Originally posted by: Mem
Bah...the 8RDA+ is just as good if not better......and MUCH cheaper
Yep!!.. No point paying more for the Asus version when the Epox 8RDA+ is around .
The Asus Deluxe has its merits; even though the 8RDA+ is meant to be a similar high-end SPP platform, the DLX still has many more features over the 8RDA+. That being said, if I had to do it over, I would've gotten the Epox b/c I don't use half of those extra features. I bought the Asus based on future returns b/c the 8KHA+ I swapped out is barebones that requires decent add-in cards to get it to be fully functional. Anyways, here's the hierarcy of boards between the Asus and Epox offerings:
A7N8X-DLX - Mother of all Nforce2 boards (other than maybe the Chaintech). Has everything you would expect to find on a current gen. fully featured board (other than IDE RAID, replaced by SATA RAID). The Abit NF7-S is in the same class (feature wise at least) as well as the Chaintech (IDE RAID also). Has a full I/O backplate (and 2 LAN) and additional slot add-ins to give you extra outputs. There are 4 2.0 USB outputs w/out a need for a slot header, but they provide a slot header for 2 more outputs, as well as a firewire/gameport header. Digital spdif passthrough is enabled through a coaxial digital output on the I/O plate and there are 3 dedicated 1/8'' mini-jacks for 5.1 output (the Epox has a dual-function mic/line3 jack)
8RDA+ - Not fully featured, but has the MCP-T south bridge which means it has firewire and 2 onboard LAN capabilities. The 8RDA+ uses only 1 of the available LAN MACs though, the Asus uses both. It has the ability to feature Soundstorm, but is not fully certified. Also has less 2.0 headers on the backplate and overrall number of headers provided. Requires a $30 add-in card for digital spdif output.
A7N8X - Pretty much the same features as the 8RDA+ other than the "5.1" Sound Storm solution and firewire found on the MCP-T boards.
8RDA - Barebone board that has the MCP, which means 2 channel sound, no firewire etc. USB 2.0 is available on all of the Nforce2 boards, as it is standard for the southbridge chip. Not sure how many headers are available through the backplate or through PCI headers, but it should support at least 4 total (2 in the backplate, 2 using headers).
Again, I woulda opted for the 8RDA+ b/c I'm pretty picky about what components I use and I don't like being tied into onboard hardware. The 8RDA+ was sold out at most places I was looking to buy from, and I refused to buy it from Newegg b/c of their ridiculous mark-up on the board. Also, when I bought, Epox had not confirmed a PCI lock, which they since have. Unless you want/need all the capabilities of the Asus DLX, I would go with the 8RDA+ or the A7N8X standard (if you have a good sound card). Oh yah, and Epox produces much better BIOS'. Asus is either holding back on us or they don't know how to code a decent BIOS.
Chiz