Help choosing a Mobo

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kole_743

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Please help me in picking a good mobo. Must finish this build by this month or else. Been gathering stuff for the past few months. Here is what I already got:

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Intel i7 930 (mobo has to be socket 1366)
http://www.frys.com/product/6159179?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

CM HAF 932
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4146085&CatId=1510

Corsair H50 (push, pull configuration)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5267687&CatId=1871

Corsair 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=corsair 750

Sapphire HD 5770 1GB (x2 in CrossfireX mode)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...apphire_radeon_hd_5770-_-14-102-858-_-Product

Corsair DDR3 6GB (3x2GB) 1600MHz C7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145286&Tpk=CMX6GX3M3C1600C7

Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST31000340NS 1TB 7200 RPM (x4 RAID 5 configuration)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148278

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006

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budget for mobo is $200-250. Obviously can't future proof 100%, but at least be able to support 24 GB RAM, 1 or 2 USB 3.0, and 1 or 2 SATA 6 G/s. Don't care much about the other features.

Was looking at ASUS sabertooth, but where am I going to put the sound card w/ crossfire in place? Like ASUS but hate their slot formation, but still prefer them or EVGA. Gigabyte or MSI okay.

Machine is mainly for gaming, CAD, photo, and video editing (HD rendering).

Thanks in advance.
 
Solution
Emperus
Personnely, i find it unnecessary to consider a 2+ video card setup (regardless of the scaling).. Coming back to the motherboard suggestion, similar chipset motherboards perform almost the same.. So it gets down to the feature count and aesthetics (color combination and board layout).. While choosing between the Sabertooth and the P6X58D, you can safely pick up the one which looks best to you.. Both are excellent.. Between them, i'll go for the Sabertooth.. If i've the cash to spend over the P6X58D Premium, i'll grab the MSI board instead..
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kole_743

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thanks Maziar that's a good mobo, but it too won't let me mount the sound card to the PCI slot if I have crossfire.

I'm thinking of just dumping the sound card and going with the Sabertooth. Could someone with experience on the other brands ( EVGA, Gigabyte, or MSI.) weight in as to what's another good mobo?

Thanks.
 
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kole_743

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No, just 2 PCI-E and one open PCI.

Okay, maybe I'm a little confuse here. My sound card is PCI interface only, which I don't believed it'll work in a PCI-E slot. That's why I'm looking for a mobo that have 2 PCI-E that will handle dual-slot video cards for Xfire, and a left over PCI slot for my sound card, which isn't being cover up by the video cards.

Thanks.
 
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kole_743

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Thanks but the sound card is not worth loosing SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0. I'm going to dump the sound card.
 
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kole_743

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That's a good mobo. It would have been perfect if they just slide that PCI slot down one slot. In it's current configuration, I believed my video card will still cover up the PCI. Well anyway this is a moot point because I'm going to dump the sound card so I could concentrate on a quality mobo instead of need.

So between Asus p6x58d-e and Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, which one would you choose? In other words, which is a better mobo since they both are about the same price.

What other good mobo are out there? My price point could go a little higher if the quality of the mobo is worth it.

Thanks.
 
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Emperus

Emperus

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The Asus P6X58D-E is certainly better compared to the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R.. You can search the forums for the reason.. There have been quite a few threads with complaints pertaining to the UD3R..

My recommendation would however be the MSI BigBang XPower X58.. Its packed with features, has a very neat and usable layout, good aesthetics, good price and great for overclocking.. Its an awesome piece of hardware to be had for under 300$
 
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K

kole_743

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Thanks Emperus, but I rule out the Gigabyte when I found out that it doesn't support DDR3 1600 MHz speed, which is the speed of my Corsair RAM. Well it does but you MUST OC in order for it to work. I don't like that option.

As for the MSI, WOW that's a beast right there. What's the difference between that and the Asus P6X58D Premium? Again both are at the same price range, so which is better?

I pretty much have narrow it down to Asus P6X58D-E or Sabertooth. The only differences I could see are listed below:

P6X58D-E:

Intel 32nm 6-Core CPU Support Ready
True USB 3.0 -10X Faster Date Rates!
True SATA 6Gb/s RAID Support - Experience the Future of Storage!
True 16+2 Phase Power Design - Unprecedented Innovation with the Best Quality Component for Best Performance
3-Way SLI & Quad-GPU support - Flexible Multi-GPU solutions, Your Weapon of Choice!
TurboV - New OC Records with Real - Time Super-precise Tunings


Sabertooth:

2-SLI and Quad-GPU CrossFireX support
Supports Drive Xpert Technology
CeraM!X
Premium ceramic-coating technology provides best heat dissipation
TUF Capacitors, Chokes and MOSFETS
Certified by military standard to ensure ultimate durability
Efficient Switching Power (E.S.P)
Higher Power Efficiency; Higher Reliability
MemOK!
Any Memory is A-OK!

Which of those feature should I be looking out for? Is 3-SLI that much better then 2-SLI? Does it even matter if I'm using ATI cards?

Thanks.
 
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Emperus

Emperus

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Aug 10, 2008
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Personnely, i find it unnecessary to consider a 2+ video card setup (regardless of the scaling).. Coming back to the motherboard suggestion, similar chipset motherboards perform almost the same.. So it gets down to the feature count and aesthetics (color combination and board layout).. While choosing between the Sabertooth and the P6X58D, you can safely pick up the one which looks best to you.. Both are excellent.. Between them, i'll go for the Sabertooth.. If i've the cash to spend over the P6X58D Premium, i'll grab the MSI board instead..
 
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Solution
K

kole_743

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Feb 28, 2010
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18,510



Thank you very much Emperus and Maziar for taking the time to answer my questions. Really appreciate your advice. I know some of my questions may seem silly, but I'm kind of new at this. I have upgraded, fixed, and modified computers in the past but this will be my first fresh build.

After much sleepless nights, I'll take your advice Emperus and go with the ASUS sabertooth. As a matter of fact I just order it from TigerDirect.com. They charge me $6.69 for S&H but NO TAX. Amazon does the same thing.

I don't like Newegg or Fry's because I live in CA and they charge me ~10% tax plus any S&H, totally not cool.

Thanks everyone.
 
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