[riptor01]

Hi!

I am thinking of building a new pc this Xmas and since i want it to be TOP i want to pick out the best company for motherboards! personally i have heard that ASUS is the best, but recently i have heard that EVGA is better and few people told me that the best motherboards come from INTEL. So i want to hear from you people what you think and personal experience if there are any!!

[coastie65]

riptor01, on 02 December 2009 - 04:38 PM, said:

Hi!

I am thinking of building a new pc this Xmas and since I want it to be TOP I want to pick out the best company for motherboards! personally UI have heard that ASUS is the best, but recently i have heard that EVGA is better and few people told me that the best motherboards come from INTEL. So I want to hear from you people what you think and personal experience if there are any!!

Hi, If you are planning on building an Intel i7 based machine, it will be a good one. If you are going to run a single video card you can go either Nvidia or ati. If you go multiple, at present the X58 chipset Mobos only support ati Crossfire. In order for a board to support sli, the board design will have to be submitted by the manufacturer and validated by Nvidia. Nvidia will then isue a key which will allow you to run two Nvidia cards in sli configutration. My guess is that Intel will be the first to submit a design for validation. I am a big fan of the EVGA Graphics Cards and I have an Intel Motherboard in here. I haven't seen much on the EVGA Motherboards, but they ought to be pretty good.

[backbuster]

coastie65, on 02 December 2009 - 04:57 PM, said:

riptor01, on 02 December 2009 - 04:38 PM, said:

Hi!

I am thinking of building a new pc this Xmas and since I want it to be TOP I want to pick out the best company for motherboards! personally UI have heard that ASUS is the best, but recently i have heard that EVGA is better and few people told me that the best motherboards come from INTEL. So I want to hear from you people what you think and personal experience if there are any!!

Hi, If you are planning on building an Intel i7 based machine, it will be a good one. If you are going to run a single video card you can go either Nvidia or ati. If you go multiple, at present the X58 chipset Mobos only support ati Crossfire. In order for a board to support sli, the board design will have to be submitted by the manufacturer and validated by Nvidia. Nvidia will then isue a key which will allow you to run two Nvidia cards in sli configutration. My guess is that Intel will be the first to submit a design for validation. I am a big fan of the EVGA Graphics Cards and I have an Intel Motherboard in here. I haven't seen much on the EVGA Motherboards, but they ought to be pretty good.

For the I7 almost all of the X58 motherboard support SLI. A quick check at TigerDirect and I could not find any X58 motherboards for sale that did not support SLI.SLI has been supported by the X58 chipset since it was first released.

[SnyperTodd]

The answer to this questions is going to be purely subjective. There's not really one company who makes better boards than any others. All we can do is give you opinions, and you'll have to research and come to your own conclusion. My personal preference is for Gigabyte or high-end Foxconn boards. Gigabyte boards just have a better fit and finish than most, and their BIOS is very refined. Their "UD" and "DS" series boards use high quality components. Foxconn has recently been trying to make a name for itself in the extreme-enthusiast segment with their "Quantum Force" series boards. They generally have higher quality components than most other manufacturers, like digital PWMs and more of them, two separate BIOS chips, and extreme cooling options. DFI also makes some very high end boards, their LanParty UT series is similar to Foxconn's Quantum Force boards. MSI has just come out with a motherboard series called the Big Bang that doesn't have a single canister-type capacitor. It's reliability and stability will be interesting to see. One thing about the Big Bangs- they feature a Lucid Hydra chip, which will allow you to run multiple video cards from multiple vendors. In other words- an ATI with an nVidia working together and scaling very well.

Also, Backbuster is right in that all X58 boards support Crossfire and most (a vast majority) support SLI. The X58 is the first Intel chipset to be licensed for SLI- prior to that, it was Crossfire only for Intel chipsets with the exception of SkullTrail.

This post has been edited by SnyperTodd: 02 December 2009 - 07:56 PM

[waldojim]

As snyper said - this will be entirely personal choice, and we have all had different experiences.

My First (and ONLY) Gigabyte board was a socked 939 Nforce board, that got returned twice because it was unstable.
It replaced an MSI K7N2 Delta-L (Socket A) board that TO THIS DAY Still has an unbelievable OC behind it. pushing a 1.4Ghz Athlon-XP to 2.2Ghz! Stable, rock solid like that for YEARS!
Once that gigabyte failed me, it was replaced with an MSI K9N Platinum socket 939. While it didn't OC for squat (2.5 from 2.2) I can say it is a rock solid board. A friend is now using that one for daily gaming (WoW)
I now have an MSI 785G in my media center, and an MSI 770 in my wifes machine. So far, not one bad board amongst them.

I run an EVGA board in my primary rig. I feel that it does not have enough...stuff... for its price point, as it only has 4 Sata, no digital audio, etc. and it was a $200 board - but it has served my quite well, and runs my C2Q 9450 at 3.6ghz (from 2.6) which I think is more than acceptable for a stable OC(2 years now!).

