Asus P4C800-E DELUXE or Abit Ic7-Max3?

TurkishSnatch · Oct 26, 2003

Which should I go with guys? Currently I have a Soyo Dragon Ultra and it is a pos when it comes to overclocking...Money is no option really so just let me know what you guys think is the best motherboard to get right now, doesnt even have to be out of the p4c800-e and ic7-max3 I'll take any valid suggestions but with the research I've been doing I have narrowed it down to these 2 looking for some input, thanks in advance guys.

JohnMK · Oct 26, 2003

I'll take any Asus board over any Abit board, any day.

It's an insult to my intelligence to put a fan on the northbridge when a well-sized heatsink is both quieter, more reliable, and every bit as effective.

TurkishSnatch · Oct 26, 2003

(I posted this in both the Asus and Abit forum because I'm sure both is biased and I would like to get both views.)
Which should I go with guys? Currently I have a Soyo Dragon Ultra and it is a pos when it comes to overclocking...Money is no option really so just let me know what you guys think is the best motherboard to get right now, doesnt even have to be out of the p4c800-e and ic7-max3 I'll take any valid suggestions but with the research I've been doing I have narrowed it down to these 2 looking for some input, thanks in advance guys.

Aughtsix · Oct 26, 2003

Originally posted by JohnMK I'll take any Asus board over any Abit board, any day. It's an insult to my intelligence to put a fan on the northbridge when a well-sized heatsink is both quieter, more reliable, and every bit as effective.

I'm understanding that if you wish to go much past 250MHz on your Asus P4C-800-E it's going to require active NB cooling...

Just what I'm reading - I could easily be wrong.

lokicat · Oct 28, 2003

TurkishSnatch said:
(I posted this in both the Asus and Abit forum because I'm sure both is biased and I would like to get both views.)
Which should I go with guys? Currently I have a Soyo Dragon Ultra and it is a pos when it comes to overclocking...Money is no option really so just let me know what you guys think is the best motherboard to get right now, doesnt even have to be out of the p4c800-e and ic7-max3 I'll take any valid suggestions but with the research I've been doing I have narrowed it down to these 2 looking for some input, thanks in advance guys.

The choice is clearly Asus until Abit fixes the problem with running higher than 2.8V Vdimm. I'm still waiting for over a month.

nikhsub1 · Oct 29, 2003

Re: Re: Asus P4C800-E DELUXE or Abit Ic7-Max3?

lokicat said:
The choice is clearly Asus until Abit fixes the problem with running higher than 2.8V Vdimm. I'm still waiting for over a month.

Hmm, I just got a max 3 and have no issues over 2.8V Vdimm... I have run 3V, 3.1V and 3.2V, what is the issue as I have not heard of this yet.

mrgreenjeans · Oct 29, 2003

I'm prejudiced obviously, ASUS gets my vote!

batboy · Oct 29, 2003

Abit IC7 series is a little more picky about what RAM it likes to play with. I like the Abit BIOS menus better and Abit seems to have great BIOS updates and support. Asus P4C800 series is a worthy mobo. Asus seems to have better vmem if that's important to you. To be honest, they both have pros and cons. You probably can't go wrong with either.

lokicat · Oct 29, 2003

Re: Re: Re: Asus P4C800-E DELUXE or Abit Ic7-Max3?

nikhsub1 said:
Hmm, I just got a max 3 and have no issues over 2.8V Vdimm... I have run 3V, 3.1V and 3.2V, what is the issue as I have not heard of this yet.

Assuming that you're talking about the system in your sig, you could provide valuable data if you wouldn't mind doing the following:

1) Keeping all BIOS settings the same, select 2.9V, 3.0V, 3.1V, or 3.2V for VDimm.

2) Each time you change the VDimm, save BIOS settings and exit.

3) At reboot, go back into BIOS and select PC Health Status page and watch your VDimm readings.

The problem that most users have seen is that the VDimm is steady up to 2.8V. However, at higher VDimm, the voltage fluctuates more than +/- 0.1V.

Some people do not have a problem with this if they are running BH-5 chips and 2 x 256MB Dimms. However, other chips and 2 x 512MB start running into serious stability problems.

flapperhead · Oct 29, 2003

unfortunately there is indeed a prob. with 2.9v and above with the max3
http://forum.abit-usa.com/showthread.php?threadid=27039

a12bc3 · Oct 30, 2003

ABIT. I have an IS7-E and I wish I had the OTES on my PWM's. Those babies get HOT. I can't reach anywhere above 3.0GHz on my 2.4C stable because of it. I suppose if you had 4xfans in your case you could cool them off, but who wants a loud case?

<------a12bc3

esoteradactyl · Oct 30, 2003

Aughtsix said:
I'm understanding that if you wish to go much past 250MHz on your Asus P4C-800-E it's going to require active NB cooling...

Just what I'm reading - I could easily be wrong.

not true. check my sig. that's with the stock hsf on the nb.

this board so owns the max3.

pkrew · Oct 30, 2003

My max3 is stable on all Vdimm settings. The most it fluctuates is .02v. If you have this problem then I suggest you rma the mobo as this will not be fixed by any bios tweak that I know of.

int · Oct 31, 2003

eso: how do you install 3DMark01? i have dx9 installed, and it's saying that i need dx8.1 to be able to continue.. ?

lokicat · Oct 31, 2003

Not applicable to 2 x 256MB

pkrew said:
My max3 is stable on all Vdimm settings. The most it fluctuates is .02v. If you have this problem then I suggest you rma the mobo as this will not be fixed by any bios tweak that I know of.

Until your post, nobody has tested this issue for 2 x 256 configuration. The folks that have this problem are running 2 x 512 or 4 x 256.

If you plan on upgrading your memory sometime in the future, I suggest you test your board now.

pkrew · Oct 31, 2003

To be honest this is the second max3 that I've had. I had to rma the first one because it fried a mosfet under the agp slot. the first one was unstable at 2.9, 3.0, and 3.1, but stable at 3.2. This one is stable at all voltages as I posted. The point being that I doubt this has to do with memory configuration, but has to do with voltage regulation and if you have the problem and are unsatisfied then rma the mobo.

Edit: Unless I wanted to go with 1g, I can't see any memory out there that would be an upgrade.

Hookem · Nov 20, 2003

eso: how do you install 3DMark01? i have dx9 installed, and it's saying that i need dx8.1 to be able to continue.. ?

int, if you have the 9800pro in your box you should install 3DMark2003...It is specifically for video cards that are AGP 8X...

Asus P4C800-E DELUXE or Abit Ic7-Max3?

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