# Best overall motherboard...



## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

whats the best motherboard? please vote in the poll...


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## Mulderator (Feb 20, 1999)

I'm going to stick this for awhile so people will see it and vote.


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

Zman, nice little pole but best mobo for what? Overclock, stable, features, price/ preformance or pure speed, etc.


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

just overall performance, stability, oc'ing, etc...

Overall Performance..


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## Lurker1 (Jan 30, 2001)

Well I have been using EPOX motherboards at home and havent had any problems with them.


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## tsunam (Sep 14, 2003)

I'll go with the asus, they make top end boards and are overclocker friendly for you crazy cooks who go and add watercooling to make your processor that little bit faster.


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## brite750 (Mar 16, 2002)

the poll really should say best brand of motherboard, even Asus comes up with a stinker now and then, but it seems to have the most stable rep. many other brands seem to have rising and falling stock, gigabyte, falling and say, DFI rising.


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## Mulderator (Feb 20, 1999)

brite750 said:


> DFI rising.


Rising like a rocket--seems it will overtake ASUS as the favored board for geeks!


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

I used to use and recommend soltek, however they no longer mfg mb for sale in the US. I think they may still sell boards in China. 

My current favorite is an nforce4 ultra by epox. I have built 5 systems with this board and all have performed flawlessly.

For an intel build, nothing beats the stability of an intel board. If you want to oc the intel, then I would go asus.


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## brite750 (Mar 16, 2002)

crjdriver said:


> I used to use and recommend soltek, however they no longer mfg mb for sale in the US. I think they may still sell boards in China.
> 
> My current favorite is an nforce4 ultra by epox. I have built 5 systems with this board and all have performed flawlessly.
> 
> For an intel build, nothing beats the stability of an intel board. If you want to oc the intel, then I would go asus.


heard something about Soltek getting merged with DFI, could be a rumor


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

I went with ASUS, however I really like SOYO, and my new Chaintech...
I actually am thinking of going with Chaintech for all future builds, haven't decided yet.


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

any more suggestions???


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## loony_taz00 (Mar 30, 2005)

Asrock, because I use it, and it overclocks Nicely! looking at upgrading though so this thread may come in handy


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

brite750 said:


> heard something about Soltek getting merged with DFI, could be a rumor


Last I heard they were not shipping boards to the US. There have been no updates on their web site since early July  

It is too bad I really liked their boards; good value and very stable.


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

Over the years I have used a LOT of different boards. The oldest one I have still in service is a Tyan Tahoe dual P-II which has been on 24/7/365 for almost 8 years and has performed flawlessly, even though I have three times lost modems durin storms on that machine. 

When I built it that machine was bleeding edge.

The only manufacturer on my "avoid" list is gigabyte. Why? Look over there in the corner. See that stack of boards? Gigabyte, all of 'em. All dead. I prefer to have a board that lasts.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

loony_taz00 said:


> Asrock, because I use it, and it overclocks Nicely! looking at upgrading though so this thread may come in handy


You should be aware that asrock boards are designed by asus, however they are mfg by ecs. That should say enough about the quality; asus will not even put their name on the boards.


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## valis (Sep 24, 2004)

i put gigabyte, but I must qualify that as that is pretty much the only one I have had any experience with, being somewhat new to the hardware game. I've played with A-open, but that was generally to swap them out because htey died, so I don't really include them.


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

P4 cpu/Intel mobo, AMD cpu/DFI mobo. I must add, Tyan makes one nice, tough mobo.


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

Gigabyte is also on my do not use list, I have a stack of dead boards from them as well, right next to my box of dead Maxtors...

I did like Shuttle as a budget board for Socket A systems, haven't heard from them in a while.

If anyone is looking for a good 939 board, check out the Chaintech Zenith VE.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

loserOlimbs said:


> Gigabyte is also on my do not use list, I have a stack of dead boards from them as well, right next to my box of dead Maxtors...
> 
> I did like Shuttle as a budget board for Socket A systems, haven't heard from them in a while.
> 
> If anyone is looking for a good 939 board, check out the Chaintech Zenith VE.


I used to use shuttle for budget builds. One of them is still running 5 years later without any issues. Shuttle is now mfg by ecs; shuttle does the R&D and ecs does the mfg. I have not used one since this started.


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## Jack Horner (Jan 16, 2004)

I also like Shuttles, Have 3 of them here at home, 1 slot A, 2 socket A's. All are very reliable, and run 24/7.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I'll go with ABIT, I've had too many problems with ASUS boards in the last couple of years.


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## gotrootdude (Feb 19, 2003)

Epia VT320DP, MII12000 ! 

Ibase MB860! 

Motherboards should be judged by efficiency, stability, innovation, design, and functionality. Therefore I think these boards rock! :up:

Especially since my pico power supply with Morex car power kit voltage regulator achieves over 95% efficiency.


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

which is the best kind of GAMING BOARD? for games like far cry, quake 4, and so on???


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## gotrootdude (Feb 19, 2003)

Which form factor? If your going micro-atx, for a lightweight lan party rig, then I'd use the newer FoxConn boards which are really the only ones to offer SLI in microatx size, if your using standard ATX, then I'd use Asus, if your going BTX, then I'd use Intel. (Personally, I like lightweight, silent, compact machines, nano-micro, that can be lugged around, blend in well, and don't take up all my workspace, also small boards may not have as many expansion slots but when it comes to building a custom case they rock.) 

To respond to a previous poster, as far as the quality of AsRock boards, AsRock use to provide only specialty boards which is why they distanced themselves for Asus, not because Asus didn't want their name on the boards. They don't provide much in the way of support, can be difficult to setup, and tend to be unique in design, but because of thier industrial use roots, they tend to be very stable. Don't knock the quality before you try them. I've never had any problems for AsRock boards, as long as the person installing them reads the instructions. 

Epox shouldn't be overlooked either, the boards may not be on the forefront of features, or quality, but they overclock easy and the support from Epox is top notch. 

Gigabyte boards are very stable, but normally slower than competitors.
MSI is quite good for stability, but lacks features.

Abit bit me on some capacitor problems in the past, so I'm weary of them, but then Asus has bit me in the past as well with the same problems as well as cpu compatability problems. Asus really makes boards of both very high quality and very low quality (such as Compaq AsusTek boards), so IMO it's not good to choose a board by them based on just the name Asus. 

