What is the best P965 based motherboard.

[billdcat4]

Hey, Im looking for a ultra-reliable and stable P965 based mobo to use with a e4300 CPU. I looked at the Gigabyte Ga-965 DS3, the ASUS P5B, and the Intel P965 boards. So far Im leaning towards the Intel Board. This is due to its low price and reports of Intel boards lasting forever. Intel tech support also is supposed to rock. Am I right by saying these things?

What have your experiences been with Intel boards and P965 boards in general? Also, what P965 board gets the least D.O.A's ??

I DO NOT plan on OC'ing at least at first so that is not important. I do want to know about that whole P965 and 1.8v ram thing. I am strongly looking at the OCZ S.O.E 2gb 667mhz ram that runs at 1.9v. Would this ram work with a P965 based board without voiding any warranties by over/underclocking it? So can you all just get this issue out of the way.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227118
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813121035

So can you just read the whole post so you can reply accurately. Remember the priority is Stability and Low Price.

*EDIT* I found a 2gb kit of Kingston DDR667 that runs at 1.8v. Ive had 2/2 good experiences with Kingston ram. Also its $170 not bad.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820134046

 

[billdcat4]

So how is this for a casual gamer for 1025? Ive already got a Dell 2001FP 16x12 LCD, Logitech MX3200 kb+m, and Lite-On SHM 165S H6S dvd burner.

Intel C2D E4300
2gb Kingston DDR667RAM 1.8v (for the P965)
Intel P965 mobo
eVGA 7900gs 256mb GPU
Creative Xfi XtremeGamer (only $60 after MIR)
OCZ PowerXStream 600w 4x 12v 18a each
Antec Nine Hundred case
WD SE16 250gb hd
Edimax PCI Wifi Card

Do I need to get an aftermarket CPU cooler if I dont want to OC?
so is it all good? I dont plan on OC'ing for stability's sake as well as for reliability in the long term. The wonderful Arctic Freezer has unexplainable rose from 30 bucks to 70. The Zalman CNPS7700 is 35 bucks, but it requires that you take the mobo out before installing it. Therefore, If I was planning to get it, I would install it when first building the machine.

Also, just to add this in, how would I know if I get a D.O.A mobo, or RAM, or GPU?? How does one find out which part is dead?

Also, how would the e4300 at stock compare to my dead P4 540 3.2ghz heatburst in single-core performance? Would the e4300 at stock bottleneck the 7900gs?

 

[billdcat4]

anyways the intel boards are super stable with lots of features but they are generally not overclockable (unless you get an extreme processor). the other vendors copies of the intel board ussually have overclocking features the intel boards do not

Hey what about the BADAXE? Wasnt that like the best board for a while? Im pretty sure that it OC'd really well. Do the P965 boards OC at all? Also, when you OC the CPU does it violate the warranty on the Mobo as well as the CPU?

 

[JeanLuc]

I think you need to download and install a third party bios to take advantage of the overclocking potential of the BADAX, maybe I'm wrong.

I have the DS3 (for a E6400) and have no complaints, its stable, has a good range of BIOS options, overclocks really well. The only draw back is that it doesn;t support SLi or Crossfire, then again that's refelcted in the price.

 

[flabbergasted]

The GIGABYTE 965P-DS3P has cross-fire.
DS3p revision 2

 

[RJ]

Do the P965 boards OC at all?

Nah.... I'm having a hell of a time hitting 700 mhz fsb

 

[billdcat4]

Do the P965 boards OC at all?

Nah.... I'm having a hell of a time hitting 700 mhz fsb

Srry I meant the Intel P965 boards. In my case would It be worth it to go for the G965 or Q965, or P945 boards from intel. None of them can OC at any rate, but the G and Q boards have great onboard video while the P965 has none whatsoever. Heck, its always good to have a backup solution in case something goes wrong eh?

Aw forget it, those intel boards are the same price but way crappier

 

[RJ]

Do the P965 boards OC at all?

Nah.... I'm having a hell of a time hitting 700 mhz fsb

Srry I meant the Intel P965 boards. In my case would It be worth it to go for the G965 or Q965, or P945 boards from intel. None of them can OC at any rate, but the G and Q boards have great onboard video while the P965 has none whatsoever. Heck, its always good to have a backup solution in case something goes wrong eh?

Aw forget it, those intel boards are the same price but way crappier

I can't speak for the Intel boards, but I do have a G965 from Gigabyte. It's graphics aren't half bad. this board recently got a BIOS update that lets you OC a little...like just over 300 mhz.

 

[carver_g]

If you are looking primarily for stability as your post indicated, I have the MSI 965 Platinum board rev 1.3 and it has been rock stable- not a single BSOD or crash in four months of heavy use. And it's on the lower end for price.

However, I can not recommend the board for overclocking. I've had the worst time getting even 2.7Ghz out of my e6600, and I've followed all the P965 overclocking guidelines I could find, including the reviews on Tom's Hardware.

 

[billdcat4]

If you are looking primarily for stability as your post indicated, I have the MSI 965 Platinum board rev 1.3 and it has been rock stable- not a single BSOD or crash in four months of heavy use. And it's on the lower end for price.

However, I can not recommend the board for overclocking. I've had the worst time getting even 2.7Ghz out of my e6600, and I've followed all the P965 overclocking guidelines I could find, including the reviews on Tom's Hardware.

Thnx but I think Ive decided on the Intel P965 board. Its dirt cheap and has a great warranty to boot.

thnx though