nforce 2 - your say

MotorAce · 6th May 2003, 10:32 PM

Ok, i'm hearing alot of conflicting stories about the nforce 2 boards, especially with bios corruption and fsb's over 200mhz. I thought it might be an idea to start a thread which covers all brands of nf2 boards where people can post there personal exp with the board. Basically state your brand and any pros and cons you have, try and keep each reply to your experiences and avoid commenting on other peoples reply.

keenie · 6th May 2003, 10:51 PM

Board: Abit NF7-S Rev2.0
Experience: Very Good. No BIOS Corruption (bought a BIOS Savior just in case), No SATA data curruption, went to 200Mhz FSB out of the box (very first boot actually

) Did I mention I am very Happy with it?

GreenBeret · 6th May 2003, 11:13 PM

Overhyped, overrated. Has heaps of problems initially (all brands) then takes quite a few revisions to sort all the crap out (well not all...). It's just as buggy or annoying as VIA boards and people would bash it just like VIA stuff if it weren't the fastest platform for Athlons. The only really good thing about nForce2 that is not overrated is the sound. It's awesome stuff !

Edit: I've used two NF2 boards: the 8RDA+ v1.1 and NF7 v2.0.

Lombers · 6th May 2003, 11:22 PM

Two boards I have used (both 8RDA+ Rev 1.1's) both did 200Mhz out of the box stock. Still have one of them now, has never let me down. Have to agree with Greenberet a bit tho, they do seem to have their share of problems. Extremely fast tho, and sound is awesome. One thing he forgot to mention tho is AGP / PCI lock. It owns my world

If performance is what you are after, look no further. From these forums, it seems most problems come from very hard overclocks. Get a board that does 200Mhz, and you are set

MCWB · 6th May 2003, 11:46 PM

An 8RDA+ and now an 8RGA+, wasn't happy with the 8RDA+, am extremely happy with the 8RGA+. These NF2 boards do have their annoying issues, but once you get over it (did you hear that GB?

hehehe j/k mate

) they're top notch performers.

If Athlons are your thing, then these are the boards to get, no doubt.

heath_303 · 7th May 2003, 8:37 AM

A7N8X has good features, high quality, good layout, awesome soound.

revision 2.0s are made to do 200fsb out of the box i know mine did

.

R3xx · 7th May 2003, 9:25 AM

8RDA+ Great board, never had a problem whatsoever, did 200mhz fsb out of the box. I'd go as far as saying it's the best board I've ever had.

I have to agree with the rest of the guys the sound roxx!

badsac · 7th May 2003, 11:19 AM

8RDA+ v1.0 Great board, never had a problem whatsoever, did 200mhz fsb out of the box. I'd go as far as saying it's the best board I've ever had.

I have to agree with the rest of the guys the sound roxx!

R3xx · 7th May 2003, 11:58 AM

Get ur own words buddy!

fxr91 · 7th May 2003, 12:06 PM

I have an 8RDA+ here that has died due to BIOS corruption. Just need time away from work to RMA the damn thing

In the interim, I am using a Leadtek with no multiplier change available

But it is sitting at 180FSB on my 2100+ at stock multiplier and no problems

And yes, the PCI/AGP lock is a most wonderful ting we were waiting for for a long time in AMD systems. Don't care much for onboard sound so no comments as I have never use it.

It would appear all the problems arise when people are going for huge FSB's. I would have to say get to 200 and be very happy. Go further and risk killing teh BIOS/board

Scandrew · 7th May 2003, 12:07 PM

I've got a Soltek SL-75FRN2-L, I've got a 2100+ and out of the box my mobo was already set to 166fsb. Didn't bother changing it and I've been running it stable as that ever since.

Like any other thing you're always bound to come across problems but once you've passed all of that it's pure performace all the way down the last straight.

I have to agree with the rest of the guys the sound roxXx!

MWP · 7th May 2003, 1:40 PM

Epox 8RGA+ here.
No BIOS problems, and ive had it running at 205Mhz FSB stable out of the box.

The onboard sound is great (better than any other gaming card) if you are using the boards SPDIF out.
Line-Outs are rather low quality becuase of the CODEC being used on these motherboard so far.
Im still using my TB SantaCruz because of this.

It also seems most NVidia2 boards are picky with RAM.
Ive got some PC3500 CAS2 here that will only run at 400Mhz CAS2.5 (fault of the MB, not the RAM).
It has been said that this is a BIOS problem though, and will be fixed in the future.

BTW... anyone thinking that the onboard video is crap... think again...
Give it some good fast dual channel ram to use, and itll supprise (Im getting 3005,2756 Mem bandwidth in Sandra).
I havnt tried 3DMark yet, but i can say it would give a decent result.

