new mobo and cpu

[modena]

Should I get an AMD socket 754 or a 939, and what is the main difference. Also, what chipset should I look for on a mobo, what is optimal for gaming. thanks!

[bachviet]

939 Nf4

[Bires]

939 Nf4

Why get the last generation when the current gen AMD stuff is so close in price?

[modena]

what is nf4?

[_=DeltaForce=_]

Nvidia Nforce 4 chipset... Go with the DFI Nforce 4 series or the Asus A8N series

[modena]

Should i go nf4 or nf4 sli?
Also i would like one with an agp/xgp port still as i dont yet want to upgrade my video card, what mobo would you reccommend with that? I found this one, is that decent?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...984&CatId=1772

[Hoser]

Since 754 is the older socket type , definitely go with 939.

[zippyjuan]

Consider the video card implications of staying with AGP on this upgrade. The manufacturers seem to be abandoning issuing AGP cards so if you want to upgrade your video card after this, you will have to do another motherboard upgrade too. Unless you need the computer right now, I would wait until you had enough money for a card too and go to PCI Express. That would help you out in the long run. Especioally since you say it is for gaming. Also be aware that you may need a new power supply to handle everything too. Just some things to keep in mind.

[modena]

Doesnt this board have both a slot of an agp video card and the newest pci express video cards? I am not sure, if you could let me know I would appreciate it!

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...984&CatId=1772

[shocky123]

the HUGE difference between 939 and 754 is the fact that 939(and 940-opteron) is the first chipset to fully support dual-channel memory for the AMD chipsets.
939 is also a 90nm revision which leads to much less power consumption and heat generation, they also tend to overclock quite nicely.

hope that answers some of the questions at least,

~Kyle

[modena]

awesome thanks for the info shocky!



does this board have both a slot of an agp video card and the newest pci express video cards? I am not sure, if you could let me know I would appreciate it!

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...984&CatId=1772

[shocky123]

the link you put up there isnt working anymore.
And to 'generally' answer your question, not many boards (none that I've ever seen) have support for both AGP and pci-express x16 slots.

If there are any of them out there, I havent seen them hit the HPC market yet... which usually predates the commercial market by about 6 months.

~Kyle

[modena]

hmm thats odd, try this link now:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...984&CatId=1772

[zippyjuan]

Just started looking. This article http://www.amdzone.com/modules.php?o...page&artid=155 says the XGP slot only works with a limited list of AGP cards. I am trying to find that list.
OK- Here is the list from BioStar's site: http://www.biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=nf4ul-a9
So chances are that if you bought this card your AGP would not work and you would need a new card to go along with it.
A thread here http://www.nforcershq.com/forum/bios...9-vt58704.html says that they use bridge that causes the AGP card to take a serious hit in its performance.
Another warning about AGP cards on this motherboard

Features:
One of the biggest features for me about this mainboard was Biostar's unique XGP slot. This is a slot which allows most AGP 8x video cards to work on this motherboard even though it is a PCI Express Chipset. The slot works by using an AGP to PCI bridge, and the AGP card is basically running through the PCI bus. From what I understand there is somewhere around a 30-50% performance loss when using the slot. How that performance loss will affect you if you use this slot is up to you. I am personally using the slot only until I can afford a decent PCI Express video card. The motherboard serves a great purpose for those who want to slowly work their way into 64bit computing on the NForce 4 platform. However, there is a warning sticker covering the XGP slot stating that if you use a 3.3V video card it can/will get permanently damaged, so make sure the card you are using is of the proper voltage!

http://www.dreamwarecomputers.com/re...-a9/index3.htm

But I am not all negative. I did come across what will probably be a better alternative. Review at Anand Tech here http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2524 Their conclusion:

Almost everyone likes a story where the little guy wins - David beats Goliath. The little guy comes up with a unique and useful product or tops the Performance charts with a new chipset. Certainly, the ULi M1695/M1567 is just such a success story.

Many buyers were begging for a PCIe board that would also support AGP, without compromise. Lots of companies tried and the market ended up with a lot of compromised solutions that didn't catch on. It took ULi to finally build the chipset that made top-performing AGP on a PCIe board a reality.

More than that, the ULi M1695/M1567 chipset does not need to apologize to any other chipset in its performance. The ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 shows a retail product that is as good, or even better, than the ULi Reference Boards that excited those sites that actually bothered to look at the ULi chipset with an open mind.

The ASRock is clearly a value board, designed to sell for a low price, but even so, it provides all the features, including SATA2 with NCQ, that you would expect on an up-to-date A64 motherboard. The ASRock is by no means perfect. The layout will be a pain for some, the cold boot issues are annoying, LAN is 10/100 and not Gigabit, and there are no Firewire ports. But the ASRock does so much, so well that it is easy to forgive the warts when you consider the selling price. We sincerely hope that ASRock will invest a bit more time in refining the 939Dual-SATA2. With a refined BIOS and expanded memory voltage adjustments, this board could be a monster hit for ASRock. It will likely sell very well regardless, as many will also notice the slot for a future M2 expansion board.

UPDATE: ASRock has released BIOS 1.20 dated 9/02/05 which can be downloaded from their web site. Version 1.20 fixed the cold boot problems we experienced.

We like the ASRock and its implementation of the ULi chipset. It is an easy board to recommend - especially in the value and mid-range segments. We are still looking, however, for the ULi chipset from Abit or Gigabyte or Albatron or DFI - or even ASUS - that will really squeeze everything possible from the ULi chipset. Hopefully, such a board is just around the corner.

For now, if you have a top AGP video card that you are not ready to replace, then get an ASRock 939Dual - you will not be disappointed in performance and you can add PCIe whenever. Even if you don't care about AGP, the PCIe performance of the ASRock will not disappoint. ULi has brought a capable, competitive chipset to the AMD Socket 939 market. It is a fully competitive choice for any buyer, a must for AGP owners, and more is on the way from ULi. The ASRock is a very good value board and we are looking forward to what can be done with this chipset on a board aimed at the enthusiast.

Here is where I learned about this one: http://forums.anandtech.com/messagev...readid=1637097

[modena]

ok looks like i will be upgrading my video card then! also is there a huge difference betwen the nf4 and nf4 sli? Also the fastest RAM that is supported is DDR400 correct? If so and or what is a good set of timings I should shoot for for a good gaming rig?

[Bires]

Wow, Zippyjuan is on the spot. Thanks for the info.

[yuri6312]

wow just i have the same problem...
thanks ..