How good is Biostar?

[Quantex_rox]

I'm going to upgrade my computer (stepping up from the old 754 A64 that has been running so strong so far,) and the ECS motherboard that just wants to keep going even though it has so many problems. I'm going for cheaper motherboard so i can get a good processor (tight budget.) So this is the motherboard i'm getting.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138113

So my question is, is biostar a good company? I know it has the "hybrid" sli technology that lets you sli the onboard 8200 with any SLI capable nvidia card. But will it offer the stability, especially in overclocking, that my ECS dosen't deliver?

 

[Obi-Wan Jerkobi]

Yes, Biostar is a good company. Their cheapo (~$40) Boards can sometimes be crap but their high end ones are very reliable. Especially the TForce series.

 

[Tmagic650]

Biostar has had it's ups and downs... Liike most motherboard manufacturers. You are not paying too much, so don't expect much in overclocking ability. The board is basic and it should be pretty stable as long as you don't push it too hard. Remember, there is more to overclocking than just the motherboard. Your video card, memory and even a hard drive and power supply affect how well a system overclocks

 

[Quantex_rox]

And apparently it has a special, biostar only, MDV slot (a backwards PCI-E x1,) and they make a card that slids in there and has just a DVI and Dsub out that will add to the onboards 1 (to make 3 hookups to work with up to 3 monitors,) and works with any Nvidia card, so if your Nvidia card has 2 hookups, it adds 2 to that to be able to hook up to 4 monitors.

 

[Obi-Wan Jerkobi]

That's kind of cool, but I wonder if it even works? Anyway...why are you overclocking on a small budget(What specifically is the budget anyway?)? Wouldn't that be kind of a waste if you messed up and the board went poof?

 

[Tmagic650]

My Abit IP35 was around the same price, but based on an intel CPU. It can overclock my Q6600, but the external CMOS reset switch comes in very handy

 

[Quantex_rox]

If the board went poof, then i would RMA it. Just tell them you pushed the power button, and it went poof. My budget is about 350 dollars. I don't think i would have to overclock for what I do. I don't do a lot of gaming, just at lan parties and until i beat the single player mode. Also, heres the processor i am going to buy.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103244

 

[Row1]

300 + 50?

i think one way to look at this project would be to figure out a system that would cost about $300.

then ask yourself: where would i throw another $50?

to jump up in processor price and performance? like $130 to $180?

or to jump up from a $50 motherboard to $100 motherboard?

i think if you pick the right processor that has a modest price but a decent amount of head room for overclocking, i would go for the better motherboard - it would likely give you a lot more control over oc parameters.

if you compromise, and take a $300 system, and put addtional $25 to mb and $25 to processor, i just don't think you would get the bang for your buck as you would if you just went for the $50 on one or the other.

i would like to hear opinions form others about this 'extra-$50' way of looking at it.

 

[vnf4ultra]

Biostar makes shoddy products and has "support," if you can call it support, that is not only incompetent but unhelpful.

In my case the board needed a bios update to support my cpu properly, so I checked for bios updates, of which there were none for the new cpu stepping. I asked politely if they had an update coming soon or a beta bios to support my cpu. I had to use their support "form" and finally, after about three emails to them, they responded with "Perhaps try to re-install windows again to see the OS recognize the core properly. Else, the bios can be downloaded from the www.nvidia.com or www.via.com.tw or intel.com depends on the chipset on this board."

Yeah...perhaps my bios not reading my cpu speed right is windows fault. Or just maybe...I can download my BIOS from nvidia, via, or intel.

Avoid Biostar, they absolutely suck.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Biostar's TForce series are good-quality mobos that are overclocking champs. The others are not worth mentioning, unless you're on a really tight budget. The company is also the only one producing video cards that allow for volt-modding of the memory and GPU for phenomenal overclocks.