GA-K8NS ULTRA 939 Any thoughts?

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11-01-2004, 11:14 AM
trans am

The OFFICIAL Gigabyte k8nsnxp tips, tricks and guide thread

I am looking at building a new system for a friend. I am going to get a 939 90nm 3000+ and i'm looking at motherboards. I saw this board at newegg for $116. I can't seem to find a review anywhere. Is this brand new or something? It sure is cheap. I was going to wait for nforce4, but this guy is using agp 8x. What do you guys recommend? Is this up there with the msi and the Epox? I am new to 939 and don't know which motherboards are best, but most point to the MSi neo2. your thoughts will be appreciated/
11-01-2004, 11:34 AM
HKPolice

looks promising.... if gigabyte is smart they would of fixed the issues with the K8NSXP-939.....
11-01-2004, 11:42 AM
trans am

Quote:

Originally Posted by HKPolice

looks promising.... if gigabyte is smart they would of fixed the issues with the K8NSXP-939.....

http://www.giga-byte.com/Motherboard...0Ultra-939.htm

bios dates look fairly new. I wonder if I should give it a shot. the cpu and mobo come out to under $300
11-01-2004, 12:12 PM
HKPolice

Ya sounds good :)
11-01-2004, 12:13 PM
s e t h

test it please :D
someone has to be first.
11-01-2004, 12:32 PM
charlie

this COULD be a great board :D
11-01-2004, 12:52 PM
misteroadster

this board is the same than K8NSNXP-939 without the mosfets HSF.
11-01-2004, 01:50 PM
trans am

Quote:

Originally Posted by misteroadster

this board is the same than K8NSNXP-939 without the mosfets HSF.

You are absolutely right.

Ok, I called Gigabyte US, and talked to a rep. They couldn't tell me if 90nm will work out of the box. (this was annoying) But considering that the bios for the XP that includes the D stepping(90nm) update is from September and the shipping bios on this new board is from October, I'm going to assume it will support 90nm out of the box. :)

Also they said the main difference is the lack of the mosfet fan. and it lacks dual power system "DPS" technology. The bios allows only 1.7vcore max, and .1 or .2v over the stock vdimm. WTF? HTT goes from 200-300mhz. I guess I am so used to the DFI UT LP, that anything less seems lackluster. Not impressed iMO, but at only $116 at newegg, It doesn't seem like a bad deal. comes with 1394b and 4 sata/raid. 2 from the nf3-250, and 2 from the silicon image controller. 3 fan headers and active cooler on the chipset.

This looks like a great board for 939ers on a budget.:)

btw, what are the negative issues on the XP version?
11-01-2004, 06:39 PM
Perc

hmmmmm? yeah no shizit i think i may go first!! only thing though? whats the voltage options on this mb? i have a FX-53 comming this week and im in need of a mb for it. i wanted to wait on the DFI but only god knows when that will get released? I was going to buy the MSI K8N Neo2 but no one has it in stock and for 140 bucks plus shipping im not even going to bother... i think i may order this mb this week ill let you guys know how it runs...

this mb is the same as its bigger brother then what were the problems that needed to be fixed? any reviews on the other mb that would give me a basic idea of what this thing has to offer...

peace perc,
11-01-2004, 07:00 PM
mad mikee

Hey Perc!

NEO2 @ gameve,140$ and free ship (call & make sure)
11-01-2004, 07:11 PM
Perc

Quote:

Originally Posted by mad mikee

NEO2 @ gameve,140$ and free ship (call & make sure)

yeah i seen that. what you dont think this gigabyte would be a good mb? im not realy a big fan of MSI and what ever mb i do get for this FX-53 is just a temp solution til the DFI board comes out anyways... i mean for 116 bucks this gigabyte cant be that bad can it? i wish i knew more about 939 mbs and all. i think i need to go read a few reviews and trudge thru some threads and see what i can learn about the 939 platform cause i need a mb now! i cant wait too much longer and i do plan on ocing with this system so i need something with all the voltage options one would need... anyways i still got the MSI on my list but this gigabyte is looking pretty damm good right now :)

peace perc,
11-01-2004, 07:12 PM
trans am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perc

hmmmmm? yeah no shizit i think i may go first!! only thing though? whats the voltage options on this mb? i have a FX-53 comming this week and im in need of a mb for it. i wanted to wait on the DFI but only god knows when that will get released? I was going to buy the MSI K8N Neo2 but no one has it in stock and for 140 bucks plus shipping im not even going to bother... i think i may order this mb this week ill let you guys know how it runs...

this mb is the same as its bigger brother then what were the problems that needed to be fixed? any reviews on the other mb that would give me a basic idea of what this thing has to offer...

peace perc,

I would just use google and look for reviews on the xp version for now. Also read the 939 shootout at anandtech. I think the XP is in that review. Go to the Gigabyte site and download the manual. It shows voltage options in there. there is chipset voltage options. vcore goes to 1.7v fsb goes form 200-300. since the ocz ddr booster worked with XP, I'm guessing it will work fine oon this board so you can increase your vdmm higher than the stock values.

Here are the oc options according to the manual: (I can't find the ram options on this thing! WTF? is it in a hidden menu somewhere?

