Can any one help me with this?

I’m just about to upgrade my computer and I was thinking of buying an Asus A7N8X Deluxe motherboard (as suggested by several members here). I’ve been told that there’s a new version 2 board available. Can any one tell me where I can obtain one in the UK? I don’t want to buy an out-of-date motherboard new!

All help/advice/suggestions appreciated.

Cheers,

Jessica

i cant find anything to suggest a 2nd version of the deluxe board is out at this time, ask your source for info.
btw, what chip and mem are you thinking of putting with it?.

Hi Aaronjon,

Thanks for the reply.

Apparently, there’s a new version of this board available. Up to now, there’s been version 1.04 and 1.06. Version or Revision 2.0 as it’s better known, is now becoming more widely available. I’ve already spoken to Dabs, Eclipse-Computers and Aria Computers in the UK. They all confirm that there is a new version available, but can’t tell me which they have in stock. If I ordered one, I’d have to take a chance. In other words, they’re the old versions they’re now stuck with and can’t sell.

You can read more about this new Revision 2 board here:-

http://www.amdforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=213285

I’ll probably fit a AMD XP2600+ (333MHz) and 512Mb of GEIL 2x256MB PC-3200 (400MHz) DDR RAM, 6 Layer Ultra Low Noise Shielded PCB, 32x8 Low Density/Un-buffered, Model# GE2563200

Having said that, I’ve just heard that there’s a new nForce3 chipset out soon making the existing (and new) nForce2 ST chipsets obsolete. You can read more about it here:-

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=8766

I’ve read the article several times and I’m not sure if it refers to the existing nForce2 chipset on the new Asus A7N8X Rev 2.0 motherboard or a completely new chipset that’s about to be launched. Have a read and let me know what you think. I’d hate to buy an out-of-date motherboard when, if I’d waited a couple of weeks, could have had a new and up-to-date motherboard.

I’d be interested to hear what other members have to say on this matter.

Cheers,

Jessica

Version 2.0 from what i understand just has a diffenerent revision of the nforce 2 chipset which allows better overclocking which may or maynot interest you any version of the board will run will run what you plan to use if you really want the 2.0 board i would say try somewhere like overclockers.co.uk which cater for the overclocker and will proberly tell you what revision of the board they have in stock.

Can i just say if you have'nt bought that RAM already that unless you plan on overclocking you might as well buy PC2700 RAM because you gain little buy running the memory bus faster then the FSB unless of course you plan on running the memory at 166MHz(333) and having really aggressive memory timing's then it might be worth it.

Hi Diablo, :wavey:

Thanks for the input. You’re probably right about the RAM. I’ll might as well fit PC2700 (333MHz) modules.

I’ve visited Overclockers, but there was no detailed information regarding the revision number of the Asus A7N8X motherboard. I might phone them in the morning and find out. I have been told that the revision 2 board is only available in the States. I’m not sure. This is all new to me!

Does any one know what this ‘Barton’ chip is? Is it anything to do with The Simpson’s? :laugh:

Thanks,

Jessica

LOL
The Barton chip is basically a XP with an extra 256KB of L2 cache so is faster.

plus the barton about £300+ dearer.
IMHO
i cant see any old (as you call them) deluxe boards not selling, as tomshardware still rates it the top board in its class, even against the new abit, msi boards, especially for o`clockers.
personally i cant see the point of overclocking if i`m not using the fastest cpu available for the board to start with, but i realize a lot of peeps enjoy this hobby so i dont knock it.
if you keep waiting or hesitating then the new cpu to take over from the barton will be here and you`ll have to start all over again,
no matter how long you wait, somthing better/newer is always round the corner, you/we cant win.
get the latest at the keenest price, NOW and enjoy.

Hi Aaronjon, :wavey:

You’re absolutely right about this upgrading lark. If you keep waiting for the latest hardware to drop in price, by the time it does, it will be out-of-date and replaced by something new.

I’m not too sure what ‘overclocking’ is. I don’t think I’d like to risk it anyway. There must be some risk involved, otherwise everyone would be doing it. My friend Annette has a XP2000+ running as a XP2100+. She/we did this by accident. Got the settings wrong somewhere. It’s been running for almost a year now with problems.

