nForce 4 SLi x16 vs. nForce 680i SLi

[Track]

Looking for a motherboard to accomidate two 8800 GTXs in SLi, I stumbled accross the GA-8N-SLI Quad Royal motherboard, with an nForce 4 SLi x16 chipset.http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=1957&ModelName=GA-8N-SLI%20Quad%20Royal

The GA-8N-SLI Quad Royal is half the price of the expensive 680i SLi, and I was wondering why should I spend twice as much on the 680i SLi.

Thank You.

 

[Xazax310]

Uhm? maybe its because......lemme think.... quad royal doesnt support Core 2 duo, Quad Core, 1333FSB, up to DDR2-1200 memory, 680I also has built in Linkboost activated whenever you install a 8800 series card(so 100mhz PCI-E to 150 Mhz)

O, and maybe because the 680I is best Overclocker as reviewed by THG, andandtech, 3DGURU, ETC.

But what do i know (besides owning the eVGA 680I) So heck go buy the http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=1957&ModelName=GA-8N-SLI%20Quad%20Royal

For all i care..... :roll:

 

[Track]

Uhm? maybe its because......lemme think.... quad royal doesnt support

Core 2 duo

Where does it say that? It says 775 doesnt it?

Quad Core

Worthless.

1333FSB

Can overclock to 1333Mhz.

DDR2-1200

Thats a joke, right?

Linkboost

Meh.

Overclocker

Buying E4400 with 10x multiplier, wont need FSB to be higher than 333Mhz.

For all i care..... :roll:

No need for that. If u dont have anything nice to say, dont reply. :roll:

 

[slim142]

Looking for a motherboard to accomidate two 8800 GTXs in SLi, I stumbled accross the GA-8N-SLI Quad Royal motherboard, with an nForce 4 SLi x16 chipset.http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=1957&ModelName=GA-8N-SLI%20Quad%20Royal

The GA-8N-SLI Quad Royal is half the price of the expensive 680i SLi, and I was wondering why should I spend twice as much on the 680i SLi.

Thank You.

I think you should go with this one

http://www.vr-zone.com/index.php?i=4487

 

[Valtiel]

I doubt it supports Core 2 Duo, I did some searching and I could not find an article stating it supports Core 2 Duo let alone tested with Core 2 Duo.

from newegg:
Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type LGA 775
CPU Type Pentium D / Pentium 4 HT / Celeron D

It is my opinion the the 680i board provides more of an upgrade path than an nF4 board

The GA-8N-SLI Quad Royal is half the price of the expensive 680i SLi, and I was wondering why should I spend twice as much on the 680i SLi.

well no one has a gun to your head... 8)

Not sure why you would want 4 PCI-e slots 8O (8 monitors? highest resolution possible? 2560x1920?!)

and again the 680i has more features, is new technology, overclocks higher, looks cooler what have you .

 

[Track]

I doubt it supports Core 2 Duo, I did some searching and I could not find an article stating it supports Core 2 Duo let alone tested with Core 2 Duo.

from newegg:
Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type LGA 775
CPU Type Pentium D / Pentium 4 HT / Celeron D

It is my opinion the the 680i board provides more of an upgrade path than an nF4 board

The GA-8N-SLI Quad Royal is half the price of the expensive 680i SLi, and I was wondering why should I spend twice as much on the 680i SLi.

well no one has a gun to your head... 8)

Not sure why you would want 4 PCI-e slots 8O (8 monitors? highest resolution possible? 2560x1920?!)

and again the 680i has more features, is new technology, overclocks higher, looks cooler what have you .


I dont see how thats possible. It says Socket 775 and Core 2 Duos are socket 775. That page was written over 6 months ago, before they were released.

And i dont want 4 PCIe slots - that motherboard is the only one i can get other than the 680i SLi where i live.

 

[Valtiel]

It is possible if the board was released before the C2D series that it cannot support the C2D series. Sad but true. I'm not sure what governs whether it can or cannot support it I'll have to get back to you on that. I keep thinking VRMs but don't quote me on that.

You only have two motherboards you can buy? Where do you live?

And I'm not sure what page you are referring to... I did not link a page and I checked the other links.

 

[BUFF]

I dont see how thats possible. It says Socket 775 and Core 2 Duos are socket 775. That page was written over 6 months ago, before they were released.

oh believe us, it's possible ...
Intel changed the VRM specification for C2D so there are plenty of 775 mobos that don't support C2D.

 

[grimmysnr]

Its been a little while but if i remember correctly just before the release of Core 2 Duo there were 2 motherboards that were exactly the same but inherently different. The P5N32-SLi Deluxe and the P5N32-SLi SE Deluxe. Both of which are nforce 4 chipsets but the first one did not support C2D where the second one did simply because the SE Deluxe had its voltages modified to handle the C2D.

So it is possible for a LGA 775 motherboard to not support C2D if its old enough. If the board was mainstream prior to C2D launch and is a Nforce4 chipset it will most likely not be C2D compliant.

