gigabyte p35-ds4 vs. asus p5k-e

[budven]

Which board would you recommend for a first time builder? I had convinced myself to go with the P35-DS4. I seems like a really good board, has good reviews, and I want firewire for video transfer from my camera. Then the P5k-e was recommended as a more stable board. I also like the fact that it comes with wifi. Is it just a toss up between these two boards or is one a clear winner? The Asus is $20 cheaper but I understand that a video card interferes with a sata connection.

 

[Maziar]

Both are good, u wont be disappointed by any of them, but P5K-E WIFI has better reviews and i am on of the most proud owners of these rock solid board

 

[gwolfman]

Which board would you recommend for a first time builder? I had convinced myself to go with the P35-DS4. I seems like a really good board, has good reviews, and I want firewire for video transfer from my camera. Then the P5k-e was recommended as a more stable board. I also like the fact that it comes with wifi. Is it just a toss up between these two boards or is one a clear winner? The Asus is $20 cheaper but I understand that a video card interferes with a sata connection.

I usually prefer ASUS, but Gigabyte is starting to put some serious competition out there and it gain grounds pretty quick. I'd prefer the ASUS board over the Gigabyte because I like ASUS's BIOS more (maybe it's because I'm more familiar with it, but it's usually more informative and more organized). I'm sure the SATA connection interference is only when you have long video cards, probably ones as long as the 8800GTX, but shorter should be ok (thought I haven't seen the ASUS board in person). Good luck! Either way you should be happy.

 

[dallasjoh]

Asus P5K-E/WIFI

 

[budven]

Well, I really want to get the gigabyte p35-ds4; maybe because it was the first board I decided on. I do like the heat pipes, the way the board is laid out, and it seems to offer lots of features for future growth. However, I am now leaning towards the Asus P5K/Wifi. I like the wifi feature, the board is also $20 cheaper, and I don't seem to really be giving up anything by choosing this board over the p35-ds4. Are there any Gigabyte owners who can pull me back to the DS4?

 

[aevm]

LOL. The features are very similar. If anything, the Asus is more future-proof because it has 3 PCI slots (instead of 2) and the WiFi.

How could they be so dumb and not leave enough room for the 8800GTX, beats me. Now the 3870X2 is also huge (10.5"), and you can bet future cards won't get smaller either. Anyway, not all SATA ports are blocked, so if you don't need lots of disks you can still get the Asus.

 

[Moondrinker]

But isn't the Ds4 build on the x38 chip granting it native support for both Wolfdale and Yorkfield along with two PCI Express 2.0 x16 which makes it really future proof? That is my conviction.

I took the time to translate this review from a user of the P5K-e Mobo:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
If you need a new Motherboard then do NOT buy this!

I have assembled a LOT of computers, 100-150 comp's with the P5K-e motherboard. (my comment: apparently his job)

There are several mistakes that can occur often!

1. If you plug in USB ports, etc those that sit in front of the cabinet then they will run at 1.1 with BIOS 0905 - this is fixed in 0906

2. Many of the motherboards dosn't run with etc Core 2 Duo E6750 - The motherboard dosn't record the BIOS settings and you have to set std setting each time you turn on the computer by pressing F2.

3. ca. 20-35% of the motherboards there is mounted on those PC's i have assembled have been defect - Good chance that you will recieve a broken one.

4. If you run etc 1066 MHz ram (which the motherboard support) then it dosn' turn on. You have to mount a 667mhz RAM-block and throw the MHz'ds up on 1066 and then turn off and throw the other Rams in the computer - Smart isn't it?

All in all - Buy another motherboard if you dont want RMA mistakes

I have admit though, that the board works and runs f***ing stable and also good! So to those of you who got a good motherboard, not flame to you, you have just been lucky!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

There are several messages that critics this motherboard, if you want any of then translated then just poke back in this thread and i'll be happy to do it.

Best regards

 

[Maziar]

Mate P35 DS4 is a P35 board and its a PCI-E 1.0 board
Also PCI-E 2.0 isnt futureproof since its backward comaptible with PCI-E 1.0

 

[aevm]

But isn't the Ds4 build on the x38 chip granting it native support for both Wolfdale and Yorkfield along with two PCI Express 2.0 x16 which makes it really future proof? That is my conviction.

