Which Socket 939 board would you recommend?

[CaptNKILL]

Im looking into a Socket 939 system in the next couple months. Ill probably get a 90nm 3000+ and overclock it as far as it will go (no ram overclocking though... itd all be based on my mobo\cpu).

I dont need any extra features. I use 2 or 3 USB devices, no firewire, my network is only 10\100, dont have an SATA hard drive (though id like to get one eventually). In short, all I want is a board that is stable, reliable, good for overclocking and has an AGP port.

What are your recommendations?

[jAkUp]

I say the Epox Nforce 3 or the Asus AV8!!

[saturnotaku]

If you can tolerate the lousy overall layout, the best board for overclocking is the K8N Neo2. If not, the Gigabyte gets pretty rave reviews as well. For sure, I would get something with the nForce3 chipset.

[jAkUp]

I have heard the DFI's upcoming 939 motherboard should be one of, if not the best board. I might also be in the market for a 939 board... I just want the best OC'r. Don't really care about onboards features too much... except for SATA

[Riptide]

I assume your talking about the 939 PCI-Express motherboard right jAkUp?

There were rumors flying around that they decided to skip AGP/939 entirely.

[CaptNKILL]

I assume your talking about the 939 PCI-Express motherboard right jAkUp?

There were rumors flying around that they decided to skip AGP/939 entirely.
Bah, that sucks. :(

I can't believe motherboard manufacturers are dropping AGP so quickly. Its insane! I would be (semi) happy with a slower AGP port along side a PCI-E, just as long as it has one. Its a bit rediculous that they dropped them completely, all at once.

I wanted an Nforce 4 but they totaly canned AGP in that line. Nvidia makes a beastly card that wont be slowed down for quite some time, then stops making chipsets that support it within 6 months... now thats marketing :retard:

EDIT: I almost forgot. I had a Gigabyte 7VRX KT333 board and it was complete hell when it came to overclocking (they totaly left out some PCI dividers so that it couldnt run over 133fsb stabily), have they changed their ways with the Nforce 3s?

[Riptide]

The move to PCI Express almost seems a little overly aggressive to me as well. Video cards don't really seem to need the kind of extra bandwidth over AGP it provides. Even most devices on the PCI bus aren't usually limited much by it. Disk controllers and maybe a gigabit NIC could be but not much else that I can think of.

[Bill The Cat]

You forgot the shuttle FN95G5 board from the SN95G5 case ;).

[mustrum]

Voted for the MSI K8N Neo2. Some people report that the board has a life of it's own tho. It'S the best OCer out there but it doesn't do what the user wants to sometimes people report. :D A real S939 board. :lol2:
So far i can't complain tho.

[faraday]

Can you use the MSI K8N with 754 AMD64 ? I got one and a K8T800 but overclocking, as you may well know, is impossible. Any ideia how much a AMD64 3000+ goes? 2000mhz stock.

Thanks.

[saturnotaku]

The original K8N Neo Platinum is the S754 design. But if you're looking to go that route, the 90 nm 3000+ S939 CPU is about the same price as the S754 3000+. You might as well buy the former and the K8N Neo2 and overclock the bejesus out of it.

[faraday]

Oh...problem being I already have a 754 3000+ :P

[nVestor]

Kinda tuff topic there. When I think of "BEST," I tend to consider stability and overclockability. Rarely is the best overclocker the most stable mobo out there.

So for best OC: MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum

Most Stable: Gigabyte K8NSNXP-939 or GA-K8NS Ultra

From what I have read, the Gigabyte mobo's are pretty damn awesome stability wise, don't do that bad of a job overclocking either. Ofcourse, the 939 legend appears to be the MSI K8N Neo2. I see the complaining has lessen about this mobo, so that must be a good sign right? :) Thus far, it is the overclockers choice.

Anyhow, those are my choices. :) Kinda why I hadn't voted either because one really isn't the best, many have their own pluses and minuses.

[CaptNKILL]

I guess I worded the title of the Poll wrong. I meant "what do you recommend". As long as a board lets me overclock and gives me all the options I need then thats fine. Beyond that all I want is stability. Does the Gigabyte K8NS Ultra have as many overclocking options (that I would use) as the Neo2?

Also, I have had a terrible time with Gigabyte tech support. Needed to RMA a board and they just dont even respond to RMA or support emails. I'd be a little worried about this, but I guess I could just get a longer warranty from NewEgg :p

[nVestor]

Hothardware has some good picks of the BIOS: http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?articleid=574

And yes, it does provide a lot of options like the MSI. A bit limited on the memory voltages. If there was to be one option I'd like improved, that would be it. Though nothing a OCZ DDR Booster wouldn't be able to help, one would think. :)

[CaptNKILL]

Hothardware has some good picks of the BIOS: http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?articleid=574

And yes, it does provide a lot of options like the MSI. A bit limited on the memory voltages. If there was to be one option I'd like improved, that would be it. Though nothing a OCZ DDR Booster wouldn't be able to help, one would think. :)
Hmm... this board is sounding very nice. Plus its at least $30 cheaper than the Neo2.

If high RAM voltage adjustments is the only thing its lacking, then thats fine with me. I wont be overclocking my ram any more than it already is.

This may be my next motherboard :D

I know a lot of people recommend the Neo2, but I've heard of a lot of problems. Plus I dont like the idea that it has a mind of its own :p

[jAkUp]

I never really liked MSI for mobo's... but it sounds like they may have the best overall mobo so far.

[CaptNKILL]

Keep voting guys :D

[CaptNKILL]

Just giving this thread a bump. Buying a barton 2600+ mobile just isnt looking as attractive as it was a few months ago, so a Socket 939 board with good overclocking features and an AGP port is on my "must buy" list again.

Are there any new additions? I havent been paying too much attention to the A64 motherboard scene, so I dont know if there are any good AGP boards that have come out recently.

[jAkUp]

The Epox board is very good, but overall the MSI K8N seems to have the edge

[1337_Like_ThaT]

If you insist on staying with AGP video, the MSI K8n Neo Platinum has my vote.

[Absolution]

neo2 plat gets my vote too

i haven't crashed yet :p (since christmas)

[CaptNKILL]

If you insist on staying with AGP video, the MSI K8n Neo Platinum has my vote.
If I had the option of using PCI-E I would go for it, but I spent $317 on this card in June, and Id have to spend $400-$500 more for a compairable PCI-E card... and unlike a lot of people here, I dont have that kind of money :D

EDIT: BTW, right now im looking at the Gigabyte K8NS Ultra. It costs $35 less than the Neo2 Platinum, has dual LAN and seems to be pretty reliable from what I have heard. Any thoughts on that one? Also the Neo2 has been out of stock for a while at newegg, either people are buying it like crazy or they just arent getting any more.

[zoomy942]

The Epox board is very good, but overall the MSI K8N seems to have the edge


i gotta go epox. those baords have always been good to me. i had the gigabyte you mentioned but i didnt like it cause of the gignic being tied to the PCI bus. nvidia had it possible to avoid that but gigabyte didnt care.

i know i know, its stupid of me to worry about that, but its the principle of the thing. i will say that the gigabyte board was a nice baord, and there wasnt anything wrong, just my being anal

[jAkUp]

To be honost, I would go epox as well, just because my bud has one and it overclocks like hell, and the other reason is I really don't like MSI :) But I heard that the K8n is a kickass board