couple of days before ordering.
I'm still leaning towards AMD for better power consumption. Just hope I don't hear about
more power problems.

would appreciate any more info
thanks

 

[Vallybally]

I'm curious on this exact topic too and posted a new thread on it since my requirement is slightly different (I NEED an AGP slot).

Is the ECS KV2 Lite Extreme acceptable to run 2x1gb RAM? I heard 1gb sticks can put some 'strain' on mobo or cpu 'memory controller'...

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: id3dwiz
No Value ram because ram does make a difference, quality vs value, even if it's not for OCing.

One thing I don't get, people are recommending 500+ PSUs for AMD
systems, why is that, when AMD processor seems to need less.
And for Intel D, PSU req'ts seems lower.

Don't think of it as "value" versus "quality" on the RAM. Think of it as "normal" versus "expensive-rape-the-overclocker-pocketbook." As long as you are buying a known brand that has a lifetime warranty, ALL RAM IS QUALITY. The difference is how much you can overclock it or how low latency you can run or how much voltage you can pump into it. Think of "value" as meaning "best deal" and not "low quality."

As for PSU, I think many people have been burned with low quality and think that the problem can be solved with higher wattage. If you start with a high quality PSU, then wattage may not be a problem. Note that high quality doesn't mean expensive. Also the other thing is the popularity of SLI with AMD systems. Modern high end video cards take more power than the CPU, so once you put two of those cards in your system, the video subsystem alone will be taking more power than the rest of the system altogether.

Originally posted by: id3dwiz
DFI LanParty UT Ultra-D but I'm no OC'er. Seems very popular on these boards.

I'm still leaning towards AMD for better power consumption. Just hope I don't hear about
more power problems.

The DFI LANPARTY boards are popular, but they also seem quirky (judging from all the posts about it).

I have owned five Intel Prescott core CPUs and now I'm on my second A64. I wouldn't have switched if I were happy with the Prescotts.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: id3dwiz
So far I've been looking into:
DFI LanParty UT Ultra-D but I'm no OC'er. Seems very popular on these boards.
ASUS A8N line, seems popular, but also seems to have problems.

I'm going to check out the Motherboards you've mentioned.

I find it strange that AMD motherboards that have been around for quiet a while,
still exhibit many problems, different in each case. Compared to Intel chipsets which seem to give less of trouble.

I think I'll do a little bit more research for next couple of days before ordering.
I'm still leaning towards AMD for better power consumption. Just hope I don't hear about
more power problems.

would appreciate any more info
thanks

I use an Asus A8N-E with a Venice 3500 A64 CPU... it runs absolutely flawless. Never a lockup, crash, anything. It's rock stable, and I never reboot it... Always runs 100% load (SETI)... zero problems, AND the board is very affordable too. I vote A8N-E. :thumbsup:

 

[canoneos1d]

Tyan K8e if you want socket 939 no SLI. Very stable board, passive cooling so no fan worries. This is a server/workstation board depending on which of the 3 models you get, workstation version runs $169 and is the recommended motherboard by amd for the dual core opterons.

 

[grooge]

Originally posted by: id3dwiz

I find it strange that AMD motherboards that have been around for quiet a while,
still exhibit many problems, different in each case. Compared to Intel chipsets which seem to give less of trouble.

A friend of mine works for a computer shop that mostly sell Intel. They still have technician to fix thing thou ..

They started selling AMD now and don't have more problem that with Intel..

AMD, being more popular for enthusiast, it is normal that the board that are aimed toward enthusiast have more feedback. You don't hear too much about the Gigabyte I told you. It's a good board, but may not be as good for OC than others with fancy chipset and vregs coolers.. But they do work good.

I did build system with Intel CPU too. But one MSI with Intel chipset mobo gives me too much trouble that I quit using them.. I tooks 3 motherboard before having one that would last more than 3 days.. I know it is not Intel's fault, but rather a bad batch of MSI motherboard. And you'll find people here that only swear by MSI.

