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

Good job finding one. I'm keeping the two I still have, LOL.

BTW, I was looking for one of my old posts across the way, and found some interesting stuff...

Just over a year ago Abit had a survey and in it asked if there would be interest in a mATX gaming motherboard. Of course I answered YES!
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=29&threadid=1790410&enterthread=y&arctab=y

Waaaaaaaaaaay back in 2002 I was bemoaning the lack of decent mATX boards. I even created a list of around 12 mATX boards - doesn't hold a candle to the list here, but does predate it by a few years. :D In that thread I also mention building a pimped out mATX gaming rig for a friend, plus a nice mATX rig for my GF (now my wife). It used a rare AOpen mATX board with the 845D chipset - no onboard video, with an AGP slot and DDR support all in a sexy black PCB. Too bad it overclocked like shit. BTW that machine is still in use to this day at my in-law's place.
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=29&threadid=787800&enterthread=y&arctab=y
 
ooh that fatal1ty board from abit looks sweet. maybe i'll be able to convince a relative to let me help him build a computer with it. if only this had been released when i was contemplating getting an mATX system... too bad i sold everything. grrr.... core2duo htpc with hdmi capabilities. yah... that'd frikkin roxor.
 
Hello everyone, I'm new on this forum. But I read carefuly all this thread, and I want to share with u my OC experience :)
I also love mATX boards so 2 years ago I bought Abit IG-80 (for 350PLN in my country = about 120$) and use it with my Celeron D 325J (2,53 GHz). The result was amazing....

Origynally: 133 * 19 = 2,53 GHz
After changing BIOS param "N/B Strap CPU" from PSB533 to PSB800: 201 * 19 = 3819 MHz!!!!

Without increasing voltages or PCI-E freq or anything else!

Now I have Asus P5LD2-VM (I changed mobo cause of DDR2 & C2D) and I'm not very happy with it :/

Abit IG-80 (915G) + Cel OC short desc:
-----------------------------------------------
CPU operating speed
- External Clock: 133 - 300MHz (1MHz)
- N/B Strap CPU: PSB533, PSB800
- DRAM Ratio (CPU:DRAM):
for PSB533: 2:3, 4:5, by SPD
for PSB800: 1:1, 6:5, by SPD
- PCI EXpress Frequency: 100 - 200MHz (1MHz)
- PCI Frequency: 33.33, 36.36, 40.00MHz
------
Voltages
- CPU Core Voltage: Std.Core, +5%, +10%, +15%, +20%
- DDR SDRAM Voltage: 2.5v, 2.55v, 2.6v, 2.65v, 2.7v, 2.8v
- NB Voltage: 1.5v, 1.55v, 1.6v, 1.65v
------
DRAM Timings
- CAS: 2, 2.5, 3, Auto
- RAS to CAS: 2, 3, 4, 5, Auto
- RAS Precharge: 2, 3, 4, 5, Auto
- tRAS: 4 - 15 (1), Auto
-----------------------------------------------

So I hope new Abit fatal1ty will be amazing too ;)
 
I've had OEM stuff from newegg still come with all or most of the pieces before...it's hit or miss...
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138052

Anyone know anything about these? Available in the combo with the 3600+ Brisbane. No reviews on Newegg (not that they are great, but they tend to give you at least some basic info about OCing, etc). If it's at least a decent board, I might go with that over the TForce 550 combo so I have the IGP for an office machine.
 
just got my fatal1ty f-i90hd from frys today. $119 :D it's pretty darn good. i dont have time to install new os and blabla so all i did was oc a bit... runs darn nice. hit 340 /w my e6300. considering best i've done with it was 350 or 360 /w my p5n e... i'd say i might have more headroom if i up voltage.... didnt have time to play i kind of need computer and i dont have enough parts to go around so i'm sharing parts between 2 setups. :D
 
xkon can you push it to at least 375? Performance is still in doubt. Highest that has been posted is 340fsb. I would love to jump on this board if it really is a decent overclocker... I'm still skeptical though.
 
lol disregard what i just said. haha
349x7.JPG

no time to resize yet... i'll do that stuff later. lol. pics can be found here... http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1030722940#post1030722940

360x7 now... hehe. lol. anything else wont boot. to get that i had to shut down and power off my psu, then turn on and woolah... 360. 365 didnt boot, but i havent gone more.
[url="http://www.snapdrive.net/files/325612/359.JPG]360[/url]

took a bunch of pics in bios also, but not sure if i should post them. you know... options and junk.
 
Nice, very encouraging!
So, it might be my cpu (e4300) or ram ((5400) which limit my overclock over fsb@340!
 
Asus N4L-VM DH ****

The list shows that this board has vCore adjustments, however I cannot find a bios that supports this. Is there some 3rd party bios somewhere or is this a typo?
 
If this board is a good overclocker and is reasonably priced... all I can say is that the Brisbane x2 3600+ at $65 will make it a really nice and budget performer.
 
Zap if its anything like the board it replaced, I am sure it will be fine. Layout looks good. 2 PCI's are useable with a Dual Slot Video card.
 
um theres no heatsink on the southbridge. and ya its am2. lol look where they have to put the northbridge, is it because the am2 slot is hella big with that bracket?
 
LawGiver said:
looking for a mATX board that will let me hit 3Ghz+ with a E6420.
Click to expand...

