ASUS vs EPoX

godu · Sep 1, 2005

Hello all,

Im pretty much finished planning my setup. Its supposed to serve as a gaming machine and Ive given up major OC potential in favor of more RAM and a good graphics card (for my budget).

My components so far:
A64 3000+ (with mid priced air cooling)
2XCorsair 1GB PC 3200 C3 Value (thats the only value RAM available at my local store so no comments on this plz)
RAIDMAX Scorpio 868 Blue 420 Watt (Chassis + PSU)
(thinking about buying another PSU)
Gigabyte 6600GT
WD SATA 160GB 8MB RAM

As you can see the thing that Im missing is a board. I was thinking in the begining to buy a DFI , but that was back when I thought I was building an OC monster. Now, Im thinking about one of these:

Asus K8N-E Deluxe
EPoX EP-9NDA3+

Even though I currently own an EPoX for my 1800+ an am very happy with it. Im somewhat attracted to the ASUS. Ive heard that the ASUS is super stable but no good for OC while the EPoX allows some OC.

I dont get this . Why cant the ASUS be OC ? Does it have a problem with dividers or something ?
I`ll want to OC my system as much as I can using dividers to counter the value RAM.

Also , is the price of SLI support worth it ? My first thought was to purchase an SLI capable MOBO so in the future when prices drop and the games requirments grow I`ll get another 6600GT but now Im thinking that the money I save now on a cheaper MOBO will allow me to change to a better single graphic card sooner.

OR ,
I was also thinking about the DFI infinity which are very cheap.

What should I go for ?

darksparkz · Sep 1, 2005

Well, first, I'd like to apologize for the slow set of responses, since not many people look through the motherboard sections. But yeah, this is a motherboard question, so it's a good place to ask in.

Considering the motherboards you listed, its kinda hard to find out what kind of system you have.

The EPoX EP-9NDA3+ is a skt939 nForce3 one.
While the Asus K8N-E Deluxe is a skt754 nForce3...

Unless I'm wrong, I kinda can't tell what do you have.
Is your 3000+ a skt939 or skt754? And I'm assuming your 6600GT is a AGP based one right?

If your CPU is skt939 and it's a nForce3, there's only a few motherboards out there to considering, even for OCing.
I'd either get the following, ranked from best OC to lower OC:
1) DFI LANPARTY UT nF3 ULTRA-D
2) EPoX EP-9NDA3+
3) MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum

OC monster or not, the DFI will also make your medium OC easier, since it has higher voltages and such. But then, if you don't expect to OC to max, aka 2.7ghz on air. Then either of the Epox or MSI boards will be much easier and have much less problems/troubleshooting then compared to the DFI.

I'd also recommend switching out your PSU if you plan on OCing. Your PSU will do find if you don't OC AT ALL, well maybe about 20mhz or so, lol. But yeah, if you want to OC, then I'd recommend getting a Forton AX500-A for about $91 and you'll be set for OCing your 3000+ without the PSU holding you back.

The reasons why ASUS boards aren't recommended for OCing, well the ASUS A8N-SLI Preminum is probably their best OCing board, it can almost reach DFI speeds as well.
From what I've seen, ASUS boards have pretty low vcore and vdimm voltages, which makes it harder to hit higher speeds if you want to adjust your voltages. The ASUS boards is probably the most stable and least problematic board out there, and in some reviews, they are top in performance benchmarks and such.

Epox boards are great for OCing. But then the only Epox board I've heard a LOT about is the skt939 nForce4 one, that board has been known to be able to hit/pass DFI speeds, but at much less troubleshooting problems.

I also recommend AGAINST getting SLI. Think about it this way, by the time you have enough for the 6600GT, a single 6800GT can outperform both of your video cards. It's either buy two video cards NOW, or buy the higer verison.

You probably don't want to save money on getting a cheap motherboard, especially for OCing, they most likely won't release any new motherboards for your current sockets and chipsets. So if you spend like $20 more, you can get the best skt939 or skt754 motherboard out there.

godu · Sep 2, 2005

darksparkz said:
Well, first, I'd like to apologize for the slow set of responses, since not many people look through the motherboard sections. But yeah, this is a motherboard question, so it's a good place to ask in.

Considering the motherboards you listed, its kinda hard to find out what kind of system you have.

The EPoX EP-9NDA3+ is a skt939 nForce3 one.
While the Asus K8N-E Deluxe is a skt754 nForce3...

Unless I'm wrong, I kinda can't tell what do you have.
Is your 3000+ a skt939 or skt754? And I'm assuming your 6600GT is a AGP based one right?

If your CPU is skt939 and it's a nForce3, there's only a few motherboards out there to considering, even for OCing.
I'd either get the following, ranked from best OC to lower OC:
1) DFI LANPARTY UT nF3 ULTRA-D
2) EPoX EP-9NDA3+
3) MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum

OC monster or not, the DFI will also make your medium OC easier, since it has higher voltages and such. But then, if you don't expect to OC to max, aka 2.7ghz on air. Then either of the Epox or MSI boards will be much easier and have much less problems/troubleshooting then compared to the DFI.

I'd also recommend switching out your PSU if you plan on OCing. Your PSU will do find if you don't OC AT ALL, well maybe about 20mhz or so, lol. But yeah, if you want to OC, then I'd recommend getting a Forton AX500-A for about $91 and you'll be set for OCing your 3000+ without the PSU holding you back.

