Hi,
I am new here after a period of reading some of the very useful info available on this forum. As I am about to get a new system, I thought it would be a good occasion to register.
I had just about decided to go with the Asus A8N-E motherboard, although a bit reluctantly because of the risk of having problems with the chipset fan.
Then I started reading the GeForce 6150 Board Shootout thread and I am now wondering if the Asus A8N-VM CSM would not be a better choice for my needs.
I am mostly into music and videos, with a lot of audio editing/processing. With my new system, I want to be able to play games from time to time, so if I choose the A8N-VM CSM, I will add a mid-range videocard within 6 months, probably from the next generation of NVidia mid-range cards (GeForce 7600).
My current system audio output is already plugged into my stereo system in the next room. I want an S-VHS output in my new system, as it will also be plugged in the TV in the next room. The A8N-VM CSM doesn?t have video-out as standard , but I am ready to wait until I get a discrete video card with video-out.
My next system will be based either on a 3700+, a 4000+ or a 3800+ X2, depending on the relative prices when I make my purchase. If I get a 3700+, I will be interested in bumping the CPU frequency to about 2.4 Ghz, and I understand I can expect to be able to do this through the A8N-VM CSM BIOS. I am not interested in raising core voltage, which is not possible anyway with the VM-CSM. But this slight oveclocking is not a priority and I can live without it. I would not oveclock a 4000+ or a 3800 X2.
My next system will have 2 SATA drives, a DVD-RW drive, and later on, a PCI-E graphics card. I have no need for VGA slots. The 2 available PCI slots on the CSM-VM are enough in case the integrated LAN and sound go bad and I have to replace them with discrete parts. I don?t intend to upgrade this system (except for the graphics card in the short term), but rather to keep it for 4 or 5 years and then replace it.
So when I compare the A8N-E with the A8N-VM CSM, I get the following score :
--- No chipset fan on the A8N-VM CSM, a definite plus vs the A8N-E
--- On-board audio is of better quality with VM-CSM, because it is HD. I have no need for multichannel sound. Stereo is good enough for me.
--- IEEE 1394 is available on VM-CSM, not on A8N-E, although I don?t need it now and the Firewire standard appears to have lost the battle with USB 2.0.
--- Micro-ATX form factor for the VM-CSM vs ATX for the A8N-E, would be an easier fit inside the smallish Antec SLK-1650B case I would like to get.
--- The VM-CSM is almost new, so this board is less mature than the A8N-E. I could expect more teething problems and mandatory BIOS/Chipset updates with the VM-CSM
--- The other useful features of the A8N-E also seem to be available on the VM-CSM. Of course, it doesn?t hurt that the VM-CSM is a little cheaper than the A8N-E
As for the performance of the Asus A8N-VM CSM when used with a video card, it doesn?t seem to suffer when compared to a board with the Nforce4 Ultra chipset.
So is there anything I am missing here ? Considering my needs and interests, what more could I gain by going with the A8N-E ? Your comments are very welcome.
Having exposed all this my main questions about the A8N-VM CSM concerns the fact that I am not sure the on-board graphics can be disabled when a discrete video card is added. The User?s Manual only shows a BIOS setting to allow selection of the graphics controller to use as a primary boot device (PCI-PCIE-IGP). There is no option to Enable/Disable on-board graphics, as is the case with on-board audio and LAN.
On this subject, the X-Bit Lab Review of the 6150 chipset states that :
« The GeForce 6150 and 6100 are both equipped with a PCI Express x16 bus which can be used to connect an external graphics card to be used instead of the integrated graphics or as an additional graphics accelerator, working together with the integrated one. By default, these chipsets do not disable the integrated graphics core when an external graphics card is installed and thus can support four-monitor configurations »
So is there a way to modify this default setting? I would like to make sure that the on-board graphics can be disabled and to know how this is done. The primary boot device selection in the BIOS doesn?t seem to allow this. If anyone has any experience with this, the information will be very useful to me.
And finally, there is also the possibility that I buy the MSI K8NGM2-FID instead of the Asus A8N-VM CSM. There is much discussion about this in the GeForce 6150 Shootout thread. The MSI is more overclockable and comes with the optional TV-Out bracket. But from reading various comments on this forum and on NewEgg.com, I have the impression that the Asus board is currently a little more mature and stable.
My main point, you might guessed, is that I want the board to be stable and to deliver nominal specs without having to fuss with it.
Thanks for your comments.
