asus A7V8X-X motherboard

vee4473 · May 20, 2003, 18:32

Anyone have this mobo? I'm going to upgrade my system and this one looks good (read cheap).

I know there is an A7V8X, although that one has a few more features I guess.

Any comments?

Giancarlo · May 20, 2003, 18:41

Go with the A7N8X Deluxe.. it is worth it despite costing more. Better than the A7V8X-X.. the KT-400 chipset doesn't stand much of a chance against the Nforce2 chipset.

vee4473 · May 20, 2003, 18:45

thanks,

I actually considered the nforce board, but doesn't the nforce just mean that it has on board video? and if i have a decent vid card, is it worth it?

the one i mention has on board audio and lan, which i love. I am liking this trend to eliminate add in cards.

vee4473 · May 20, 2003, 18:46

oh, and my targeted processor is an AMD 2200+

General Ludd · May 20, 2003, 19:09

The A7N8X Deluxe has oboard Dual LAN and audio, no onboard video. nForce is the chipset name, nothing more.

It's what i got for my new computer.

Skanky Burns · May 20, 2003, 19:14

Personally I would stay away from Via chipsets, although the KT-400 doesn't have as many stability problems as its predecessors. Then again, I might be slightly biased by being subjected to the KT-133 chipset with my current M/B.

Wraith · May 20, 2003, 19:29

--" but doesn't the nforce just mean that it has on board video?"

No, nForce covers all of nVidia's chipsets, and they don't all have integrated graphics. The A7N8X Deluxe is one of the ones that doesn't, but it does have the full-blown SoundStorm, which is an integrated audio solution but it's better than the Creative Audigy add-in card.

--"the one i mention has on board audio and lan"

The nForce one has much better on-board audio and dual LAN...

The nForce line has a much better reputation than the Via chipsets, not that that's saying a whole heck of a lot ^_^

Wraith
- This Space Intentionally Left Blank -

Giancarlo · May 20, 2003, 19:33

Well originally the nforce1 was a terrible chipset. But the nForce2 is a whole lot better and about 20% faster than Via's best.

Fve Crathva · May 20, 2003, 19:41

NVidia is generally superior to VIA in the chipset department right now. The basic difference between the A7N8X-DX and the vanilla A7N8X is that the former has a second LAN port, SATA RAID, Firewire, and a better sound system. And a price boost of about US$20.

The price difference between the vanilla A7N8X and the A7V8X-X is probably around US$45, but it's a significant performance boost. The difference between the A7V8X and the A7V8X-X is the same costwise, and for the money you get SATA RAID and Firewire. There's also an A7V8X-LS which replaces the 10/100 LAN port on the A7V8X with gigabit LAN, for US$25 more. What it all boils down to is that the NForce2 board with give you better performance than the KT400 board, for more money.

SP

vee4473 · May 20, 2003, 20:13

thanks guys,

this is my first attempt at building a system, I have basic computer knowledge and I figure I can upgrade my current system with a new mobo, hard drive,ram, processor and case for about $400.

cheaper than buying a box from a retailer. I admit to being a newbie at this, but I am confident that I WILL accomplish it.

hmmmmm.....

vee4473 · May 20, 2003, 20:31

oh, and one more question, what are your thoughts on getting windows xp?

I have 98, and was going to just keep that, but...

Giancarlo · May 20, 2003, 20:32

I would go with 2000.. but my opinion entirely...

vee4473 · May 20, 2003, 20:34

i have 2000 at work. it's nice, but is 2000 a gaming platform?

I always thought 2000 was more of a business non-gaming type of thing.

Giancarlo · May 20, 2003, 20:39

I use it for games.. works even with Doom (95 version) and Red Alert 1. It works for tons of new games I got too... most game companies put Windows 2000 as an OS it can have for a requirement because many have it.

vee4473 · May 20, 2003, 20:50

that's good to know, I have a few older games that I was afraid wouldn't run under some newer os's.

like RA1, C&C1, warcraft, even civ2...

Giancarlo · May 20, 2003, 20:53

For RA1 you need the Windows 95 version. If not, the sound won't work.

Same for XP. When installing RA1 you gotta copy and paste the set up icon (as a shortcut on the desktop) and run compatibility mode. The same also goes for XP.

I like 2000 more for some reason..

Urban Ranger · May 21, 2003, 01:15

Doesn't the mobo use KT400A?

Edit: nope, nevermind

Grrr · May 21, 2003, 03:38

Quote:

Originally posted by Fez
Well originally the nforce1 was a terrible chipset. But the nForce2 is a whole lot better and about 20% faster than Via's best.

What made the original nForce terrible?

It's performance was good, but had been beaten due to production delays.

However; the chipset was very reliable and incredibly good value.

Skanky Burns · May 21, 2003, 03:45

The nForce2 beats the KT400 in operations where memory bandwidth is important, and are generally similar with respect to other operations. Plus it isn't via.

Urban Ranger · May 21, 2003, 04:45

VIA isn't exactly bad. I think they just got a bad rap.

Skanky Burns · May 21, 2003, 05:00

See me 1st post. They deserve the bad rap.