Soldato
Not an owner of ASRock hardware, ever, but i could do with help as i'm almost certainly going to be as i can't really afford the 'ooh shiny' i want (v gene). I've only found ASRock micro ATXs (i need to go matx) without spending silly money with 8 sata ports - it's pretty essential i have more than 6 and potentially a FIS port multiplier eventually (on the asmedia controller?). I'm building a PC which needs to live for many years so longevity is paramount, not hugely bothered about overclocking initially (although it'd be nice) as i think an IB i5/7 k series at stock will be enough just now (you would not believe what i'm upgrading from but my usage will change to add gaming with the new rig) but as the cpu gets older i want to stave off obsolescence a little bit by OC . Audio quality for music is important. Won't be running sli or crossfire
I like the asus maximus v gene's premium (for on board?) sound as i'm tight on space in the pci-es, same goes for the wifi riser card although i don't currently use wifi on my main rig, i also like the m-sata slot on same as it'd free up a drive bay, but do i really need a board like that? What's this i hear about asus sudden death syndrome? I had an asus board back in the P3 days that died for no apparent reason, very suddenly
The Pro4-M is priced very temptingly but seems to be getting what one pays for? it's a well equipped board so there must be compromise elsewhere? It's also not a cheap board if i have to add a soundcard(current one is pci) to get good sound out of it or it dies before i want to upgrade
extreme4-m looks like a better quality product from the reviews and forum posts i've read (although there isn't any pro reviews on the pro4-m or i probably wouldn't be typing this now), has better sound, good enough for music? i've got a 5.1 reciever and all channels are used except the sub which I don't need having enormous floorstanding front speakers, i feel the bass as it is
I'm good at this but i'm really out of date with my knowledge of current hardware, so i'm not quite sure what to go for on.. almost every component of the new build Ordinarily, i'd just go for the V Gene as it's the best equipped of the lot and 'only 50 quid more' than the ex4-m but i've done that before and ended up just speccing a few tens of pounds more on a few components and before i know it it is hundreds of pounds over my (infintesimal) budget and i probably don't need it if say the ex4-m or even the pro4-m has good on board sound and will last etc etc
I'm a bit poor but i really need a new computer so badly it bleeds(my atom N270 netbook feels faster/more powerful). I'll save up for the V Gene if it's the best board for me and it's going to be reliable for 5-7 years but if i can get the same goodness from a ex-4m i could do with spending that 50 pounds elsewhere in the rig
help? former overclocking don floundering
edit: oh yeah, don't know if it makes a difference but i'll be using a weighty D14 heatsink - perhaps a bit heavy for a pro4-m if it's made from cheaper components?
I like the asus maximus v gene's premium (for on board?) sound as i'm tight on space in the pci-es, same goes for the wifi riser card although i don't currently use wifi on my main rig, i also like the m-sata slot on same as it'd free up a drive bay, but do i really need a board like that? What's this i hear about asus sudden death syndrome? I had an asus board back in the P3 days that died for no apparent reason, very suddenly
The Pro4-M is priced very temptingly but seems to be getting what one pays for? it's a well equipped board so there must be compromise elsewhere? It's also not a cheap board if i have to add a soundcard(current one is pci) to get good sound out of it or it dies before i want to upgrade
extreme4-m looks like a better quality product from the reviews and forum posts i've read (although there isn't any pro reviews on the pro4-m or i probably wouldn't be typing this now), has better sound, good enough for music? i've got a 5.1 reciever and all channels are used except the sub which I don't need having enormous floorstanding front speakers, i feel the bass as it is
I'm good at this but i'm really out of date with my knowledge of current hardware, so i'm not quite sure what to go for on.. almost every component of the new build Ordinarily, i'd just go for the V Gene as it's the best equipped of the lot and 'only 50 quid more' than the ex4-m but i've done that before and ended up just speccing a few tens of pounds more on a few components and before i know it it is hundreds of pounds over my (infintesimal) budget and i probably don't need it if say the ex4-m or even the pro4-m has good on board sound and will last etc etc
I'm a bit poor but i really need a new computer so badly it bleeds(my atom N270 netbook feels faster/more powerful). I'll save up for the V Gene if it's the best board for me and it's going to be reliable for 5-7 years but if i can get the same goodness from a ex-4m i could do with spending that 50 pounds elsewhere in the rig
help? former overclocking don floundering
edit: oh yeah, don't know if it makes a difference but i'll be using a weighty D14 heatsink - perhaps a bit heavy for a pro4-m if it's made from cheaper components?
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