The only board that I don't recommend for normal use are SLI board, especially Asus. Their A8N-E seem to be fine thou. But Asus being the biggest name in motherboard, it is normal that you'll hear more about their product, either Intel or AMD.

 

[id3dwiz]

Interesting boards you guys bring up.

Does Asus A8N-E have that problem with the fan or is it gone now?

I learned that Tyan just released Tyan K8e-SLI. One of the boards features
a nForce4 pro2200 chipset, as opposede to nForce4 Ultra? Expensive, but I'm curious
about nForce4 PRO chipset? Because a workstation board is probably the aproach I want to take. Regular k8e use nForce4 Ultra chipset.
It is worth the extra bucks, more stable?

Thanks

 

[dfloyd]

Like the person above stated AMD does seem to be much more popular with the enthusasit crowd. For the most part thats us. I would guess if you took a vote the majority of enthusasists on this board would say they prefer AMD. For that reason alone you will see alot more AMD related articles. Also the fact that these individuals are enthuasists usually means they tinker, add, change, reinstall things a bit more than a standard user would, so again another thing that can add to problems and conflicts. In all honesty if you go with a decent name brand you should not have any more problems with a AMD based CPU vs a Intel. In fact I have heard, at least as far as the CPU alone goes, alot more problems actually defective with the CPU on Intels side than I have on AMDs. But again, just a little info to consider on your decisions.

As far as motherboards go there are quite a few great ones to choose from. I personally like either, well I started to suggest a couple but honestly not sure which specific boards to suggest because you ware wanting a X2 based board. I was going to say the DFI lanparty but not sure its a X2 supporting board, if it is, it is a great all around board and very stable, but a bit more expensive than average. (Not really much but a bit). On the other hand I am currently using a Chaintech that I have just had great success with. In the past Abit would probably of been my first suggestion. I guess my point is all of them make great boards, and all of them make not so great boards. Best thing to do is get some suggestions then do the research by reading reviews, forums and such. (I guess this is what you are doing ). But one I would never suggest is Tyan. I guess they do make great boards, I honestly dont know. But I do know those boards cost an arm and a leg compared to many others and imo they are not worth that much more. Maybe if they were the same price, but considering its not even close on alot of them its not worth it, at least imo.

But good luck friend, and welcome to what used to be called the dark side but is actually the Rebellion trying to take down the evil empire (Yeah Intel heh).

 

[grooge]

My friend removed his chipset fan on his a8n-e and replaced it with the zalman chipset cooler soon after he got his board. Running good so far, and quiet.

 

[id3dwiz]

Thanks for all the info again.

I think I don't mind spending a little extra bucks to get a better board.
More particularly I'm looking at the Asus A8n line, either a8n-e
or ASUS A8N-SLI Premium. One of the anandtech articles referred to
it as rock stable. DFI seems like a good board but more for OC'ers.
Tyan's New SLI board is another consideration with it's Pro chipset, I'm curious about it,
but does cost some extra cash. Over 200 bucks.

Hard call, hard call. I build my system to last me a few years.
So I want to make the best choice. My old system lasted my 6 years or so, yeah lol. P700, well it did all I wanted it to do.

I might just flip the coin between few motherboards that seem good.

 

[stability99]

Read my thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=29&threadid=1759853&enterthread=y

In the past, I believe to many website previews. But today, it's not completely TRUE as we see. When you buy it, you will understand.

Good luck

 

[theMan]

that tyan board seems to be extremely high quality, and stable. and it is marketed not only for severs, but for home users too. i think that board is perfect for you, if you can afford it.

 

[stability99]

Originally posted by: theman
that tyan board seems to be extremely high quality, and stable.

In the past 10 years, Tyan is not famous.
Today, I ask many retail stores, they answer they can have it, but they don't guarantee it good or not in terms of quality.

Over years, I believe in Asus then Gigabyte, not Tyan or DFI. But now, both of them have problems too.

