A7N8X or NF7?

Hey I'm considering upgrading from my k7s5a and am trying to decide between the a7n8x deluxe and the nf7 rev2.0(plain not s). From what I've found so far I can get either for around $80. I would probably do some mild overclocking, nothing major, and would be more interested in stability and quality. I would very much appreciate any insight. Thanks.

i think everyone would agree with me when i say nf7. and the nf7-s is the same thing but has soundstorm which i dont care about, just an extra 40$ out of my pocket.

Hmm.. I thought the NF7-S was because of the SATA raid chip? Oh, well, it has that and the soundstorm and all. After all, it's the board I'm running.

Very happy with it, only niggle was that my Barton 2500+ was autodetected as a 3200+. But it still booted! Some major overclocking right out of the box.. But not too stable on that since everything was at stock (voltages and stuff)

As for the a7n8x DX I can say too much. I've got the a7n8x-VM (micro ATX, integrated VGA) but it's got a really horrible BIOS, so hopefully the DX got something better.

Veland said:

Hmm.. I thought the NF7-S was because of the SATA raid chip? Oh, well, it has that and the soundstorm and all. After all, it's the board I'm running.

Very happy with it, only niggle was that my Barton 2500+ was autodetected as a 3200+. But it still booted! Some major overclocking right out of the box.. But not too stable on that since everything was at stock (voltages and stuff)

As for the a7n8x DX I can say too much. I've got the a7n8x-VM (micro ATX, integrated VGA) but it's got a really horrible BIOS, so hopefully the DX got something better.

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So are you saying that the a7n8x is a more stable, quality board compared to the NF7, but just has a bad bios? Why is the bios bad?

Well, I chose the NF7-S for my main machine, so.. And think it's a great board so far. And it's tried and tested, a good overclocker and stable. Getting a bit old by now, but still a very good competitor.

As for the a7n8x-VM (note the VM) the BIOS is one of those "lets help you" things where you can do absolutely nothing. Sure, I can choose which drive to boot from, but that's about it. But I suspect that the other a7n8x boards use a different BIOS. After all, a board that would not allow any adjustments on anything would not go down well on Overclockers.com

So to be crystal clear:
I've got the NF7-S and like it! Don't know anything about the a7n8x-DX.

Well, I was able to get the a7n8x deluxe for $60, so I went for it. I hope I made a good choice. But, to me, it just seemed too good a price to pass up.

the a7n8x is a great board, but not quite as many options in bios as the nf7... and you're a bit limited with voltages than compared to the nf7 also. still a great board, i'm using one right now

Veland said:

Hmm.. I thought the NF7-S was because of the SATA raid chip? Oh, well, it has that and the soundstorm and all. After all, it's the board I'm running.
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The A7N8X Deluxe (at least, my version) has Soundstorm and has SATA raid. The BIOS does have issues though, one I am trying to resolve relating to temperatures. There is an UBER bios out that enables a ton of stuff that ASUS didn't enable by default (check out the FAQ for this board on the ASUS board).

The A7N8X has limitations on the voltages due to a hardware, not BIOS, issue. However, for mild overclocking, you'll be happy with this board, I think. If you wanted to do something major, though, then the NF7 would be more up your ally.

Also, a minor thing, the A7N8X has a passive northbridge cooling setup as opposed to the active NF7 northbridge cooling. The A7N8X (before you add any fans) would be a pretty silent board.

Good luck with your purchase.

PS - By the way, this might not be related to the A7N8X, but I do know that this board is picky about memory. I think there is a list out there (but I'm not sure) of memory that works on this board, and memory that does not. Just a heads up in case that is true... I just know my memory works!