Why doesn't anyone know or use DFI?

[sack_patrol]

I've noticed when reading stuff around OCC and other forums, that very little is the name DFI mentioned or it's boards are being used. I don't know why. They have some of the best mobos in the world. Prices aren't too high for the quality also. So why so little people buy them? All I ever see is ASUS and Gigabyte. I just find it strange how DFI is so good but yet it doesn't seem to be popular. I wanna know why...it's been bothering me for a long time, and I haven't found the answer.

 

(It's also the only brand I've ever seen that has mobos that come with sleeved ide cable. I think there was a model that even had a floppy sleeved cable which mine doesn't have[so I made my own])

 

EDIT: I also find Abit to be a quite good brand for mobos but like the DFI, I've rarely seen anyone use them.

Edited November 2, 2009 by ballist1x

[RJR]

So why so little people buy them?

 

Hey watch it now, little people have feelings too. If the height challenged like DFI I say it's OK, good for them.

[sack_patrol]

K...but it doesn't really answer my question.

[Baulten]

DFI used to be king... now they are subpar. If they had actually released the LanParty UT 790FXB-M3eH7 like the said I would've went with them... but the M3H5 just isn't that great.

 

In short, they used to be amazing, no longer. Plus I had bad memories of my LanParty DK 790FX-M2RS. Terrible board...

[Crazy_Nate]

Is Abit still making motherboards?

 

I've got a handful of old 939 DFI lanparties. Perhaps when I upgrade, I'll remain with the brand. The Asus and Gigabyte boards seem to have good reviews and solid support, so I can understand why they're popular. I don't have any experience with newer DFI stuff (though, I've loved the 3 lanparty boards that have been in my possession)

[Voltes_5]

You're wrong ballistix, my first board is a LP NFII Ultra. I came from DFI-Street forum, then it became DIY-Street because the owner of the DFI-Street criticized DFI boards, for very great valid reasons. At the same time Gigabyte and Abit came along and made great boards comparable to or even better than the DFI boards at lower prices. After owning more than 10 other DFI boards from socket A to socket 478 to socket 775 boards, last DFI I currently own is the Blood Iron and no matter what I did, my Gigabyte beat the Blood Iron no matter what I did with same comparisons and same components. I gave away two socket 939 systems with Opty's to my nephew and niece. The other DFI boards I sold. One thing I miss though is tweaking a DFI boards bios. But that is not nearly important as having a lesser costing Gigabyte board that can match or even surpass a DFI board when overclocking. So, to answer your question, most people opt for other mobo's for those reasons. There are a small number of folks that do not buy the DFI's for not being able to understand the complexity of the BIOS of the DFI.

[Kash]

Like Baulten said, DFI used to be the best around the time of AMD's socket 939. I talked to DFI reps at Computex and they said there were some management or engineering issues that resulted in them essentially dropping the ball when it came to future boards. Unfortunately, once you lose your rep, it takes a while to earn it back.

[ccokeman]

Is Abit still making motherboards?

 

I've got a handful of old 939 DFI lanparties. Perhaps when I upgrade, I'll remain with the brand. The Asus and Gigabyte boards seem to have good reviews and solid support, so I can understand why they're popular. I don't have any experience with newer DFI stuff (though, I've loved the 3 lanparty boards that have been in my possession)

 

Abit is sadly out of business for motherboards. The IP35 Pro was their Swan Song. They just never could get over the X38 hurdle! DFI was King for a while and still make excellent boards. The BIOS on a DFI board can intimidate some people but have the options that the enthusiast community demanded. Its just now all the other companies are offering boards with BIOS that are just as intricate so the novelty wears off. My 3rd Socket 775 board was a DFI 680I that my brotherand law had until just about 2 months ago when it finally died in a thunderstorm !

[sack_patrol]

I do think that DFI makes some really nice boards, and that they should be acknowledged a bit more, and maybe encouraging them to make even better boards, thus leading the computer hardware forward so that by 2050 we can have custom rigs in our brains and see everything through our eyes n stuff enabling the concept of world domination using some twisted plan that would implement the brain pc or something.

 

If not then at least dfi should continue to make boards and not die like abit i guess lol.

[Bosco]

Like Baulten said, DFI used to be the best around the time of AMD's socket 939. I talked to DFI reps at Computex and they said there were some management or engineering issues that resulted in them essentially dropping the ball when it came to future boards. Unfortunately, once you lose your rep, it takes a while to earn it back.

Sadly OCC saw that first hand and due to their issues we had to stop doing reviews for them.

[crash]

Yep Abit is out of the mobo arena..... but they'll be back! I used to be a hardcore DFI guy too but after ending up with a couple Asus 939's and then 775's I am a loyal Asus fan...until someone else comes out with something that beats them! Asus also has the absolute best customer service and RMA service in the field! I've even bought a dead board from Greece and RMA'd it from Canada successfully! Each board I've bought from them has come with excellent accesories, packaging, instructions ect. Just check out some of the reviews on OCC and you'll see what I mean. Enthusiasts ask Asus to do something and for the most part they do it! The 775 boards I've had, (most from OCC members,) have all overclocked extremely well too. I hit 3.86 on my Q6600 with a P5Q Premium with no extra voltage! There are few boards that perform better, or at least without jumping a price range to do it.

 

as for the rounded cables, I've found I can route the flat cables better.

Edited November 2, 2009 by crash

[NoSnipeLimit]

I own a few dfi lanparty boards, i wouldn't say no one has heard of them. They were one of the first to use solid state capacitors on their motherboards and had really put effort into the overclocking future. But they fell behind with the competition and well they still make good boards but there are better stuff. They probably do better with there server/integrated motherboards, with companies they've contracted or something in that line. DFI was like my first love, all that and then sum, unforgettable, and painful realization that their so much better out there ...