Head to Head

[Galant]

Okay, following the various discussions on Mobo's that have taken place, I post this direct comparison of the three mainrunners so they can go head to head with them.

Hopefully this will provide the specific answers and info many of us have been looking for, and we can avoid posts like,

"Go for the Abit", or, "Abit, hands down".

So, using this info, what are the distinct advantages/disadvantages you can see here.

MSI

K7N2 Delta-ILSR

Special Features:

NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset + MCP-T
Integrated Ethernet 10/100 LAN
IEEE1394 FireWire
Serial ATA RAID
8X AGP
Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio Format Encodes in APU
Live Update 2
PC Alert 4
i-Speeder


Specification:

CPU

Supports Socket A for AMD® Athlon™/Athlon™ XP/Duron™ processors @FSB 200/266/333/400
Supports 600MHz up to Athlon™ XP 3000+ processor or higher

Chipset
nVIDIA® nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset
Supports DDR200/266/333/400
Supports external AGP 4X/8X

nVIDIA® nForce2 MCP-T Chipset

AC97 Interface supporting up to two concurrent codecs
Ultra ATA133 for the fastest hard disk throughput

USB 2.0 EHCI/1.1 OHCI controller
FireWire® and USB 2.0 for the fastest digital connectivity

Audio Processing Unit(APU) encodes audio in Dolby® Digital 5.1 format for full surround sound effects

FSB
FSB 200/266/333/400 MHz clocks are supported

Main Memory
Supports six memory banks using three 184-pin DDR DIMMs
Supports up to 3GB PC3200/2700/2100/1600 DDR SDRAMs
Supports both 64-bit and 128-bit DDR SDRAM

SLOTS
One AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) 1.5V 4x/8x slot
Five 32-bit PCI bus slots (support 3.3v/5v PCI bus interface)
One ACR (Advanced Communication Riser) slot
BIOS

The mainboard BIOS provides "Plug & Play" BIOS which detects the peripheral devices and expansion cards of the board automatically.

The mainboard provides a Desktop Management Interface (DMI) function which records your mainboard specifications.

On-Board IDE
An IDE controller on the MCP-T chipset provides IDE HDD/CDROM with PIO, Bus Master and Ultra DMA133/100/66 operation modes
Can connect up to four IDE devices
Serial ATA Interface
Support 2 serial ATA plus 1 ATA133
RAID O or 1 is supported
RAID function works w/ATA133+SATA H/D or 2 SATA H/D
In-Chip IEEE1394
nVIDIA MCP-T IEEE1394 controller
Support up to two ports via external bracket

Network
Chipset integrated 10/100 Base-T Ethernet/Fast Ethernet
Audio
Realtek ALC650 6-channel audio
Dolby Digital 5.1 format
On-Board Peripherals
1 floppy port that supports two FDD with 360KB, 720KB,1.44MB and 2.88MB
1 serial port
1 parallel port supports SPP/EPP/ECP mode
3 audio ports in vertical
2 IEEE1394 connectors
6 USB ports (Rear * 4/ Front * 2)
1 RJ-45 jack
Dimension
30.5 cm(L) x 23 cm(W) ATX Form Factor


Accessories

D Bracket 2
S Bracket
IEEE 1394
Round Cable



Abit

The NF7-S, based on nForce2 chipset (MCP-T + SPP), supports the latest AMD Athlon XP processors with 200/266/333/400 FSB, (400 FSB support in version 2.0 only) and features new dual 400MHz DDR memory controllers that deliver up to a 50% increase in bandwidth. With the nForce2 MCP-T, the APU (Audio Processing Unit) delivers Dolby Digital 5.1 cinematic-quality sound and 3D positional audio to your home PC. By SoundstormTM technology, the NF7-S supports Real-time audio encoding delivering up to 256 simultaneous audio streams makes games and applications come to life. With cutting-edge features and ABIT Engineering, the NF7 series is the ultimate multimedia platform for the world.


Processor
- Supports AMD-K7 Duron™/Athlon™/Athlon™ XP Socket A with 200/266/333/400MHz FSB Processors (400 FSB support in version 2.0 only)


Chipset
- NVIDIA nForce2 SPP chipset with MCP-T
- Supports Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (ACPI)
- Accelerated Graphics Port connector supports AGP 8X/4X (0.8V/1.5V)


Memory
- Three 184-pin DIMM sockets
- Supports 3 DIMM DDR 200/266/333 (Max. 3GB)
- Supports 2 DIMM DDR 400 (Max. 2GB)


Serial ATA (Optional)
- On board Serial ATA PCI Controller
- Supports SATA data transfer rates 150MB/s (1.5G bps) and RAID-0

