opinions needed on M'board manufacturers

[Mike T.]

I have had good luck and no major problem with Asus boards. I think it
is just a "luck of the draw" type thing. I have also built with many other
manufacturers over the years without many problems. I have had a few DOA
boards, even one from Asus a few years ago (P4B). Once installed and
tested, myself and the shop I used to contract with rarely had MB problems
anyway. AMD boards may be a different matter. The shop rarely built any
AMD systems and I only built two or three for myself over the years. I
don't even know if I used Asus for those. Today I just look at all the
major brands and find one that suits my needs. I do stay away from the
el-cheapo manufacturers.

Ed

Contrary to popular belief, there is no quality difference between AMD and
Intel branded processors. Many people still mistakenly believe that Intel
processors are better quality or "more compatible" or crap like that.
Currently, Core 2 Duo processors are tops in both value (bang/buck) and
performance. But previously to Core 2 Duo, AMD held both the performance
and value (bang/buck) lead for years. When I'm building for someone, I'll
use whatever processor they want. Building for myself, I have no preference
.. . . I'm as likely to build AMD as Intel. Over the last many years, I've
built more non-Intel systems than Intel systems.

The interesting thing is though . . . while AMD held the performance and
bang/buck lead for so long, I built a few budget systems that happened to
favor INTEL CPUs in overall bang/buck. Yup, that surprised the heck outta
me, also. But I had reviewed the benchmarks so I knew I was comparing
similar (performance wise) processors. And while the AMD processors were
usually a bit cheaper (at the same performance level), I found that OTHER
components of the system were cheaper if I built Intel, to the point of
erasing the savings that I would achieve by using the cheaper AMD CPU. Just
one example . . . I was getting ready to build a AMD system, but spec'd out
a similar Intel system, just for the heckuvit. Because the Intel processor
had a greater selection of mainboards, I was able to find a (Intel CPU)
mainboard with identical features to the (AMD CPU) mainboard I'd chosen, for
about half the price. And, the cheaper (INTEL CPU) mainboard was compatible
with cheaper RAM, also. So I spent more to buy the Intel processor, and
ended up saving money, as far as total system cost went. It wasn't a
dramatic difference, but I was surprised that I could save any money at all
by choosing a more expensive processor!

Anyway, there is no real quality difference between AMD mainboards and Intel
mainboards. But at any one time, there might be a -better selection- of one
or the other. Better selection usually favors high bang/buck ratios.
-Dave

 

[John Doe]

Thanks, E. The web reviewers seem to like Asus but I've heard a
lot of complaints about the Asus approach to tech support.

That is a good point and it works both ways. Just depends on whether
you need or can use technical support from the manufacturer.
Otherwise, pay less for a good mainboard from a large distributor
and take your chances.

 

[Ed Medlin]

That is a good point and it works both ways. Just depends on whether
you need or can use technical support from the manufacturer.
Otherwise, pay less for a good mainboard from a large distributor
and take your chances.

Sometimes if you buy locally support can be better depending on the local
distribution rep. Yes, you may pay a few bucks more but if the local rep is
halfway decent, their RMA policies are extremely flexible and quick. Like
you say, if you buy online from a well known outfit it can be a pain on
occaisions. The price is a bit better, but if you have a problem it is all
in their hands.

Ed

 

[John Doe]

Sometimes if you buy locally support can be better depending on
the local distribution rep. Yes, you may pay a few bucks more

The online discount I get is usually more like 20%. I just paid $122
(total) for a Coolpix L3 digital camera I would have paid $162 for
locally. Many products cannot even be found locally.

but if the local rep is
halfway decent, their RMA policies are extremely flexible and
quick. Like you say, if you buy online from a well known outfit it
can be a pain on occaisions. The price is a bit better, but if you
have a problem it is all in their hands.

Some of us don't have the same sort of problems. Reading some
reviews that bash high-tech products, sometimes the alleged flaws
the product was returned for were actually made up by the user not
knowing what he (or she) was doing. One frequent example is not
knowing enough to find and install the best drivers.

An ability to make use of the wealth of information available online
and know exactly what you want before you buy helps.

Ed




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From: "Ed Medlin" <ed edmedlin.com>
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