Problem free P965 motherboard?

[budric]

I'm looking at various posts about motherboards and the more I read the more depressing it is. Having spent 2 days troubleshooting my asus motherboard on my last build I don't want to waste my time not being able to POST or install windows again.

So anything out there that actually works?

The gigabyte (D) S3 - people report issues with RAM. They can't load with ram that specifies 2.0 voltage because the motherboard supplies 1.8 by default. It also runs a bit hot?

The P5B is reported not to support some RAM, and some people were saying they couldn't install win2k SP2 on it. Some people could.

The MSI platinum has a bunch of problems with PATA CD-ROM drive. But then again all of the above had reports of not working with PATA drives too well.

So any thoughts on what has the highest chance to work out of the box?

 

[o1die]

I would personally go with the gigabyte board. To change memory voltage, you simply go to the MT intelligent tweaker section (MIT) in the bios. To access this section, you may have to press ctrl-F1 together, as gigabyte sometimes hides memory timings. As for the heat issue, if your case has adequate airflow, you shouldn't have to worry about it. I use power supplies with big side fans up to 14cm to remove warm air around the cpu, and 12cm fans in the front and back. And for memory, check their website for recommended brands. I aso recommend you download the board manual from the manufacturer's website, no matter what brand you choose, and check the available adjustments.

 

[meljor]

you can buy every board you please from that list. a lot of the problems are with the early adopters. (and thus early beta-like bios)

new bios versions are released and most problems solved i think.

i have a msi p965 neo-f board and it had some trouble with my ram and stability. since the last 2 bios versions that came out i run it perfectly, trouble free.

pata problems come also from people who simply are not used to have their drives connected to a controller that cannot be accesed through bios but has it`s own menu for it. (like a raid-controller menu)

read the manual. and check the website before purchase so you can check memory compatibility. (or buy ram you can return easily)