You're thinking of the GA-X38-DS4, not the GA-P35-DS4. You could get the GA-X38-DS4 and a PCI card to do the wireless part, and that would really be future proof. Add an HD 3870X2 this year and another next year, it will play even Crysis without problems. The only problem with it is that it doesn't support SLI, only Crossfire, like all X38 motherboards.

 

[aevm]

BTW, if you like this idea I strongly recommend the PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W Crossfire Edition. It's top quality, strong enough even for two high-end cards and a quad, and the Crossfire Edition (as opposed to the regular Silencer 750W) has the 8-pin connectors you need to overclock the HD 3870X2.

 

[Moondrinker]

You're thinking of the GA-X38-DS4, not the GA-P35-DS4. You could get the GA-X38-DS4 and a PCI card to do the wireless part, and that would really be future proof. Add an HD 3870X2 this year and another next year, it will play even Crysis without problems. The only problem with it is that it doesn't support SLI, only Crossfire, like all X38 motherboards.

ah i see! well, luckily i ain't going to run SLI!

 

[aevm]

Mate P35 DS4 is a P35 board and its a PCI-E 1.0 board
Also PCI-E 2.0 isnt futureproof since its backward comaptible with PCI-E 1.0

I think he meant future-proof as in "good for future cards that will need more bandwidth than PCI-E 1.0a can offer to actually work at their best". That's not a bad idea, IMO, because I expect next year's cards to work faster in PCI-E 2 slots than in PCI-E 1 slots.

 

[aevm]

ah i see! well, luckily i ain't going to run SLI!

OK, so tell us. What's your screen resolution, and what kid of games do you like?

 

[Moondrinker]

OK, so tell us. What's your screen resolution, and what kid of games do you like?

First of, that was exactly what i meant! (about the PCI 2.0).
Secondly, my screen res is 22", COD4, NwN2, tetris and Battlefield 2

best regards

 

[aevm]

OK, one card should do all right, as long as it's a good card.

Is Battlefield 2 the same as Battlefield 2142? Sorry, I have no idea. Anyway, HD 3870 or 8800GTS G92 or HD 3870X2 would be perfect there. 8800 GT is also very fast but I don't like its cooler. 8800GTX and 8800Ultra are the fastest but I don't like their price. Performance and price both go like this: HD 3870 < GTS G92 < HD 3870X2.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=859&model2=722&chart=278

NwN2 and Tetris are not as demanding as shooter games, so I'll ignore them.

COD4: at 1920x1200 you really need a HD 3870X2 or 8800GTX. On a 22" monitor (1680x1050) I think the 8800GTS G92 or HD 3870 are just fine.
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/AMDX2Review/COD4.php

 

[blackened144]

I have the DS4 with the E6550 cpu, overclocked to 3.33 with stock voltage. Its been rock solid for me. I've had ASUS boards in the past and was looking at that other board when I migrated from my old S939 system. I like all the heatpipes on the DS4, they are pretty. My GeminII cooler covers the entire top half of the board keeping those heatpipes nice and cool. Plus I got a discount on the Gigabyte board and that made it impossible to pass up. Either way, I think you would be happy, but my vote is for the DS4.


And yes, screw performance, I buy computer parts based on how pretty they are.

 

[aevm]

Oh yeah, so which girl has the prettiest eyes, ATI's or nVidia's ? :lol: :lol:

 

[Moondrinker]

OK, one card should do all right, as long as it's a good card.

Is Battlefield 2 the same as Battlefield 2142? Sorry, I have no idea. Anyway, HD 3870 or 8800GTS G92 or HD 3870X2 would be perfect there. 8800 GT is also very fast but I don't like its cooler. 8800GTX and 8800Ultra are the fastest but I don't like their price. Performance and price both go like this: HD 3870 < GTS G92 < HD 3870X2.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=859&model2=722&chart=278

NwN2 and Tetris are not as demanding as shooter games, so I'll ignore them.

COD4: at 1920x1200 you really need a HD 3870X2 or 8800GTX. On a 22" monitor (1680x1050) I think the 8800GTS G92 or HD 3870 are just fine.
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/AMDX2Review/COD4.php

Battlefield 2 is completly different (though same graphics engine i think? i could be wrong), a lovely game! Tetris certainly dosn't command a lot from the computer but i could imagene that NwN2 would (but nvm that).
I actually want crossfire rather than SLI but does the x38 support it well? I've read that some Mobo's really support crossfire bad (so that you lose performance). Crossfire sounds nice for the future, right now i think is settle on a 8800GT, but, hmm 2x HD 3870 running crossfire is appealing too it's just that, the performance gain ain't that great is it? (especially on a 22") and not all games support it, correct? If i am right about this, then in my opinion it would be waste of money, atleast for my needs (it is appealing though).