Audio
- 6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on board
- Professional digital audio interface supports 24-bit S/PDIF Out
- NVIDIA SoundStorm with real-time Dolby Digital 5.1 encoder


System BIOS
- SoftMenu™ Technology
- Award Plug and Play BIOS


LAN
- On board 10/100Mb LAN Physical layer interface
- 10/100Mb Operation supports ACPI & Wake on LAN


IEEE 1394
- Supports IEEE 1394a at 100/200/400MB/s transfer rate


Internal I/O Connectors
- 1 x AGP8X/4X slot, 5 x PCI slots
- 1 x Floppy Port supports up to 2.88MB
- 2 x Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 Connectors
- 2 x Serial ATA 150 Connectors
- 2 x USB headers, 2 x IEEE1394a header
- 1 x CD-IN, 1 x IrDA


Back Panel I/O
- 1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 mouse
- 2 x Serial, 1 x Parallel
- 1 x S/PDIF Out port
- Audio connectors (Front Speaker, Line-in, Mic-in, Center/Sub, Surround Speaker)
- 2 x USB, 1 x RJ-45 LAN Connector


Miscellaneous
- ATX form factor
- Hardware monitoring - Including Fan speeds, Voltages, System environment temperature



Asus

Processor
Socket A for AMDR Athlon™ XP/ Athlon™ / Duron™ 600MHz ~ 3000+
Thoroughbred/Barton core CPU ready

Chipset
North Bridge: NVIDIA® nForce2 SPP(Ultra400)
South Bridge: NVIDIA® nForce2 MCP-T
FSB 400* / 333 / 266 / 200 MHz
( * PCB 1.06 or earlier version need BIOS update )

Memory Dual-Channel DDR 400
3 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets
Max. 3 GB unbuffered PC3200/PC2700/PC2100/PC1600 non-ECC DDR RAM Memory (Twinbank)

Expansion Slots
1 x AGP Pro/8X (1.5V only)
5 x PCI
IDE Ports 2 x UltraDMA 133/100/66/33

Serial ATA Silicon ImageR Sil 3112A Controller with 2 ports
Support RAID 0/1
Audio RealtekR ALC650 6CH w/built in HP amplifier
Integrated APU(Audio Processor Unit) SoundStorm?/ DolbyR
Digital (AC-3) Encoder
LAN 2 Ports
MCP integrated NVIDIAR MAC + RealtekR 8201BL PHY
MCP integrated 3ComR MAC + BroadcomR AC101L PHY
1394 2 Ports MCP-T Integrated IEEE 1394a + RealtekR PHY 8801B

Special Features
Post Reporter
Power Loss Restart
Q-Fan Technology
STR (Suspend-to-RAM)
C.O.P. (CPU Overheating Protection)
CPU Throttle

Back Panel I/O Ports
1 x Parallel
1 x Serial
1 x PS/2 Keyboard
1 x PS/2 Mouse
1 x Audio I/O
4 x USB 2.0
1 x S/PDIF out + 1 x Surround L/R audio jack + 1 x CNTR/LFE audio jack
2 X RJ45
I
nternal I/O Connectors
1 x USB 2.0 connector support additional 2 USB 2.0 ports
CPU/Power/Chassis FAN connectors
Game Connector
20 pin ATX power connector
IDE LED connector, power LED connector
2 x 1394 Connector
2 x SATA (Serial ATA) Connector
WOR, WOL, Chassis Intrusion, SM Bus, SIR
Headphone (optional)
Front MIC
CD/AUX/Modem audio in
Front Panel Audio connector (optional)
BIOS Feature 4Mb Flash ROM, Award BIOS, TCAV, PnP, DMI2.0, DMI, Green
Industrial Standard PCI 2.2, USB 2.0
Manageability DMI 2.0, WOR, WOL, Chassis Intrusion, SM Bus
Support CD Drivers
ASUSR PC Probe
Trend Micro?PC-cillin 2002 anti-virus software with WindowsR XP support
ASUS LiveUpdate Utility
Accessories I/O Shield
SATA Cable
2-port USB 2.0 / Game port bracket
User's Manual / Quick Reference Guide
UltraDMA 133 cable
2-Port 1394 Bracket
FDD cable
UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
9-pin COM cable
InterVideoR WinCinema (optional)
(WinDVD/WinRip/WinCoder/WinProducer) software
Form Factor ATX Form Factor
12" x 9.6" (30.5cm x 24.5cm)


Asus Memory Table

So there you go.

[Galant]

No takers? Probably due to the mass of info.

Oh well. No-one can say I wasn't specific.

[funnelhead]

Abit. Go for Abit. Abit all the way.

