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Which motherboard to choose?

Forum Motherboards & Memory : General Motherboard - Which motherboard to choose?

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iluvgillgill   02-11-2008 at 12:02:26 AM

I am planning to build a gaming pc.when come to the motherboard I stuck on which to choose from.
Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R
MSI mP35 Platinum
Asus P5N-E SLI 650i

My spec will be the Q6600 or maybe the new 45nm C2D with 1 8800 series card.But im considering SLI for the future gaming as IQ an requirement move up.I know the truth and myth about SLI as it NOT always improve performance.i have read alot of review and article on the internet as they all have Very good comments.The MSi have the cheapest heatpipe solution.But the Gigabyte MB have good reputation for OC.and the Asus is excellent value as well.Please give guidance.THANKS

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tjhva   02-11-2008 at 12:13:12 AM
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The only board you have listed that would be capable of SLI is the Asus board that uses the nForce chip set.

However, the P35 chip set you selected in the other boards is fantastic in regards to price/performance ratio. I'm also a bigger supporter for the Intel chip sets (P35, x38 x48) over the nForce.

It may be worth getting a board that includes PCIexpress 2.0 - for the future 'ya know. But that will put you into another price range.

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jamiepotter   02-11-2008 at 12:16:57 AM
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WEll, if you want SLi and to use a 45nm processor, you'll need a 780i mobo (or wait a month until the hopefully more impressive 790i comes out).

If you're not fussed about Sli, the Gigabyte board is perfectly fine.

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vtr99   02-11-2008 at 12:36:53 AM
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The P35 is far superior to anything Nvidia currently offers. Go with the Gigabyte....

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iluvgillgill   02-16-2008 at 07:27:24 PM
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does either the gigabyte or the msi board support fsb,ram,cpu independane speed adjustment?or should i wait for P45 to come out?

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andytg7   02-16-2008 at 08:00:41 PM
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You'll have to check what the Gigabyte or MSI boards support in terms of those options to know for sure, however I believe they both do. I also would recommend Intel chipsets over the nforce chipsets. P35 or X38 are both powerful chipsets, so either one wouldn't be a bad option. When it comes to waiting for the P45 or the X48 chipsets, that's up to you. Do you want to order and build now...or do you have the patience to wait a few more weeks for the arrival of the P45/X48 boards? Also, Asus has P35 and X38 boards too, so if you want to compare a third option to the Gigabyte and MSI boards, check them out.

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iluvgillgill   02-17-2008 at 07:43:16 AM
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i think i would go for a intel chipset.i dont mind waiting if they are worth the wait.as they are not out yet and no engineering sample so i cant find any info about the potential for the new P45 chipset.
and which model in specific from asus is good with the P35 chipset?

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andytg7   02-17-2008 at 08:37:23 PM
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These are Asus' P35 board options: http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx? [...] =11&l3=534

And these are Asus' X38 board options: http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx? [...] =11&l3=572

I would suggest looking over those boards for one that has everything you'd want your motherboard to have. Then do some research on that board to see how it has been reviewed and rated. You should be good to go after that. :bounce:

The X48 chipset is suppose to come out sometime in March. The P45 chipsets are suppose to follow not long after. There aren't any major improvements that would warrant you to wait for it, just minor improvements to things like overclocking, pci-e slots, and memory. I would just go with what's out currently, either the X38 or P35. There is always going to be a better chipset coming out.

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chookman   02-17-2008 at 10:38:47 PM
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The Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R is a combo board that supports DDR2 and DDR3... i would change this to the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R which is DDR2 only it not only gives great capacity of RAM but its also more solid than is P35C counterpart. Also if you arent going to use Raid i would suggest the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L its cheaper and a solid board.

I wouldnt touch the MSI but that personal opinion

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