Good Mobo for Graming with 1 Graphics Card

[Death Dream]

This is what I have so far:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041
RAM: Kingston Hyper X - DDR2 800 - Going for 8 Gigs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104043
Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 260+
Haven't picked a manufacturer yet

None of this is set in stone so if you think something is better let me know. I want this machine to last up to 5-6 years like my current one is doing.

I'm looking for a good mother board that can support this configuration that is really good, willing to spend a little more for a good mother board, however I don't want SLI or Crossfire support. I figured that would be a good way to cut corners. not sure if cutting this corner if manufacturers also don't beef their mother boards up either if you don't want this. So, what mother board is good that doesn't use SLI or crossfire, and am I losing anything if I don't buy a mobo that supports this?

Kinda off topic, but I'm looking for a sound card too, nothing fancy but something good. Any opinions on this too?

Thanks

 

[wahjahka]

This is what I have so far:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041
RAM: Kingston Hyper X - DDR2 800 - Going for 8 Gigs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104043
Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 260+
Haven't picked a manufacturer yet

None of this is set in stone so if you think something is better let me know. I want this machine to last up to 5-6 years like my current one is doing.

I'm looking for a good mother board that can support this configuration that is really good, willing to spend a little more for a good mother board, however I don't want SLI or Crossfire support. I figured that would be a good way to cut corners. not sure if cutting this corner if manufacturers also don't beef their mother boards up either if you don't want this. So, what mother board is good that doesn't use SLI or crossfire, and am I losing anything if I don't buy a mobo that supports this?

Kinda off topic, but I'm looking for a sound card too, nothing fancy but something good. Any opinions on this too?

Thanks

go with any p45 chipset thats my opinion, i have a p45 chipset and its great, also what os are you using, and why do you need 8 gigs of ram?

 

[bosshoss]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359 EXCELLENT board, heavy built board, TONS of overclocking options. NB heatsinks keep the board very cool and the board looks cool as well through the side window. I switched from ASUS to the crossfire version of this board and I'm now a Gigabyte guy. If you prefer ASUS check out the P5Q Pro as I hear it is a very nice board as well.

5-6 years between upgrades????? Wow, I can't go more than two years and even then it drives me nuts.

 

[wahjahka]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359 EXCELLENT board, heavy built board, TONS of overclocking options. NB heatsinks keep the board very cool and the board looks cool as well through the side window. I switched from ASUS to the crossfire version of this board and I'm now a Gigabyte guy. If you prefer ASUS check out the P5Q Pro as I hear it is a very nice board as well.

5-6 years between upgrades????? Wow, I can't go more than two years and even then it drives me nuts.

bosshoss <3 i have the ud3p, with is the same board cept i have one more pci-e 2.0 and i think thats the only difference, and its amazing, i was asus guy as well but 2 dead mobos in less than a year made me switch to gigabyte best choice i ever made

 

[Death Dream]

One of my buds is talking about a nvforce chipset, what do you guys think about those?

That card looks nice, love the price too. Only need one PCIe2.0 slot so that is great! So far I am liking it!

8gigs for Vista 64bit =/ gona give vista a try and use Linux Mint on the side as well.

Any more opinions?

 

[dirtmountain]

Good mobo suggestions, i'd also say skip the soundcard until you've tested out the onboard audio. If it isn't good enough for you it's easy to add a Asus Xonar card later. I'd stick with the Intel chipset.

 

[huilun02]

Since you're using a GTX260+, you won't be able to run another same card in SLI, unless you go for an Nvidia board, such as the 780i. But if you gonna buy an Intel board, then all you need is a single PCI-E 16x v2.0 slot.

I'd recommend the GA-EP45-UD3R.

If you need an Audio card, just get a Creative X-Fi XtremeAudio (PCI-E or PCI doesn't matter)

 

[cliffro]

I was looking that Motherboard too wahjahka;

I like it a lot. my only concern with the P45 is the "extra" option in the bios for Overclocking that really complicate the process compared to the P35.