But seriously

ERM

Abit - has better overclocking - has better voltage adhustments

Asus - Has 2 lan ports

MSI - Its a bit cheaper

i'm a bit pissed so cant B.A to go into mega details. BUT

This is a Forum full enthusiasts. They know whats good. Look at plps Sigs - How many Abits do u see? Lots.

Easy now, F

[funnelhead]

Does this help?

http://www.digital-daily.com/motherb...2u400-roundup/

[SilentDeath]

sorry but saying

Hopefully this will provide the specific answers and info many of us have been looking for, and we can avoid posts like,

"Go for the Abit", or, "Abit, hands down".

isnt going to stop me, you KNOW abit is the best, ^ you said it yourself!

give us 3 pages of specs and you want us to guess which board is best for you? no thx.. tell us what you need and we can say which one suits you best..

[funnelhead]

what he said

Get the MSI, it has TWO serial ports AND a paralell port!

oh wait......

[Galant]

<sigh>

Okay then, here's what I'm looking at:

A PC used for all the usual stuff, plus gaming and video editing (needs firewire). Budget of about $800. Certainly below $900. Which I think is about 550 quid, below 600.

Was thinking of:

Athlon XP 2500+
WD Caviar 80 Gb 7200 8MB cache
Antec SX630II case w/ power supply
2x 256 MB Corsair PC3200 RAM
Radeon 9600Pro (perhaps Atlantis), maybe XT if it comes down in the sales.
Volcano 9 or 11 HSF
CD-RW
blah blah blah

That enough info?

[Galant]

SilentD??

[evildoc614]

i Just built my shuttle for under 750...i put a fx5200 in it though and upgrade a few weeks later. so iam sure if you shop around you will find some good price's.

[blockers]

Just get the ABIT. Superb motherboard, more features than you could shake a stick at. Easy to set up. Will keep everything stable.

BUT if you are looking for quiteness the north bridge fan is a little loud on the ABIT, so you might want to invest in a passive cooler (same as the ASUS.)

REMEMBER with the ABIT you get a free SATA adapter, so you could RAID a SATA and an IDE hard drive if you so wished.

Will

[evildoc614]

Originally posted by Galant
[B
Was thinking of:

Athlon XP 2500+
WD Caviar 80 Gb 7200 8MB cache
Antec SX630II case w/ power supply
2x 256 MB Corsair PC3200 RAM
Radeon 9600Pro (perhaps Atlantis), maybe XT if it comes down in the sales.
Volcano 9 or 11 HSF
CD-RW
blah blah blah

That enough info? [/B]

you might want a motherboard too... iam not sure if there is a fry's electronics in tuscon but there is one in tempe it might be worth the trip.. you can take the 8 freeway all the way there shouldnt take more then 2 hours

[scottyman]

It's funny - I've gone off Fry's now - went to the one in Palo Alto last year, and it didn't have nearly as much random stuff as I wanted (mind u - my g/f looked in the front door made me promise not to spend any money! ) I went to the Burbank one a few years ago, which rocked - but then I also had money to burn! (i.e. just split from my previous g/f)

They seemed to be much more mainstream now - still it could depend entirely on the store!

[Galant]

Erm....the point of this thread was to help choose a mobo, so that's why I didn't include one!!

[Galant]

Ah!!! Now here's something useful. Far more user friendly than my essay-length specifications post.

It's a motherboard comparison table running the NF7-S, A7N8X, M7NCG, Zenith Series CT-7NJS, Winfast K7NCR18D, and K7N2-L.

It's actually part of a longer article on NForce mobo's on Tom's Hardware.

See it here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/motherbo...force2-14.html

[luke313]

There are minimal differences between those 3 to be honest.
Abit - More stable when overclocked, Higher overclocks, Free S-ATA Adaptor.
Asus - Gigabit LAN, Passive NB.
MSI - Cheaper than the other 2.

If I was in your situation there would be 2 options I would be looking at. You could buy the cheaper (but by no means worse than) MSI and put the saved money towards a better graphics card than the 9600pro (9800SE AIW ), or go for the NF7-S/A7N8X and have no other options when it comes to graphics card. I can honestly say that I do not know which way I would go, even though I have used the NF7-S and it is great!! Remember that the graphics card is by far the most important part of a gaming PC and that a 'better' motherboard isn't going to increase your FPS by as large a margin that a graphics card would.

[Galant]

Interesting how the MSI is cheaper. On the table I linked to it refers to the K7N2 Delta-L, however, the website suggests that mobo is only MCP (not MCP-T), and not firewire capable. The K7N2 Delta-ILSR seems to be the comparable mobo. Maybe that's what they were referring to.

The weird thing is, over here (US), on www.pricewatch.com, the MSI is the most expensive board.

Then the Asus, then the Abit.

I'm new to PC building in general, and certainly to OCing. I think I'd rather avoid the hassle, unless it's worth it.