AMD Guru's.....I need your guidance

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 8:36 pm

I am thinking of setting up a AMD rig and have an opertunity to trade for a Asus A7N8X-X. Can you folks give me an opinion on it? I was going to run a 2200+ barton on it with a stick of KingMax 512MB DDR-400 . Any problems with this setup or should i go for a mobile AMD processor instead like everyone is trying now? Will a mobile AMD work in this board?

I am AMD stupid so BillyGoat, Vidman and the rest of you guys help meh =)

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 9:21 pm

don't see any probs with that rig..the mobile should run anywhere in a modern board...the 2400m chips all seem to run to 2.3 or better and do so at lower volts - cooler

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 9:33 pm

yep just got off the phone with BillyGoat and he can't tell me enough good things about the mobile AMD processors. What you think about the Mobo? anything better for O/C this little wonder chip?

sethpa · Post by **sethpa** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 5:07 am

The Nforce 2 mobos are all pretty nice, check these threads out for in depth info...

http://forums.amdmb.com/showthread.php?threadid=219041

With Nforce mobos, you have to install Nforce mobo drivers, not a problem, usually. Some folks have had problems with their IDE driver though. When you install the unified driver package, (after installing the OS), you have the option of installing the Nforce IDE driver, but you don't have to. XP's MS driver will work just fine.

One of the pluses of Nforce mobo's is a locked AGP/PCI bus when overclocking. Also, most have really nice tweakable bios' I haven't used the Asus, but have run both Abit and Epox and liked them both a lot.

Here's another good place to get Nforce info,

http://www.nforcershq.com/forum/

BillyGoat · Post by **BillyGoat** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 7:46 am

Good Info Sethpa- Yesterday I was reading about some nforce drivers named "remix"
People are saying they are far supior to nvidias- has anyone used these?

VidmanII · Post by **VidmanII** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:35 pm

I'd pass on that Asus. Lousy OCer. Abit NF7-S or DFI Infinity is your best play. I also heard that Albatron's nforce2 mobo is a dynamite OCer. I've used the first 2 I mentioned but not the last one.

High FSB speeds are contingent upon having da good RAM as well as the da good mobo.

For value type nforce 2 mobos. Shuttle an35n-ultra is tough to beat. Biostar makes a nice one as well. Make sure you check the value mobos to see if they support dual channel memory. Some do some don't. The Shuttle does. I'm not sure if Billygoat's DFI does. Ask him or he can feel free to chime in here wit da info.

Regardless of what version of drivers you run, DO NOT load nvidia's IDE driver when given the choice. It's horrible.

Mobile xp2400's are a better play than traditional desktop bartons for reasons wvjohn states above.

If you're planning on running raptors ( RAID 0) on an nforce2 mobo, you're best bet is the Abit NF7-S and even on that they won't run as good as they would on a KT600 mobo.

For RAID 0 w/ raptors

use: desktop barton ( not mobile ) and VIA KT600 mobo. It is VERY difficult to get a mobile barton to run as "unlocked" on a KT600 mobo. I know, I've tried on two of them. MSI KT6 Delta LSR and Albatron KX600S Pro. Neither could do the job.

My RAID 0 sucks so bad on this Infinity that it isn't funny. It's barely better than a single. KT600 Integrated SATA/RAID mops the floor with it. A single Raptor or even a dual Raptor RAID 0 setup will work decent but not great on an nforce2 mobo w/ the sil3112 o/b controller (e.g. Abit NF7-S).

The sil3114 o/b controller on the Infinity and Lan Party B stinks.

For IDE or single raptor

use: mobile barton and nforce2

Just my $.02 which is worth about $.01

dadx2mj · Post by **dadx2mj** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:45 pm

Hey I agree the original Nvidia IDE drivers were terrible. However there is a cough* beta cough* IDE driver on the Nvidia website now that works really well. It also has a small IDE benchmark utility Incorporated right into the driver. I have been running it for a few weeks and it has been working very good. Also many over at AMDMB report the same.

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:47 pm

Thanks Vid, I know now who to go to for advice. I am leaning towards the DFI Infinity great looking package. I am going with a IDE WD80GB SE on this rig for now and want to do dual chan memory.
BH-5 the way to go huh? Do you reccomend Winbond Buffalo or something better branded (i.e.Corsair, Mushkin, etc)?

VidmanII · Post by **VidmanII** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:54 pm

That BH-5 stuff is awfully expensive currently. That's if you can find it. I hear that's what the Mushkin stuff is. And I think Kingmax has some too. Buffalo Winbond BH-5 is next to impossible to find anymore. Here's a link to the Kingmax stuff......

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... e=80092-22

As I said tho, it ain't cheap.

I'm gonna be selling my DFI and xpm26+ in my sig. If you're interested, LMK. It's a pretty nasty combo.

I'm lookin' for like $180 for the mobo and cpu.

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:56 pm

me is interested.
Thanks,

David

VidmanII · Post by **VidmanII** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 10:04 pm

I've heard of people having issues w/ Corsair RAM and nforce 2 mobos. Plenty of posts both for and against it over at amdmb.com. I had some version 1.2 Platinum stuff "LL=lowlatency" or something that I got from newegg and it sucked. Maybe I got a bad stick or something, I dunno. But I got a refund and found this Buffalo-winbond bh-5.

I got lucky as I ordered buf-winbond 2x 512MB CH-5 from a guy on amdmb.com and he sent me BH-5 !!!

2 x512 of it for $176 shipped . Even more crazy was that he went "troll" and stiffed a bunch of people after I did my deal with him!! Yikes !!

You may want to check ebay of all places for BH-5. Search with it next to Mushkin, Kingmax, Winbond and Twinmos.

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 10:18 pm

wow you dodged a bullet on that one. Nice!

VidmanII · Post by **VidmanII** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 10:24 pm

Ur not kiddin'. Great deal tho. Evidently the guy's chick, or wife, left him. Subsequently, he went loony toons and dropped the ball on all his pending deals.

Check your PM

:

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 10:36 pm

back at you.