motherboards

[Homeboy2]

Hi all,

I just ordered a E8500 cpu and i need suggestions for a motherboard and memory. I want to run 8 gb and would like to overclock if possible. im on a budget so i dont want to go over 150 on the mb and would like to get the best bang for the buck on the mem also. I was thinking about the asus p5q pro as its on sale at Newegg, or maybe the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L. TIA for any advice!

 

[faster3200]

I vote for the Asus P5Q pro. It seems like the best bang for buck mobo and seems like what most people are having success with.

 

[spathotan]

P5Q Pro, or any comparable P45. Perhaps the P5Q-E which is $155, $5 overbudget.

 

[Homeboy2]

thanks guys, now does anyone have some opinions on good mem for the pq5?
anyone running 8 gb?

 

[taskforcetiny]

Hey there,

I'm using a Striker II NSE with 8GB DDR3 and when the system boots it's fantastic - but the board is completely poo! I guess on a budget of 150 you won't be going near the Striker or Maximus which is great.

Regarding the 8GB

I am using 8GB of G Skill DDR 3 1600 that runs at 7-7-7-18 (atm) and runs fine.
I guess though, what you need to consider is your FSB freq and CPU clock multiplier. Considering DDR stands for Dual Data Rate, you basically double your FSB frequency to find out what the ideal mem freq would be.
For example lets just say you had a FSB Frequency of 400MHz and a CPU clock multiplier of 8.5.
8.5 X 400(mhz) = 3.4GHz (3400MHz) - fairly safe clockspeed for most CPU's. Check.
400(MHz) X 2 (Dual Data Rate) = 800MHz.
Therefore with the above specs DDR 2/3 800MHz would be ideal (although at a freq as low as 800MHz you wouldn't see much of a difference between DDR2 and DDR3).

So in summary, when you select your new memory, make sure it is going to work well with your CPU given the above simple calculations then work from there. G Skill and Corsair Dominator modules are recommended by almost everyone. Also make sure you check out what clock multipliers are available on the PQ5 before purchase!