Best enthusiast NON SLI 939 board

[suras]

Hi all!
I've been scanning theese forums for a while and are about to put together a new system. Im fairly confident in what I'm going to grab except for the motherboard.

Im looging at a 1xx opty based rig, and I'm sure that ill never get 2 graphic cards (im the kind that rather buys a new one every year instead).
And since im obviusly looking at overclocking my opty, I want a GOOD board for it.

So my question is: is there any NON SLI able mb which works just as good for OCing? My Idea is to spend the cash elswhere.

Or is it just not worth it?

Ill be happy for any comments or suggestions.
(I sure need it, its been a while since i last OCd my old 800 Tbird with the pencil trick...)
/suras

 

[dizman]

Well from what I've been told and read is that regardless of if you actually have 2 cards or not the NF4 SLI chipset is better than NF4 Ultra even using just one card.

 

[suras]

So from what ive read sofar; If I only is going to do moderate oc on stockcooling, go with a asus (DFI is overkill?) but i guess its just a matter of taste aslong as I stick to one chipset?

/suras

 

[crazy032]

I was looking for answer to the same thing. I have an ASUS A8V deluxe, and I want a board with PCI-E. I was looking at the ASUS A8N-E or the Epox 9NPA+ Ultra. Only thing is, I like having more than 4 SATA ports on my MB, and it seems the only way to get that is with an SLI board, otherwise I"d have to get a controller card. Which of the above 2 would be the best way to go? Also, is there a non-SLI board available that has more than 4 SATA ports?

 

[marginalclue]

FWIW, I researched, purchased and assembled my first machine about a month ago, and I did my homework.

I'm fairly sure the answer to your second question is no. You can get 4 SATA 3.0 slots on a non-SLI mobo (the Epox you mentioned) but not 8. The second controller required for the additional 4 slots pushes the board into a higher performance category.

As for your first question, it's a matter of taste... there is a lot of anecdotal info out there re ASUS boards, although Epox is gaining in popularity so that might be a minor consideration. People really like the Epox board you mentioned, so maybe it just boils down to price. If you do end up with an SLI board, you should know that the ASUS boards run at PCI 2x8 in SLI mode, not 2x16 like some others (but 1x16 PCI-E).

 

[crazy032]

This will be the 6th system I've built. I'm only changing my mobo, case, and video card. I did my research too, and was hoping that someone saw a non SLI board with 8 SATA ports. I don't really overclock because I'm afraid of frying my hardware, so I guess I'll go with the ASUS, becuase both boards are about the same price.

 

[eciacura]

I am currently usung an msi neo4 platinum and have been very satisfied with it's performance. There are 8 sata connectors, but only 4 will run at 3gb/sec. The overclocking features are pretty straight forward also. Runs my 7800gt at 513/1188, Got me over 8k in 3dmark05.

 

[oenomel]

I was thinking along these lines...but just to mix it up...how bout passive cooling on the MB also? Seems odd that it's easier to find SLI's with passive....

 

[sykoben]

This will be the 6th system I've built. I'm only changing my mobo, case, and video card. I did my research too, and was hoping that someone saw a non SLI board with 8 SATA ports. I don't really overclock because I'm afraid of frying my hardware, so I guess I'll go with the ASUS, becuase both boards are about the same price.

well, if youre not overclocking, then the asus a8ne is a good board, and it will support the dual core opterons too, which is nice, its a good board, i have one, its not so great at overclocking, but still can.
be sure to get 24port psu adapter for the mobo, unless your psu allready has it.
dont get rev 1.0, make sure you get 2.0 or higher if there is one
have fun

 

[Praetorius]

I also have the A8N-E and, although it isn't the best and most detailed at overclocking, you can do it with a little experimenting.
I have my Opty 165 OC'd to 2.6Ghz on stock cooling (stable as hell) and am getting Sandra Arithmetic Dhrystone scores around 23,300+ and CPU Multimedia scores of 49,000 (with a single Chaintech 6600GT) which beats anything I have ever had before.
So, the Asus A8N-E is decent at overclocking, is non-SLI, is socket 939, and is less than $100 before shipping....so maybe this is a way to go for you, suras!

I am curious to see what some of you others have done on stock cooling (stable), to see if maybe I am missing out on some 3.0+ speeds?