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Asus FX motherboard comparison: SK8N vs SK8V

Manufacturer:	AsusTek
Title:	SK8N vs SK8V
Availability:	Immediately
Author:
Date:	4-29-2004
Price:	Varies

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There are 5 parts to this review, please use the pulldown below to browse sections or simply hit "Next" at the bottom of each section to continue

Introduction

Since the initial debut of the FX line on September 23, 2003, there have been only a select few FX compatible motherboards made(?) . Some of these motherboards are the Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI; however, there are more available. Today's article, we compare ASUS's first FX child, the SK8N, which utilizes Nvidia's Nforce3 to their second child the SK8V, which uses Via's K8T800.

Side by Side Specs

Specifications

	SK8V	SK8N
CPU	-One 940-pin socket supports one AMD Athlon 64 processor Built-in 1MB L2 cache -AMD64 architecture enables simultaneous 32-bit and 64-bit computing	One 940-pin socket supports AMD Athlon 64 FX Procesor and AMD Opteron 100 series or 200 series CPU Built-in 1MB L2 cache AMD64 architecture enables simultaneous 32- and 64-bit computing
System Bus	Scalable HyperTransport	Scalable HyperTransport
Chipset	VIA K8T800 VIA VT8237	NVIDIA nForce 3 pro150
Memory	3 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support max. 8GB Registered ECC PC3200 / PC2700 / PC2100 DDR SDRAM memory	4 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support max. 8GB registered PC2700 / PC2100/ PC1600 ECC DDR SDRAM memory
Expansion Slots	1 x AGP 8X 1x WiFi slot 5x PCI	-1 x AGP 8X -5x PCI
Storage	South Bridge -2 x ATA133 -2 x SATA, RAID0, RAID1 Promise R20378 RAID controller -1xUltraDMA133 supports two hard drives -2xSerial ATA -RAID0, RAID1, RAID 0+1	-2 x ATA133 /100 -Promise R20378 RAID controller 1 x ATA133 supports two hard drives 2 x Serial ATA RAID0, RAID1, RAID 0+1
Audio	ADI AD1985, 6-channel CODEC S/PDIF out interface	Realtek ALC650 6-channel CODEC S/PDIF out interface
LAN	3COM 3C940 Gb Ethernet LAN	Integrated 10/100 LAN controller + RealTek RTL8201BL PHY
IEEE1394	VIA VT6307 controller with 2 IEEE1394 ports	TI TSB43AB22A controller with 2 IEEE1394 ports
USB2.0	8 USB2.0 ports	6 USB2.0 ports
Special Features	AI NET AI BIOS ASUS MyLogo2 ASUS POST Reporter ASUS C.P.R. ASUS EZ Flash Support S/PDIF out interface ASUS CrashFree2 BIOS ASUS Instant Music ASUS Multi-language BIOS ASUS Q-Fan	ASUS MyLogo2 ASUS EZ Flash Support S/PDIF out interface ASUS CrashFree2 BIOS ASUS Q-Fan
Overclock Features	-ASUS JumperFree -Memory, Vlink voltage adjustable -SFS(Stepless Frequency Selection) from 200 MHz up to 300MHz at 1MHz increment	-ASUS JumperFree -Memory, AGP voltage adjustable -SFS(Stepless Frequency Selection) from 200 MHz up to 300MHz at 1MHz increment
Back Panel I/O Ports	1xSerial 4xUSB 1xParallel 1xRJ45 1xIEEE1394 1 x PS/2 Keyboard 1 x PS/2 Mouse 1x Audio I/O 1x SPDIF OUT	1xSerial 4xUSB 1xParallel 1xRJ45 1xIEEE1394 1 x PS/2 Keyboard 1 x PS/2 Mouse 1x Audio I/O
Internal I/O connectors	-2x USB2.0 connector supports additional 4 USB 2.0 ports -20-pin ATX power connector -4-pin ATX 12V power connector -CPU /chassis/Power Fan connectors -COM2 connector -CD/ AUX audio in -IEEE 1394 connector -GAME port connector -SPDIF_OUT connector	-1xUSB2.0 connector supports additional 2 USB 2.0 ports -20-pin ATX power connector -4-pin ATX 12V power connector -CPU /chassis Fan connectors -COM2 connector -CD/ AUX audio in -IEEE 1394 connector
BIOS Feature	-4Mb Flash EEPROM -AMI BIOS with enhanced ACPI,DMI,PnP,Green -ASUS EZ Flash, ASUS Mylogo2, ASUS Q-Fan, SM BIOS 2.3, Crash-Free BIOS2	-4Mb Flash EEPROM -AMI BIOS with enhanced ACPI,DMI,PnP,Green -ASUS EZ Flash, ASUS Mylogo2, ASUS Q-Fan, SM BIOS 2.3, Crash-Free BIOS2
Industry Standard	PCI 2.2, USB2.0	PCI 2.2, USB2.0
Manageability	WOL by PME, WOR by PME	WOL by PME, WOR by PME
Support CD	-drivers -ASUS PC Probe -Trend Micro PC-cillin 2002 anti-virus software	-drivers -ASUS PC Probe -Trend Micro PC-cillin 2002 anti-virus software
Form Factor	ATX 12"9.6" (30.5cm24.5cm)	ATX 12"9.6" (30.5cm24.5cm)