Although the 680i is a lot for your needs, I would purchase it simply because your needs may change later down the line. You may not see it right now but one day you will be looking to install additional devices or something of the sort and that 680i will be more than capable of handling it, while the old board moves on to the clearance rack along with its pentium 4 buddies.

 

[Track]

But where am i going to find 360$ for the 680i SLi? Thats the question.

It seems like the nForce 680i SLi is the ONLY nForce chipset to support Core 2 Duos, because its the only one that was out after their release. Not to mention before their release everyone wanted Athlons, so there are many more 590 SLi motherboards with socket AM2 than 775. Infact, i cant find a single one.

 

[-silencer-]

But where am i going to find 360$ for the 680i SLi? Thats the question.

It seems like the nForce 680i SLi is the ONLY nForce chipset to support Core 2 Duos, because its the only one that was out after their release. Not to mention before their release everyone wanted Athlons, so there are many more 590 SLi motherboards with socket AM2 than 775. Infact, i cant find a single one.

Not true. 650i SLI for around $140-150. Newegg has at least 1 model available - Asus? True, it's only 8x,8x in SLI.. but it IS a C2D mobo at $100 off the 680i. Is $100 worth dropping from 16x,16x SLI? If I'm throwing $1100 into two videocards, I'm not going cheap on the motherboard..

 

[pottymonster]

But where am i going to find 360$ for the 680i SLi? Thats the question.

dude, if you're serious enough about this to want to put 8800gtx's in SLI, then im pretty sure you shouldnt be skimping out on the motherboard.

if you cant afford it, rethink your needs.

 

[AdamBomb42]

Just because it's a 775 doesn't mean it supports conroe. The Intel 925 chipset is a 775 and it doesn't support conroe and the first 975 boards also didn't support conroe due to improper voltage regulation.

The 1333FSB will support higher speed processor. It is rumored (last I heard) that the top of the line Penryn's will support 1333FSB.

Quad-core is not useless for people who perform lots of multitasking and many more programs including games are being thread-optimized.

I find it strange that you ask what others think and then bash them for it.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Just an FYI. The Gigabyte Quad Royal does NOT support the Intel Core2Duo processors. Here is the link to the Supported CPU List for the board. All Core2's are listed as "n/a".

-Wolf sends

 

[-silencer-]

Quad-core is not useless for people who perform lots of multitasking and many more programs including games are being thread-optimized.

I find it strange that you ask what others think and then bash them for it.

Exactly. I LOVE having a QX6700 with games, since I'm rarely JUST playing the game. I nearly always have WinAmp, TeamSpeak/Ventrilo, Xfire/AIM, a web browser, email client, and mIRC open while playing games. That's the sort of thing quad core helps with in gaming right now.

 

[grimmysnr]

Well you dont have to get the 680i. There are the 590 boards and if you want to try the P5N32-SLi SE Deluxe which is what i have you can do that too. I wouldnt really follow the ideal that if you spend huge money on the 8800's that you should spend the same on the motherboard. Mid 200 dollar range is good enough, just make sure is x16. Not that you will use that much bandwidth but id rather have it and not use then be limited later on.

Do some more homework and rethink your budget. Your not in a pissing contest here nor is getting those cards in SLi going to impress anybody. To be quite honest those cards are probably the biggest waist of money atm simply because the only title that is going to use them to their full capacity is Crysis which isnt released yet. Even then 1 8800GTX will more than likely run Crysis just fine. Besides that i would not spend 1200 bucks just so i can play one game thats going to give me just a little bit of eye candy over a regular system. When you get those 8800's your going to be required to use Vista which is a nightmare in itself. After you install that abomination your going to have to use the Nvidia beta drivers which is a joke. Im not saying it wont work because there is plenty of people who have stable setups but meh ill save myself the headache.

I personally would save your money and get some type of step up program. Look towards the 8800 in 2nd to 3rd qtr 07 because hopefully by then you may have a few DX10 titles to choose from. But i can assure you that 1200 dollars will be half that in 6 months and then you will feel completely stupid for spending all that money. My 7900GT KO 512MB cards run my games bueatifully and i do not have any doubt that Crysis will not bring my system to its knees. I might miss out on a few things but when the 8800's come down in price ill reinstall the game and see what the big hoopla was about.

Dont worry about the hype dude and definately dont worry about bragging rights. After all its your money not anybody elses.

 

[Track]

What most ppl here dont get is that i do not live in the US, or as i call it "the land of free hardware".

Thus i cannot buy the 680i for under 360$ or the 8800 GTX for under 900$. Not to mention that thats IF i find them. I only have access to a much smaller ammount of motherboards.

Alright, so i get that the Gigabyte Quad-Royal does not support C2D. It's out.
What i still dont know is if the 8800s NEED a x16 slot in SLi.

In the end i think ill get the 680i just because its the only thing that im SURE will work.


But then again, 775 has been here for years.. how "futureproof" would the 680i be if a new socket will come out next year?