My brother runs an MSI 780i that I built him with THREE 8800GTX's and not a single issue from that board either.

So - my opionion. EVGA and MSI are excellent choices. But wait and see what else people think.

[Rommel]

riptor01, on 02 December 2009 - 04:38 PM, said:

Hi!

I am thinking of building a new pc this Xmas and since i want it to be TOP i want to pick out the best company for motherboards! personally i have heard that ASUS is the best, but recently i have heard that EVGA is better and few people told me that the best motherboards come from INTEL. So i want to hear from you people what you think and personal experience if there are any!!

Hi,

I don't know the extent of your pc knowledge, mine is ok but I am a newbie compared to guys like Snypertodd and waldojim.

If you fall into my catagory, I would also lean toward a company that you can easily contact.
Thats my view on all components. That and warrentys.

I own 2 Asus boards, an 939 amd socket A8V deluxe. 3 yrs now, zero issues. Another 939 amd board from asus, my sons, 2 yrs and zero issues. Both home made, so as others mentioned, our experiance shapes our answer.

My third build is going to be another asus board but I would had gone with msi on a board if I had a little more of a budget. There are quite a few great board makers. Make sure you research well the model that you are interersted in. I am sure every board maker has produced at least one dud.

Rommel

[SnyperTodd]

Actually, I wouldn't have considered an MSI board until Waldojim kept pushing them in various topics on here. I had a bad experience with an MSI video card a few years ago, and wrote them off as a brand. Looking at in-depth reviews of MSI's recent motherboard has definitely changed my opinion of them. I wouldn't be afraid of an MSI board.

[backbuster]

EVGA, Intel, Asus, MSI and Gigabyte all build excellent mother boards, to say that one company is better than the other would be a personal choice. Foxconn builds motherboards for Intel, Apple, EVGA, HP, Dell, ETC, so the workmanship is very similar with the difference being in the components that each company has Foxconn install. To help you choose the “TOP” motherboard we should really be looking at what is the best motherboard for you. To help do that we need your budget for this build and we need to know what the computer will be used for. There is no point in building a computer that will have multiple video cards if you are not a gamer and only use the computer to surf the web and as a word processor. One thing that a lot of people tend to ignore is the look of the board. If you are going to build a computer with a clear side you will want a motherboard that not only meets your requirements but looks good too. So which motherboard is “TOP”? That would be the board that best meets YOUR needs within your budget.

[coastie65]

SnyperTodd, on 02 December 2009 - 07:46 PM, said:

The answer to this questions is going to be purely subjective. There's not really one company who makes better boards than any others. All we can do is give you opinions, and you'll have to research and come to your own conclusion. My personal preference is for Gigabyte or high-end Foxconn boards. Gigabyte boards just have a better fit and finish than most, and their BIOS is very refined. Their "UD" and "DS" series boards use high quality components. Foxconn has recently been trying to make a name for itself in the extreme-enthusiast segment with their "Quantum Force" series boards. They generally have higher quality components than most other manufacturers, like digital PWMs and more of them, two separate BIOS chips, and extreme cooling options. DFI also makes some very high end boards, their LanParty UT series is similar to Foxconn's Quantum Force boards. MSI has just come out with a motherboard series called the Big Bang that doesn't have a single canister-type capacitor. It's reliability and stability will be interesting to see. One thing about the Big Bangs- they feature a Lucid Hydra chip, which will allow you to run multiple video cards from multiple vendors. In other words- an ATI with an nVidia working together and scaling very well.

Also, Backbuster is right in that all X58 boards support Crossfire and most (a vast majority) support SLI. The X58 is the first Intel chipset to be licensed for SLI- prior to that, it was Crossfire only for Intel chipsets with the exception of SkullTrail.

Hey Snyper, I think I may have run across some old info on that. Probably as outdated as I am.

[SnyperTodd]

coastie65, on 03 December 2009 - 06:25 PM, said:

Hey Snyper, I think I may have run across some old info on that. Probably as outdated as I am.

Well, once you update your signature with your new rig, you'll be more up to date than I am!

[waldojim]

SnyperTodd, on 03 December 2009 - 03:16 PM, said:

Actually, I wouldn't have considered an MSI board until Waldojim kept pushing them in various topics on here. I had a bad experience with an MSI video card a few years ago, and wrote them off as a brand. Looking at in-depth reviews of MSI's recent motherboard has definitely changed my opinion of them. I wouldn't be afraid of an MSI board.

wow... I didn't think about it, but I guess I do kinda push them don't I? Ah well... I just see them as an excellent value. I will have to cut back a bit though I guess...

