- Sep 9, 2006
- 8
- 0
- 18,510
I am looking to buy a new motherboard. I have been a long time AMD fan, but the current boards for AMD put the RAM way too close to the CPU for my tastes. So I am making the switch to intel.
This is the board that looks like the best fit for my needs. I rarely over-clock (only in cases when I am just waiting for new products to come out and want to squeeze some extra life out of my current rig), and I require a mix of reliability with performance (in a plug and play package).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121348
This is the RAM I am thinking of buying to go along with the above board:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161279
My heart is not set on these purchases. If you know of a board that will be more reliable, provide similar or better performance, and cost about the same than I am open to suggestions.
Some of the user reviews state that the BIOS is clocking down the RAM from 1333 to 1066. This has raised the following questions:
1- Why is this happening? I know ot must have somthing to do with SPD, but how can this technology be so inaccurate? It seemed likely that people were using incompatible RAM, but there is one review where the RAM part number matches what is on the intel compatibility list.
2- How can I be sure that I am going to get 1333 with the proper timings? I plan to populate all 8GB and use Vista 64.
3- Boards that are markerd as 1333/1066 support two memory standards. Most of these boards will only run at 1333 if you are not using all memory slots. Thus, if I were to populate all slots, would this board clock me down to 1066 anyways? Is this a limitation of the hardware itself or the BIOS (i.e. the ability to run 8GB at 1333 may be added in a later revision).
RANDOM QUESTION:
4- Will Vista Business edition be just as good for a gaming rig as Vista Ultimate? I dont feel like I need the added features of Ultimate, nor do I want to pay the extra money. Is there some reason why I would not want to use Vista Business edition for a gaming rig? What about Vista Enterprise edition (which I can get free from work).
This is the board that looks like the best fit for my needs. I rarely over-clock (only in cases when I am just waiting for new products to come out and want to squeeze some extra life out of my current rig), and I require a mix of reliability with performance (in a plug and play package).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121348
This is the RAM I am thinking of buying to go along with the above board:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161279
My heart is not set on these purchases. If you know of a board that will be more reliable, provide similar or better performance, and cost about the same than I am open to suggestions.
Some of the user reviews state that the BIOS is clocking down the RAM from 1333 to 1066. This has raised the following questions:
1- Why is this happening? I know ot must have somthing to do with SPD, but how can this technology be so inaccurate? It seemed likely that people were using incompatible RAM, but there is one review where the RAM part number matches what is on the intel compatibility list.
2- How can I be sure that I am going to get 1333 with the proper timings? I plan to populate all 8GB and use Vista 64.
3- Boards that are markerd as 1333/1066 support two memory standards. Most of these boards will only run at 1333 if you are not using all memory slots. Thus, if I were to populate all slots, would this board clock me down to 1066 anyways? Is this a limitation of the hardware itself or the BIOS (i.e. the ability to run 8GB at 1333 may be added in a later revision).
RANDOM QUESTION:
4- Will Vista Business edition be just as good for a gaming rig as Vista Ultimate? I dont feel like I need the added features of Ultimate, nor do I want to pay the extra money. Is there some reason why I would not want to use Vista Business edition for a gaming rig? What about Vista Enterprise edition (which I can get free from work).
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