Are you sure about the ‘Barton’ being £300+ dearer than a ‘non-Barton’ processor? I just looked on eBuyer and checked the prices. According to them, the ‘Barton’ XP2500+ is only £143.00 and that’s the full retail kit. You can read more about it here:-

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=46513

Unfortunately, they don’t have the XP2600+ in stock.

As soon as I find a Revision 2.0 Asus A7N8X Deluxe motherboard, I will upgrade.

Thanks for the reply. :tup:

Jessica

i have an xp 2700 running on a deluxe board (for about 3 months now), couldnt get a 2800 at the time, this runs at 2.17 gig, where the 2800 runs a little over that, about 2.2 gig. the barton i was referring to was the xp3000 which only runs at 2.2 gig but as diablo says has 2x L2 cache and the price of this on release was ~$700 which was equivelent in price to a p4 of the same speed, which in turn defeats the pricing of amd over intel.
now what amd are doing insted of releasing a new/faster chip on the xp line they are using the slower chips on a new barton core, not giving any more speed but a larger fuel tank so to speak.
i think the new chips ar`nt due until q4-03 or q1-04 or later so we can expect cheaper non barton xp chips and the barton core keeping the prices up until then. but the speed war is lost to intel for now with the xp range, and imho if amd dont pull thier finger out they may lose more than that.
btw. i paid £260 retail for the xp 2700+ and £120 for the board from ebuyer, but got the 2700 ddr 512mb ram from crucial (cheaper),

Hi :wavey:

I’m still thinking of buying an XP2600+. At the moment they seem to be in short supply. I might even go for the XP2500+ because I don’t think there’s any noticeable difference in speed between the two. Having said that, I still can’t find a supplier of a revision 2 Asus A7N8X Deluxe motherboard. The reason for this post in the first place.

I’m not too worried about the processor. The XP range is dropping in price all the time. By the time I find a Rev. 2.0 motherboard, they’ll be giving the XP2600+ free with a packet of cornflakes!

What I am concerned about though, is the RAM. It seems a very fussy motherboard with regards to the make and type of RAM fitted. I’ve been reading lots of threads on the AMD forum and there seems to be a lot of discussion regarding this subject. I will be fitting 512Mb, but I’m not sure what make. Do you have any suggestions? What are you using? Are you having any problems?

I’ve just been told that Dabs have the XP2600+ CPU in stock at £161.00. But, I’m not sure if this is the ‘Barton’ version. I’ll have to go and check it out.

Thanks for the input. :tup:

Cheers,

Jessica

I think we’ve digressed a little here.

Getting back to my original questions:-

I’m just about to upgrade my computer and I was thinking of buying an Asus A7N8X Deluxe motherboard (as suggested by several members here). I’ve been told that there’s a new version 2 board available. Can any one tell me where I can obtain one in the UK? I don’t want to buy an out-of-date motherboard new!

All help/advice/suggestions appreciated.

Cheers :tup:

Jessica

On the memory issue i've heard that A7N8X has expensive taste when it comes to memory but my reletively cheap samsung 2x512MB pc2700 work fine but i have heard of other people having trouble with that brand.

Hi Diablo,

I’ve heard that this particular motherboard is very fussy with regards to RAM. It seems that what works for one user doesn’t necessarily work for another. I’ve read on other forums that a certain type of RAM is recommended, but not everyone agrees.

I spoke to a nice man at Eclipse-Computers, and he told that that they sell Winbond 512Mb 333Mhz PC2700 184Pin DDR Memory Module for just £41. They have had no complaints from customers using this type of RAM on the Asus A7N8X Deluxe motherboard.

I think it has more to do with luck than anything else.

I hope to sort this out soon, as I intend to buy my upgrade this weekend.

Cheers :tup:

Jessica

Up late!
You could get two 256MB sticks then the RAM will work in DUAL channel which will other more memory bandwidth. But whether you will notice the difference is debatable apart from 3D games maybe.

check this out:-
http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listparts.asp?Mfr%2BProductline=Asus%2B+Motherboar ds&mfr=Asus&cat=RAM&model=A7N8X+Deluxe&submit=Go
very good memory manufacturers, got my 512 stick from there, no problems only price has dropped £30 since i got mine, but thats life.
highly recommended.