Cheers · 7th May 2003, 3:20 PM

abit force2 nf7-s 1.2 here, fine no probs goin well good board

Didster · 7th May 2003, 3:25 PM

this sucks cus for the a7n8x deluxe rev 1.4 which i have doesn't have 200gsb atm which is kinda suckie. But i really hope they manage to bring a new bios for it for 200mhz support cus atm my fsb can go upto 250mhz which more than likely means it should be able to take 400fsb

smallstepforman · 7th May 2003, 3:38 PM

Why is everyone praising nForce2 sound - I think its average, or lower end. For one, if you try EAX2 settings, you'll get wierd amplitude distortions. With EAX after 20 minutes or so, you will get nasty clipping, and will have to switch EAX off and back on again for the clipping to disappear. The nForce2 control panel from nVidia has never been 100% (they fix one component and stuff up another), the S/N isn't exciting at all.

The sound probably sounds average on cheap PC speakers, but the second you plug the audio (via optical SPDIF) to a high end sound processor and speakers, thats when you notice the cheapness of nForce audio. But hey, that doesn't stop nVidia fanboys from chirping their song.

Abit NF7-S owner. Not 100% happy with board, although it does what it advertises. Its just that my requirements are above average.

6th May 2003, 10:32 PM	#1
MotorAce Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: AU Posts: 1,462	nforce 2 - your say Ok, i'm hearing alot of conflicting stories about the nforce 2 boards, especially with bios corruption and fsb's over 200mhz. I thought it might be an idea to start a thread which covers all brands of nf2 boards where people can post there personal exp with the board. Basically state your brand and any pros and cons you have, try and keep each reply to your experiences and avoid commenting on other peoples reply. __________________ :: intel i7 :: 12GB RAM :: ATi 6970 2GB :: 24" ASUS ::

6th May 2003, 10:51 PM	#2
keenie Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ~~Melbourne~~ Posts: 2,388	Board: Abit NF7-S Rev2.0 Experience: Very Good. No BIOS Corruption (bought a BIOS Savior just in case), No SATA data curruption, went to 200Mhz FSB out of the box (very first boot actually ) Did I mention I am very Happy with it? __________________ .:. Folding@Home 10000 Club .:. Folding@Home 600000 Points Milestone .:. keenie's Folding Farm .:. BF2 nick: [OCAU] keenie BF2142 nick: [OCAU] keenie Notebook: Dell i9300, Intel Pentium M 2Ghz, 7800Go GTX, 2Gb DDR2, 100Gb HDD, Bluetooth, 1920x1200 Widescreen LCD

6th May 2003, 11:13 PM	#3
GreenBeret Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Melbourne Posts: 16,896	Overhyped, overrated. Has heaps of problems initially (all brands) then takes quite a few revisions to sort all the crap out (well not all...). It's just as buggy or annoying as VIA boards and people would bash it just like VIA stuff if it weren't the fastest platform for Athlons. The only really good thing about nForce2 that is not overrated is the sound. It's awesome stuff ! Edit: I've used two NF2 boards: the 8RDA+ v1.1 and NF7 v2.0. __________________ Doctore: Crixus! What is beneath your feet? Crixus: Sacred ground, Doctore. Watered with tears and blood. Last edited by GreenBeret; 6th May 2003 at 11:13 PM.

6th May 2003, 11:22 PM	#4
Lombers Feed Me! Feed Me! Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,026	Two boards I have used (both 8RDA+ Rev 1.1's) both did 200Mhz out of the box stock. Still have one of them now, has never let me down. Have to agree with Greenberet a bit tho, they do seem to have their share of problems. Extremely fast tho, and sound is awesome. One thing he forgot to mention tho is AGP / PCI lock. It owns my world If performance is what you are after, look no further. From these forums, it seems most problems come from very hard overclocks. Get a board that does 200Mhz, and you are set __________________ You must always push the limits, because if you never fail, you will never succeed. Overclockers Australia Folding@Home Team Founder Overclockers Australia Folding@Home Team Dedication Award

6th May 2003, 11:46 PM	#5
MCWB Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 4,905	An 8RDA+ and now an 8RGA+, wasn't happy with the 8RDA+, am extremely happy with the 8RGA+. These NF2 boards do have their annoying issues, but once you get over it (did you hear that GB? hehehe j/k mate ) they're top notch performers. If Athlons are your thing, then these are the boards to get, no doubt. __________________ P4 2.8C @ something GHz, EPoX 4PCA3+, 2 X 512 MB Kingston HyperX 3500, 9800 Pro OCAU Extreme Cooling Club Phase Change Member

7th May 2003, 8:37 AM	#6
heath_303 Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Brisbane Posts: 1,304	A7N8X has good features, high quality, good layout, awesome soound. revision 2.0s are made to do 200fsb out of the box i know mine did . __________________ Computer: Apple Macbook Pro 15" Retina Camera:Canon 1D MK III, Canon 7D, Canon G9, Canon EF 17-40mm F4L , Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8LIS, Canon EF 28-70mm F2.8L ,Canon EF 300mm F4.0LIS , EF 50mm F1.4 , 580EX II \| R.I.P Eminatic

7th May 2003, 9:25 AM	#7
R3xx (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Melbourne Posts: 2,453	8RDA+ Great board, never had a problem whatsoever, did 200mhz fsb out of the box. I'd go as far as saying it's the best board I've ever had. I have to agree with the rest of the guys the sound roxx!