As far as DFI, I puchased a NFII ultra a few years ago, had nothing but memory compatability problems with it (kingston and Corsair), now it sits on a top shelf at work waiting for a project. I've never used their support, but it's rumoured to be excellent.

Jetway, eVGA, (there's some sort of connection between the two, but I'm not sure what it is) boards are virtually non-existant on the market, so I have no experience with them.

ECS is almost purely budget boards but a step up from Mach-speed, Masonic, PC-Chips, Biostar, Mercury, Aopen, SuperMicro, etc, and is respectable for a decent quality budget build. 

Some people might toot Biostar as a cheap quality board, but are you willing to pay half the cost of the board in order for warranty work?

Tyan boards are extremely stable, but normally designed for speciallized use, so not a normal desktop choice. I also have no experience with this companies support.


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## Bal3Wolf (Dec 13, 2005)

i picked my msi but for stability it would be a tyan like someone else said i got a boared been in use for 5 years now and i took parts out of it and put back in alot been put thru alot and still works great.


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## Codemaster (May 5, 2001)

Multiple Computers with ABIT mobo and no problems. I love em.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Codemaster said:


> Multiple Computers with ABIT mobo and no problems. I love em.


I have to agree. I have an old abit kt-7a sitting here. My son uses it to test linux type stuff. It has been running for over 5 years without a problem.


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

gotrootdude said:


> Which form factor? If your going micro-atx, for a lightweight lan party rig, then I'd use the newer FoxConn boards which are really the only ones to offer SLI in microatx size, if your using standard ATX, then I'd use Asus, if your going BTX, then I'd use Intel. (Personally, I like lightweight, silent, compact machines, nano-micro, that can be lugged around, blend in well, and don't take up all my workspace, also small boards may not have as many expansion slots but when it comes to building a custom case they rock.)
> 
> To respond to a previous poster, as far as the quality of AsRock boards, AsRock use to provide only specialty boards which is why they distanced themselves for Asus, not because Asus didn't want their name on the boards. They don't provide much in the way of support, can be difficult to setup, and tend to be unique in design, but because of thier industrial use roots, they tend to be very stable. Don't knock the quality before you try them. I've never had any problems for AsRock boards, as long as the person installing them reads the instructions.
> 
> ...


are gigabyte boards really that slow?


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## gotrootdude (Feb 19, 2003)

No. Gigabyte is normally in range of it's competitors for the chipset the board uses. Just not normally the fastest, or the one with the most overclockability.

If you put a Gigabyte board next to another leading brand using similar specs, the Gigabyte board is normally slower, but not to the extent that you could tell without using benchmark utilities.


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## Codemaster (May 5, 2001)

gotrootdude said:


> Epia VT320DP, MII12000 !
> 
> Ibase MB860!
> 
> ...


I disagree, I don't care about the design or innovation of the board as long as its fast.


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

Zman1764 said:


> are gigabyte boards really that slow?


Gigabyte problems have very little to with speed IMO, they seem to fry too easily, they don't OC at all, or take tweaks well. And in the Socket A boards at least the DMA channels seemed to always go bad, (hence the stack of dead Gig MOBOs)


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## Deathblow (Oct 7, 2003)

If you factor in price, i'd have to say Asus, but if I was just going for the best motherboard period, I'd go with an Intel. Granted, this is assuming I'm using an intel cpu.


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## bistro (May 20, 2003)

I use an Asus P4C800-E...best freakin' board I've ever used. Tried Soyo, Abit, Tyan, and Gigabyte. Good boards, but Asus wins in my book. I also avoid ANY board with VIA drivers. I don't like having to update mobo drivers almost every other day.


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

I have never had any problems with VIA or SiS, but of course I choose Nvidia chipsets for AMD.


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## Lotus4669 (Jan 6, 2006)

I'd have to go ASUS.. You can tweak the he!! out of em, plus they keep up-to-date with their BIOS' etc. I also use a DFI Lanparty board in my Pentium system and it has worked out great. Overall though my ASUS AMD system takes the cake.


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

i am planning on an AMD Athlon 4000+ System, if that helps..... Im also hoping to get an xpress 200 chipset and crossfire my Radeon X850 Pro...


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

I have a number of athlon systems with via chipset. I use it with Linux, Win95 (yes, really), WinNT, Win2K. 

No problems.


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## x_saosin_x (Oct 13, 2005)

Abit Fatal1ty An8 - Sli, all the way!!!!


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

are abit boards really that good for gaming?
And the gigabyte is rueld out...

Im either getting an Asus, MSI, or Abit for my next build... Which one is better?? 
Anymore votes?


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

Find a board you want and google for "that board" review, or ask here. ASUS doesn't always have the best board for a chipset, sometimes another maker does.


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

DFI makes some of the most overclocking friendly boards available. If thats what one is into then there's no point in looking anywhere else then DFI.

I choose ASUS for stability, features, support, and performance.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

There is nothing wrong with the via chipset boards for an amd build. There is one here that is about 5 years old and still running on its initial install of win2k. The via chipset boards do tend to be a little harder to setup than an nforce chipset. It is hard to beat the unified driver concept of nvidia.


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## gotrootdude (Feb 19, 2003)

> DFI makes some of the most overclocking friendly boards available. If thats what one is into then there's no point in looking anywhere else then DFI.


I'll have to agree, but,
I still got a epox 8RDA+ running a 1700+ AthlonXP at 2609mhz, being used in my living room.


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## Triple6 (Dec 26, 2002)

Yes, those Epox are quite O/C friendly too.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

gotrootdude said:


> I'll have to agree, but,
> I still got a epox 8RDA+ running a 1700+ AthlonXP at 2609mhz, being used in my living room.


That was one of the boards that was hit pretty hard by bad caps. Have you had to recap the board or is it running fine with the factory caps?


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## gotrootdude (Feb 19, 2003)

Bought six boards, had to RMA all of them, so it's been recapped.

Gotta hand it to Epox, they replaced all the caps (within 2 weeks) without charging me shipping or giving me the run-around like some other manufacturers. I don't fault Epox for the bad caps, most of the boards I bought from various vendors during that time frame also had bad caps.

I ended up getting the shaft on some compaq's, Leadtek, Asus, Biostar, Gigabyte, etc boards since I discovered the caps after the warranty period, or was just given the run around. In fact, Epox was the only vendor that took back the boards for repair and didn't question the problem. They even sent back the orginal board with new caps, not just a different replacement board. This was quite important to me, as I didn't want a different board that may not overclock as well, even if it was the same model.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Epox and Soltek were very good about the bad cap issue. Both mfg replaced caps after the warranty had expired.