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
CPU OverClock in MHz
200MHz ~ 300MHz Increase CPU frequency as user selected.
AGP OverClock in MHz
66MHz ~ 100MHz Increase AGP frequency as user selected.
CPU Voltage Control
Supports adjustable CPU Vcore from 0.800V to 1.700V by 0.025V step.
(Default value: Normal)
Normal CPU Vcore
Display your CPU Vcore voltage.
AGP Voltage Control
Normal Set AGP voltage as AGP required. (Default value)
+0.1v Increase AGP voltage +0.1V.
+0.2v Increase AGP voltage +0.2V.
+0.3v Increase AGP voltage +0.3V.
HT-Link Voltage Control
Normal Supply HT-Link voltage as HT-Link required. (Default value)
+0.1v Increase HT-Link voltage +0.1V.
+0.2v Increase HT-Link voltage +0.2V.
+0.3v Increase HT-Link voltage +0.3V.
DDR voltage control
Normal Supply DDR voltage as DDR required. (Default value)
+0.1v Increase DDR voltage +0.1V.
+0.2v Increase DDR voltage +0.2V.
11-01-2004, 08:19 PM
HKPolice

VCore is easy to mod, just like any other A64 board, pin10 to ground with 50K VR.
Ram is easy to mod too with 3.3v = vdimm, 1 wire mod.
11-01-2004, 09:04 PM
trans am

Quote:

Originally Posted by HKPolice

VCore is easy to mod, just like any other A64 board, pin10 to ground with 50K VR.
Ram is easy to mod too with 3.3v = vdimm, 1 wire mod.

But where are the ram timings on this board?
11-01-2004, 10:25 PM
s e t h

ctrl&F1 in the main bios screen should bring mem timings up probably
11-02-2004, 01:01 AM
Kunaak

I opend up the F2 bios, and tried to see if there was anything to unlock or mod for the 939 K8NS Pro bios.
theres nothing to unlock, but the HT Speed should be available all the way to 455, not 300. the Bios shows it's there available to use.
11-02-2004, 03:19 AM
Perc

so is this a good choice for a mb or not? im seriously considering this mb. i realy dont want to buy a MSI i always have :banana::banana::banana::banana: luck with them and i dont expect my luck to change this time around... these one wire mods you speak of is there any pictures i can look at? im not great at sodering but i am sure i can pull off simple mods...

thx perc,
11-02-2004, 03:26 AM
s e t h

akiba-pc > forums > modding >k8n thread
it's a brilliant mod especially if your psu has an adjustable 3.3v rail
i did it with a crockodile clip and a wire straight to the unused 3.3v rail on my forton psu - for a non permanent solution
11-02-2004, 03:31 AM
Nitrox

I'd still get the MSI, this one actually seems to be good somehow :p:
11-02-2004, 06:36 AM
Lithan

I bought this board about an hour ago. Should be here by the weekend, monday at the latest. I'll be using it with a 3000+. I'll let you know how it does. (Bought it because newegg just moved k8n neo2 stock back almost two weeks, this board's cheaper and fits xp-120 without any bending.)
11-02-2004, 09:35 AM
trans am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lithan

I bought this board about an hour ago. Should be here by the weekend, monday at the latest. I'll be using it with a 3000+. I'll let you know how it does. (Bought it because newegg just moved k8n neo2 stock back almost two weeks, this board's cheaper and fits xp-120 without any bending.)

Sold to the Cheapest man on Xtremeforums lol. Let us know how it goes Lithan. Thanks for being the official tester on this one. :)
11-02-2004, 09:41 AM
Lithan

Cheapest? Hey. I'm not bragging about my ti4200's 3dmarks at least. ;)
11-02-2004, 12:42 PM
Perc

LOL im buying one too... i dont care for MSI and this mb only has to last me long ehough til DFI figures out when they are going to release thier 939 counter part. now this mb shouldnt have any issues with the OCZ booster seings how it works well with its older brother right? Lithan keep me posted on how yours does im ordering this friday-sat for my FX-53 chip....

peace perc,
11-02-2004, 05:46 PM
snowwie

Quote:

Originally Posted by trans am

You are absolutely right.

Ok, I called Gigabyte US, and talked to a rep. They couldn't tell me if 90nm will work out of the box. (this was annoying) But considering that the bios for the XP that includes the D stepping(90nm) update is from September and the shipping bios on this new board is from October, I'm going to assume it will support 90nm out of the box. :)

Also they said the main difference is the lack of the mosfet fan. and it lacks dual power system "DPS" technology. The bios allows only 1.7vcore max, and .1 or .2v over the stock vdimm. WTF? HTT goes from 200-300mhz. I guess I am so used to the DFI UT LP, that anything less seems lackluster. Not impressed iMO, but at only $116 at newegg, It doesn't seem like a bad deal. comes with 1394b and 4 sata/raid. 2 from the nf3-250, and 2 from the silicon image controller. 3 fan headers and active cooler on the chipset.

This looks like a great board for 939ers on a budget.:)

btw, what are the negative issues on the XP version?

well, looking at pictures, it seems the same board, just that it has no hsf for the cpu power supply, and it also seems as though some of the capacitors and components are different makes, maybe cheaper. still has the friggin outrageous 6 phase power though....

...makes you wonder....which makes a better cpu power supply?....6 cheap phases, or 3 very high quality ones....?
11-02-2004, 06:33 PM
Barr3l Rid3r

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowwie

well, looking at pictures, it seems the same board, just that it has no hsf for the cpu power supply, and it also seems as though some of the capacitors and components are different makes, maybe cheaper. still has the friggin outrageous 6 phase power though....

...makes you wonder....which makes a better cpu power supply?....6 cheap phases, or 3 very high quality ones....?

Gigabyte usually has better quality components then MSI boards...

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