Need Help: P5ND2 (nForce 4) vs. P5NSLI (n570) for E6400

[firephoenix]

Hi geeks and experts,

I am going to order a new rig powered by E6400. Mid-range budget. I will be flight simming and doing some engineering simulations on this. I have a couple questions regarding which mobo might work the best for the money. (I want to retain the SLI capability because I sinerely believe nVidia cards have better performance per buck than ATI cards)

I am considering:
1) last generation Asus P5ND2-SLI with nForce 4 SLI, which is cheap ($86.99 at Newegg) and avaliable (Asus said it supports Conroe, maybe with new BIOS); and

2) newer Asus P5N-SLI with n570, which would be about 30% more expensive (expected >$110) and god knows when they will be avaliable.

I checked the nVidia comparison chart and couldn't really find too much difference between n4 and n570 performance wise. I am thinking of using at best 7900GT, for which the 8x SLI should not be a bottleneck. I expect to only mildly OC up to about E6600 level (if I get a non-retail and have to buy a Zalman fan, I guess I will clock more).

So, does it worth it to "wait" and "pay" for the new n570 board? or would the n4 board performance just as well with not much difference?

This is my first question post, thank you very much!

Eric

side question:
would DDR2-800 RAM work with DDR2-667 boards? just in case my next mobo could use it. I don't mind slower timings with the -800 RAM.

 

[Vile]

I think you are confusing things up a bit.

The only nForce motherboard being sold today is the P5N32-SLI SE which costs $280.

It lacks many features you'll find in both 570 and 590s.

My advise would be to wait a while and get a better motherboard for less $.

 

[firephoenix]

old n4 board:
ASUS P5ND2-SLI Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 4 SLI Intel Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131578

new n570 board:
ASUS P5NSLI w/ n570
http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&model=P5ND2-SLI

as of now, Asus is updating their usa website to add manuals, BIOS and stuff for this new board

and this is the list of "forward compatible" mobos from Asus that supports C2D:
http://usa.asus.com/news_show.aspx?id=3806



I don't think I can wait till end of Aug for the n570 board... If the n4 one works, I will get to and save some money.

Thank you very much!
Eric

 

[Vile]

What makes you think the P5ND2-SLI works with C2D? Am I missing something ?

 

[firephoenix]

It doesn't... I think I am missing the thing.

Thanks a lot!

I will wait patientlessly then

 

[Vile]

Lol, I'm glad you didn't make a mistake ^^

Welcome aboard the 'We are all waiting for nForce 5xx' :lol:

 

[firephoenix]

if you don't mind I have an extra question regarding memories on mobos:

I read that both n570 and n590 have native support for DDR2-667 Mhz only. Can I use DDR2-800 RAMs on them and just let them run at lower speeds and slower timmings? Or will they completely not work?

AND, is the "Voltage", higher better or lower better?

(I am planning to get upwards of 4Gb of ram for my application, I want to buy faster RAM so I can keep them for the next board or so.)

There are a number of good rebate deals on Newegg:
OCZ gold DDR2-800 Cas=5 (2x1Gb) $160 after rebate
OCZ Platinum DDR2-800 Cas=4 (2x1Gb) $166 after rebate
Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 Cas=5 (2x1Gb) $179 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=ENE&N=2010170147+1052308477+1052108080+1052416064&Subcategory=147&description=&srchInDesc=&minPrice=&maxPrice=

Thanks a lot!
Thanks for helping while we are all dead waiting ^^

 

[Vile]

Native supports means that mobo works best with that kind of ram. That doesn't stop you from using DDR2-800 on the motherboard at all.

When you look at the different voltages RAM uses you can tell whether that RAM has been factory overclocked to reach it's current speed or it was 'made' to run at that speed with low voltage.

I believe the lowest (and most common) voltage for DDR2 modules is 1.8V.

Alright so, if you see a module running DDR2 800 at 1.9V, it's far better than another brand's DDR2 using 2.2V See my point ? More voltage to achieve certain speed means the module it's probably a lower end module that was just factory overclocked to reach higher speeds.

In short, the lower the voltage and the higher the speed, the better.

 

[firephoenix]

Thank you very much!

Good to know about one more spec to watch for when I buy new RAM = low "Voltage"

:lol: :lol:

 

[Vile]

You're welcome