955X vs. NF4 SLI Intel

[jkabaseball]

I know that NF4 is made by nvidia and 955x by intel, but what is the difference? I'm looking at a new board, and wondering what to do, really havn't seen too much posts about them. WHich would OC better you think? I herd the CF4 has a 1:2 divider for the memory, I havn't seen any info on this so IDK it its true.

[Sentential]

Im hearing alot of complaints about the P4N Diamond. I wouldnt go nforce4 if you had another option.

[jkabaseball]

how does the 955x OC? I know that the 9xx chipsets have been flasky OC expect some 925XE's. Is this a good ocer? It has the 266 boto strap so it shold be able to boot a prescott with a 800FSB well?

[Nasgul]

I've red too many issues with MSI's motherboards in both platforms, personally it'd be a good idea to wait for either ASUS, ABIT and GIGABYTE (in that order).

[Kunaak]

for me the biggest drawback to the 955X boards is that you dont get true SLI with it, you get one 16X slot, then one "universal" 4X slot.
I don't like that at all...

it's hard to choose which board to get, cause both seem to have drawbacks.

[Capt_Caveman]

From the reviews, it appears that the NF4 boards take better advantage of SATA and NCQ to get you faster disk access. Both appear to be good overclockers.

I currently have the Asus P5WD2 Premium but I think the Gigabyte board is better. I think your options right now are:

955x - Gigabyte 955x Royal
Nvidia - Asus P5ND2 Deluxe

[Disposibleteen]

for me the biggest drawback to the 955X boards is that you dont get true SLI with it, you get one 16X slot, then one "universal" 4X slot.
I don't like that at all...

it's hard to choose which board to get, cause both seem to have drawbacks.
i dont believe this is such a drawback, at least not yet, if im not mistaken, current video cards cannot saturate even a PCI-e 4x bus. Video card of the future are of course a different story.

[freecableguy]

Waiting for the DFI 955X....

[Nasgul]

I am waiting for ABIT AW8-MAX5 (http://www2.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=AW8-MAX&fMTYPE=LGA775) fully loaded with newer features like Silent OTES (http://forums.legitreviews.com/about1754.html) and Second Generation uGuru (http://www.abit-usa.com/news/2005/20050516.php).

I will get the Thermaltake Liquid-Cooling Kit (http://thermaltake.com/watercooling/cl-w0005bigwater/cl-w0005.htm), the perfect fit for my Thermaltake Shark Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133143)

[joezxk]

why not wait for dfi lp nfx???

[Mesce]

Ye you dont really want p4n diamond, I have it and it is absolutely rubbish. The problems Im having are unimaginable, like I cant eve run 1:1 at stock settings.

[nando19]

I am waiting for ABIT AW8-MAX5 (http://www2.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=AW8-MAX&fMTYPE=LGA775) fully loaded with newer features like Silent OTES (http://forums.legitreviews.com/about1754.html) and Second Generation uGuru (http://www.abit-usa.com/news/2005/20050516.php).

I will get the Thermaltake Liquid-Cooling Kit (http://thermaltake.com/watercooling/cl-w0005bigwater/cl-w0005.htm), the perfect fit for my Thermaltake Shark Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133143)

Yeh I am also waiting for this board or the Fatal1ty NI8 dont know which one to get I wonder how long until we will be able to purchase these

[jVIDIA]

Anyone knows if the Thermalright 120 fits on the P5WD2 Premium ?!

Please help...

[jkabaseball]

Sounds like the ASUS NF4 is the best deal, or a 955x.

[Capt_Caveman]

Anyone knows if the Thermalright 120 fits on the P5WD2 Premium ?!

Please help...

Yes. But even though I have the board I do not recommend it.

http://home.comcast.net/~chin.t/DSC01224.JPG

[ukveld]

I am waiting for ABIT AW8-MAX5 (http://www2.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=AW8-MAX&fMTYPE=LGA775) fully loaded with newer features like Silent OTES (http://forums.legitreviews.com/about1754.html) and Second Generation uGuru (http://www.abit-usa.com/news/2005/20050516.php).