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## Camlax38 (Dec 29, 2005)

Those new ECS extreme boards look nice anyone have any expierence with them?


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## Trembor (Dec 9, 2003)

Abit makes very reliable/tweekable MB's. NEVER had a problem with any Abit MB's so far.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I just received my ABIT Fatal1ty motherboard, so I have to keep my vote at ABIT.  It sure comes in a pretty package with all the sizzle.


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## [email protected] (Nov 11, 2005)

As long as it's these three who care's? ABIT, DFI, ASUS. They are all good. I want them all. I want a Lan Party, I want the ASUS SLI board and I own a ABIT, I am 100% satisfied with ABIT, they are just not the only overclockers out there. I can make a 20 paragraph post with all the garbage manufacturers out there, MSI, but I won't


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## pcdoctor305 (Jan 12, 2006)

Asrock


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

pcdoctor305 said:


> Asrock


You might as well say ecs because that is who mfg those boards. They are designed by asus, however asus will not even put their own name on them. That should tell you enough about the quality.


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

I still think its funny no one else here has anything to say about Chaintech.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

loserOlimbs said:


> I still think its funny no one else here has anything to say about Chaintech.


I used one of their vnf4 boards for a build two weeks ago. It worked fine without problems. I think their web site does need a little work [that is one of the things I look at with mb mfg]


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

One thing I thought was odd; in the manual under each bios setting it keeps saying not to modify anything


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

I have the VNF4/ Ultra, I thought it does a great Job, and if hadn't been my first motherboard from them I might have put it as my brand of choice. I have bought lots of their GFX cards and those were all nice.

As for the not modifying anything in the BIOS warnings, I couldn't say why they put that. Perhaps they were afraid some idiot would OC everything by accident.


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## ZEUS_GB (Jan 5, 2006)

Over the years i've had experience with lotsof different motherboards. PC Chips, Jetway, Abit, DFI, Asus, Asrock, Pine etc etc (the list goes on and on!)

I voted for DFI for the shear quality and features you get with their motherboards!


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## obvious (Nov 2, 2004)

The only one i've bought myself (all the other ones others bought for me lazy backside ) was an ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe (haven't built it yet). One little gimpie though, i received it and there was an absolute wozzacks load of thermal paste all over the cpu socket!

Lovely eh?


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

your board came with paste all over the socket? Was this a used/refurb board?


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## jflan (Jun 27, 2005)

loserOlimbs said:


> I still think its funny no one else here has anything to say about Chaintech.


Been using a Chaintech CT-7NLJ6 Socket A for some time now and it's been rock-solid.

Bought it on rebate for $29.99US and didn't expect much at that price.
And yes, I've heard too, that it's socket 939 sisters are doing well.

Chaintech gets my vote for the mid-shelf, reliable category.


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## RedHelix (Oct 31, 2005)

I like Asus a lot. I can always expect great documentation, spiffy features, and cool software utilities to come with any hardware I buy from them - be it motherboard, disc drive or video card.
I recently bought myself an Asus K8V-MX board. Talk about bang for your buck. I usually buy boards with integrated video and then add a card later, so there'll be one less thing to troubleshoot in case there's ever a day when I fire it up and the video output isn't working. On the other hand, though, both my video card and board are Asus, and given my faith in this company I have no expectation of either part breaking down in the near future.

In a close second behind Asus for me is actually Machspeed. They're pretty bold to claim their motherboards have a "Lifetime Warranty." At first I was pretty skeptical, but they do back that up. The big downside is the documentation for their boards almost always sucks big-time. (Terrible english, sometimes so bad it misleads you.) Ah well. They're cheap, they're backed by a good warranty, and they work. I couldn't ask for more.


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

ASUS vid card, great software as in Smartdoctor.You have got to be kidding me,lol.


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

For pure dependability day in and day out I'll take an Intel 845, 865 or 875 board with a P4 Northwood core processor.


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## RedHelix (Oct 31, 2005)

pugmug said:


> ASUS vid card, great software as in Smartdoctor.You have got to be kidding me,lol.


What's wrong with Smartdoctor? Unlike a lot of diag utilities, it has a small enough memory footprint for me to have it running while I game, without minding. Plus it doesn't lie to me about overclocking stability like nvidia's own tools did when I had my GF2.


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## keltix (Nov 22, 2005)

Pcchips....?


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## brite750 (Mar 16, 2002)

keltix said:


> Pcchips....?


yes. a type of snack you have while surfing the net, 
man, are we a bunch of Asus fanboys or what?, intel moboz are just fine ecept they leave all us AMD folks out in the cold. To tell the truth I havent had a bad board yet, Asus, Gigabyte, Shuttle, Intel, A-Open, Chaintech, Tyan, they all did what they were supoose to do.


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

Brite, can you say lucky?

Actually I have had very few MOBOs DOA, but Gigabyte has been the exception, I have had a board from them DOA, and many more die, fry or just go bizerk.

Outside of the Gigabyte boards, I did have one ASUS die on a P3 system, but I have a P3 system now as a Linux box that is still running off of the ASUS board. I don't blame ASUS for the bad P3 board, it was very old for a MOBO.


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

loserOlimbs said:


> Brite, can you say lucky?
> 
> Actually I have had very few MOBOs DOA, but Gigabyte has been the exception, I have had a board from them DOA, and many more die, fry or just go bizerk.


Me too. DOA and many deaths. Particularly with AMD.



> Outside of the Gigabyte boards, I did have one ASUS die on a P3 system, but I have a P3 system now as a Linux box that is still running off of the ASUS board. I don't blame ASUS for the bad P3 board, it was very old for a MOBO.


I had an ASUS die on an Athlon system but that was second mobo on that system and this time I replaced the PS also even though all PS voltages were in spec when I tested. Multiple mobo failures suggest something else must be wrong. First mobo failure was gigabyte and, given other history with gigabyte, I didn't think anything of it.


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## SacsTC (Dec 30, 2003)

What is really interesting to me is that ASUS is at 52% yet if you look at the hardware board, about 80% of the problems are with ASUS boards.


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## Deathblow (Oct 7, 2003)

Funny, they've always seemed about the least problematic to me. Maybe it's because they'res more Asus boards then the rest?


