Asus A8R-MVP vs DFI NF4 Ultra-D

C

computergeek22

Limp Gawd
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Dec 2, 2005
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Which ones a better choice for overclocking? THe Asus seemed to outperform the DFI in anandtech's review.
 
the DFI is a reliable, known to be stable board with kick-ass overclocking. It does seem to be pretty finicky when it comes to a ecent PSU and RAM (see their recommendations at dfistreet.com), so this could be an issue if you plan on using older parts. The ASUS on the other hand is brand new, still on it's first BIOS. IMHO it's always a risk going with a product with such a small established user base, though, as there is hardly any info on compatibility issues and the likes.

That being said - I jumped the gun and have an A8R-MVP being shipped to me, so i can let you know after christmas. :D

The reason why i chose it over instead the DFI was mainy due to the fact that it is passively cooled, as i want my next rig to be whisper quiet... but that is just me. Overclocking-wise I only want to push my Opteron 170 to 2400 or so, so the overclocking options on either of the boards seem more than suitable for that. Keep in mind also, that the ASUS board Anand received might have been hand-picked, and it might not give you a correct indication of how well the A8R-MVP in general overclocks - as he states himself in the article AFAIK.

so my recommendation would be: if you cannot afford the board to possibly be a POS in the end, go with the DFI. otherwise you might just go for the newer one and give it a spin, as it definitely looked tastey to me in Anandtech's review.
 
I haven't found it available yet anywhere - at least online. There's only one store and it's selling the asus for like 140 bucks. I too was interested cuz its passive and I have an antec p180. Though I want to o/c my processor at least a decent amount which ever mobo I get and keep it as quiet as possible. So if the Asus does really overclock like it was reviewed as, that would be the best option.
I'm not planning to build my rig until january I'll wait and see how it overclocks and if Anandtech did get a "hand-picked mobo"; I hope you can tell me. ;) If it were true, then Asus are cheats.
 
I would have picked up that Asus board for my latest build but I didn't think it would be available in time. It's still listed as pre-order every where I look.
 
Actually if you look on pricewatch, they have one place where they're selling these mobos but I was surprised that it's listed as ~$135. I was hoping somewhere in the ~110-120 range. I might as well go with a DFI and a zalman northbridge heatsink if the A8R isn't significantly (10-15 bucks) cheaper.
 
I guess ill be the guinea pig, lol. I got the A8R coming on friday. I might not install it for a week though.
 
On AT forum, one guy got his HT frequency up to 325 at a multiplier of 8 on his 3500 venice. I guess this mobo does have some o/cing potential and the AT review wasn't a fluke, or at least I hope.
 
I am getting one, it seemed like a board with a lot of potential, so I will see how it stacks up to my DFI. I can't really tell you, I am getting one because even if it isn't that good, I still got my Ultra-D. I am probably getting one in January, so I'll see what it and my Opty148 can do.
 
AT results were crazy....but Gamepc.com also had a favorable review. So even if Anand's board was a fluke....Gamepc still confirms that this is a solid board.

The next revision of this board will be my next purchase in a few months....hopefully the next revisions can add some more enhancements, and......7800GTX prices finally come down.

Only thing that's ticking me off is once I build a new rig in the spring, M will be just around the corner.

BTW. what's the deal with ULi now since nVidia has bought them? Pretty hard to imagine they would sell chipsets to their main competitor.
 
I too bought the Asus board. I am gonna try this Crossfire business, see what I can do with it. Currently all parts(Board, x1800xt) are coming in early jan. I will post results as soon as I recieve the components.
BTW I am have had the DFI ultra-d, great mobo, cant go wrong there. Its found it hard to get it up and running, but that was mainly due to RAM problems. Anyways good luck on whatever you buy.
 
I just put together an A8R-MVP with an opteron 170. Cannot say too much, as I am currently tinkering around with overclocking and stuff. so far: 10x250, RAM@227MHz 3-3-3-8-T1, rock solid, will run prime and sandra burn-in over night and then see how much higher i'll get tomorrow.

Pretty nice board, really. Installation etc. went through like a charm, no problems whatsoever - and this is on the release BIOS. one thing: don't use SATA port 1 or 2 if you plan on some crazy overclocks, as I cannot load up windows due to HDD corruption if I go higher than 2700...
 
wizzackr
I just put together an A8R-MVP with an opteron 170. Cannot say too much, as I am currently tinkering around with overclocking and stuff. so far: 10x250, RAM@227MHz 3-3-3-8-T1, rock solid, will run prime and sandra burn-in over night and then see how much higher i'll get tomorrow.

Pretty nice board, really. Installation etc. went through like a charm, no problems whatsoever - and this is on the release BIOS. one thing: don't use SATA port 1 or 2 if you plan on some crazy overclocks, as I cannot load up windows due to HDD corruption if I go higher than 2700...
Click to expand...
What kind of RAM are you using? I need to buy a processor and RAM to OC. I was thinking of an Operton 146 or 148 and some OCZ or corsair stuff. BTW are you gonna use an ATi card for crossfire?
 
Hondaman4ever said:
What kind of RAM are you using? I need to buy a processor and RAM to OC. I was thinking of an Operton 146 or 148 and some OCZ or corsair stuff. BTW are you gonna use an ATi card for crossfire?
Click to expand...

I followed (cf)Eclipse's advice and got 2x1GB crucial value sticks. that's been a really good choice so far: cheap, no compatibility issues even with DFI, and with slightly relaxed timings I could even get it to work at 1:1 (250MHz). I'll fiddle around with the RAM tomorrow.

The cash you save getting this RAM over OCZ or corsair sticks you could invest into an Opteron 165 or 170 - second core for free :) . Regarding crossfire I will have to stick with my fireGL V5100 till someone gets a new pro-app card into the shops based on a newer core (and modestly priced, not like the QUadro fx4500 :eek: )

cheers,
j
 
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