I will get the Thermaltake Liquid-Cooling Kit (http://thermaltake.com/watercooling/cl-w0005bigwater/cl-w0005.htm), the perfect fit for my Thermaltake Shark Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133143)
any word on the availability of this motherboard? ;)

[Nasgul]

No word. Somehow I feel ABIT is playing it safe with their product releases, making sure no bugs or any other anomalies would the board have after its release. So far my AG8 it's been rock-solid, stable, does everything I expected to do just like the description in the ABIT's website is. This is my 2nd ABIT motherboard w/uGuru's tech but I'd really like to try the new ASUS with Ai but now after seeing some fellas having tiny-little fixable problems with their ASUS 955X it gives me the heebie-jeebbies to get an ASUS. I may get both, the ASUS and ABIT, see which one gets me what I want. I can alway sell either one on eBay.

What is this DOLBY certified certificate crap? doesn't the system perform better with the on-board sound disabled? I think so, that's why I still have my audigy gamer from 2001 and will keep using it.

[grimREEFER]

hold up....p4n diamond is bad?

[Capt_Caveman]

hold up....p4n diamond is bad?

Folks that have gotten this board are having a number of issues with it.

[jVIDIA]

Yes. But even though I have the board I do not recommend it.

http://home.comcast.net/~chin.t/DSC01224.JPG

I see you have one installed on a P5WD2.

You installed it with a 90º turn as to the normal position I've seen on reviews ! That's because of the NB cooler wright ?

When you say "...I do not recommend it.." you are refering to the cooler or the mobo ? And why ?

Can you post a pic of your mobo taken front top ?

[ukveld]

No word. Somehow I feel ABIT is playing it safe with their product releases, making sure no bugs or any other anomalies would the board have after its release. So far my AG8 it's been rock-solid, stable, does everything I expected to do just like the description in the ABIT's website is. This is my 2nd ABIT motherboard w/uGuru's tech but I'd really like to try the new ASUS with Ai but now after seeing some fellas having tiny-little fixable problems with their ASUS 955X it gives me the heebie-jeebbies to get an ASUS. I may get both, the ASUS and ABIT, see which one gets me what I want. I can alway sell either one on eBay.

What is this DOLBY certified certificate crap? doesn't the system perform better with the on-board sound disabled? I think so, that's why I still have my audigy gamer from 2001 and will keep using it.
well dolby certificate is nice for dobly enabled speakers, awesome sound and excelent sound positioning... can´t get a board without it now, and doens´t use much cpu... new Creative Zenith will have it too

[mr_knowitall15]

that may explain a lot...im helping my friend build a computer, and we chose the MSI p4n diamond, it looks and sounds like a nice board, but we had a bit of bad luck already, as the little diagnostic thingy that comes with us tells us teh cpu is no good... i hope the board will work out ok, he doesnt knwo :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana: about computers, so he wont be OCin. PM me if anyone here has this mobo, i wanna hear about some of the problems.

[Mesce]

I had the MSI P4N for 2 days and then took it back.

I had many issues. It wouldnt even run 1:1 in the with the ram no matter what I did. I took it back for that and other issues and everytime they went into the bios it locked. Im using an asus NF4 now and it is a very good motherboard and overclocks good too. The northbridge is hotter than the sun though.

If you need the beta bios for the p4n diamond shoot me a pm I got the MSI one that does help a lot of things that was given to reviewers.

[Supertim0r]

I had the MSI P4N for 2 days and then took it back.

I had many issues. It wouldnt even run 1:1 in the with the ram no matter what I did. I took it back for that and other issues and everytime they went into the bios it locked. Im using an asus NF4 now and it is a very good motherboard and overclocks good too. The northbridge is hotter than the sun though.

If you need the beta bios for the p4n diamond shoot me a pm I got the MSI one that does help a lot of things that was given to reviewers.

Is the Asus NF4 that good ?

Do the board need a vdroop ?

I've just found they had the motherboard in stock @ my supplier for 278$ CDN

I can't wait to get one !!!

[nando19]

any word on the availability of this motherboard? ;)

I Am also wating for this board abit also has realesed the new uguru 2005 panel I wonder if this will be bundled with the AW8-MAX it would be nice

[althes]

The abit board better be up to scratch. They been slipping latley.

[Mesce]

Is the Asus NF4 that good ?

Do the board need a vdroop ?

I've just found they had the motherboard in stock @ my supplier for 278$ CDN

I can't wait to get one !!!

No vdroop mod needed I dont think but it is a serious overclocking board. The northbridge is hotter than the sun and I need to find some way to cool it. Any ideas? without modifing the existing heatsink.

[death metal]

Mesce, I am seriously planning to get the MSI P4N Diamond till I see your post. So is this new board totally a mess with OCing?

thanks...