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## RedHelix (Oct 31, 2005)

SacsTC said:


> What is really interesting to me is that ASUS is at 52% yet if you look at the hardware board, about 80% of the problems are with ASUS boards.


By the same token, BestBuy services 14,000 iPods per month. Is it because they are failure prone or is it just because everybody has one?


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## CarlssonMB (Oct 30, 2004)

I'd say Ipods are failure prone. I haven't talked to someone who hasn't had a problem with theirs (and I'm in high school).

I have a Soyo board, which thus far hasn't caused me any major headaches. The Chaintech board I was going to put in was DOA. Got this (soyo) board from a friend of mine for about $65 new to replace the dead Chaintech

As for the server box in my sig, It has an old Asus board and its still running strong with its thunderbird


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

Deathblow said:


> Maybe it's because they'res more Asus boards then the rest?


Did you consider all the Intel boards running in all the Dell and Gateway computers in service?


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## RedHelix (Oct 31, 2005)

When Dell and Gateway boards break, they call the manufacturer for help - not a forum on the internet.

On a side note, I have seen Asus boards appearing in Gateway desktops lately. Hmm.


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## Deathblow (Oct 7, 2003)

Took the words right out of my mouth Red, I think we are mainly talking about home built systems here. As for Intel, those are my preferred boards, and what my last 2 boxes have had. I voted for Intel with the note that Asus is IMHO the best value.


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## --KX-- (Apr 9, 2005)

ASUS definately, never had any probs with them...never, gigabyte rate as my 2nd.. ASRock i'm still testing on them..soltek, AOpen & ECS have all given me loads of trouble in the past...especially capacitors... strangely enough, i have a dual P3 mobo that was set up with an old HP server... actually manufactured by ASUStek which died... do not be fooled though... this mobo worked 6years 24/7 & when it died was buried in black dust & hairs... the owner wasn't too keen on servicing his server..no blown capacitors though in a tower that wasn't ventilated as well as one would expoect


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## p4mastergeek (Jan 28, 2006)

yea asus makes a good board i would agree. just make sure it has a intel chipset. figure the intel chipset will work better with a intel processor. Guess its all really what you want. Asus boards are usually more expensive. I had a p4 one that lasted at least 4 yrs or so with no problems and it had a sis chipset. But im sure the preformance would have been better with one with a intel chipset. Soyo boards, ecs boards they are like dime a dozen its kinda like buying a honda compared to a ferrari when you buy a asus board. I would have to say the asus boards are pretty user friendly. I recently bought a ECS board cause my wifes old E Machines junk withe a atlon xp processor i think took a crap cause the power supply went out. Of course they probably put a junk power supply in it so it would break couple years down the road and you would have to take it back then they would want to charge you killer price to fix that and would say hey why fix this one when you can go back and get a new computer thats faster then spend the money on fixing this? thats how they get you to come back to the store and spend more money years down the road. Ive opened Sony VIAO computers and they have junk looking motherboards and some junk fan on the processor. I sold a motherboard and processor on ebay to a guy that had a viao and said he took his apart and the fan on the processor broke completely off. Thats why i build my own computers. That way my processor will have a 3yr intel waranntee, and the MB usually have at least a year. That way something goes wrong troubleshoot it if you cant get it to work send it back and replace it. People would talk oh yea western digital drives are great, what junk they are i have about 4 of them setting around that are junk im sure me and my brother have sent at least 5 back to get fixed. Thats why i purchased a seagate drive with a 5yr warantee. It kinda like buying a car the way i see it the better the waranttee you get you can take it back when something goes wrong. But its all electronics it will eventually wear out no matter what start to realize this. see ya


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Mulder said:


> I'm going to stick this for awhile so people will see it and vote.


When are you going to 'unstick' it?


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

I think it should stay stuck for a while longer, one less question to answer 30 times a day...


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## XcheifX (May 8, 2005)

What do u guys think about ecs boards, i don't recomend them but i'd like to know if their worth it or not. Asus K8 was one of the first boards i've had. though i didn't get to use it becasue there was some kind of defect with that specific board (probably rare occurances from shipping). well the next board i bought was a lanparty dfi for athlon 64. so far it hasn't doubted me. my freind also has a dfi that he has been using for 8 years, currently he has switched to ecs and is using the dfi as a secondary. so i vote lanpary dfi. I also heard that the engineer for asus has switched to dfi, (not sure) might again be a rumer.


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

I had two, both blew about the same time. I have another one that has been chugging along for years...circa 1999. I think their quality is sub-standard. Pricing is good, I got the last two basically free with a P4 2.4 chip, so if you look at it that way, I guess I still did ok


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

ECS has pretty poor quality control. You may get a good board that will run fine and last for years. You also have a good chance of getting a board that just does not run well, reboots itself, is unstable, etc.

The bad thing is that ecs does mfg for quite a few mb makers; shuttle, asrock come to mind.


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## edgar818 (May 9, 2005)

I CURRENTLY OWN A DFI MOTHERBOARD AND IT COULDENT GET ANY BETTER. It is very stable and the overclokin menu is very very user freindly and easy to understand.


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## htetlinn (Dec 7, 2005)

I'm Using ASUS P4C800-E Delux And P4P800SE Motherboards And Found No Problem. Moreover, These Are Very Good. I'm Currently Configuring P4C800 E Delux M/B As The Windows 2003 Domain And Exchange Server And P4P800SE As Client. I Also Satisfy The Speed And Performance ( Such As Overclocking ) Of These Two Boards. So I Recommanded That ASUS Is The Best Motherboard Manufacturer!!!


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## gotrootdude (Feb 19, 2003)

After that capacitor fiasco a few years ago, it seams that most motherboards are overall problem free.
Even the low-end pc-chips, mach-speed, and other generic boards seem to have improved in quality over the last couple of years.


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## Holly3278 (Jan 29, 2003)

I've always heard good things about Asus.


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## 1_rob_1 (Sep 19, 2005)

Asus are probably still the best boards, even if they are pricier than most. Ive hardly ever seen a problem with them, followed closely by Asrock. 
Over the past couple of years, Ive used hundreds of pc-chips boards for budget systems and have not had a single problem with any of them, so it looks like they are on the up. 
Overall, it looks like electronics are getting more & more reliable, & soon we wont need to compare reliability,just speed compatibility & built in extras.