Hi Diablo,

No, I’m not up late. In fact I’ve just got home from work! (it's now Thursday morning).

I’ve been reading about this DUAL channel memory configuration you mentioned. I believe it means buying 2 x 256Mb modules and using them in certain memory slots on the motherboard. I think you have to use banks 0 and 3 or banks 2 and 3. You can’t use banks 1 and 2. Have I got that right?

But as you said, whether you will notice the difference is debatable. I’ll see if I can find more information on this. It might be worth doing.

Thanks.

Jessica

Hi Aaronjon,

Thanks for the link. According to that site, all the RAM listed is compatible with the Asus A7N8X Deluxe motherboard. Saves me hunting around for compatible RAM.

I might even go for 2 x 256Mb modules (see above reply to Diablo) and according to Crucial, there’s not much difference in price between buying 1 x 512Mb module and 2 x 256Mb modules. Approx. £7.

If it makes a difference, it might be worth doing.

Thanks for the help.

Jessica

There must be someone reading this who has bought a revision 2.0 Asus A7N8X Deluxe motherboard in the UK!

How come there are over 105,000 member of the CDROM Guide and only 118 have read this thread? Where is everybody?

Can anyone suggest a place to look?

Thanks.

Jessica

sorry to hear your still having difficulty tracking down a rev 2 board, may i suggest trying to contact ebuyer to see what rev version their boards are.
btw, they have the xp2800+ and the xp3000+ cpu`s both with the barton core.
good luck.

Hi Aaronjon,

Thanks for the continuing support. Very much appreciated.

Oddly enough, I was going to contact eBuyer and ask them, but after following this thread:-

http://www.cdrom-Guide.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=238165

I’m a bit uneasy about dealing with them.

What do you think?

Jessica

ive dealt with ebuyer for 2 years, about £2000 of equipment for myself, and been very satisfied with the cost savings, having said that ive not had to return anything so cant complain, but i will say when i first started i was thinking of using dabs and they were getting feed back just like ebuyer are today.
if their customer service was as good as thier prices, which it used to be, then they would be untouchable apart from the odd inhouse prices like crucial memory.
but who on these boards can safely say one company has never had bad feed back?.
plus unscruplous customers who try to put one over on them saying things like this or that wont work because they ordered wrong or broke it on installation etc.
some people on here are retailers, they have time schedules to keep so they will complain on turn around/returns/wrong deliveries etc., (you/we cant order from thier wholesalers and get thier prices)
imho,
i will use ebuyer again without hesitation.
just a thought--- why no thread such as pie-on-ear.con for all the trouble we`ve had and still have, over the firmware debacle, yet many of these same people would still recommend a pioneer dvd burner over another company`s.

When i bought my A7N8X I didnt bother with the revision because the way things are going, by the time you have installed the new up to date mobo and booted up there is a new model out anyway


Take a look at the Asus website for precise DIMM recommendations giving exact models,
1XSamsung 512MB M368L6423DTM-CC4 PC3200-DDR400 in dimm1

Anyone that has problems with samsung memory in a Asus board has faulty dimm, wrong dimm socket, or have not bought EXACT memory tested by Asus, no good inserting incompatible dimm and blaming the memory, luck has nothing to do with it, if i tried my dimm in ANY A7V/A7N8X board and it didnt work A1 you could return the mobo, if you visit their website there is a list. DDR400 is my recommendation, buy a dimm tested and qualified by Asus, Kingston is another brand they have OK'd but as I said earlier go to the website for dimm model. The only reason i don't use Crucial is that I only buy Asus boards, Samsung works fine, and a mate gets it me cheap, though I have bought loads of Crucial in the past with no probs.

Hi C0UGAR UK,

Where can I purchase this Samsung RAM from in the UK? All the sites I’ve visited so far don’t give all the details with regards to module numbers.

Let me know.

Jessica