Keep looking. The best C2D mATX board is that Abit Fatal1ty one, and it mostly tops out around 360MHz FSB. Multiply that by the 8x of the E6420 gets you 2880MHz.
 
Zap said:
Keep looking. The best C2D mATX board is that Abit Fatal1ty one, and it mostly tops out around 360MHz FSB. Multiply that by the 8x of the E6420 gets you 2880MHz.
Click to expand...

yeah i just saw the thread after i posted here, lol. well i was gonna go with E6420 to get 3ghz 8x375. but doesnt look like the board will get past 360 FSB like u said. So ill probably get E4300 like most are cuz it has 9 multi.
 
im still going matx for my c2d rig, im just gonna get a good CPU to begin with and not worry about it. im thinking the 6700.
 
LawGiver said:
So ill probably get E4300 like most are cuz it has 9 multi.
Click to expand...

Why not an E4400? They'll be out soon and already are at a few places jumping the gun. Newegg had them briefly for around $160, so it is already cheaper than the E4300 has been up to last month. That 10x multiplier will give the possibility of 3.6GHz, plus what if your particular board would only hit 320-340MHz? Anyways, just a thought.
 
well I read this at xbit about the e4400

"However, the actual results turned out even worse than we had expected. At the nominal Vcore of 1.2875V, this CPU could only run at 2.93GHz, i.e. at 293MHz FSB taking into account the 10x multiplier. By raising the Vcore to 1.6V, we could only push FSB frequency to 325MHz, not any higher than that."
 
Yep, the 9 mutiplier procs are the sweet spot for the F-I90HD mobo. Basically either get the E4300 or E6600 right now. Unless you got a chip and downclock its multiplier to 9 which wouldnt be as cost effective though.
 
Axel_K said:
A new AM2 from Biostar
TF7050-M2
http://www.hardware.info/en-US/news/ym+clJqSwp6a/Biostar_launches_TF7050M2_mainboard/

there is a short review in Taiwan (can see the pic)
http://www.pcdvd.com.tw/showthread.php?t=711619
http://www.pcdvd.com.tw/showthread.php?t=711619&page=3&pp=10

seems the 3Dmark 2003 better than TA960G but 3Dmark 2005
Click to expand...

That looks pretty nice. The second and third links are in a foriegn language, and I am not going to install any language packs.
 
Problem with AM setups is that AMD chips cant really compete with Intel chips when it comes to gaming. Take for instance the AMD 6000+ Its a 3GHz chip. The fastest AMD has. Now take the Intel E6600 with its 2.4GHz clock. Intel's middle of the road processor. In gaming performance it is on par with the 6000+ and even beats it in some benchmarks. And thats at stock settings. Current price of $227 for the E6600 and its expected to hit $224 or possibly lower. The 6000+ is currently $239 and thats just shy of its AMD suggested pricing of $241Okay so you got the E6600 cheaper than the 6000+ and every bit as good in performance and in some benches better. And this scales down with other Intel Conroe chips vs AMD as well.

Now factor in overclocking for those that are into it. The 6000+ is pretty much at its wall. Might get 3.1GHz or 3.2GHz out of it. The E6600can average 3.4GHz to 3.6GHz on aircooling depending on system setup. Higher if you are into phase or watercooling.

Okay lets look at some upward upgrading ability now. Many of the Conroe mobos are already quadcore ready and some just need a BIOS upgrade. No one knows for sure if any current AMD mobos will run the next generation of AMD chips. It has yet to be proven since that next generation isnt even out yet. Thats a problem for the AMD platform. Not much for upgrading potential unless you spring for a whole new mobo and probably RAM. With Intel mobos just pull out the dual core chip and put in the quadcore chip. Your good to go.

I'm not trying to pick on AMD but Intel completely has them outclassed now in everything except pricing but AMD cant keep cutting forever. They're bleeding money badly and losing marketshare ontop of that.

Now in the mATX market the AMD mobos are better in overclocking but if you get a Intel mATX mobo that runs stable and fine without overclocking (and they do exist) then you can easily match anything AMD mATX can do for the most part as far as performance goes. Intel made that possible with its latest price cuts.

I really do hope AMD can do something great soon but best predictions are that it wont be till middle of 2008 at the earliest from what I have heard and even then its not guranteed. Meanwhile Intel has another big price cut coming in August with more chips being released. 2007 is going to be a very very bad year for AMD and the year has just begun.
 
Skott said:
Problem with AM setups is that AMD chips cant really compete with Intel chips when it comes to gaming. Take for instance the AMD 6000+ Its a 3GHz chip. The fastest AMD has. Now take the Intel E6600 with its 2.4GHz clock. Intel's middle of the road processor. In gaming performance it is on par with the 6000+ and even beats it in some benchmarks. And thats at stock settings. Current price of $227 for the E6600 and its expected to hit $224 or possibly lower. The 6000+ is currently $239 and thats just shy of its AMD suggested pricing of $241Okay so you got the E6600 cheaper than the 6000+ and every bit as good in performance and in some benches better. And this scales down with other Intel Conroe chips vs AMD as well.
Click to expand...


thats funny because it gaming that shows the AMD still doing good compared to the c2d. yea the c2d is faster, but the AMD is very much up to the task. unless you have SLI 8800's I dont think a 6000+ is going to be any kind of a bottleneck.
 
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