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## StumpedTechy (Jul 7, 2004)

> Asus are probably still the best boards, even if they are pricier than most


*rant*

Funny if the poll allowed I would have voted against Asus! This A8N-SLI board is a piece of (insert your explitive here). In all fairness to my technical abilities and their board support is outrageous.

All I ask for is a new board that allows you to use a USB connected keyboard/mouse through a KVM. Sure enough I decide to buy this board and the USB on board is SO jumpy that I can't even control it (this was when loading the OS before I even got to load board specific drivers). I then decide maybe the USB is underpowered I first try a USB powered hub to give more juice to the device no luck. Then I put in an add in USB card and it works...

Okay so now I have the add in card why ***** you ask? Well since the USB connection is in the add in PCI card and since the PCI card isn't intialized until after the bios loads I can't do 2 things 1) access the bios without a connected PS/2 mouse and 2) can't setup dual boot because the loader of the OS has not seen the USB devices yet!

Funny thing is this same setup works with IBM, HP, COMPAQ, DELLS and even a few no name (probably other MB's other than this board type)

The funny thing is when I reported the problem I got AN email that indicated I needed to download the latest DRIVERS! When its a problem you have to pput in an add in card and the the bios is not seeing this connection WTH is drivers going to do for you? (Also remember this was jumping even before the OS was installed 100%)

Lastly they sent me a new one and I have the SAME PROBLEM! I even tried bios updates and tweaking anything I could to no avail.

I called them back and they tried to tell me it was the KVM. I mean comeon... you can't tell me its the KVM as I have used every port and I get the same issue and like I said I can hook up any 4 PC's to this same KVM without this problem at all. And if this is a known KVM issue they should seriously have a disclaimer somewhere on their site NOT to hook up their boards to KVM's.

In all their support is lacking, this board is a hunk of junk that works well enough once booted and tweaked but really should I have to go through THIS much trouble to make a board work?

*/rant*

Yes I am bitter but I live with this until I can budget to get a new board and reload everything yet again.


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## edgar818 (May 9, 2005)

non of you know what you are saying DFI is the best board manufacteror there is the only reason you guys are saying asus is because of its name thats it dfi cant definitely beat asus boards plus DFI boards are way more stable.


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

edgar818 said:


> non of you know what you are saying DFI is the best board manufacteror there is the only reason you guys are saying asus is because of its name thats it dfi cant definitely beat asus boards plus DFI boards are way more stable.


I would like to be the first person to thank you for this well written, grammatical, properly spelled, and very clear statement that YOU and ONLY YOU are the person on this board who knows what he is saying.


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

jiml8 said:


> I would like to be the first person to thank you for this well written, grammatical, properly spelled, and very clear statement that YOU and ONLY YOU are the person on this board who knows what he is saying.


Why not just agree with edgar818 instead of getting into grammar and spelling? I *AM NOT* an Asus supporter.



edgar818 said:


> *non**(sic)* of you know what you are saying*(.)* DFI is the best board *manufacteror**(sic)(.)* there (should be That) is the only reason you guys are saying asus (should be Asus) is because of its name*(,)* thats it*(.)* dfi (should be DFI) *cant*(sic) definitely beat asus (should be Asus) boards plus DFI boards are way more stable.


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

win2kpro said:


> Why not just agree with edgar818 instead of getting into grammar and spelling? I *AM NOT* an Asus supporter.


Is it necessary for me to explain sarcasm and contempt? Do I need to explain the irony of the very poorly worded, punctuated, and spelled post (all the hallmarks of a very unintelligent person) being headed by "non of you know what you are saying"? Need I point out that this individual, while accusing everyone else who has posted on this thread of ignorance and/or bad judgement, has displayed massive ignorance himself?

No, I don't need to point those things out. I'm sure you didn't miss it.


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

jiml8 said:


> Is it necessary for me to explain sarcasm and contempt? Do I need to explain the irony of the very poorly worded, punctuated, and spelled post (all the hallmarks of a very unintelligent person) being headed by "non of you know what you are saying"? Need I point out that this individual, while accusing everyone else who has posted on this thread of ignorance and/or bad judgement, has displayed massive ignorance himself?
> 
> No, I don't need to point those things out. I'm sure you didn't miss it.


I sincerely apologize. I didn't realize you were being sarcastic.


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## XcheifX (May 8, 2005)

Its actually true, over the years asus has been at the top of most boards, now that we have a poll regarding other boards, most are costomed to asus because from the begging they bought and asus and continue to buy another. Now the new boards are claiming awards (ex:dft, gigabyte, msi...) but because of our trust in asus we are not we are blind to see the others which are prevailing over asus.


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

XcheifX said:


> Its actually true, over the years asus has been at the top of most boards, now that we have a poll regarding other boards, most are costomed to asus because from the begging they bought and asus and continue to buy another. Now the new boards are claiming awards (ex:dft, gigabyte, msi...) but because of our trust in asus we are not we are blind to see the others which are prevailing over asus.


I wasn't criticizing the message so much as the delivery.

Really, I question the idea that there is a "best" board, because what constitutes "best" depends on the intended purpose. I went to ASUS when I stopped using Gigabyte, for reasons that were appropriate as far as I was concerned. My personal experience is that Gigabyte/Athlon is not a good combo; the mobos fail.

I also have used boards from about half the manufacturers on the list at one time or another, and also Tyan which isn't on the list, and all have worked for me, except the Gigabytes.

What comes out of a poll like this is probably a consensus about a solid, reliable manufacturer rather than which is "best".


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

win2kpro said:


> I sincerely apologize. I didn't realize you were being sarcastic.


LOL. I shouldn't have landed on you so hard.:up:


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## jawadshahzad (Oct 28, 2005)

one of the cool points of asus is that they make boards for all budget ranges. and also from the bare minimum to fully loaded . what other brand has this diversity......


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

jiml8 said:


> LOL. I shouldn't have landed on you so hard.:up:


No problem. :up:


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## gotrootdude (Feb 19, 2003)

> I question the idea that there is a "best" board, because what constitutes "best" depends on the intended purpose.


Exactly,

Lately I've been looking at a certain PcChips board just because it's size and support for a Geode 1750+ cpu. 
http://www.pcchips.com.tw/PCCWeb/Pr...LanID=0&DetailID=366&DetailName=Specification
If you can find me a 9 X 6 inch Asus board that supports the Geode embedded cpus, and works with under 30W, I'll buy it.

The board has to be the best for it's intended purpose. This one's intended for a CarPC.