 

[Vindicoth]

I have a:
GA-P35-DS4 rev 2.0
Intel C2D Q6600 rev G0 @ 3.6ghz 1.46v load
(rough estimates below, its higher but I know its at least this clock or higher)
EVGA nVidia 8800GT 512MB (G92) overclocked to 720+ core 1800+ shader 950 ram (1900)
2gigs of G.Skill DDR2 800 @ 5-5-5-15 1:1

I score 15200+ in 3DMark06

Excellent overclocker board, just gotta pump up the FSB and north bridge voltage a little but with the heat pipes you can easily do so.

Gigabyte is pumping out bios updates like candy and its a good thing.

Dual bios is nice as well incase you screw up.

I was looking at the P5k-e wifi before I got this one but come order day it was out of stock and the 8800GT's just came in stock and I didnt want to wait. This was my 2nd choice and i'm glad i got it, though I do wish I had spent a little extra and got the GA-X38-DS4 so in the future I could use crossfire if it ended up performing good.

oh well when the time comes i'll upgrade. I'm satisfied now.

Get the DS4 for the heatpipes

 

[mlaporta]

Can I throw an Abit IP35 Pro into the mix, I want to use it with a E8400 now and then with a Q9550 when it's available in the low $300'ish range down-the-road. I myself was comparing it to the GA-P35-DS4 & GA-X38-DS4 and wanted a board that was future-proof.

Oh and ATI's have beautiful saphire blue eyes & nVidia's have gorgeous emerald green eyes... hmmmmm eenie meenie minie mo...

 

[aevm]

Well, my GF has green eyes, and I got an nVidia card. She still objected to me spending $651 on the video card. :lol:

Guys, if you are interested in Crossfire than aBit Ip35Pro and GA-P35-DS4 are NOT good choices. Yikes, I recommend those two boards all the time, now I sabotage them... The thing is, they are perfect for single card setups, or even setups where you have a second (and cheap) card working on its own monitor. For Crossfire they are not so good because one of the so-called x16 slots only runs at x4 electrically and that hurts performance. If you want Crossfire I recommend the GA-X38-DS4.

I haven't figured out yet if IP35Pro works with E8400. (OK, I haven't even tried yet.) The GA-X38-DS4 does work with it, well enough to boot, and once it boots you can flash it. To get the latest BIOS revision for any Gigabyte board you go to www.giga-byte.com and search for the board, then click the BIOS link, etc.

 

[budven]

All three boards considered I like the price and wifi on the Asus board. Wifi is a nice extra but not enough by itself to make me go with that board. I like the layout of the Gigabyte board. I also like the firewire for video capture from my camera but it is $20 higher and I don't know if you get an extra $20 value out of the board. Maybe I should just jump up to the X38-DS4 for a little future proof.

 

[mlaporta]

I may consider the GA-X38-DS4 too but I am only going 1-monitor so that may take me back to the Abit IP35 Pro and just wait for a board with the BIOS rev. that can handle the E8400 out-of-the-box..

I will have to say I have been reading a lot of posts and I mean "alot" and that guy aevm is probably one of the smartest & knowledgable people as far as computers\peripherals I have seen, he answers all questions in such detail it amazes me... man why did God pass me up on the brains well at least I got good looks but I guess that is up for interpretation "lol".

 

[budven]

mlaporta it seems to me that aevm likes the Asus P5k-e so why are you going with the Abit IP35 Pro?

 

[aevm]

OK, I'm blushing now :lol: :lol:

Here's another thing to consider: if you want WiFi, you don't have to buy a mobo with Wifi. In fact, it's often better to get a PCI card for the Wifi, because you have more flexibility. I guess that explains why Gigabyte doesn't have Wifi in most models and aren't worried about it. They prefer fewer frills and lower prices.

Same for Firewire, there are $9 PCI cards for that too.

And if you run out of PCI slots you can always get USB-based sound cards and modems and TV tuners and so on.