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Motherboard question... for e8400

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - Motherboard question... for e8400

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coiney   05-21-2008 at 06:34:05 AM

I'm looking at getting an intel e8400 to OC to somewhere around 4 ghz.

I think it'll work nicely with EVGA 512-P3-N877-AR GeForce 9800 GTX SSC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130349

I'd prefer to go SLI for future options... for a fairly low cost nvidia 750i series Mobo. It's about $150 for most of them and they have PCI Express 2.0 (which also seems prudent for the future).

How serious is this video problem the 750i has? I hear it's going to be fixed... but should I just go for something with no SLI? Do I really need PCI Express 2.0?

I'd hard to find straight answers on this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If anyone has recommendations on wonderful cooling... love that too!

Cheers.


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ausch30   05-21-2008 at 08:38:13 AM
- -1 +

I may be biased but I would suggest against buying any Nvidia chipset until they get their *hit together. The 750i norhtbridge and southbridge are really just from the 650i, the only difference is the components on the board changed slightly. The 680i and 650i had numerous problems, some of which were fixed with the 780i and 750i but some still remain. SLI isn't a good enough reason to deal with the Nvidia chipset issues IMHO.

The 9800GTX is a good card and I saw a BFG ay Newegg for $255 after MIR but considering that the new ATI cards should be available soon and they should be good I might consider waiting to see how they are.

As for cooler I would suggest the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme.

------------------------------
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
-Aristotle
 Reply to ausch30
fransizzle   05-21-2008 at 10:41:25 AM
- 0 +

I have an Evga 750i and I have absolutely no problems or issues whatsoever. It over clocks extremely well, bringing my e8400 to 3.6ghz on stock voltage with the stock cooler and is in general as solid as a rock. It should be able to hit up to 4.4 on air with a good aftermarket cooler, but I have not gone this far as yet. Thermalright does make a very nice cooler. The 750 series actually uses the same northbridge as the the 780 series except that it only supports two cards instead of three, and does not have the dual gigabit ethernet. You don't really need the extra bandwidth of pci express 2.0 right now, but if you plan to keep this board for a while it may come into play in the future if you upgrade your card. Honestly the 9800 gtx is an absolute waste of money right now. It is the exact same card as the 8800 gts 512 but with a slight factory over clock. You can get an 8800 for 200 after M.I.R. with a game from newegg right now that will over clock to the same spec as that 9800.

Reply to fransizzle
Zenthar   05-21-2008 at 01:02:54 PM
- 0 +

For ~50$ more than that single card, you could get 2x8800GTS in SLI which will beat the crap out of the GTX, 9800GTXs simply aren't worth the price.


Message edited by Zenthar on 05-21-2008 at 01:03:16 PM
------------------------------ The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. - Rebec of Ginaz
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 Reply to Zenthar
coiney   05-21-2008 at 04:05:47 PM
- 0 +

Hmm... the reason I was thinking one 9800 GTX at this point with SLI for the future is I was going to use the EVGA step up program to wait and see what better cards appear in the next 3 months.

9800 GTX also has Dual DVI out so I can use a bid tv display with a simple HDMI conversion cable.

Whereas it may be better initially to go with 2 8800s in SLI, the research I've done has indicated the drivers for the 9800s will improve, and the price will drop so I can just buy a second one (and outperform the 8800s in SLI) if I don't want to upgrade. Keep in mind, I'm starting with no prior useful equipment, so I'm jumping right in.

But what I'm hearing is that the nVidia motherboards aren't so hot, meaning SLI is going to be a problematic option...

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to coiney
ausch30   05-21-2008 at 06:06:46 PM
- 0 +

You can't use dual monitors and SLI at the same time. At it's MSRP the 9800GTX is a bad buy but the one I mentioned at $255 after MIR is a good choice.

------------------------------
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
-Aristotle
 Reply to ausch30
Zenthar   05-21-2008 at 06:58:00 PM
- 0 +

coiney wrote :

Hmm... the reason I was thinking one 9800 GTX at this point with SLI for the future is I was going to use the EVGA step up program to wait and see what better cards appear in the next 3 months.

Any Nvidia cards planned? EVGA, for what I know, don't have any ATI products and I think the only soon to be released cards are ATI 4000 family, so the step-up might be a dud. Moreover, you pay the difference between what you paid and THEIR price.

coiney wrote :

Whereas it may be better initially to go with 2 8800s in SLI, the research I've done has indicated the drivers for the 9800s will improve, and the price will drop so I can just buy a second one (and outperform the 8800s in SLI) if I don't want to upgrade. Keep in mind, I'm starting with no prior useful equipment, so I'm jumping right in.

The question is: will the price drop be significant enough to make it worth spending more on a SLI board, better PSU and a second card over just buying a new card and selling the old one?

------------------------------ The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. - Rebec of Ginaz
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 Reply to Zenthar
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