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

Everyone has different ideas, that's why they put so many different color of crayons in a box.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned (or at least I haven't seen it) is support. In the last 3 or 4 years I have emailed ASUS requesting information and have never received a reply. :down: 

I can email INTEL and get an automated response within about 30 minutes and if that doesn't answer my question I just tic a box and get a "real" response with 24 hours. :up: 

What this all boils down too is to use a board that you have been happy with in the past, and does the job you want it to do.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

> I can email INTEL and get an automated response within about 30 minutes and if that doesn't answer my question I just tic a box and get a "real" response with 24 hours.


Soltek was great about this; usually a response in a few hours. It is too bad they no longer mfg boards for sale in this country. I think they still sell in the far east.


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Nice avatar crjdriver  Just noticed it.


I think the best board is a free one from a friend


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

That is me. Shot for some promo pics.


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Cool. I do have to try to make it aboard some day


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## Wiskycoo (Jun 21, 2002)

asus is my fav.... I've not had any issues with them and I have yet to hear of any one that has of the people I know with asus boards....but I like Candy's free board idea too  LOL!


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## WarC (Dec 26, 2001)

Asus is pretty dependable. They tend to be more expensive though. I have done some seriously scary things to Asus boards over the years and still had them work for me...

...One time, I accidently superglued a videocard into an Asus A7V-266-E's AGP slot...I tore it out with a wrench because I'm a dumb kid...The AGP slot was toast but the board still worked fine w/ a PCI graphics card. (that motherboard was also the reason I joined this forum!)

Asus' tech support was a hassle, though, and it took some real digging to get them to do exchanges with me. Asus motherboards carried a three year warranty the last time I had one. In the end they honored it and sent me a new board.


Biostar is another name I'd like to throw out there. They are a somewhat unknown name, but they produce relatively dependable and extremely cheap motherboards. They sell nForce-based motherboards at rockbottom prices compared to other manufacturers...And I haven't had one die on me yet which is always nice!


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## gotrootdude (Feb 19, 2003)

You might have had good luck with Biostar, but they lost me as a customer when they wanted to charge me $45 in shipping to return a motherboard for warranty. 

I'll stick with Asus, DFI, and Epox. If I'm short on cash, I'll use MSI. If I want a low-end board for experimentation with something that might ruin a high dollar board, like using in a car, or booting compactflash/USB drives while using a book cover as a case, or interfacing with undocumented LCD/VFD controllers, I'll stick a PcChips board in, and avoid Biostar like the plague.


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

I think I'm liking the DFI boards..... they look niiice!!!

So the main competitors are Asus and DFI? anything else?
And how are Epox Boards? whats good and whats bad about them?


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Epox makes fine boards. All mfg occasionally turn out a poor design and epox is not immune to this as well. Generally epox boards are overclocker friendly in that they will have a lot of settings in the bios. 

I have built 5 systems lately with the epox 9npa+ultra; all have performed flawlessly. I am using one right now to type this running win2k on a promise tx4300 sata raid card.


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2006)

gigabyte for its insane collection, always seeming to have the EXACT specs and port combinations i want.


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## torment1979 (Jan 31, 2005)

i have to go with asus mobo, both my pc and server run on asus mobo. i haven't run across any issues yet. before i used ecs boards and everyone of them failed at one point. i've heard great things about dfi mobo, so my next project my use one of thier boards. best over all asus takes it. support is slow at best but they do honor their 3-year warr.


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## durant125 (Aug 15, 2004)

Well after reading all the posts Im going DFI. I have an Asus right now and works ok not great, just a little more TLC. I might also try Chaintech later down the road. It seems like everyone and their mother has an Asus the reason I am not going with them. When you are at the top you seem to be less motivated not saying Asus is that way just a general rule of thumb and it sounds like a lot of people are over looking the less known motherboards like Chaintech and even DFI. I went to AMDs website to check out recommended motherboards for the processor I'm going to get FX 64 duo core. You can choose which motherboard manufacturer you want and here is the list they give you. Abit, Asus, Biostar, ECS, Epox, Gigabyte, Jetway, Leadtek, MSI, SHuttle, Soltek, Tul, Tyan, WinFast.
Now my little bit of expertise LoL yeah right!
If your looking for a PC that you want to call your brother (one that will last through thick and thin) like I am. Three things I look for Top shelf, Upgradeable, and Warranty.
In life you tend to get what you pay for. Now sometimes people get lucky and a DEAL!! Not me though.


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## jawadshahzad (Oct 28, 2005)

have you checked out the asus A8N SLI32 board its super .... is there any other board to compare those specs


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

This has nothing to do with mobos but I agree with durant. Asus may make a good mobo but they tried to live off their name and made a suck azz vid card at a very high dollar price, Period, as I had one and know of what I speak.


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## jflan (Jun 27, 2005)

jawadshahzad said:


> have you checked out the asus A8N SLI32 board its super .... is there any other board to compare those specs


Yeah, there's an Abit SLI 32 that has just been released. Abit's been lackluster lately, so I would wait on that one.

I like the Asus Premium or the "32". The "32" is looking better as the price continues to fall.

Or the Lan Party if you want a hotrod


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## XcheifX (May 8, 2005)

I've had my mobo for a good 2 years now and it has been through thick and thin. It might not be the best board out, but its a good board to experiment with, such as overclocking, first time computer builders, and just things that board aren't ment to do  . Though not all lanparty boards are as good as the one i got. So far I say its the nforce on the mobo that makes it run like a hot rod 
so i say lanparty + Nforce = near perfection


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## bigbear (Apr 27, 2004)

Anyone heard that Gigabyte and MSI are merging, how will this affect the poll?
http://www.amdzone.com/modules.php?...=article&sid=5088&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0


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## MrBillPro (Mar 1, 2003)

I think the best board is the one that fits all your needs and works, I'm thinking that would be a good board.


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## beginnertech (Apr 24, 2003)

I'd go MSI all the way. I can see how ASUS beats it out but Gigabyte? C'mon you must be kidding me. As far as Intel, I will never buy a board with an Intel in it ever again. Some bad expirences there plus AMD fits me like a glove being a gamer and all. My last was an MSI with a Thunderbird in it and my new one is a MSI with a FX53. They both amazed the "hell" out of me when I fired them up. The old one is still kick'n. Been going 24/7 since 2000. I had everything replaced except the board and processor.