However the extra PCI-E 2.0 slot alone is worth the extra $17 for the GA-EP45-UD3P (right now you only need 1 but who says you won't change your mind like I did and am now regretting that decision. I would love to SLI my 8800GTS but the cost for another mobo as well makes it undesirable)

The only downside is that you lose a PCI slot for the PCI-E 2.0 slot especially if you use 3 pci cards.

 

[wahjahka]

I was looking that Motherboard too wahjahka;

I like it a lot. my only concern with the P45 is the "extra" option in the bios for Overclocking that really complicate the process compared to the P35.

However the extra PCI-E 2.0 slot alone is worth the extra $17 for the GA-EP45-UD3P (right now you only need 1 but who says you won't change your mind like I did and am now regretting that decision. I would love to SLI my 8800GTS but the cost for another mobo as well makes it undesirable)

The only downside is that you lose a PCI slot for the PCI-E 2.0 slot especially if you use 3 pci cards.

its a great board, the only question i have about it is, is that will it o/c the same as the UD3R?

 

[Death Dream]

Here are the two boards side by side:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?CurImage=13-128-359-S01&ISList=13-128-359-S01%2c13-128-359-S02%2c13-128-359-S03%2c13-128-359-S04%2c13-128-359-S05&S7ImageFlag=1&Item=N82E16813128359&Depa=0&WaterMark=1&Description=GIGABYTE%20GA-EP45-UD3R%20ATX%20Intel%20Motherboard%20-%20Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?CurImage=13-128-358-S01&ISList=13-128-358-S01%2c13-128-358-S02%2c13-128-358-S03%2c13-128-358-S04%2c13-128-358-S05&S7ImageFlag=1&Item=N82E16813128358&Depa=0&WaterMark=1&Description=GIGABYTE%20GA-EP45-UD3P%20ATX%20Intel%20Motherboard%20-%20Retail

If you have firefox just switch between the tabs really fast and you can see the difference. Extra network port, larger capacitors, two PCIe 2.0 slots 16 and 8.

Not much of a price dif so if you have great experience with the UD3P and know a lot about it, I would rather go with something someone has used over something that no one has used.

And if cliffro is saying those things about SLI, does this board support SLI? Most boards I've seen have a logo for SLI. AGAIN, this isn't a deciding factor, but good to know.

~Death Dream~

 

[wahjahka]

Here are the two boards side by side:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?CurImage=13-128-359-S01&ISList=13-128-359-S01%2c13-128-359-S02%2c13-128-359-S03%2c13-128-359-S04%2c13-128-359-S05&S7ImageFlag=1&Item=N82E16813128359&Depa=0&WaterMark=1&Description=GIGABYTE%20GA-EP45-UD3R%20ATX%20Intel%20Motherboard%20-%20Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?CurImage=13-128-358-S01&ISList=13-128-358-S01%2c13-128-358-S02%2c13-128-358-S03%2c13-128-358-S04%2c13-128-358-S05&S7ImageFlag=1&Item=N82E16813128358&Depa=0&WaterMark=1&Description=GIGABYTE%20GA-EP45-UD3P%20ATX%20Intel%20Motherboard%20-%20Retail

If you have firefox just switch between the tabs really fast and you can see the difference. Extra network port, larger capacitors, two PCIe 2.0 slots 16 and 8.

Not much of a price dif so if you have great experience with the UD3P and know a lot about it, I would rather go with something someone has used over something that no one has used.

And if cliffro is saying those things about SLI, does this board support SLI? Most boards I've seen have a logo for SLI. AGAIN, this isn't a deciding factor, but good to know.

~Death Dream~

the answer to sli is no, you need an nvidia chipset (these have intel chipsets) i was picking between those to, they are both great boards and basicly the same, go with the ud3p, reason: i read an o/c review on it and it was awarded a top pick, i will try to find that link, that review convinced me to get the ud3p over the ud3r, even though they are practicly the same

 

[Death Dream]

Yeah I didn't expect it to have SLI support. Yeah I would like to check that review out for sure =D

Thanks =D

 

[dokk2]

YO DD!! I see that you are not interested in SLI,, but Nvidia is talking about using the second SLI slot with a cheaper card specifically for the PHysics,,,,something to keep in mind,don't know what chipset will be used ,,yet..

