Hey guys. Since I'm moving to PCIe, I'm gonna need a new mobo. I've had my eye on 3 but I'm not sure which one would be a better choice. Here are the choices: ASUS ASUS A8N-E ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail at Newegg.com MSI VIA / VPSD K8N Neo4 Platinum ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail at Newegg.com DFI DFI nF4 Ultra-Infinity ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail at Newegg.com I'm not interested in SLI, just a good/solid MOBO for my new hardware(Athlon64-3500, ATI-X1800xt, 512x2 Kingston RAM). I'll appreciate any advice you give me, since the reviews on that website are mainly made by average computer users. Thanks guys.
Both are cheaper and do the same job. I don't have anything against MSI, but I've been very happy with Asus and DFI products. Plus, they're cheaper. However, the MSI is the more premium version, whereas the Asus and DFI models are not. None of the boards you're looking at are from companies I'd shy away from.
Thanks BigB. I'll go for the ASUS . On a different note, have you (or anyone else) heard about "Buffalo" RAM sticks? It's the first time I hear that brand. Any ways, I've been offered a very good deal on 2 Gigs of those Buffalos. Any thoughts?
most likely you're gonna need 2 gig of ram. there are some benchmark tests that show a decline on performance on two gig than 1 gig of ram. If you use memory-hungry, memory-intensive - programs that use a lot and a lot of memory, go for 2, and no, i haven't heard of buffalo rams.
I don't know much about Buffalo. In the past, they had some stuff that were pretty good overclockers for cheap. I don't know how they are today, or what policies they're like, but they've got a few reps running around in other forums like OCZ, Corsair, and Mushkin do. 2GB isn't a bad move these days if you're gaming. Benchmarks are one thing, but it takes a lot to actually notice the performance difference. As long as you've got at least 1GB, you'll be okay.
I dont know much about buffalo either, try to get some reviews of the memory you want to get, check the timings and see if they compare to timings and prices of other 2gb packs then again for 90$ all you'd get would be some value kingston and corsair
Thanks bro, but I dont know nothing about Mem timings? How do they work? Can I modify them via the BIOS? Or do you have any links that explain how to configure memory timings :cramp: ?
Memory timings are adjusted in the Advanced Chipset Features area of most BIOSes. You can find the rated timings of a memory module when buying, and you may have some luck making them tighter. But, if you overclock it decreases the chances that you'll also be able to lower the timings. Check this article for more detailed information on latencies: Exploring the performance impact of memory latency - The Tech Report - Page 1
