mATX S939 Boards - Suggestions?

R

redwolfe3

Weaksauce
Joined
Jul 16, 2004
Messages
81
Hey All-
I've done some searching on my own but haven't turned anything directly up.

I am looking at building a new system and I'm trying to decide between going mATX and Full ATX. I like mATX because I would like something I can set on my desk and sort of be "Out of the Way". I am looking at most likely getting an Opteron 165 or Opteron 175.

Now for my requirements. My key concern is reliability and stability. Next would be a descent PCI-E slot so I can run a newer card (I am currently running a 6800 and it does everything I need, but I would like to move up a generation). Lastly, I would like something that possibly has some OCing settings. I have not OCed a system in well over 6 years, but I have heard that with the 165's and 175's you can get some good results.

My current system was built 2 years ago and has been rock solid since building. It has been running (at 100% CPU Usage) since I built it 2 years ago without any problems what so ever. Temps are in the 25-30C range all the time (yes, with 100% CPU Usage). It runs on Dual Opteron 244's and provides me with plenty of power. My main reason for this step is that the system is limited to AGP and it is a little on the large size (EATX in a 4U Rack Mount Case). I would like a system I can carry around to LAN Parties that won't deafen me with the hum of fans.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. There's just so many Mobo and Chipset options out there, I don't even know where to start anymore.
 
after a fairly long absence, you can now get the biostar tforce-939 again. it only has 2 sata channels. it has a pcie slot, built in sound, video, ethernet and i think its $59 after mir. its the all time best s939 matx overclocking board. i put one in a system for a little girl 2 weeks ago (came with a 4000+ in a combo from newegg) and it reminded me of how great it was/is. but s939 is pretty much dead, and if you are looking at dual core, you really should not be considering anything but an intel c2d. they are great overclockers, prices start around $175 for a 6300 and go up. 50% overclock is pretty much standard. there are several good chipsets, intel 975/965 and nvidia 680 being the best. you will have to upgrade your ram also, to ddr2.

a couple of decent micro atx cases

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=106&products_id=21044

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=315&products_id=4648

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=302&products_id=3969
(everybody has one of these guys and after 2 or 3 years, the price is still going up. crappy psu included)

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=168&products_id=21088
 
Vanilla-
Thanks for the suggestion. I have heard a lot about Biostar, but must say I know nothing about them other then their TForce boards get recommended a lot. I will take a look at that board as the limited SATA channels shouldn't cause me an issues.

As for the C2D thing, I am not looking to go that route at this time. I have a CD in my Dell D620 and its great, but that setups a little out of my price range when I can get a much more affordable AMD Chip that will do everything I need it to for now. In a year or so, when prices have dropped, I will no doubt be looking at Intel for a bit, but not right now.

Also, I didn't realize the AM2 Opteron (1210) was effectively the same as the 165 in overclocking ability, so I have now also been looking at a board for the chip.

For the cases, I am pretty much looking at either a Q-Pack (Microfly, whatever), or a Thermaltake. The other option is I might hack my own case from a Dell case... but that's a whole other issue.
 
i had a qpack, and now i have a jpac, which is pretty much a qpack with 3 separate removable sides, instead of one. also it has an 80mm intake fan and is 1 1/2 inches longer so the psu doesnt touch the back of your optical drive. so try to get a micro fly (also 1 1/2 longer but no intake fan) or a jpac, you get can either without a psu. the lian li is only about $15 more than the qpack now (at newegg), so its worth checking out since its about a thousand times nicer.
i dont know much about the am2 version of the tforce, but its probably pretty much the same. the abit nf-m2 nview is supposed to be a great board in am2. check this link, its a list of all matx boards in each socket, along with their features.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=900405

i have the dfi rs482 infinty matx for my htpc (see sig), its an ati chipset, and now its kind of tough to get. it doesnt overclock as good as the tforce, but it oc's well, has 4 sata ports, better video, dvi and tv out, better sound,and gigabit ethernet iir. its in socket 939.
 
I understand the needs of a microATX case. Unfortunatley there just aren't many nice ones around. May I suggest this . It can be had with or without window in silver or black.

If you want to know more I have a worklog using this case. Its a very capable and stylish microATX case that can fit all normal parts. Here is the worklog. It even has SLi ;) .



 
This past summer I built a SFF for my niece using a Jetway S754 motherboard with on-board DVI, and was quite impressed. There's also a S939 version, which is more or less identical feature-wise. It's packed with all the overclocking features you'd ever want. I didn't take a whole lot of time to find out its limits, but I did take the Sempron 2800 in the board down from 1.45 volts all the way to 1.05 before it started losing stability. It's inexpensive and filled with features.
 
Socket 939

I'd recommend an Epox 6100 slightly over the Biostar TForce simply because of the kinks with the TForce' series.

Cases are a few.

Microfly - Nice and have verious models.
Silverstone SG01E Very nice case. Only problem is that a 120mm fan on the PSU would fight for air with the heatsink.
Audio looking one? I have an Antec NSK2400
There are also a few other Antec models which are nice.

AM2 - Hands down Abit NView NF-M2 then the Epox 6100. There are 2. The newewst one is not yet known how good it is.

If you want a dual CPU any will do. There are 65w that are decent OCers.

Have fun!!!
 
While it isn't an SFF, I really liked the Antec SOnata that I used for my "portable". It was quiet (I had a DFI NF4 SLI in it with h2o). MOF, it held the rig in my left hand sig, but with an Opty 144. Worked excellently, just a bit on the heavy side for its size.
 
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