Difference in Motherboards?

[nick1313]

hi,
i am in the process of building my computer, and i am wanting to know if i would notice any difference if i got the Soyo KT400 Dragon Ultra Vs. the Soyo KT400 Dragon Ultra Platinum. I can get the platinum for $80, but if i went with the non-platinum, i could get a barebone kit with a case, power-supply and the mobo, for only $72. i have limited money, so i was wondering if i would notice much of a diff. i would be using the comp for gaming, and ect., and i plan on putting an AMD Athlon XP 2500 in it. thanks alot

[Orion]

Well, I looked at the specs, and it appears that the two mobos are in fact the same hardware, adn the difference is in the packaging. the platinum has the front box for USB 2.0 and mem cards, and also comes with the SPDIF Connector to enable the 6 channel audio. the ultra non-platinum doesn't come with these extras. It doesn't appear that there would be any performance difference.

Orion

Edit: sorry, just noticed, there's a platinum colored finish to the pcb of the platinum version. pretty, but not going to enhance performance (unless it helps with cooling?).

[saphalline]

A front-mounted bay for flash memory cards (CF, SD, etc) is very handy indeed for those who have a digital camera or other device that uses them. But, I think the price difference in this case isn't enough to justify the Platinum extras.

Skip the Platinum if your main objective is to keep the cost down.

[Rayista Geoff]

Originally posted by saphalline
A front-mounted bay for flash memory cards (CF, SD, etc) is very handy indeed for those who have a digital camera or other device that uses them. But, I think the price difference in this case isn't enough to justify the Platinum extras.

Not to mention the fact that dedicated USB card readers aren't all that expensive if you need that facility. Just run the cable back to the back of the mobo. Only issue I guess might be if you're short on USB ports.

Geoff