 

[grimmysnr]

With the Core 2 just being released a few months ago and the Quad soon after that I dont think the 775 socket will be going anywhere for a little while. Socket 478 hung around for several years and many folks still use it. You cant necessasrily "futureproof" yourself that much but you can try and get the hardware that will get you as close to that goal as possible. But as technology as shown eventually Socket 775 will phase out just like 478 and something new will be introduced. I think its going be a couple years before that happens but then again I dont have a crystal ball. If you waited for new hardware to come out before making your purchase you might as well never buy anything. With technology you should have a short term 2 year outlook at the most. The Core 2 Extreme and Quad Core are kicking ass right now and in two years they will still kick ass.

As far as x16 SLi bandwidth, the way i see it is its better to have too much than too little. You dont want to get that next big game and then spend thousands on video cards only be held back because you skimped on the video bandwidth.

Also the 680i is not that much cheaper here and $400+ is what you will pay for a good one especially form a place like newegg. The 8800 are going for $600+ from a decent manufacturer. Most Americans are e-consumers anyway so take some time and surf some well known sites like www.newegg.com and thats what we pay for stuff.

 

[Valtiel]

What most ppl here dont get is that i do not live in the US, or as i call it "the land of free hardware".

Perhaps you should tell us that

 

[Track]

What most ppl here dont get is that i do not live in the US, or as i call it "the land of free hardware".

Perhaps you should tell us that

I try. When i lived in the US i was too young to care abt PCs, but now I see the unbelievable prices that u can get in the US.

 

[Track]

With the Core 2 just being released a few months ago and the Quad soon after that I dont think the 775 socket will be going anywhere for a little while. Socket 478 hung around for several years and many folks still use it. You cant necessasrily "futureproof" yourself that much but you can try and get the hardware that will get you as close to that goal as possible. But as technology as shown eventually Socket 775 will phase out just like 478 and something new will be introduced. I think its going be a couple years before that happens but then again I dont have a crystal ball. If you waited for new hardware to come out before making your purchase you might as well never buy anything. With technology you should have a short term 2 year outlook at the most. The Core 2 Extreme and Quad Core are kicking ass right now and in two years they will still kick ass.

As far as x16 SLi bandwidth, the way i see it is its better to have too much than too little. You dont want to get that next big game and then spend thousands on video cards only be held back because you skimped on the video bandwidth.

Also the 680i is not that much cheaper here and $400+ is what you will pay for a good one especially form a place like newegg. The 8800 are going for $600+ from a decent manufacturer. Most Americans are e-consumers anyway so take some time and surf some well known sites like www.newegg.com and thats what we pay for stuff.

Good point.

But he 680i SLi costs only 250$ in the US. Prices here are always double, but i got a "great" deal on the 680i for "only" 360$.

I cant shop at Newegg because the if i buy the 680i for 250$ from Newegg, the extra 110$ will be added in customs, not to mention another 40$ for international shipping.

The only way i can buy the 680i is if i knew someone who was going to travel to where i live - Israel, and deliver it to me personally.

 

[AdamBomb42]

Whenever I go to Costa Rica I like to pack a computer in my suitcase to sell while I'm down there.

 

[Track]

Whenever I go to Costa Rica I like to pack a computer in my suitcase to sell while I'm down there.

I hope u realize how lucky u really are.

 

[pottymonster]

Well you dont have to get the 680i. There are the 590 boards and if you want to try the P5N32-SLi SE Deluxe which is what i have you can do that too. I wouldnt really follow the ideal that if you spend huge money on the 8800's that you should spend the same on the motherboard. Mid 200 dollar range is good enough, just make sure is x16. Not that you will use that much bandwidth but id rather have it and not use then be limited later on.

Do some more homework and rethink your budget. Your not in a pissing contest here nor is getting those cards in SLi going to impress anybody. To be quite honest those cards are probably the biggest waist of money atm simply because the only title that is going to use them to their full capacity is Crysis which isnt released yet. Even then 1 8800GTX will more than likely run Crysis just fine. Besides that i would not spend 1200 bucks just so i can play one game thats going to give me just a little bit of eye candy over a regular system. When you get those 8800's your going to be required to use Vista which is a nightmare in itself. After you install that abomination your going to have to use the Nvidia beta drivers which is a joke. Im not saying it wont work because there is plenty of people who have stable setups but meh ill save myself the headache.

I personally would save your money and get some type of step up program. Look towards the 8800 in 2nd to 3rd qtr 07 because hopefully by then you may have a few DX10 titles to choose from. But i can assure you that 1200 dollars will be half that in 6 months and then you will feel completely stupid for spending all that money. My 7900GT KO 512MB cards run my games bueatifully and i do not have any doubt that Crysis will not bring my system to its knees. I might miss out on a few things but when the 8800's come down in price ill reinstall the game and see what the big hoopla was about.

Dont worry about the hype dude and definately dont worry about bragging rights. After all its your money not anybody elses.

im not attacking you or anything, im just chuckling at that post about saving money when i read in your signature that you have an X6800.

 

[Track]

He does?

Wow, u think u know someone. I cant respect anyone with anything abovean E6600.