[Denise_M]

My present mobo needs to be replaced. This is what my current pc has:

- Biostar TFORCE 6100-939 mobo which supports dual channel DDR
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA 3.0Gb/s 320Gb hard drive (RAID array not set up and never will be)
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Toledo 2.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor
- ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
- Corsair 620W PSU
- Ballistix 2x1G RAM, 184-pin DIMM, 128MX64 DDR PC3200, Unbuffered
- NORCO-4618 PCI-X / PCI eSATA / SATA II / SATA I Controller Card RAID 0/1/5/10/JBOD
- Windows XP X64, SP2
- NetFramework 2.0 Redistributable Pack for X64

I don't do gaming but I do a lot of video work . . . watching them, editing, cutting, splitting, joining, etc. I won't be overclocking either.

I've done some research into the socket 939 motherboards. The pickings are getting slim but I think this one is pretty good:


Asus A8N-SLI SE Motherboard CPU Bundle - AMD Athlon 64 4000+ Processor 2.40GHz OEM at TigerDirect.com

I've been having a problem getting the above link to work. This is the description of the mobo at the TigerDirect site if it won't work for you:

Asus A8N-SLI SE Motherboard CPU Bundle
The Asus A8N-SLI SE Socket 939 Motherboard supports AMD processors like the Athlon 64 FX X2, Athlon 64FX, and Athlon 64 processors with 1MB/512KB L2 cache. It is designed specifically to support the new 64-bit software architecture. It features 2000/1600 MT/s HyperTransport Bus and dual-channel un-buffered DDR400 memory support up to 4GB. This SLI-ready motherboard is prepared for Dual VGA applications with 2 PCI-Express x16 slots, 1 PCI-Express x1, and 3 PCI slots. With a bus bandwidth 4 times higher than that of AGP 8X interface, PCI Express x16 bus performs much better in applications such as 3D gaming. The A8N-SLI SE supports next-generation SATA hard drives based on the new SATA 3Gb/s storage specification. It has two dedicated SATA controllers delivering more scalable performance and doubles the bus bandwidth for fast hard drive data retrieval and saves. Also featuring AMD Cool n' Quiet technology, up to 10 USB 2.0 ports, and a host of ASUS special features, this is a great board for those who want state of the art gaming or graphics machines.


I'm not completely sure if this motherboard is compatible with the other components of my pc that I listed above. I would appreciate it if someone/a few people would review it and let me know.

Thanks in advance . . .

[zedman3d]

Looks okay at a quick glance, why bother getting the bundle though, its just a single core 4000.

Here is the page at Asus if it helps you and others:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

[Denise_M]

That's the reason I wanted to check with someone. I didn't pick up the fact that it isn't dual core. Thanks for pointing that out to me zedman3d )

[Denise_M]

Thanks for the link to Asus.

I didn't want to spend as much money as the following boards cost but it seems that there's a gap between boards costing $89 and $189. I couldn't find anything in between.

Asus A8N32-SLI DELUXE Socket939/nForce4 SLI x16/RAID/2GbE Motherboard $186.00
Asus A8N32-SLI DELUXE Socket939/nForce4 SLI x16/RAID/2GbE Motherboard

Asus A8N-SLI DELUXE Socket 939/nForce4/PCI-Express/RAID/2GBE/ATX Motherboard $185.00
Asus A8N-SLI DELUXE Socket 939/nForce4/PCI-Express/RAID/2GBE/ATX Motherboard

Asus A8N5X Dual-Core nVidia nForce4 Chipset 2000MT/s FSB Dual Channel DDR400 Socket 939 ATX Motherboard w/ PCI Express x16, 8 Channel Audio, Gigabit Lan, SATA /RAID, USB 2.0, Firewire
Asus A8N5X Dual-Core nVidia nForce4 Chipset 2000MT/s FSB Dual Channel DDR400 Socket 939 ATX Motherboard w/ PCI Express x16, 8 Channel Audio, Gigabit Lan, SATA /RAID, USB 2.0, Firewire (Retail) (Discontinued)
This board is on sale for $89.99, regularly $149.99

The last one looks the best to me regarding the price. Since I don't do gaming, overclocking isn't an issue and I won't be setting up a RAID Array.

Would you please let me know what you think of this one?

[Trotter]

PriceGrabber.com

Newegg.com - TYAN S2865ANRF 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX Server Motherboard - Retail

PriceGrabber.com

PriceGrabber.com

The Tyans (both the same board) have the nForce4 Ultra chipset, very sharp.

[zedman3d]

No wait hold on, the bundle doesnt come with a dual core, but it does support dual cores, so yeah your cpu should work fine with it.

[Denise_M]

Hi zedman3d and Trotter . . . thanks for replying

"No wait hold on, the bundle doesnt come with a dual core, but it does support dual cores, so yeah your cpu should work fine with it."

Asus A8N-SLI SE Motherboard CPU Bundle
The Asus A8N-SLI SE Socket 939 Motherboard supports AMD processors like the Athlon 64 FX X2


Will my dual core processor work as a dual core processor or a single core processor? Does it only support dual core processors or is it capable of allowing dual core processing? The wording is kind've tricky.

[zedman3d]

Yeah i worded it abit odly. Sorry. The motherboard is fine, it can take your Dual Core and use it normally. Ive never heard of a motherboard that only uses one core of a dual core... lol.

Hope i helped.
PS: The only thing you have to look into is if the motherboard fits in your pc, ie form factor.

[Denise_M]

The size isn't something that I gave any thought to. I checked a number of sites where motherboards are sold and none of them tell the size of them. How will I know if one will fit my case?

[zedman3d]

On the Asus site it says:

Form Factor:
ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.5 cm )

Gimme a sec to check what size your original motherboard is.

EDIT: It doesnt look good, your original motherboard is MircoATX not ATX, and ive found another problem. Your current motherboard has onboard video, meaning, when you buy a motherboard without onboard video, your going to have to buy a video card as well. Ill look for a motherboard for you, sit tight.

Edit2: Well there is NOTHING. There are no 939 boards that use MATX form factor for sale anywhere. If you really want to salvage that system your going to have to buy the motherboard, a new case to fit it in, a new PSU for a new video card and in the end its just not worth it. Sorry.