Motherboards

[BruceMyers48]

I have been using Biostar and MSI for years with no problems. Could you name some other rock solid companies that I could venture into. I like good documentation with a good stable fast board. Bruce

 

[dmroeder]

I have used a lot of MSI boards also and they have never let me down. In my most recent build, I used EPoX. It's been rock solid so far. There are a lot of options to play around with in the BIOS. Setup was straight forward, I didn't have to do any tweaking to get it running. I say give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.

 

[BlueMoonKid]

Motherboards are like cars and food . . . a matter of preference. You didnt mention what your goals were (gaming, graphics, server, world domination, overclocking, supercomputing, wordpad / freecell) so it seems any and every motherboard would be suitable. There are many motherboards that do many things well; but they come in all price ranges. It is a waste of money to buy a top of the line premium motherboard for simple office / internet applications and if you buy an economy motherboard with economy components it wont perfom if you want intensive gaming, graphics, and overclocking. Stability and quality are not issues with most motherboards that are used with their intended applications. A socket A motherboard will suit you well for word processing, older games and music applications and is very inexpensive. If you want intense gaming, graphics, overclocking and expandability then a PCI Express MB with socket 939 is the way to go. Servers go with socket 940 and multi CPU MB and a lot of cash. Read reviews and see what is your flavor of computing.

 

[BruceMyers48]

Thanks, I really wanted some other opinions on what company made the most stable boards and what others were using and the luck they have had with them. I realize because I do build allot of systems that there is different kind of users. I always ask the buyer" what do you plan on using this PC for". Myself I game a little, I word process a little, I do Graphics,movies, Cad, you name it I try it all. So I will put my system together with an MSI K8N Neo 4 Platium.I like MSI for its stability and great boards and docs. I also like the stability of Biostar. I used to use ASUS but they had a quality control issue for a while and left them. I built a PC on a Asus P5A and it is still running today. I am using a MSI K7n2 Delta LSR right now and love the board. I just want other peoples opinion and what kinda of luck they have had. Thanks Bruce

 

[BlueMoonKid]

Biostar are simple but rock solid boards !!! I had one years ago and had very few problems with it. The P5A you mentioned is a favorite board of mine and I just gave it away (cuz it was so good and reliable) not that I am topped out at 5 computers here . and my laptop.
Here is my recent opinions of motherboards:

I have had a Gigabyte K8NSNXP (SOCKET 754), it has many features but took Gigabyte about 8 months to put out BIOS that made the system run smoothly and stably. It doesnt overclock well at all . . .but it runs fast with no glitches at stock speeds.

Asus . . I got a A7N8X Deluxe last year (socket A) . . wouldnt run unless it had expensive and premium memory chips . . once again BIOS issues and they were ironed out after 6 months.

So . . . I got tired of motherboards that would only run right after you had them 6 months and after 3 BIOS updates and driver updates too . .I spend about 3 months reviewing different CPUs and motherbaords. I ended up with my current motherboard which is a DFI LanParty Expert (939 socket) and it is a dream. No problems with drivers, BIOS, or any hardware. The parts are top quality and it is packed with the most features I have seen in 1 motherboard. I have had it about 1 month and it overclocks very easily. The only bad feature of this motherboard was the price . .$206. But now that it has proven itself it is well worth it . . . no regrets. I dont recommend this borad to others unless they have the cash for it. It is spendy but it is a "do everything" and a "do everything very well" motherboard. If you wonder about this board . . go see reviews and what others think of it.

 

[BruceMyers48]

Thanks for the report. I have heard allot about DFI. I guess I will stick with my MSI boards right now. I have built 15 systems with MSI boards and had hardly no problems. Thanks Bruce