[waldojim]

backbuster, on 03 December 2009 - 05:09 PM, said:

EVGA, Intel, Asus, MSI and Gigabyte all build excellent mother boards, to say that one company is better than the other would be a personal choice. Foxconn builds motherboards for Intel, Apple, EVGA, HP, Dell, ETC, so the workmanship is very similar with the difference being in the components that each company has Foxconn install. To help you choose the “TOP” motherboard we should really be looking at what is the best motherboard for you. To help do that we need your budget for this build and we need to know what the computer will be used for. There is no point in building a computer that will have multiple video cards if you are not a gamer and only use the computer to surf the web and as a word processor. One thing that a lot of people tend to ignore is the look of the board. If you are going to build a computer with a clear side you will want a motherboard that not only meets your requirements but looks good too. So which motherboard is “TOP”? That would be the board that best meets YOUR needs within your budget.

One minor correction, EVGA FTW boards are designed and manufactured by EVGA, the only boards they do not commission from Foxconn... and they do tend to be of higher quality (just look at the reviews for the 750i and the 750iFTW - BIG difference)

[SnyperTodd]

waldojim, on 05 December 2009 - 02:27 PM, said:

SnyperTodd, on 03 December 2009 - 03:16 PM, said:

Actually, I wouldn't have considered an MSI board until Waldojim kept pushing them in various topics on here. I had a bad experience with an MSI video card a few years ago, and wrote them off as a brand. Looking at in-depth reviews of MSI's recent motherboard has definitely changed my opinion of them. I wouldn't be afraid of an MSI board.

wow... I didn't think about it, but I guess I do kinda push them don't I? Ah well... I just see them as an excellent value. I will have to cut back a bit though I guess...

I didn't mean that in a bad way, you're not obnoxious about it like some people are about operating systems......... I just mean anytime someone asks for a suggestion, you generally recommend MSI. Nothing wrong with that. Like I said- you got me to take a second look at them, and their newer offerings have begun to change my opinion about them as a company. Their new Big Bang boards have really piqued my interest...

[riggs1957]

I have used EVGA and ASUS with the only problem thay became obsalete after about 2 years.So i jest bought a ASROCK p67 EXTREME 4 GEN 3 Board and it is the most complete board i have seen.It has the usb 2.0 and the usb 3.0 allready in the board allso has the PSI-2.0 and the PSI-3.0 japan made gold capacitors with a 2.5 longer life it supports the sandybrige I7,I5,I3 processors but will allso work with Intels new IVYBRIDGE CPUs comming out in about a year .

[coastie65]

riggs1957, on 31 March 2012 - 01:08 AM, said:

I have used EVGA and ASUS with the only problem thay became obsolete after about 2 years.So i jest bought a ASROCK p67 EXTREME 4 GEN 3 Board and it is the most complete board i have seen.It has the usb 2.0 and the usb 3.0 allready in the board allso has the PSI-2.0 and the PSI-3.0 japan made gold capacitors with a 2.5 longer life it supports the sandybrige I7,I5,I3 processors but will allso work with Intels new IVYBRIDGE CPUs coming out in about a year .

Hi Riggs and welcome to the forums. First, ASRock is a spin off of ASUS. It was done originally to provide boards to mass producers of computers, but since have been targeting the enthusiast crowd. I used the ASUS P8Z68-VPro Motherboard in this build and have been very happy with it ( It does have USB 3.0 ). If I had awaited a bit longer, I could have gotten one with PCIe 3.0. I have a Gateway FX6800-01e with a socket 1366 Motherboard that I attempted to change out to an EVGA MICRO ATX 1366 board. Didn't have enough USB headers.

This post has been edited by coastie65: 03 April 2012 - 05:48 AM

[myloginname]

I couldn't answer this question fairly. First, I haven't tried all the brands. Many people say that ASUS is the best quality, but you can't judge something based solely on reviews. Second, this poll doesn't have many other major manufacturers, such as Gigabyte, MSI, ASRock. If I were to choose though, it would be Gigabyte, as I have a Gigabyte board on my rig. My friend owns an ASUS Sabertooth, but to tell you the truth, that thing gets REALLY hot. And ASUS boards have such high prices, I'm not sure if that really does justify the price.

As others have mentioned, this is a very hard to answer question, but most polls are like that anyways.

[mjd420nova]

I think this is a toss up. I have services all those mfgrs and many more and not found an overwhelming trend. I only get to see the broken ones. The five I've built were a mixed e-machines upgrade and state of the art, on a budget. They last an average of 7 years, two sixes, a seven and two eight year runs I figure is pretty good. I have found that a retrofit board for a clients failed Gateway, HP, or whatever, ASUS makes the board that is closest to the exact one. I hate to rewire. My two retrofit machines were repaired MOBOs from a gateway and an HP that had been overclocked into a crater failure. I replaced the chip with one a bit faster that the original and backed it down to stock spec. I took the Gateway to instablity and backed it of by an extra multiple. They lasted until just this last December. Now its gotta be USB3, SATA500, PCI-E and HDMI. So much hardware packed unto a single board. A leg warmer(laptop) or a room warmer(desktop), few don't add to the ambient and even liquid cooling has to have exhaust heat. The bigger the board, the more heat will be spread out and not concentrated. Service units dictate what will fit and if the peripheral connections are all accessable.