[jkabaseball]

seems like it. I just can't decide what to get. Nothing seems to be near perfect or great. 955x or NF4 ahhhhhh!

[Nasgul]

Due to the very little time the nForce 4 SLI Intel Edition it's been out, I've been reading in other articles that it's best to give it a little time before the chipset has been redifine, remember that the nForce 4 SLI for AMD it's been out for more than six months, so the Intel Edition has to do a little catch up. If I were to buy an nForce 4 motherboard, I'd buy it in 6-to-8 months from now. For the record, I will never buy an nForce chipset base motherbaord for an Intel processor but I will always buy nVidia's GeForce video cards over any other.

[nando19]

The abit board better be up to scratch. They been slipping latley.

Where have they been slipping which board?

[Mesce]

Take a look at this thread, this is my step by step hell with msi.

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=170957&page=1

and you should see the thread about my new asus board.

[death metal]

Thanks Mesce, sad to hear that...I am now having second thoughts on getting that mobo...

[Mesce]

This asus is a good motherboard but it needs a few more bios because I cant seem to run memory at 3-2-2-8 Im not sure why though.

[Sentential]

This asus is a good motherboard but it needs a few more bios because I cant seem to run memory at 3-2-2-8 Im not sure why though.
Dont feel bad, you need to use Cas5

[pcdoc1]

I'm running 3-2-2-8 fine at stock speeds. At 250 fsb I had to move to 4-3-3-8.....

[Mesce]

I think it is a NF4 issue that will be resolved by a bios update hopefully.

[S1nn3r]

Im a little confused.. ive noticed people talking about memory/cpu dividers.. however it was my understanding that memory and fsb were completely independent on NF4 Intel, as in you could dial in separate numbers for each as long as the memory/cpu could handle it.

[Capt_Caveman]

I see you have one installed on a P5WD2.

You installed it with a 90º turn as to the normal position I've seen on reviews ! That's because of the NB cooler wright ?

When you say "...I do not recommend it.." you are refering to the cooler or the mobo ? And why ?

Can you post a pic of your mobo taken front top ?

Yes, b/c of the nb cooler (new one and original) but also a capacitor, the XP-120 can't be mounted properly. I've attached some more pics of the spacing.

If you look back in the older threads, you'll see why I'm not happy with this board. But to sum it up, I feel that they downgraded a number of components and features. I consider this board a Deluxe model and not a Premium.

http://home.comcast.net/~chin.t/p5wd2_mobo3.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~chin.t/p5wd2_mobo4.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~chin.t/p5wd2_mobo5.jpg

[vanovich]

No vdroop mod needed I dont think but it is a serious overclocking board. The northbridge is hotter than the sun and I need to find some way to cool it. Any ideas? without modifing the existing heatsink.
how high can you clock that 660 cpu on that board ?

[jVIDIA]

Capt_Caveman, thank you for your pics.

After seeing that I wont go for a XP-120 :(

But in the Thermalright site, at the XP-120 "P4 Motherboard compatibility information: Socket 478 or Socket T" link there is :

"
XP-120 Socket T (LGA775) Motherboard Compatibility Information

With a customized LGA 775 adapter kit, XP-120 is designed to fit all socket T (LGA775) motherboard. So far, we have not found any board that is not compatible with XP-120. If you've found any, we would appreciate if you could report them to here.

* All ECS socket 775 motherbaords require a bigger case (at least 25mm from motherboard edge to power supply unit) to accomodate XP-120.

** The screws came with the LGA775 RM package are too short when it is mounted on an Asus Stack Cool motherboard. The screws need to be about 1/8" or 3mm longer. Users reported that these screws are available at their local hardware store.

*** Large fan bearing heatsinks (80-92-120mm) can encounter problems with motherboards with sockets close to the edge of the motherboard and some cases with power supply brackets. Another potential problem with these types of motherboards can be large fans mounted in the bottom of the power supply and without the fan drills recessed.

**** To install a XP-120 onto Abit AG8 alike motherboard, you need to turn the NB cooler 180 degree (having the fan side face PCI slots) to give room to the heatsink.

"

I think you must mail then and infor about the problems you've encountered with the P5WD2.

Between the 7700Alcu and the XP-90c which one do you recomend ?
The XP-90c should not have any problem wright ?!

I've noticed in you pics that you have a copper heatsink on the mosfet's beside the CPU !! Is it original or you moved it from other mobo ? shouldn't it be an aluminium one ?