7th May 2003, 11:19 AM	#8
badsac Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Bathurst Posts: 8,725	8RDA+ v1.0 Great board, never had a problem whatsoever, did 200mhz fsb out of the box. I'd go as far as saying it's the best board I've ever had. I have to agree with the rest of the guys the sound roxx! __________________ Dont deny the things you really want otherwise it'll be the only thing on your mind. Make sure it hurts tho. - No Exit Sony Vaio Club Member #22

7th May 2003, 11:58 AM	#9
R3xx (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Melbourne Posts: 2,453	Get ur own words buddy!

7th May 2003, 12:06 PM	#10
fxr91 Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Brisbane, QLD Posts: 7,548	I have an 8RDA+ here that has died due to BIOS corruption. Just need time away from work to RMA the damn thing In the interim, I am using a Leadtek with no multiplier change available But it is sitting at 180FSB on my 2100+ at stock multiplier and no problems And yes, the PCI/AGP lock is a most wonderful ting we were waiting for for a long time in AMD systems. Don't care much for onboard sound so no comments as I have never use it. It would appear all the problems arise when people are going for huge FSB's. I would have to say get to 200 and be very happy. Go further and risk killing teh BIOS/board

7th May 2003, 12:07 PM	#11
Scandrew Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 2,205	I've got a Soltek SL-75FRN2-L, I've got a 2100+ and out of the box my mobo was already set to 166fsb. Didn't bother changing it and I've been running it stable as that ever since. Like any other thing you're always bound to come across problems but once you've passed all of that it's pure performace all the way down the last straight. I have to agree with the rest of the guys the sound roxXx!

7th May 2003, 1:40 PM	#12
MWP Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Adelaide Posts: 4,636	Epox 8RGA+ here. No BIOS problems, and ive had it running at 205Mhz FSB stable out of the box. The onboard sound is great (better than any other gaming card) if you are using the boards SPDIF out. Line-Outs are rather low quality becuase of the CODEC being used on these motherboard so far. Im still using my TB SantaCruz because of this. It also seems most NVidia2 boards are picky with RAM. Ive got some PC3500 CAS2 here that will only run at 400Mhz CAS2.5 (fault of the MB, not the RAM). It has been said that this is a BIOS problem though, and will be fixed in the future. BTW... anyone thinking that the onboard video is crap... think again... Give it some good fast dual channel ram to use, and itll supprise (Im getting 3005,2756 Mem bandwidth in Sandra). I havnt tried 3DMark yet, but i can say it would give a decent result. __________________ MWP PC Database AdminCrystalfontz CrystalControl2 Author - Offical Forums Motoring Worklog - Toyota V8 RA28 Celica SA Classic Celica Club Member - Website Last edited by MWP; 7th May 2003 at 1:43 PM.

7th May 2003, 3:20 PM	#13
Cheers Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Hobart Posts: 27	m abit force2 nf7-s 1.2 here, fine no probs goin well good board

7th May 2003, 3:25 PM	#14
Didster Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Gold Coast, Australia Posts: 371	this sucks cus for the a7n8x deluxe rev 1.4 which i have doesn't have 200gsb atm which is kinda suckie. But i really hope they manage to bring a new bios for it for 200mhz support cus atm my fsb can go upto 250mhz which more than likely means it should be able to take 400fsb __________________ Everyday PC: AMD Athlon xp2500 @ xp3200 (11 multi, 200MHz fsb, 1.7V) (Barton) \|\| Thermalright SP-97 \|\| Antec Super Lanboy \|\| Abit AN7\|\| 1024meg Corsair TwinX C2Pro pc-3200 DDRRAM in Dual DDR mode \|\| Abit Radeon X800PRO-VIO 256MB) \|\| 2* Maxtor 120gig sata HDD \|\| Pioneer 16* slotload DVD-ROM \|\| LG GSA-4120B DVD-+RW

7th May 2003, 3:38 PM	#15
smallstepforman Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Melbourne Posts: 33	Why is everyone praising nForce2 sound - I think its average, or lower end. For one, if you try EAX2 settings, you'll get wierd amplitude distortions. With EAX after 20 minutes or so, you will get nasty clipping, and will have to switch EAX off and back on again for the clipping to disappear. The nForce2 control panel from nVidia has never been 100% (they fix one component and stuff up another), the S/N isn't exciting at all. The sound probably sounds average on cheap PC speakers, but the second you plug the audio (via optical SPDIF) to a high end sound processor and speakers, thats when you notice the cheapness of nForce audio. But hey, that doesn't stop nVidia fanboys from chirping their song. Abit NF7-S owner. Not 100% happy with board, although it does what it advertises. Its just that my requirements are above average.