Motherboards and CPU Upgradeability (1333 FSB useful?)

[kameleon]

I apologize for the cross post. I reealize that my topic is more suited for this forum.

I'm building a machine for the first time and I had a question about motherboards and how easy it is to upgrade the cpu. For instance, there are some motherboards available with FSB speeds of 1333 Mhz. If I buy a Core 2 Duo now and later decide to upgrade, what is the possiblity that these boards will support CPUs not yet released that will run on 1333 Mhz FSB? I know that some boards that supported the Pentium D do not support Core 2 Duos. Does this happen often? In other words, if I buy a motherboard today, is it likely that it won't support CPUs released in 2008 or even late 2007? What would be the point, then, of buying a motherboard with FSB speeds of 1333 MHz?

Thanks for the input.

Scott

 

[kameleon]

A follow on to this - I can't seem to find a motherboard with a 1333 Mhz FSB without that SLI chipset.

If I'm looking to stay with the 965 chipset, is there simply no way I'm going to find a motherboard that will support future Intel chips?

Scott

 

[g-paw]

Personally, I don't think it makes sense to buy a mobo for a CPU that hasn't been released unless it's just a faster version of one already out there. While sometimes mobo mfg can offer BIOS updates that will let you run a new type of CPU, you're almost always better getting a mobo specifically designed for the CPU you want. Upgrading to a faster CPU isn't a problem

 

[grifter33]

The core 2 duo lineup is getting a revamp this year. The chips are supposed to basically stay the same, only the native fsb will be going up from 1066- 1333. Getting a new mobo which supports the 1333 fsb already means you'll be able to drop any of those chips in your board when they come out and reasonably expect no problems.

Theres no guarantee that any board you buy today will support any of the penryn chips due late this year-early next year. But IMO your odds of your board working with a panryn are probably better if your board already supports the 1333 fsb then if it doesn't.

If you dont want a nvidia chipset, the only other boards on the market right now that support 1333fsb are the new revision 3.3 gigabyte boards. If you are looking for the best chance at upgradeability your best bet is to look at the GA-965P-DQ6 Revision 3.3.

It supports quad core as well as the 1333fsb with an intel 965P chipset. Has nice features like all solid capacitors too. Anyway make sure you get the revision 3.3 versions, as any older versions will not support the 1333fsb.

Keep in mind though, upgradeability only goes so far with pcs. Boards with pci-e 2.0 and ddr3 will be hitting the market in the next 6 months. Intel also has a planned socket change on the maps for sometime in 2008.

Anyway hope that helped you, good luck.

 

[enewmen]

A follow on to this - I can't seem to find a motherboard with a 1333 Mhz FSB without that SLI chipset.

If I'm looking to stay with the 965 chipset, is there simply no way I'm going to find a motherboard that will support future Intel chips?

Scott

The 965 Asus P5B Deluxe supports a 1333 fsb.
If you are really nervous about this, wait for the bearlake 38x in a few months. That has a native 1333 fsb, PCIe 2.0, and DDR3.

 

[Newf]

Personally, I don't think it makes sense to buy a mobo for a CPU that hasn't been released unless it's just a faster version of one already out there. While sometimes mobo mfg can offer BIOS updates that will let you run a new type of CPU, you're almost always better getting a mobo specifically designed for the CPU you want. Upgrading to a faster CPU isn't a problem

It's just damn amazing how often you state exactly what I'm thinking in response to a post...

 

[g-paw]

Personally, I don't think it makes sense to buy a mobo for a CPU that hasn't been released unless it's just a faster version of one already out there. While sometimes mobo mfg can offer BIOS updates that will let you run a new type of CPU, you're almost always better getting a mobo specifically designed for the CPU you want. Upgrading to a faster CPU isn't a problem

It's just damn amazing how often you state exactly what I'm thinking in response to a post...

Great minds

 

[grant8844]

There are several mobos out right now that "support" 1333 FSB if you are willing to overclock including the Asus P5W DH Deluxe and P5B Deluxe. Both of these boards overclock to 1333 very easily using Wusy's guide.

I have an P5W DH and am running at FSB 1512 with a E6600 at 3.4 GHz.

The board is doing this with only two changes to the mobo voltages:

MCH from 1.55 stock to 1.65
vCore from 1.275 stock to 1.325

I do not see any reason to "upgrade" to a 1333 mobo when they are officially announced.

 

[kameleon]

Thanks for the input!

I'll probably take a look at the Gigabyte board, but given that compatibility with the Penryn chips isn't gauranteed, I'll have to consider other factors first (price, reviews, chipset, etc)

Thanks, again!

 

[zathrii]

Thanks for the input!

I'll probably take a look at the Gigabyte board, but given that compatibility with the Penryn chips isn't gauranteed, I'll have to consider other factors first (price, reviews, chipset, etc)

Thanks, again!

Does this sound like a guarantee? Right on DQ6 product page it says:

"GIGABYTE Rev 3.3 P965 Series motherboards were designed to take full advantage of the blistering performance inherent in the new generation Intel Core 2 Duo processors featuring 1333MHz FSB."

 

[elpresidente2075]

If I had one of those motherboards, I'd overclock the fsb 4mhz.

I'll let that sit right there...



sorry, I can't help but think that every time i see anything about the new intel boards...

 

[Newf]

4mHz will guarantee contained smoke...