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

Zman, as per your post #110 of this thread,I digress to post # 18 of this thread.As far as post # 121 of this thread,all I can say is if you can't set up a Intel mobo, you can't set up any mobo. lol.


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## rexgrant (Mar 2, 2006)

Hi All
First post,If your Mobo dose what you want dont change it.If you are looking to change then I can recomend the ASUS A8N32 SLI De luxe.


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

I set a socket 754 DFI Motherboard (DFI Nf4X Infinity) about 2 weeks ago and thast thing was the best board I have ever used... quick too! it booted XP in 25 seconds FLAT with a Sempron 64 3100 processor!!!!


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## rexgrant (Mar 2, 2006)

Hi Zman.
Over the last two years I have used the A8N SLI De luxe with a few minor problems.cooling the Mobo was the worst.I then moved on to the A8N Premium Ram and mobo cooling on this one I am now useing the A8N32 no ram problems mobo cooling is first class . there is a small
increase in 3D mark 05 & 06 over the premium but nothing to shout about I can not notice any 
differance in the sli with both cards running with 16 lanes each but I suppose that will come.
After two months I have not had any teething problems Bios update facility works grait as it did on the Premium.In my opinion if you need a good SLI mobo, provided you dont mount it inverted (watch out Lian-Li) uses It is the best.
But this is just my opinion and I am not a PC Expert
All the best
Rex
PC spec.
ASUS A8N32 sli de-luxe
AMD64 X 2-4800
2 XFX 7800gt's in sli 
2gb corsair xms3200c2pt twinX
WD 74g raptor & WD 250g carvir
akasa 650w powerplus.
Tai-Chi Liquid cooled cpu tower.


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## itachi_leo (Feb 25, 2006)

Asus..


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## Sybex (Mar 4, 2006)

Asus for me anyday


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## edgar818 (May 9, 2005)

DEFENITLY DFI OWNS THE REST. What are you people all over asus. Asus sucks theyre boards arent even stable and they suck. Dfi has the most stable running boards for gaming you can imagine. i have owned both asus and dfi and dfi is defnitely better.


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## rexgrant (Mar 2, 2006)

Hi edgar
I can not dispute what you say about DFI I have never used one,but in your oppinion it is the best.but other people have there oppinions. in my system the ASUS A8N32 is the best for my 
setup and is very stable.
All the best edgar
Rex


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## dbailey18 (Jan 7, 2005)

Ya know I'm not one to say much because I don't know much but I'm preparing to build my first system and from the research that I've done lately I will have to agree with edgar 818
everything I have read and the personal response that I've gotten lately has pointed to the 
DFI board I probably still didn't say much but anyway DFI sounds like a great board I just wish they came with the dual BIOS chip as that seems like a great option ! I just hope I can save a few extra bucks for the AMD FX60 ! OUCH!!! $$$$$


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## Lindopski (Oct 26, 2004)

Asus are the best for performance that I personally have used.
Mind you my last Asus blew itself up one day for no real reason.

The Budget range of Asus - (Asrock) are fantastic boards , I have built 5 pc's over the last 3 or 4 years with Asrock boards due to their cheapness.
They are well documented and well supported, they are stable ,quick and do a fine Job.
and when your paying £30 for a board that works so well you cant complain.

The only gigabyte boards I have ever used have all broken in 12 months or so taking the cpu with them , so even though they have an ok rep I am not overly keen on them myself.


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## Tapeuup (Apr 6, 2005)

Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe nVidia Socket 939; only because I own it.


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

edgar818 said:


> DEFENITLY DFI OWNS THE REST. What are you people all over asus. Asus sucks theyre boards arent even stable and they suck. Dfi has the most stable running boards for gaming you can imagine. i have owned both asus and dfi and dfi is defnitely better.


Well, thats a statement...

Haven't used DFI, have heard the opposite on stability, so have stayed away.
Am thinking of going DFI soon, as I am starting to hear alot of good things.

ASUS however has treated me very well in the past.


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## Tapeuup (Apr 6, 2005)

Hey loser, that boy needs to take a chill pill! We should all buy DFI since he say's they're the best huh


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## rexgrant (Mar 2, 2006)

Hi again.
I have done a little surfing on the DFI V ASUS and the best I can come up with is that the
DFI Lanparty UTn fore4 sli-dr Venus is a very good board for overclocking But they also say
that the ASUS A8N32 SLI deluxe is also a very good board for overclocking.So even with the 
people that have the equipment to test out these boards it comes down to a personal opinion.
all the best 
Rex


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

I used a DFI Socket 754 Motherboard for my cousins gaming PC (Budget gameing PC, Sempron 3100+, 512 MB RAM, Geforce 6600, Sound Blaster Live) and that thing runs far cry on medium/highdetail and the framerate doesnt really drop beneath 30 or so...

As for the stability, I havnt experienced one crash and neither have my cousins, so a DFI Motherboard is a VERY GOOD Choice...
Also, this Computer can start XP Home in 25 Seconds FLAT! (yes, I counted it)
The only turn away about it is that the manual is not very clear...


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

DFI has come a long way in the recent past. There were some engineers over at Abit that went en mass to DFI. This is one reason you see them coming up and Abit having some issues recently.


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## Tapeuup (Apr 6, 2005)

rexgrant said:


> people that have the equipment to test out these boards it comes down to a personal opinion.


very intelligent statement!



Zman1764 said:


> As for the stability, I havnt experienced one crash and neither have my cousins,


I have yet to experience a crash due to a motherboard issue, unless you consider a motherboard crash due to extreme OCing.
like rex said; personal preference/opinion.


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## dbailey18 (Jan 7, 2005)

http://us.dfi.com.tw/Press/press_header_content_us.jsp?PAGE_TYPE=US&TITLE_ID=7012&LINKED_URL=arch407.jsp&SITE=NAI would like to say that I find it very hard to come up with one board that is best overall due to the fact all mfg of boards build these boards with one Idea for the board that they are building whether it is gaming or video editing etc; so I believe that buying a board that is faster and has more options at hand for the user is of the most beneficial for whomever is wanting to use the board. Yes some one that has used boards that have a long standing reputation for stability and performance is great but on the other hand everything is prone to error when it comes to things going amuck ! I believe all boards will fail sooner or later and that is just a fact of life . There is just to many variables in classifying one board as the best . rexgrant ! I myself will lean with you and agree, also I just bought I was told the last of the Venus boards available here in the states. A gentleman from DFI Cal. by the name of " Ming H. Jeng " which is where I bought this board told me that the board is no longer available in this country . I did find one overseas at a price that was well $$$$$$. I did some research my self also on this board and it seems to be a very versatile board .He also told me that there was only 1,000 of these boards made as they were some kind of a one of a kind deal. I just hope it's worth at least 15 seconds of some kind of a screen when I install it !