For ex: I have Asus P4PE and Asus Ti4200. It still working as the king over 4 years 24/7. Not one of problems. It works as out of a box, not like manythings sort out today

 

[id3dwiz]

Thanks guys for great info. Good link to thread too.

I've also noticed that workstation set ups, for graphics and cad for example, suggest Tyan motherboards. Such are the suggestions on amd - workstation systems forum.

Also, I was reviewing a couple of Cadance magazines with workstation system reviews.
Some of them use Asus A8N-SLI Premium, some K8N I believe, with dual opterons, and Tyan is also used.

Newly released Tyan motherboard with SLI ( sli -which I don't need), but it has nforce4 Pro chipset. This is what I'm curious about. I think it runs at 260 bucks though- expensive!!! Even when Cadance magazine was reviewing athlon based systems, it mentioned problems with systems, bugs, etc.. that conflicted in benchmarks. There goes the Nvidia chipset. Even a built by retailer that specialized in workstation set ups. However, at a last months review they mentioned that previous problems they had few months ago were resolved in new systems reviews. But it doesn't really make me feel anyhow better.

I'm steering towards A8n-SLI premium, or more expensive Tyan 939 socket motherboard, with nvidia pro chipset. Expensive? Yes. Better chance of stability? I very much hope so.

Right now I'm also deciding about the processor. I wanted to get x2 3800+, but now very much curious about Opteron 170. Or x2 4400+. But last one is kinda very expensive for me right now. I wanted to build a new system fast and quick, because i'm on my dad's laptop for now, but decided to do enough research and build something good to last me 5+ years.

 

[grooge]

You know what?? You should only buy something that will last no more than 2-3 years..Seriously. There is newer thing in the CPU front, motherboard chipset,video card and the whole computer thing..

Just get something that it's not too expensive but will perform good enough. This will make you wait for the newer thing, won't be expensive to sell to somebody else and that, added to the money saved and invested in some good place, will make the next built not so expensive.

I did just get a nice, not to expensive system to have me wait for newer socket M2 from AMD or newer Intel if they are as good as AMD and within their price range.

I'll just sell this system, or the parts that need to be replaced only and get the newer thing in 8-9 month..

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: id3dwiz
build something good to last me 5+ years.

It is not unreasonable for a system to be functional after 5 years, but realize that after 5 years the system will feel pretty outdated no matter how much money you dump into it now.

I don't think I've gone more than 1/2 year without upgrading at least something. Recently I had to use a system I built a few years ago, P4 2.4GHz with 512MB RAM and a Radeon 8500LE. It was pretty fast back in the day, but now my cheaper notebook is faster.

 

[ocPre3k]

id3dwiz,
Overclocking or not, DFI is a good board. With option to store extra BIOS settings, it makes the board an ideal for both average users and overclockers. The Ultra-D version is fairly cheap and does what you might want from it. Read the reviews. Keep in mind that "comments" left on the reviews came from different sources.
If you are not going to abuse the motherboard, either ASUS or DFI one will make you happy for a while. However, if I were you, I would definitly go with the DFI Ultra-D or something similar. The only thing I don't like about this board is the color; so yello! It could have been better if it was purple or pink... NOT! -

 

[ribbon13]

id3dwiz: Since this is a recent post, you PMed me, but have receiving PMs turned off I'll respond here.

Hi there,
Happy holidays

I saw you made a reference to S2866A2NRF Tyan motherboard,
I've been looking for this boar for a week now, can't find it anywhere.
Do you know where I get can it?

Thanks,
S

Not really. Sorry I really haven't had a use for that board, as I believe the Asus A8N32-SLI is superior in every respect so that's what I use.

http://www.atacom.com/program/print_html_new.cgi?Item_code=MBA9_TYAN_K8_00
http://www.sparco.com/cgi-bin/wfind2?spn=H762B74
http://www.onsale.com/onsale/shop/detail.asp?dpno=736723