Motherboards - is Asus everyone's favorite???

[SpydaMan]

I am new to this board, and as I read people's posts, it seems like most people have Asus motherboards. I am curious if Asus is the best out there.

I just ordered an MSI board (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...ku=M452-2674#), but would consider returning it for an Asus if they are that much better, and if I can find one that is around the same price. It would also have to have similar features.

Thanks so much.

[jer888]

yea, asus has the greatest quality. That dosent mean a board from any other manufacturer is not as good but asus is the most reliable.


Also, in the future save yourself some headaches and don't order from tiger direct. Their customer service is terrible. Newegg is recommended but there are other good ones out there. Just not tiger

[SpydaMan]

Yeah, I was told by another person not to order from Tiger Direct. Newegg worked well for me with the case I ordered.

So, is it better if I go with Asus or the MSI I ordered???

[Cricket]

It depends...what are you going to be doing with your computer? Do you know what other parts you're going to be using, especially the power supply?

MSI isn't a bad brand...it's a middle tier manufacturer and they make fairly decent motherboards that probably have a slighty higher failure rate than ASUS or ABIT motherboards.

For a Intel based build you probably should have gone with a Intel chipset to ensure the most stable and reliable performance. NVidia chipsets are great for AMD builds but I really haven't heard much about their performance with Intel processors. And SLi really isn't necessary unless you're a really hardcore gamer. For most users SLi really isn't worth the expense.

Cricket

[Darth Revan]

Never Had a problem with asus.
<----fanboy

[SpydaMan]

Originally Posted by Cricket MSI isn't a bad brand...it's a middle tier manufacturer and they make fairly decent motherboards that probably have a slighty higher failure rate than ASUS or ABIT motherboards. For a Intel based build you probably should have gone with a Intel chipset to ensure the most stable and reliable performance. NVidia chipsets are great for AMD builds but I really haven't heard much about their performance with Intel processors. And SLi really isn't necessary unless you're a really hardcore gamer. For most users SLi really isn't worth the expense. Cricket

For details on what I plan on using my system for and the types of things I want in it, I advise you to look at my other post on this messageboard.

Now we come to another interesting question, it Intel based or AMD based systems better.

Thanks for your input.

[minsonngo]

Originally Posted by SpydaMan Now we come to another interesting question, it Intel based or AMD based systems better.

Its a ongoing battle between both sides. Right now it seems Intel has a slight advantage... but you can not go wrong with either choice.

[Staren]

Originally Posted by SpydaMan Now we come to another interesting question, it Intel based or AMD based systems better.

Now THAT's a loaded question. You want to be careful because to some people you might as well be asking of catholics or baptists are better. The views are that strong in some places.

Right now your top tier chips are Core 2 Duo on the Intel side and AM2 on the AMD side. Core 2 beats anything else out there right now no question. If your building a gaming, or other power intensive system Core 2 is the way to go. Personally if I was building a light programing box or a home server or something that's not likely to need upgrades I'd probably go with an older Athlon X2.

[LeftyAce]

For lower end, the AMD chips are cheaper, but once you get to higher performance, the C2D offer better bang/buck. And the C2D socket has a longer upgrade path (AMD is about to replace socket AM2 with socket AM3)

[Mr.Ferrari]

Asus can be overpriced for what they offer, they are reliable, but they aren't 100% bug free. However they are user friendly and easy to set up. They may not be the absolute best, but there usually isnt anything that much better out there, and if so, it will do poorly in some things that an asus will do better.

For example, I would take something like a Intel BadAxe motherboard easily over a Asus P5WDH.

[doubledragon5]

I have used all Asus boards on my builds and have no defective ones yet..

[SpydaMan]

OK, I am looking at Asus motherboards on the Newegg site, and there are some things on the power search I am unsure of. I am looking for explanations and suggestions. They are...

North Bridge
South Bridge
Memory standard
PATA
PATA Raid
SATA
LAN speed (does it really matter)
Audio channels (I will probably get a sound card)
Onboard video chipset ( I am getting a video card)

[flanzig1]

North and South Bridge are the chipsets that are the interface between the CPU/Ram and the rest of the parts.
PATA: IDE or Parallel ATA (older data transfer standard for drives)
SATA: Serial ATA (new standard for data transfer for drives)
Lan speeds: 100 is what needed at this time/gigabit may be of more importance in the future, nice to have if transferring big files between computers.
On-board sound verses a sound card: Whatever level of audio quality you what.
On-board video verses a video card: what are your needs/uses in the realm of video quailty.

[SpydaMan]

Originally Posted by flanzig1 North and South Bridge are the chipsets that are the interface between the CPU/Ram and the rest of the parts.

Is there a specific manufacturer I should look for. I believe somene said Intel earlier.

[LeftyAce]

With an Intel processor, your most stable bet is an intel chipset. With an AMD processor, nVidia chipsets are good.

[chuck4456]

ASUS has the best P965s, ABIT has the best i975x. No one has a very good 680i yet - probably never will. If you're going INTEL, go with an INTEL chipset.

[glfredrick]

I'll throw in a plug for the Gigabyte 965P offerings as well. In the solid capacitor line, they are solid performers that overclock really well. Most reviews I've seen are still talking about revision 1.3 with bios version 4-5. Current is rev. 3.3 with bios v. 10. Most of the earlier complaints have been more than dealt with.

[Excal]

i have a really old sony computer bought in 2001 it has an asus MB in it no problems to this day 05/05/07

[human1987]

I guess I'm the only one who is so unlucky to have an ASUS board that went haywire ='( Not such what's the problem with it.
Probably either the PSU or MB causing it.