Epox EP-9NPAJ SLi and EP-9NPA+ Ultra

batfink

batfink

batfink

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Joined
6 Jan 2006
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486
Did a quick search, but couldn't find what I was looking for.

I've settled on getting an Epox board for my first build, but what's the difference between these two (in simple terms for a n00b!)? I'm not bothered about SLi so would I be best off with the 9NPA+ Ultra ?

Cheers.
 
What motherboard would you recommend for a similar price ?

I'm already stretching my budget on the rest of the system so don't want to spend any more. Planned system is:

Motherboard ??
Athlon 64 3200+
Arctic Freezer 64
Gigabyte 256Mb 6600GT Silentpipe
Geil 1Gb (2x512Mb) Ram
Samsung Spinpoint 200Gb
NEC 4551 DVD-RW
Tagan 380W PSU
Coolermaster Centurion 530
 
After much deliberation, I went with the Epox. Decided I needed to get this system ordered or I would spend forever changing my mind over which components to get.

I'm not planning to do much in the way of overclocking and the system is going to be for general use with one or two games thrown in and probably a dual boot with Linux.

I wanted a reasonably quiet machine hence the choice of graphics card and the use of the arctic freezer (which I got today and it's HUGE).

I almost thought about going with the Abit AN8 Ultra board since it uses passive cooling, but I found far more positive reviews of the Epox than the Abit so bit the bullet and went with it (the 9NPA+ Ultra). The only drawback seems to be the location of the power connector which I'll have to work around.

I also went with the 420W Tagan PSU (rather than the 380) to provide a bit more freedom to upgrade in the future. Hopefully I've made good choices......no doubt I'll find out when I build it next week :)
 
Quick question for users of the 9NPA+ Ultra......

Which slots do I use for dual-channel memory?

The manual clearly states: "For dual channel to operate, both channels must be populated with the same amount of memory, preferably of the same type

The four DIMM sockets are divided into two colours to help you identify the channel pairs. Each dual channel pair has the same colour, e.g. DIMM1 and DIMM3. To obtain best performance, simply mount DIMM sockets of the same colour."

Maybe I'm mis-reading it, but it's confused me. DIMM1 and DIMM3 are different colours. DIMM1 and DIMM2 are the same colour so which pair of slots are the correct ones to use :confused:

Cheers.
 
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