The reasons why ASUS boards aren't recommended for OCing, well the ASUS A8N-SLI Preminum is probably their best OCing board, it can almost reach DFI speeds as well.
From what I've seen, ASUS boards have pretty low vcore and vdimm voltages, which makes it harder to hit higher speeds if you want to adjust your voltages. The ASUS boards is probably the most stable and least problematic board out there, and in some reviews, they are top in performance benchmarks and such.

Epox boards are great for OCing. But then the only Epox board I've heard a LOT about is the skt939 nForce4 one, that board has been known to be able to hit/pass DFI speeds, but at much less troubleshooting problems.

I also recommend AGAINST getting SLI. Think about it this way, by the time you have enough for the 6600GT, a single 6800GT can outperform both of your video cards. It's either buy two video cards NOW, or buy the higer verison.

You probably don't want to save money on getting a cheap motherboard, especially for OCing, they most likely won't release any new motherboards for your current sockets and chipsets. So if you spend like $20 more, you can get the best skt939 or skt754 motherboard out there.

Im sorry I confused you with the MOBOs I listed. I ment to list only 939 nForce4 and I ment:
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
What ever EPox comes with nForce4 (currently unavailble for me)
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D

As for the graphics I ment a PCIE card and not AGP.

I understood your point and let me sum it up:

DFI: Can be problematic, Hard to tweak, Best OC potential, Pretty stable and reliable on stock settings(??).

ASUS: Super stable and reliable on stock settings, has some OC potential but limited due to low vcore and vdimm voltages, pretty easy to tweak.

Now, being the OC noob that I am, I dont want too much trouble so Im naturally leaning towrd the ASUS.
BUT , since Im investing good cash on a good MOBO, RAM, PSU (I`ll take your advice on that), CPU with OC potential, I`ll kinda feel stupid if I dont OC the system at all.
SO
What Im basicly asking is: How much more (in %) can the DFI be OC`d in comparision to the ASUS for the models that Ive listed ??? Does the DFI only excel in those super high end system when you want to reach the top of the mountain and the ASUS will only take me the first 70% ? Or is it that ASUS wont even do 50% of the DFI ?
Ive read 2 reviews that show how the DFI OC`s comparing to the ASUS. But I dont quite understand the results. It seems that the DFI can reach a much higher max FSB when lowering the multiplier but if a comparision is made with the same fixed (high) multiplier for both boards then the difference is minor.
Check out this:
http://www.legionhardware.com/html/doc.php?id=417
look at the "overclocking and features" page.
Also , bear in mind that since I went for alot of "value" RAM in favor of fast RAM , I plan to used dividers and not OC my memory that much.

Thanx

darksparkz · Sep 2, 2005

Well, that website you listed and that table they showed is about right. The ASUS motherboard will be at most 100mhz lower then the DFI, but if you get lucky and do the right settings, you may only be about 50mhz away from the DFI.

If you want something between the ASUS and DFI, the EPoX 9NPA+ is the best choice. From all the reviews I've seen, it's on par and even beats the DFI in some areas. It's also not as trouble and problematic as the DFI, and can OC further then the ASUS.

Most people can hit 2.75ghz on 3000+ with their DFI boards. But then with an Epox board, you can probably hit 2.74ghz at max for air cooling. The ASUS board will most likely hit about 2.5-2.6ghz, maybe 2.7ghz if your lucky.

So in conclusion, I'd highly recommend you getting the EPoX 9NPA+.

Here's some more information regarding motherboards and reviews:

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2465&p=23
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1834862,00.asp

godu · Sep 2, 2005

darksparkz said:
Well, that website you listed and that table they showed is about right. The ASUS motherboard will be at most 100mhz lower then the DFI, but if you get lucky and do the right settings, you may only be about 50mhz away from the DFI.

If you want something between the ASUS and DFI, the EPoX 9NPA+ is the best choice. From all the reviews I've seen, it's on par and even beats the DFI in some areas. It's also not as trouble and problematic as the DFI, and can OC further then the ASUS.

Most people can hit 2.75ghz on 3000+ with their DFI boards. But then with an Epox board, you can probably hit 2.74ghz at max for air cooling. The ASUS board will most likely hit about 2.5-2.6ghz, maybe 2.7ghz if your lucky.

So in conclusion, I'd highly recommend you getting the EPoX 9NPA+.

Here's some more information regarding motherboards and reviews:

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2465&p=23
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1834862,00.asp

Well, as Ive said, the crapy thing is I cant get any hardware I want ...
You guys have the luxary of that egg site while I have to do with my local store which unfortunetly does not have the EPoX card. So Im left with either the ASUS or the DFI.
I keep changing my mind (about 2-3 times a day) from the ASUS to the DFI and back but now that I have the numbers I finally made up mind. Im going for the ASUS. Its recommended in the all the sites as being super reliable and stable and given your numbers (2.5 vs 2.75 max) the DFI OC potential is not that hot comparing to the ASUS friendliness and reliability. Another advantage is that for the same price I can get SLI with the ASUS which is nice to have as an option for the future and I can even afford the Premium edition. With some luck Ill be able to OC it to 2.5-2.6 (like a 3600 ? 3800?) which is enough for me. I think that`ll be a good start, as it`ll be my first OC.

So thats that !
In the begining of next week Ill be ordering my new comp and it`ll have an ASUS 939 nForce4 Premium MOBO !

( or a DFI Lanparty

)

darksparkz · Sep 2, 2005

Lol, great choice, that's what I woulda went for too. The extra 100mhz isn't going to be noticeable in gaming and applications and stuff, only in benchmarks and all that stuff. Great choice with the Preminum board though, I heard it's one of the quietest motherboards there, because of it's silent heatpipe line thing.

ASUS vs EPoX

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