 

[wahjahka]

YO DD!! I see that you are not interested in SLI,, but Nvidia is talking about using the second SLI slot with a cheaper card specifically for the PHysics,,,,something to keep in mind,don't know what chipset will be used ,,yet..

hahh interesting, wel im gonna stick with an intel chipset

 

[cliffro]

I wasn't implying that SLI would work on that board, at least that was not my intention.

I was merely trying to convey my frustration of buying a single slot mobo and then months later thinking Multi-GPU looks attractive at current prices but becomes unattractive after the thought of having to spend money for either a. another 8800GTS or b. 2 ATI cards and Also have to purchase another Motherboard to make either option work(on top of a possible PSU upgrade as well)

Sorry for confusing you Death Dream.

 

[Death Dream]

Well hell, if they are thinking about doing that with the physics card I would need SLI, but I find something like that hard to believe with Nvidia releasing drives that allow you to run physics just fine. (so I hear)

So for kicks, lets say I do want an SLI board. I'm looking at EVGA right now I hear they got good SLI boards. Any recommendations?

And No prob cliffro, I knew that board wasn't SLI, just wanted to make sure.

~Death Dream~

 

[wahjahka]

Well hell, if they are thinking about doing that with the physics card I would need SLI, but I find something like that hard to believe with Nvidia releasing drives that allow you to run physics just fine. (so I hear)

So for kicks, lets say I do want an SLI board. I'm looking at EVGA right now I hear they got good SLI boards. Any recommendations?

And No prob cliffro, I knew that board wasn't SLI, just wanted to make sure.

~Death Dream~

eh. ONLY GET AN NVIDIA BOARD IF YOU **MUST** RUN SLI, otherwise get a board with an intel chipset, more stable and stuff, and overall just BETTER, but hey if you wanna go sli, then i would recommend a 790i FTW i like that board, maybe the 780i its the top selling mobo on tigerdirect.com, find some evga boards that you like and compare them, look them in google, find some reviews on them, some good webiste: guru3d.com, anandtech.com, of course tomshardware.com few others that arent coming to my head, but yea just google the board (ex. evga 790i motherboard review) and do some research reading reviews and stuff.

REMEMBER: If you are indeed planning on doing sli, make sure your psu is strong enough, sli can be very expensive (if you have to upgrade your mobo, buy another video card or have to buy 2 then upgrade your psu......)

hope i helped you out, if you have any questions i will try my best to answer them

 

[cliffro]

Well unless you want to buy new memory, I'd say either the 750i SLI FTW or the 780i SLI FTW

 

[Death Dream]

Think I'll just stick with the Intel one then.

~Death Dream~

 

[Acethechosenone]

Just curious, why are you not going for a crossfire board and an Ati card? It may be a better option if you plan on going for 5-6 years with a similar config.

 

[Death Dream]

Nvidia for better Driver support and better physics support. I've had my 6800 card for a long long time now and have loved it. Its time for me to upgrade. I am not going for either SLI or Crossfire.

BTW this is the card I think I am going to get: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130400

~Death Dream~

 

[wahjahka]

Nvidia for better Driver support and better physics support. I've had my 6800 card for a long long time now and have loved it. Its time for me to upgrade. I am not going for either SLI or Crossfire.

BTW this is the card I think I am going to get: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130400

~Death Dream~

good choice, i just have the standard gtx 260, you better o/c that thing

 

[Death Dream]

I probably will OC it most likely. Since you have the 260, what case do you have that fits that baby? I still haven't picked out a case.

This is the PSU I will be going with too: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702007

It's on sale this week so I might just grab that right now if you guys agree on it being a good PSU.

~Death Dream~

 

[wahjahka]

I probably will OC it most likely. Since you have the 260, what case do you have that fits that baby? I still haven't picked out a case.

This is the PSU I will be going with too: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702007

It's on sale this week so I might just grab that right now if you guys agree on it being a good PSU.

~Death Dream~

well i have a NZXT Lexa Blackline ATX Mid-Tower Case, and its carmmed so im getting a full tower case.
that psu aint bad ethier, even though my browser doesnt work ccasue im in school haha

 

[Death Dream]

Oh yeah, I am defiantly going for a full case tower no doubt.

~Death Dream~