Piotr Makley said:
I am interested in getting a A7N8X-VM. Probably the 400 MHz
version.
I will probably be satisfied with the quality of graphics provided
by the nForce2 integrated graphics chip.
However I don't want to get the VM if it compromises on too many
other things when compared to the ED version of the A7N8X. I have
looked at the Asus web pages but I want to know if there any other
differences which they don't mention.
http://usa.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=A7N8X-VM/400&langs=09
http://usa.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=A7N8X-E Deluxe&langs=09
These seem to be the differences but please advise and correct me
if I have misread the info:
Only 2 DIMM slots on VM compared to 3 on VM.
Only get 3 PCI slots on VM compared to 5 on ED.
Not get 2 SATA ports and RAID capability on VM.
No Dolby AC-3 on VM.
Only single LAN port on VM compared to 2 on ED.
Not get 2 Firewire 1394 ports on VM which are on ED.
No POST Reporter or Q-Fan on VM (what are these?).
Few overclock features on VM (huh ???).
Only 1 RJ45 port on VM compared to 2 on ED.
No COM2 connector on VM.
No free InterVideo WinDVD Suite on VM.
No free IDE, SATA and Firewire cables on VM.
No 2 port USB "extender" on VM.
You should read the recent threads on the -VM boards in the
Asus news group. Chances are, you won't be happy with the
RAM options -
A7N8X-VM FSB333 max, DDR333 while using onboard graphics,
DDR400 while using an AGP or PCI graphics card.
A7N8X-VM/400 FSB400 max, DDR333 while using onboard graphics.
DDR400 is not mentioned in the manual, but users
who try, only escape the built-in graphics
instability, by using an AGP video card. If using
a high end Barton, buy a cheap video card to go
with it. Then, buying DDR400 memory is not risky.
Both of these boards have no processor or memory adjustments
in the BIOS. (Download the manual and compare the BIOS screens
between -VM and deluxe motherboards.) The problem with memory
adjustment, is if you buy PC3200 memory, and only want to
run it at DDR333, I'm not sure the BIOS is smart enough to
do the right thing. Buying a PC2700 memory is one way to
get the SPD contents you need to restrict operation to
DDR333, but who buys PC2700 memory these days ? The
resale value of PC2700 would be lower than PC3200, so
if you wish to go this route, try to buy some used PC2700
memory, so you don't pay a premium for new memory.
If you care at all about performance, and you want to use
the -VM, then buy a low end graphics card. An ATI 9000 or
the like, for example, would be an option (I mean, we
wouldn't want to reward Nvidia for a non-working graphics
implementation, by buying an Nvidia card, now would we
.
The Deluxe has SPP (Northbridge) and MCP-T. The VM has
IGP (Northbridge with built-in graphics) and the MCP
Southbridge. The MCP-T has a DSP block to drive the
AC97 external audio codec, and the DSP block provides
more audio features than the MCP provides. (If you are
an audiophile, no onboard audio will make you happy, so
the difference here is more along the lines of special
effects. The audio equilizer is a convenience, for adjusting
bass and treble rolloff on the Deluxe. )
The Voice POST gives voice messages over the Line_out audio
output, indicating various error conditions during boot. The
voice is hard to make out, as the Voice POST EEPROM is heavily
compressed.
Q-Fan, as I just learned, adjusts the voltage to the CPU fan,
based on the measured CPU temperature. Q-Fan uses a minimal
fan setting until the CPU hits 50C. Q-Fan uses higher settings
of the fan until the CPU hits 60C. The fan stays at its highest
setting above 60C. This gives some noise reduction below 50C,
handy when the CPU is idle. (An even better way to cool, is
to use a HSF which is quiet at full speed, such as a Zalman
7000. Then, Q-Fan can be disabled, and the fan speed won't
be audible to the user. You'll still hear the other fans
and the disk drive.)
http://www.asus.com/mb/qfan.htm (see the graph of temp vs speed)
I recommend comparing the manuals carefully, to see if the
BIOS features you need are available in the products you
are interested in.
The -VM is a system integrators board, suitable for cheaply
building 100 identical business office machines for a small
company. The integrator buys PC2700 memory, and the users
are never aware of what they are missing. This is generally
the same design intent with any Asus -VM or -MX microATX product.
They are not intended for people who like to adjust the hardware
settings. Due to the lack of settings, more knowledge and
experimentation is required to get a stable system. The system
integrator can afford to buy extra components to experiment with,
while for an end user, the savings by buying a -VM are eaten up
by the cost of the "experiments".
HTH,
Paul