I am new here after a period of reading some of the very useful info available on this forum. As I am about to get a new system, I thought it would be a good occasion to register.
I had just about decided to go with the Asus A8N-E motherboard, although a bit reluctantly because of the risk of having problems with the chipset fan.
Then I started reading the GeForce 6150 Board Shootout thread and I am now wondering if the Asus A8N-VM CSM would not be a better choice for my needs.
I am mostly into music and videos, with a lot of audio editing/processing. With my new system, I want to be able to play games from time to time, so if I choose the A8N-VM CSM, I will add a mid-range videocard within 6 months, probably from the next generation of NVidia mid-range cards (GeForce 7600).
My current system audio output is already plugged into my stereo system in the next room. I want an S-VHS output in my new system, as it will also be plugged in the TV in the next room. The A8N-VM CSM doesn?t have video-out as standard , but I am ready to wait until I get a discrete video card with video-out.
My next system will be based either on a 3700+, a 4000+ or a 3800+ X2, depending on the relative prices when I make my purchase. If I get a 3700+, I will be interested in bumping the CPU frequency to about 2.4 Ghz, and I understand I can expect to be able to do this through the A8N-VM CSM BIOS. I am not interested in raising core voltage, which is not possible anyway with the VM-CSM. But this slight oveclocking is not a priority and I can live without it. I would not oveclock a 4000+ or a 3800 X2.
My next system will have 2 SATA drives, a DVD-RW drive, and later on, a PCI-E graphics card. I have no need for VGA slots. The 2 available PCI slots on the CSM-VM are enough in case the integrated LAN and sound go bad and I have to replace them with discrete parts. I don?t intend to upgrade this system (except for the graphics card in the short term), but rather to keep it for 4 or 5 years and then replace it.
So when I compare the A8N-E with the A8N-VM CSM, I get the following score :
--- No chipset fan on the A8N-VM CSM, a definite plus vs the A8N-E
--- On-board audio is of better quality with VM-CSM, because it is HD. I have no need for multichannel sound. Stereo is good enough for me.
--- IEEE 1394 is available on VM-CSM, not on A8N-E, although I don?t need it now and the Firewire standard appears to have lost the battle with USB 2.0.
--- Micro-ATX form factor for the VM-CSM vs ATX for the A8N-E, would be an easier fit inside the smallish Antec SLK-1650B case I would like to get.
--- The VM-CSM is almost new, so this board is less mature than the A8N-E. I could expect more teething problems and mandatory BIOS/Chipset updates with the VM-CSM
--- The other useful features of the A8N-E also seem to be available on the VM-CSM. Of course, it doesn?t hurt that the VM-CSM is a little cheaper than the A8N-E
As for the performance of the Asus A8N-VM CSM when used with a video card, it doesn?t seem to suffer when compared to a board with the Nforce4 Ultra chipset.
So is there anything I am missing here ? Considering my needs and interests, what more could I gain by going with the A8N-E ? Your comments are very welcome.
Having exposed all this my main questions about the A8N-VM CSM concerns the fact that I am not sure the on-board graphics can be disabled when a discrete video card is added. The User?s Manual only shows a BIOS setting to allow selection of the graphics controller to use as a primary boot device (PCI-PCIE-IGP). There is no option to Enable/Disable on-board graphics, as is the case with on-board audio and LAN.
On this subject, the X-Bit Lab Review of the 6150 chipset states that :
« The GeForce 6150 and 6100 are both equipped with a PCI Express x16 bus which can be used to connect an external graphics card to be used instead of the integrated graphics or as an additional graphics accelerator, working together with the integrated one. By default, these chipsets do not disable the integrated graphics core when an external graphics card is installed and thus can support four-monitor configurations »
So is there a way to modify this default setting? I would like to make sure that the on-board graphics can be disabled and to know how this is done. The primary boot device selection in the BIOS doesn?t seem to allow this. If anyone has any experience with this, the information will be very useful to me.
And finally, there is also the possibility that I buy the MSI K8NGM2-FID instead of the Asus A8N-VM CSM. There is much discussion about this in the GeForce 6150 Shootout thread. The MSI is more overclockable and comes with the optional TV-Out bracket. But from reading various comments on this forum and on NewEgg.com, I have the impression that the Asus board is currently a little more mature and stable.
My main point, you might guessed, is that I want the board to be stable and to deliver nominal specs without having to fuss with it.
Thanks for your comments.