P5B-E PLUS vs DS-3

[snowie]

I am trying to decide between

Asus P5B-E Plus $330
and
Gigabyte DS-3 $280

I have heard so much bad stuff about the DS-3 and Micron D9 chips, so I'm swaying to the E Plus, as I have seen on Andantech 520 FSB o/c.

The DS3's Micron D9' chip problem is unlikely to be solved as they have already released a new DS3 rev 2 which is like DS3P or something.
and I have read somewhere that it's something to do with the hardware, which cannot really be resolved with a BIOS, and if so, the F8 bios was expected about 1 month ago, and still hasn't come out.

I plan on using a
E6400 and 1GB Crucial Ballistix PC 6400 DDR 800 ram (which is said to have D9's)

I just want a stable overclock of about 3.2ish Ghz?
I'm not really in it for the OC'ING-ness. I just want a faster system / bang for buck thing

Thanks ^^

PS: The RAM issue with the DS-3 Worries me too, Apparently it's unable to boot with Better Ram modules as they need 2.1-2.3V and the DS-3 only uses 1.8V. (the Ballistix Crucial I have is labelled as 2.1V)

 

[rwaritsdario]

Overclocking is just a notch better on the P5B-E Plus, this is because its got its vdroop fixed from the P5B-E. But since you arent going to the world record any of the boards will do.
Don't worry about the DS3 and D9 chips as this was just in early versions of the boards, I havent heard of a similar problem in a long time.

 

[wiz83]

The S3 (similar to DS3) mobo I built for a buddy a few weeks ago booted up Corsair Dominator modules which needed 2.1V just fine, no problems.

Besides that, you could fix it with a bios flash, or even boot it up on a lower end module, and increase the Vdimm +0.3V, and stick in your good quality ram. That would fix the problem.

Anyhow, the latest GA mobos have all those problems fixed a while ago.

 

[snowie]

should I stretch my budget and go for the P5B deluxe?
What is the benefits of P5B Deluxe over the DS3 and P5B-E plus, as the ram issue is not there anymore. and is it enough to justify the price difference?

3.2GHZ stable, nice temp is my goal with my parts.
I will do anything I can to reach this.

Thanks~

 

[rwaritsdario]

All three boards will do for your purpose. The only advantage of the P5B dlx would be having two PCIe x16 slots.
Pick a E6400 (at least) to ensure the 3.2Ghz will be rock solid stable.

 

[snowie]

yes, I have already decided on a E6400 and a
Crucial PC6400 1GB (2pc kit) Ballistix 240-pin D IMM
[BL2KIT6464AA804]

MODULE SIZE: 1GB(2pc kit)
PACKAGE: Ballistix 240-pin DIMM
FEATURE: DDR2 PC2-6400
CONFIGURATION: 64Meg x 64
DIMM TYPE: UNBUFFERED
NO.OF PINS: 240-Pin
ERROR CHECKING: NON-ECC
SPEED: DDR2-800
VOLTAGE: 2.1V
MEMORY TIMINGS: 4-4-4-12
* High-performance memory modules
* Features adv speed grades, low latencies, & Intg aluminum heat spreaders

Hmm, since all three will fit my purpose, should I go with the cheapest of the three? the DS-3? or.. what?

thanks^^

 

[rwaritsdario]

Nice memory and sure, pick the DS3 (which is no slouch of motherboard AT ALL) and pocket the rest or invest it in a nice cooler 8)

 

[snowie]

Thank you very much! reading about all those ancient-history issues on the DS3 really swayed me towards ASUS.

🙁

Thanks again~

Ah, I have some money left for a case.

Tsunami dream, I have read tons of good reviews and it really looks great.

Should I give it a go?

 

[rwaritsdario]

Good airflow, nice looking case, If youre comfortable with the interiors sure why not getting it? 8)