Is there any such thing as a truly reliable motherboard???

[chadinark]

I'm frustrated. Been looking forward to building my first system for a while now and in preparation I’ve done a ton of reading and product reviewing. I decided on the i7-930 so I figure my next logical step is to decide on a motherboard, but that’s where I’m stumped. I assumed this would be easy decision based primarily on how much I wanted to spend to have x, y or z features. I’m willing to drop the cash for a really good one, and I just assumed reliability was not an issue on a $300+ motherboard.

But after having read dozens of reviews on newegg, tiger, and other sites from actual users, I have to say I’m beginning to fear there’s no such thing as a truly reliable motherboard, no matter how much you’re willing to spend. It seems even the most expensive models are basically a luck of the draw, wherein at best only about 60% of buyers have a good experience while the other 40% or so are drawn into months-long battles with various RMA departments that are nearly always described as either incompetent, uncaring, difficult, rude, or some combination thereof. Besides just the DOA's, it's not uncommon to read a review that starts with "it worked for a year and then..."

Replacing memory or even a HDD is one thing. But the last thing I want to do – especially as a new builder – is get sucked into one of these mobo nightmares which would likely turn me away from building altogether and back on to retail computers. Is there any such thing as a truly reliable motherboard??!

Thanks so much for your help!
Chad

 

[badge]

Is there any such thing as a truly reliable motherboard???

I have personal computers I built five or six years ago still going strong. I use three socket 754's and an addtional three socket 939s I built new every day. Also I have two Pentium D workstations I built used in a business all day long. These MB's are all performing flawlessly far past their three year Mfg. warranty. I have RMA'd MBs under their three year warranty without major issue. If buying a new MB, I would suggest downloading the owner manual and reading it. Go to the MB's online product and check ther QVL list as well as read the product page forums. If buying RAM and unsure about its compatibility, send an email to the RAM distributor and ask. Have a well researched plan when ordering the parts. Assembling the system should go smoothly if you have done your homework. That way if there is a problem with a new MB, you should recognize it. The MB is one part of the system. Having a solid basic understanding takes some reading and working experience. When buying a MB and you begin opening the retail box for assembly, you should have a solid understanding of it's layout and functions before you take it out of the bag. Assembly should go smoothly if you have done your homework. I love the Newegg reviewers who start fires installing their purchases.

 

[chadinark]

Go to the MB's online product and check ther QVL list as well as read the product page forums.

good idea, thanks. I checked out ASUS's board to read user's posts about the Rampage III Extreme, which I'm leaning toward... even though several people do report problems.... but I guess that's the case no matter what mobo you're researching.

One thing to consider I suppose... If someone is not having any problems, they're less likely to bother with posting a review somewhere. Whereas if they're going through a nightmare with an RMA piece of junk, they're definitely going to get online and vent about it... so for every bad review there may well be 5 good experiences that those lucky users simply didn't bother to get online and report about.

 

[smile9999]

dont worry about it so much, not everyone who buys a part from newegg even writes a customer review, its like from every 1000 purchases there is like 10 reviews, and also as you said mostly the ppl that had proplems with their parts post reviews

 

[badge]

Read some of the professional reviews for the ASUS Rampage III Extreme and famliarize yourself before buying.

 

[MrMeth]

Chadinark , I wouldnt say its 60% positive and 40% negative , more like 80% positive and 20% negative. Allot of people on newegg tigerdirect and ncix dont know what there doing and as soon as they dont get the result they were looking for or something goes wrong leave bad reviews on the site. My personal favorite manufacture for Mobo's is Asus , I have never had one of there boards die on me and i find they make quality products. And a tip for looking at the reviews on sites such as newegg and tiger is take a look at the " customer reviews in the "poor" and "very poor " section if you see the same comments coming back often enough , its good indication on the quality of the product.