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

ASUS are the best best IMO, but their website for support is :down::down::down::down::down:


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

Hey Zman, as I said at the start nice little poll. You seem to have made your pick of mobo's and that is a good thing but do you think maybe this is getting a little old? Mulder,what do you say we start a new really important poll? Something like, Is it best to have a rich or a forgiving spouse/parent when you buy the newest computer parts on the market? lol


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## dbailey18 (Jan 7, 2005)

:up: I agree with pugmug !!! Hope thats fine with everyone else !


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## usmc1968 (Jan 17, 2006)

I have a Jetway, didn't know anything about it when I bought it. It has proven to be a great MB. It won't O/C, but it is stable.


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## hawk22 (Apr 17, 2004)

Well I have used a IWill board for 5 years Via chip AMD CPU and it never failed.
My next Board will be a Foxconn. They make great boards.
hawk22


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

I dont care what happens to this thread... If Someone wants to close it then fine, let them close it... Im not a moderator or Admin so I cant do anything about it...

Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate it...


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

Personally, I like this thread, saves answering a lot of questions. If someone is looking to buy or replace a board they can get a lot of *OPINIONS* on which to base their decision.


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

I never said to remove the thread, just that it was getting old, lol. As far as info for people,I don't think so as most if not all posted here just because they and I mean they used or are using the mobo's spoken so high about. No one will admit to buying a crap computer part so the poll is in effect worthless as far as spending money on a mobo or any other part ,that is all I tried to say.


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## Tapeuup (Apr 6, 2005)

Zman1764 said:


> I dont care what happens to this thread... If Someone wants to close it then fine, let them close it... Im not a moderator or Admin so I cant do anything about it...
> 
> Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate it...


The only ones that can close it is Admin's and Mod's or the thread starter can request it closed and one of them will do so.


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## hawk22 (Apr 17, 2004)

I disagree with pugmug, there have been many people stating their dissatisfaction with certain mobos. My opinion is if you think it is not worth reading, nobody is forcing anyone to read it.
hawk22


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## Zman1764 (Jun 2, 2005)

Its not just the poll, theres about 3 pages of opinions for people to read... what they like about the board, what they dont like, what it should have on it, and so on...


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## hawk22 (Apr 17, 2004)

I for one find it very Informative


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## tdh2112 (Sep 29, 2001)

I will never buy another ASUS product.

I bought one of their Mobos about 2 years ago and built a box. Within the first week, the NIC, the audio, and one IDE channel stopped working. The IDE started working again (and I'm not sure how I did it), but I had to add on a NIC and audio card. I attempted to get support from ASUS and after consulting with a support tech, they told me to request a RMA.

I requested a RMA about four times and never got a response. I even tried going back to tech supprt and asking them, but never got a response from them again. I understand that a piece of electronics will be defective every now and then and that's fine, I don't blame ASUS for that. What I do blame them for is when they ignore my attempts to get a replacement and they do not honor their warranty.

I have assembled another box and used a Soyo Dragon, which has been running splendidly for months. I bought a second of the same model board to replce the ASUS, but have not had the time to do it yet.

-tim


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## honesttomcat (Mar 28, 2006)

I like ECS. I'm upgrading to a 648FX-A2


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## loony_taz00 (Mar 30, 2005)

I still love my asrock x533, was replaced once, ( by my fault) but other than that no problem on its fault!


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## erick295 (Mar 27, 2005)

Can I vote for the worst? Don't EVER buy an FIC if you run accross one. I've had three, and all of them were pieces of junk that did nothing but cause me trouble. I've also had trouble with a Shuttle board failing, but I have another Shuttle that's still running (two years). I have an Asus board that's eight years old and still working without a hitch, and I've heard very good things about them... I tend to agree that they're the best


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## edgar818 (May 9, 2005)

best is DFI i got one of their boards its awesome lasts good very solid and stable board


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## XcheifX (May 8, 2005)

I agree with edgar, and those of u who only know asus; the lanparty venus board made by dfi was rated the overall top board, unfortunatly their pricey


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

Pricey? And ASUS is budget?

I don't think anyone who buys ASUS will be afraid of DFI for price.
I'm more afraid of the box art then anything else.


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## Skivvywaver (Mar 18, 2001)

How about........I RMA'd a DFI because it sucked and got an asus because it didn't suck.

I think this thread has served it's purpose and should be "unstuck". What a pile of fanboys this thread has uncovered. Mulder, unstick this thread, please?


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

Agreed, or at least lock it so the replies can stop.

The poll is a nice tool for future use.


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## RedHelix (Oct 31, 2005)

My Biostar TForce6100 board just came in from newegg last night for upgrading my ASUS K8V-MX... blech. I had it up and running for about an hour. Then I started installing the manufacturer's board software and rebooting after each install. On the third reboot, I suddenly wasn't able to boot from any devices. A BIOS update caused the system to stop posting. (Yes, it was the right BIOS.)









Popped my ASUS board back in, reformatted and was up and running in a half hour.

RMA'd the board with newegg, overnighting an ASUS K8N-VM. Definitely learned my lesson to stick to manufacturers you know.


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

Skivvy and loserO, all I can say is best of luck to you both as I gave it a shot in post # 141 of this thread. lol


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## loserOlimbs (Jun 19, 2004)

I know Candy tried it too, way back.

Mulder has forgotten about this thread, and that it needs to be unstuck.

Maybe I'll go to CivDeb and add.
"Mulder Unstick the Motherboard Poll in Hardware"
To my signature.


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## TypeSK (Mar 16, 2002)

best mobo: the one that runs the fastest for your needs


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## edgar818 (May 9, 2005)

why is asus so popular what is soo good about their boards.


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## pugmug (Jun 13, 2005)

Good question !


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Asus has been a quality mfg of boards for years. They build a lot of the boards used in dell, compaq, etc. 
With that said, they have had some quality control issues lately. I have had two doa asus boards in the past few months.

Personally I am not a fan of asus; I preferred soltek [when they were in business] or epox boards. If you are building an intel system and are not going to oclock it, then I would go with a real intel board rather than an asus.


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