Recommended x58 MOBO

[imakuzim]

Hi I am about to build a pc which has the components ive finalized so far:

i7 930
1gb gtx 460 2x

Now I want some recommendation of a good mother board which won't cause bottlenecks from those finalized components or will be too much for it (i.e. gigabyte's ud9,7).

I am planning to OC the processor up to 4.0GHz so yeah I need a motherboard that could make that possible.

And lastly, I'm not so into SLIs more than 2 so I need at least 2 x16 PCIe lanes which (if possible) still have space between each card (for better airflow).

I mostly use this PC for gaming so yeah I know an i5 760 should have been perfect for this setup with the GTX 460 SLI but unless I found a really good reason to go on the i5 setup (ofcourse except budget wise) im planning to stick on i7 930.

So there you go! Your recommendations will be much appreciated

 

[Maziar]

Hello
ASUS P6X58D-E is a great choice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641
However,if you need something with better OC'ng potential and better cooling,then consider ASUS Rampage III Formula
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131666

 

[tecmo34]

^+1...

Since you don't plan to do anything more than SLI, I would save some money and just pick up the ASUS Sabertooth X58 for your needs.

 

[Northwolfe]

Definitely the ASUS X-58 Sabertooth.

As for the CPU, I'd check the prices, since I see that the 950 is selling for ~the same price as the 930...

 

[imakuzim]

Hi Maziar! Yes I think P6X58D-E is a nice board. However ASUS Rampagge III formula is too much. I just need to reach 4.0 GHz which I believe is obtainable in P6X58D-E right?

Actually I have already some in mind and just can't finalize which is which.
Here are some of my thoughts:

P6X58D-E
asus sabertooth.. I'm not sure the exact model number.
gigabyte's GA-X58-UD3R
I have my thoughts too for ASROCK x58 Extreme 3 but then again I have heard issues about ASROCK not being in the level with gigabyte and asus boards.

Any more thoughts are very welcome

 

[imakuzim]

EVGA has nice x58 boards too I believe. But I'm not sure if they have price/quality ASUS and GIGABYTE offers at $200 range.

 

[chunkymonster]

I have my thoughts too for ASROCK x58 Extreme 3 but then again I have heard issues about ASROCK not being in the level with gigabyte and asus boards.

Been running the ASRock X58 Extreme for over a year without any issues. For the price/performance it is hard to beat the X58 Extreme. I definitely recommend it!

Currently running a D0 920 at a stable 4GHz 24/7 and have never experienced any hardware related issues.

Take the reviews on Newegg with a grain of salt as some of the negative reviews for the X58 Extreme are from newbs and/or a result of PEBCAK.

One thing to keep in mind is that ASRock is owned by Asus and is geared towards the "mainstream" market.

 

[Maziar]

Hi Maziar! Yes I think P6X58D-E is a nice board. However ASUS Rampagge III formula is too much. I just need to reach 4.0 GHz which I believe is obtainable in P6X58D-E right?

Actually I have already some in mind and just can't finalize which is which.
Here are some of my thoughts:

P6X58D-E
asus sabertooth.. I'm not sure the exact model number.
gigabyte's GA-X58-UD3R
I have my thoughts too for ASROCK x58 Extreme 3 but then again I have heard issues about ASROCK not being in the level with gigabyte and asus boards.

Any more thoughts are very welcome

Since i7 930 is a great OC'er,then i think you can easily achieve 4.0GHz with P6X58D-E.
You can find many good X58 boards,(ASUS Sabertooth,Gigabyte X58-UD3R and the Asrock X58) are all good and all have good reviews,so you can't go wrong with either.

 

[imakuzim]

Great! Now I narrowed down my choices into

ASUS P6X58D-E
ASUS SABERTOOTH X58
ASROCK X58 EXTREME 3
GIGABYTE GA-X58-UD3R

I believe the OC part was solved and this boards can OC 930 into 4Ghz.

I also think these boards have those advance sata/usb setups.

So my probably last question would be are these boards able to run 2 SLI at full bandwith?

And for those that are able too, which one has a good space between each PCIe x16 for the cards? i'm not quite sure but I have read topics about SLI's opting for mobos which can provide space between the two cards for better air flow = less heat.

Correct me If I'm wrong XD

 

[tecmo34]

All the boards do x16,x16 in SLI. The ASRock & Gigabyte both have two slots between the slots, where the ASUS only have one. The extra slot can add better air flow between the slots. With that said, I would still go with the ASUS Sabertooth X58 or ASUS P6X58D-E over the other two boards. In my opinion, they are the better boards.

 

[Maziar]

+1^
All of them can run 2 cards in SL/CF at dual x16 mode.
I personally prefer P6X58D-E between those options but like i said,all of them are quite good.You can't go wrong with either.

 

[imakuzim]

I've went more forum research and found out GIGABYTE GA-X58-UD3R had issues with RAID, even with the better airflow as tecmo34 said, I think that would eliminate ga-x58-udr3 from my list.

So guys weve come up with ASUS Sabertooth X58 VS ASUS P6X58D-E
Whats really the difference with the two? some prefers sabertooth, some prefers p6x58d-e. Given the specs I plan to have, which is more worth it and why?

 

[tecmo34]

If you don't plan on running 3-way SLI, the ASUS Sabertooth X58 is the better deal

 

[Maziar]

+1^
The main difference between them is the number of PCI-E slots they have, if you don't need 3 PCI-E slots,then go with Sabertooth.Its cheaper too