965P Mobo Purchase Advice Needed

[wazoo99]

Been lurking around here as non member for years, but since I have been a mild overclocker, I felt no need to actually join.
However, I am now ready to see how long I can run a max O/C in stable mode, thnx primarily to Conroe.

So, here's my prob........

A.) DS3 was out of stock at the egg for a few weeks and are now back as of Sat. The price seems to have come down ~$15 to $133. What are my chances of this new shipment being V 3.3?? The egg will not guarantee any version (of course) during picking of order.

B.) I can get an ASUS commando right now for ~$240 at excaliber. The one person that reviewed it on newegg says it buzzed, as did someone here. I will not stand for a mobo that buzzes (or causes a PSU to do so by perhaps (?) 8 phase power reg), even if dabbing on some liquid silicon on offending part fixes it.

C.) The DFI 965P doesnt seem to have any big bugs so far, and will be prob ~$200, but I need something fairly quickly and cant wait too long for it to appear.

Any input as to what you would do in this situation would be appreciated.

FWIW - I did a few DS3 builds before and they were some of the easiest fall in installs in my experience. Only complaint was I dont like non full ATX boards - my case has no support for outer standoff holes.

Thnx for your input

[xVeinx]

The DFI look very good, I agree! My only suggestion would be to wait a little longer on the commando. The buzzing issue and large vdroop are a little disappointing, but also seem to be hit and miss as well (aka not on all boards). Knowing how prevalent these issues are might help you decide whether or not it's worth the risk...

[Ajfina]

Im liking this one right now AB9 QuadGT , im considering on buying this mobo
review here http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2911
anyone want to buy a BX2 for 160 shipped (us only)

[Scyth3]

I just got a Biostar for about $112 from Newegg. Seems cheap and gets the job done.

[wazoo99]

I just got a Biostar for about $112 from Newegg. Seems cheap and gets the job done.

Yeah, biostar mobo are real sleepers, suprisingly good quality, but zero support - maybe a bios revision or two, but no contact. If newegg didnt handle the board, it wouldnt even be on the radar. Of course, at a hundred bucks, if something goes horribly wrong, not much to cry about. ;)

The name Abit gives me the creeps - reminds me of dead boards with leaky caps and flaky VIA chipsets. And from reading the linked review on AT, looks like the "new" Abit has a ways to go. Do agree wholeheartedly that Intel should NOT have abandoned IDE - for at least 2 more years anyways.

God, I hate to wait.

[Elisha]

The name Abit gives me the creeps - reminds me of dead boards with leaky caps and flaky VIA chipsets.

God, I hate to wait.

you mean ESC?

[wazoo99]

you mean ESC?

No not ESC, tho they are nothing to write home about. I do vaguely recall ESC trying to make "top end" mobo recently, but their main function today seems to be for bundled with CPU packages - like at Fry's.

I mean OLD Abit.

I built dozens of PC's for friends and customers back in the earlier days, just when those non-Japanese filter caps were being used by some mobo manufacturers - the ones with the bogus fluid. One by one they all tanked, making me look like an incompetent to all who got the boxes. :eek:
Abit did have to finally address the issue publicly and offer replacements.
Shuttle also had this prob.

Then there was the nvidia "loop" problem with the VIA chipsets that Abit used. I cant tell you how many hours I spent trouble shooting that miserable situation. Games would freeze, blackscreen or spontaneous reboot, depending on severity of issue. VIA had to start their own forum (Viaarena.com) just to keep customers from becoming even angrier than they were.

It would take a whole lot to get me to whip out my credit card for an Abit board. I'm not saying it couldn't happen, but I seriously doubt it..:slobber: