The Unofficial List of Good mATX Motherboards (Overclocking and Not)

Dillusion

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Oct 21, 2003
Messages
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I made this thread to answer many topics that come up once a day, so pay attention! ;)

*** Top Picks for 2007 ***
Socket AM2: abit NF-M2 nView
Socket 775 C2D: abit F-I90HD
Socket 939: Biostar TFORCE6100-939
Socket 754: Biostar TFORCE6100

Retired:
Socket 775: ABiT LG-81 (May not be available anymore, refer to current 775 Motherboards which are backwards compatible with older CPU's)

ATTENTION: TWEAKED JETWAY AND ECS RS480 BASED CHIPSET mATX MOTHERBOARD BIOS'S AVAILABLE HERE

Overclocking Options:
* = FSB
* = vCORE
* = Mult.
* = vChipset/vHTT
* = vDIMM
* = FSB/PCI/PCI-E Locks
* = DRAM Timings

* = No Overclocking Options (DRAM Timings and vDIMM aside)
* = Unconfirmed Overclocking Options

Socket AM2:
ABiT NF-M2 nView *******
BIOSTAR GEFORCE 6100 AM2 ***
BIOSTAR TForce 6100 AM2 ******* Note: Modded BIOS available @ RebelsHaven.com to unlock Memory Timings
ECS C51GM-M *
Foxconn 6100M2MA - RS2H *
Gigabyte GA-M51GM-S2G *
ECS RS485-M-M *
DFI C51PV-M2/G *
DFI RS485-M2/G *
DFI RS690-M2/G *
ASUS M2NPV-VM *******
MSI K9AGM *
MSI K9NGM *
EPoX EP-MGF6100-M *******

Core 2 Duo S775 (i865/965/946/Xpress1200/G965/G33):
Gigabyte G945GZM ****Note: Overclocking by opening up the 1066 option for C2D CPU's Only
Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R *****
abit F-I90HD *****
EPoX EP-5G945-MJ *****Note: FSB cap at 350 in BIOS
intel DQ965GF/OT/SS*
ECS G965T-M *
MSI G965M-DH *
Biostar 945G Micro 775SE *
Biostar I945G-M7 V2.X *****Note: FSB cap at 300 in BIOS
Biostar 945GZ Micro 775 *
Foxconn G9657MA-8EKRS2 *****Note: FSB cap at 333 in BIOS
Aopen i965GM-HFL *
DFI CFX1150/G *
MSI Q965M *
Gigabyte GA-946ZM-S2 *
Gigabyte GA-965GM-S2 *
ASUS P5LD2-VM R2.0 *****Note: Only a limited PCI-E lock, this is what holds the board back.
ASUS P5B-VM *****Note: Only a limited PCI-E lock, this is what holds the board back.
ASUS P5L-MX ****
ASUS P5L-VM *
ASrock 775Twins-HDTV Rev.2 *
ASrock 775i65G ****

Core Duo S479 (i945GM):
AOpen i945GTm-VHL *
AOpen i945GTm-HIL *
Gigabyte GA-8I945GTMF-Y-RH *
Asus N4L-VM DH ****
MSI 945GT Speedstre-A4R **

Socket 754 (NF3-250/K8M800/K8T800/Xpress200/6100IGP):
BIOSTAR GEFORCE 6100-M7 *
BIOSTAR TForce6100 ******
ASUS K8N-VM *** Note: FSB only to 240.
JetWay J754GT3-P *
MSI K8NGM-V *
DFI K8M800-MLVF **
JetWay A200GDMS ****Note: Memory Divider Ratios 100/133/166/200
MSI K8MM-V **
MSI K8NM-FISR/ILSR * Note: Mobile Support
MSI RS480M-IL *
CHAINTECH MBAV-MK8T890 *
Abit KV-80 ***
GIGABYTE GA-K8VM800M ***
SOLTEK K8M800I-RL *****
CHAINTECH MK8M800 *
MSI K8MM-ILSR ***
Biostar K8NHA-M Grand **** *

Socket 939 (NF4/Xpress200/6100(6150)):
Abit NF-95 * ***
Albatron KM51PV * Note: Heatpipes connecting NB+SB
EVGA 131-K8-NF44-AX NF4 SLI *
EPoX EP-9GF6100-M ****** Note: Epox has released a BIOS fix for the >220 FSB bug.
MSI K8NGM2-L ****
BIOSTAR GEFORCE 6100-M9 ******
DFI RS482 ******
Foxconn 6100K8MA-RS ******
Foxconn 6150K8MA-8EKRS ******
Gigabyte GA-K8N51PVMT-9 **** Note: 6150+430
Gigabyte GA-K8N51GMF-9 **** Note: 6100+430
ASUS A8N-VM ***** * Note: 6100+410. FSB only to 240.
ASUS A8N-VM CSM ***** * Note: 6150+430. FSB only to 240.
ASUS A8V-MX K8M800 **Note: NO vCore, HTT to 4x, and PRE-DEFINED memory frequencies.
BioStar TForce6100-939 ******
JetWay A210GDMS-Pro ******Note: The ULI southbridge is not supported by Windows XP. You MUST install the raid driver to use it in any mode.
ASUS A8NE-FM *
Casedge NF4K8MC-ERS * Note: FoxConn Rebadge?
ECS RS480-M V1.0 ***** Note: vDIMM only to 2.7 and FSB only to 250. vCore past 1.45 does not work.
Foxconn NF4K8MC-RS *
Foxconn NF4K8MC-EKRS*
Foxconn NF4K8MC-ERS * Note: FireWire Model
MSI RS480M2-IL * Note: Dual Core Support, OC'ing up to 220FSB VIA ClockGen as of 4/23/05
MSI RS482M4-ILD *

Socket 775 (i915G/945G/945P/Xpress200):
Gigabyte GA-8I945GMH-RH *
Foxconn 945G7MA-8KS2 *
MSI 945GZM2 *
ECS RC410L/800-M ***
Gigabyte GA-8I945GMH-RH *
MSI 945GM H-F *
MSI 945GM-F *
ASUS P5LD2-VM DH *******
ASUS P5RD2-VM ***
Asus P5LD2-VM**** ***
Abit LP-80/81**** ***
Abit LG-80/81**** ***
MSI 915GM-FR **** Note: No OC'ing for EM64T CPU's
AOpen i915Gm-I/PL **** Note: PL Series includes 'Power Master' Support
GIGABYTE GA-8I915G-MF ***
ASUS P5GD1-VM *
Abit IG-80/81 *** Note: Known Issues over 220FSB

Socket 478 (865G/845GV/SiS661FX):
Asus P4S800-MX **Note: 'Partial' PCI Locks (Viewable in BIOS), Confirmed to take mobile S478 Chips (IE- Mobile Celeron)
MSI 865GM2-LS ***Note: vCore removed in later BIOS updates.
ASRock P4I45GVR5 ***
ABIT IS-10 * (*****) Note: Modded BIOS that unlocks OC'ing available through Kunaak @ XS (Options Shown in Parenthesis)
GIGABYTE GA-8IG1000MK ***
ASUS P4P800-VM *

Pentium M (855GME/i915G)
DFI 855GME-MGF * * * *
AOpen i855GMEm-LFS * Note: P4-Style HSF Mounts
AOpen i915GMm-HFS ***** Note: Dual Channel only by DDR2
MSI 915GM Speedster-FA4R *

If you own any of these boards and can confirm its options, please let me know, and if you have something special thats available in the U.S. that i didn't find, let me know aswell!

Hope this helps some buying decisions.
 
everything made to be 'stable', whether or not the one you bought is, well...your fault i guess :p
 
It be nice if you listed them in order of preference.
Those 939 listings; seeing MSI under FoxConn....that makes baby jesus cry.


 
The biostar board you listed seemed like a good OC choice, but the only boards that pricewatch spits out for "Biostar K8NHA Grand" are full ATX.

biostar k8nha mATX spits this out:
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=MB-K8VGA-M&c=pw,
and I doubt it has the same OC options.

Is that board you listed out of production?
 
Ruiner said:

seconded

I'd also like to see SocketA, and maybe include the Shuttle line-up, as they are worthy of consideration as well.

For Socket A, the MN31N is pretty good, though it requires an easy pin-mod to the socket to implement overclocking.

-SEAL
 
As socket A is being phase dout, i dont feel its necessary to add it in. I fixed the DFI issue, thanks for the linkage. And i fixed the biostar's name, now look it up :p As for ordering them by features, well we just dont need to do that, look at the colorful astericks :)
 
Pentium M (855GME/i915G)
DFI 855GME-MGF *

I have this board currently running in my system. I have a 1.6 pentium M at 2.32ghz stable right now. The only overclocking options are FSB, RAM timings/ratios.
 
The [h] review also states it having vdimm control and PCI lock control.
 
I believe that mine is locked at a max of 2.7v on vdimm however it can go down. It also has vcore adjustments but again the max is 1.2v (and can be adjusted down) which is what you run these chips at normally anyway. It does have PCI lock, I forgot about that.
 
Dillusion said:
As socket A is being phase dout, i dont feel its necessary to add it in.

I think Socket A is far from being dead... bear in mind that a lot of us don't need the absolute fastest, and Socket A is very budget friendly.

-SEAL
 
Dillusion said:
And i fixed the biostar's name, now look it up :p :)

No price listings for the biostar. I'm guessing the old nf3 150 is out of production. The k8nha (not -m) is their full atx nf3 250 board.
The only micro atx biostar listed is the K8VGA-M, a k8m800 chipset.

I did find an old review of the k8nha-M on hexus, but no dealers so far.
 
SEALTeamSix said:
I think Socket A is far from being dead... bear in mind that a lot of us don't need the absolute fastest, and Socket A is very budget friendly.

-SEAL


Im aware of that, but it's being phased out reguardless, ide rather work on something that people can use 6-12 months later.
 
Awesome thread! :D

Looking for a motherboard for an Apple G5 case. Was thinking of going 775 and a Intel 630 CPU, but doing some reading this morning it seems an Athlon 64 3200+ provides better results for standard PC use and gaming.

The ABIT KV-80 is my first choice, given my luck with their boards. Solid, reliable, and usually overclockable to boot. Though I realize the mATX are another story for overclocking and options. But then, I don't intend to watercool, and I don't know what coolers I'd need for Athlon overclocking to be effective.

Sounds like that Biostar board might be a nice option, but I had problems with one of those I got through New Egg several years ago. I ended up selling the Coolermaster mATX case I had bought, returning the mATX motherboard, CPU, and RAM to New Egg, and I got a Shuttle instead that has worked great.

Later, when I needed more HD space, I bought an "empty" shuttle case, put 2 hard drives in it, and created my own custom system to connect the 2 Shuttle cases and use the 2nd as an External Drive Enclosure. Great stuff! :)

In any event, if anyone has any info or links on the KV-80, or experience with the Biostar K8NHA-M Grand, I'd sure love to hear more about those!!!

Keep up the great work!!!
 
excellent post, i spent a long time looking for a good ocing skt478 matx mobo for my friend, woulda been nice to have this post. however, after much research we picked up the asus p4s800, looks like a matx board with plenty of options, vcore, 1 mhz fsb increments and ram voltage. i can't confirm all this yet, seeing as how we havent put the systems together, but that's just from reading the manual so will definetly check back once we get the system up. ;)

edit: also note the asus p4p800 does not support apg, but the p4s800 does
 
Just to share the wealth of knowledge...

Shuttle SB65G2 (865 chipset) and SB75G2 (875 chipset) systems are both good P4 overclockers.

-SEAL
 
As is the Shuttle SB61G2. I have that with 2x256MB GEIL "Golden Dragon" PC3500 sticks running in DDR, and a P4 2.4C CPU. Before trying several different sticks of RAM (wanted to run 255MHz FSB both CPU and RAM), I could do 3.06GHz completely reliably. Since switching out the ram several times, I now had to back down to 250MHz, but that's tested with Prime95, and it is totally stable.

As for mATX motherboards, I just read about the Biostar K8VGA-M. It looks similar to their other Athlon 64 offering but with the better NB chipset. And I'd rather go with that if the options, features, and stability all remain equal.
 
Yeah i had an SB65G2 once. But we're not looking at shuttles, we're lookign at mATX boards. All shuttles have OCing options (90% rather).
 
I have seen the ASUS A8NE-FM for sale on the web, but not a whole lot of info on it.
It appears to be the only NForce4 Ultra mATX mobo out there. I have checked Asus' website and it doesnt even exist on there.
Does anyone know the full specs on this? (BTW, Yes I did google)
 
http://www.bytewizecomputers.com/products/7/7/717/9012

http://www.excaliberpc.com/ASUS_A8NE-FM_nForce4_Motherboard/A8N-E-FM_BULK/partinfo-id-553211.html

Those are two store links, CA and US.

Heres some specs i found too:

Herstellerlink.de : ASUS
CPU-Sockel : 939 Pin
Formfaktor : micro ATX
Chipsatz : NVIDIA nForce4
IDE Controller : 2x UDMA/133
Serial ATA Controller : nForce4 Storage (4x SATA)
Raid : ja (0 und 1)
Steckplätze : 1xPCI Express (16x) / 3x PCI
Frontsidebus : 1600MT/s MHz
Speicher Typ : SDRAM-DDR
SpeicherTakt : DDR400 (PC3200)
max. Speicherausbau : 4096 MB
Buffered / Registered : ist nicht erforderlich
Anschlüsse : Seriell / Parallel / 2x PS2
analog Ausgang : Line-In / 3x Lin-Out / Mikrofon
SoundChip : 5.1 (AC97)
Koaxialer Digitaler Augang : k.A.
Optischer Digitaler Augang : k.A.
RJ-45 Port : 1x (10/100MBit/s)
FireWire (IEEE 1934) : ja
USB 2.0 : extern 2x / intern (2x)
Herstellerproduktlink : nicht vorhanden (Produktlink melden)

And heres q badly translated quote from someone else in the world:

thus I the bae obenstehede Main board as well as one completely PC bought only my problem is the manufacturer it a little cut can I in bios as well as nothing adjust and now wanted I to know whether one perhaps which to make can bios update or irgentwie again can de-energise the other functions.

thanks in vorraus

Which roughly means...This board has no OCing options, how do i enable them, with a BIOS update?
 
Yep same info and sites I came up with. Some sites say it is a plain NForce 4 and some say it is an Ultra. I am not really looking to OC with it, but the other features (such as SATAII) are what I am after.
 
That sucks. Asus used to be a decent enthusiast board. Perhaps someone crafty will write a custom OC bios.
 
How did I miss this? Good list Dillusion. I know we have been on the same quest. You should have another colored asterisk for Clockgen supported boards, because that does give you alot of flexibility, even if the board has no default adjustments. Any nForce3/nForce4 will support it.

-The Biostar K8NHA-M Grand actually does not have multi adjustments in bios. But they can be done through Clockgen, like a few of the boards. Options include VCORE up to 1.65v. VDIMM to 2.9v. FSB to 250, in bios. With Clockgen it had 1.7VC and FSB to infinity.

-Yes, Casedge is just a Foxconn board.

-The ECS RS480-M V1.0 does have AGP/PCI-E locks, as well as multi control and I think Clockgen support. Let me ask cpuz... (Edit: He said it would need the same pll chip as the MSI... which if it has a lock, it probably is different and is not supported.)

-MSI added weak sauce VDIMM adjustments in the latest bios, because people were having problems with the stock 2.5v. :rolleyes:

-AOpen MK89-L was another almost-decent 754 mATX board (nForce3 150). It has clockgen support and I think full tweaking options. Downside was the FUBAR layout, though, and no lock.

-Another thing you may want to add is mobile support. I can shoot you a list of boards that support them. Would not apply to 939 or Intel, though.

Ruiner said:
biostar k8nha mATX spits this out:
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=MB-K8VGA-M&c=pw,
and I doubt it has the same OC options.

Is that board you listed out of production?
It was never for sale in the US and I am not sure about Europe anymore. It's no longer for sale at the Germany-based supplier I bought it from. Good news is, I have a new one for sale in the forums! :D
 
Ok I have been searching all over, calling places trying to figure out wtf the A8NE-FM is and where I can get it, and what are its specs.

After calling a few places it seems that currently its only in OEM format. If you order it from one of the few places that sell it, you just get the motherboard. That would be alright if you didn't need the sata cable and other crap it comes with. I am going to wait on this and hopefully a retail version will come out soon.
 
Ok i made the small changes....As for the MK89-L, no one carries it anymore, and it does have SATA :(
 
Are all the adjustments listed for the ASUS P4P800-VM
in the latest bios or software program?
 
Dillusion said:
BIOS, sorry, was being silly.

Must've been a more recent BIOS update that unlocked several settings for the Asus board, since googling it in the past came up with info stating that it couldn't. (read: hidden or simply omitted outright)

Maybe they took a hint with the Abit modded BIOS that unlocks several good settings, or maybe it's to work properly with their mobile adapter.
 
Great thread! My next project is a 939 board. I really wish there were more options. Leaning towards the ECS but tempted to take a chance on the ASUS. Have not had much luck with the 478s.

Did anyone else try the modded bios with the Abit IS-10? It did not work for me. Any help would greatly appreciated! I would like to keep this one.

I also have the Aopen MX4SGVI-4DN2. It has fsb up to 250 but no pci/agp locks and onboard sound stops working if fsb is raised. Another board I have is the Biostar P4VMA-M ver:7.3 comes with a really lame overclocking utility that I had no sucess getting any kind of stable overclock. :(
 
Barrok said:
Ok I have been searching all over, calling places trying to figure out wtf the A8NE-FM is and where I can get it, and what are its specs.

After calling a few places it seems that currently its only in OEM format. If you order it from one of the few places that sell it, you just get the motherboard. That would be alright if you didn't need the sata cable and other crap it comes with. I am going to wait on this and hopefully a retail version will come out soon.

Found a link to the manual in pdf from a sight in the UK. Scroll through the list and it is there along with the bios. Hope it helps.

http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com/support/homepc/board.html
 
Oh, I just wanted to make it clear that ECS and the ECS RS480-M are indeed POSs. Vcore adjustments above 1.45v do nothing! :mad: Those bastards disabled the higher voltages! Man this pisses me off.

I think I will contact ECS and tell them the board is defective, those voltage adjustments are not doing anything. See what they say...

This was also happening to the first guy who bought the board, so this is confirmed (^ thanks J). Wrote it off for a few reasons, but apparently I shouldn't have.
 
sleepeeg3 said:
Oh, I just wanted to make it clear that ECS and the ECS RS480-M are indeed POSs. Vcore adjustments above 1.45v do nothing! :mad: Those bastards disabled the higher voltages! Man this pisses me off.

I think I will contact ECS and tell them the board is defective, those voltage adjustments are not doing anything. See what they say...

This was also happening to the first guy who bought the board, so this is confirmed (^ thanks J). Wrote it off for a few reasons, but apparently I shouldn't have.


and i was planning on buying this board for my new matx system . what do i buy then that will have overclocking options?


Jen
 
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