A good stable mb for intel quad

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
J

jberry72

Distinguished
Jan 3, 2009
57
0
18,630
i was looking into mabe getting a new mb. i was wanting one that is 1600mhz fsb and 2000mhz memory rating. but i wasnt on that supports the lga 775 quad and it has to be a good board. (if all that is possible) any ideas and suggestions would be great. i was looking either at a xfx ultra 790i or the evga version.
thanks joe
 
it doesnt have to be an nvidia chipset im just fond of them.(why im not sure why). hell change is good look i was a big amd fan, not no more and also is true for geforces no more. so im open to intel i just know nothing about them on if they are good or not and who makes a better board with the intel chipset.
is something like this a decent buy then:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4177152&CatId=2406
or
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4339352&CatId=2405
they arent a 100 percent what i was looking for but for the price it doesnt seem too bad.

ahhh asus makes some nice and pricey broads i see wow. asus rampage extreme is awesome sounding.
 
im leaning towards a asus maximus II or a gigabyte. only thing i noticed is alot of gigabyte boards dont have but one pcie by 16 slots.9the ones with good ratings) or im just missing it.
 
How about we start by discussing the video card requirements. Since you're looking at 790i boards I'm going to assume you're a gamer, you have a good budget, and you prefer nVidia cards. You could get one of these combinations:

1. some 790i MB + 4GB DDR3 + two GTX 280 cards - cost about 300+160+2*300
2. eVGA 750i + 4 GB DDR2-800 + two GTX 280 cards - cost about 140+50+2*300
3. GA-EP45-UD3R (or Asus P5Q Pro, etc.) + 4 GB DDR2-800 + one GTX 295 - cost about $105 + 50 + 500

All three have similar performance. In fact, all three have the same 2x240 stream processors.

#1 is about $1060. It is the best option only if you intend to add a third GTX 280. In that case add a Toughpower 1200W PSU to the mix ($370). Otherwise, it is a major waste of cash compared to the other two options.

#2 is $790. It is a waste compared to option #3, especially if you add the PSU (e.g. Corsair 1000HX, $250 at newegg).

#3 is only $665. It also has the advantage that you can get a cheaper PSU (e.g. PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W, $80 at newegg after rebate).

#3 also has the advantage that you get a more stable P45 MB.




 
as for video cards i am going with a ati card this time 4870. i was a big nvidia die hard til i was turned to ati cards in the past few weeks and i seen a ton of benchmarks done in comparision to the nvidia cards. yes this system is going to be for gaming. i dont have a ton of money to blow on it. it is more what i can get performance wise to money ratio. the best bang for the buck. i just never looked at intel chipsets til now and im willing to give them a try. heard alot of good things on them so why not.
i was looking to try and get out of this for under 800(mb cpu and memory). if i cant no biggie ill wait and just update my cpu i have and video card til i can afford it all. i just want something better then what i got specially memory and fsb. mine is rated at 1066mhz and memory is at 667mhz.
im looking at something that has a fsb of 1600mhz and memory either ddr2 at 1066 or higher since meory is so much cheaper then ddr3 as of now. also id like it crossfire ready if i ever decide to get another 4870 card. but it doesnt have to be. ill sacrifice some things to gain in other places.
thanks
 
That's a good choice too. I've seen benchmarks of GTX 295 and HD 4870 X2 where the GTX 295 wins, but the HD 4870 X2 still gets over 60 fps in all games even at 1920x1200. Might as well get the HD 4870 X2 for $100 less, if your LCD monitor is limited to 60 fps anyway.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102768

Or you could get a GA-EP45-UD3P (or P5Q Pro), that PC Power & Cooling 750W, and a HD 4870 1GB card now (and a second one later). That would give you approximately the same results.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

 
The Asus Maximus II is an excellent board, though it's a bit on the expensive side if you're on a budget. Of the ones you mentioned, it's probably the best. Also, the Asus P5Q Pro is another good choice if you want to shave quite a bit of money off, though it doesn't have quite as many features.
 
ahh im gonna shave prices here and i have a few in mind let know what ya think please. (o/c would be nice also )
Asus P5Q-E Green Motherboard
Asus P5Q3 Motherboard
Biostar TP45 HP Motherboard
Gigabyte EP45T-DS3R
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P
asus p5q pro
 
I'd remove the DDR3 boards from the list first, just because of prices. Then remove the Biostar because Newegg reviews are horrible.

That leaves us with the P5Q-E, GA-EP45-UD3P, P5Q Pro. The P5Q-E costs more than the rest but has some additional features (e.g. a third video card, better cooling, etc.). If you need those features go for it.

The GA-EP45-UD3P gets 5 eggs from 79% of its Newegg ratings. The two P5Q models get only 60% and 63%. I wouldn't trust those ratings much, but it is a pretty big difference IMO.

 
Gigabyte EP45-DS3 - Run it with my Q9550 OC to 3.0GHz and its excellent and stable. Has the Intel P45 chipset, I wouldn't go with nVidia if I were you.
 
no i am gonna go with the ga ep45 ud3p mobo. i like what ive heard about it and it is crossfire ready just in case i decide to get another card in the months to come.
thanks everyone for all. (now to find a good heatsink/fan for the unit)lol
 
This one is good.
ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120 $44
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887016&Tpk=Zerotherm zen

Or this combination. total $45.48 - but the bracket is not in stock right now.
XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket + Xigmatek HDT-S1283
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019

Or this one, if you want the best cooling/quietest HSF and money is less important:
Noctua NH-U12P 120mm SSO CPU Cooler - Retail $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608002

You only need something like this if you overclock.

Before buying, make sure your case is large enough for the cooler you want.



 
I would suggest going with an X48 chipset so you have the option of upgrading to crossfire, theyre more expensive but probably worth it in the long run. Better to spend more money once then spend a moderate amount multiple times because youre not happy with what youve bought.
 
True. It will do fine for HD 4870 cards.

I think mvp7747 was referring to some articles published last year that showed bottlenecks when using P45 for Crossfire. However, with recent Catalyst versions that is no longer an issue. X48 is still worth it if you Crossfire two HD 4870 X2 cards, but for two HD 4870 cards or two HD 4850 cards you can use a P45 all right without worries.
 
i understand now what he was refering to on the crossfire.
as for heatsink and fan i was looking at xigmatek
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233014
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233001
they are not the 120mm fan but they are still kicking 39-54.6 cfm on both.
yes i was planning on o/cing this unit. that is why i went with gigabyte and the q6600 cpu. heard great things with those two units together.
what is the best way to figure out what case to buy is big enough for my hsf unit?
 
Newegg reviews of the cooler are a good way. People often say what case they're using. If it's a popular cooler you can also search for it among the reviews of the case you want. Anyway, the coolers you're looking at are not that big, so you shouldn't have a problem.
 
i was really looking at the 120mm style of cooler but i was hearing that they were having problems with it not fitting in their case. i like the hdt s1283 specs just not the size (due to case problems)
thanks
 
yes i have my old case but that pc is going to the kids.
this is a new build completely. so i will be buying a new hopefully cheap in price case.
another idea i was thinking is add the dimesions up and convert to inches and go that route. i would also like to get one where i wouldnt have to tear out the side fan if it comes with one. so ill add in another 25mm i guess to the total. man there has got to be an easier way though.lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom