Is this motherboard a good, solid upgrade to mine?

[ambam]

I was thinking about getting this MSI X58 motherboard as an upgrade to my "value" ASUS P6T SE X58. I have a Core i7 930, as well as a 6GB DDR3 1333 MHz tri-channel memory kit. Is it worth the $300? It comes with a free sound card, and the motherboard is made from very high quality military grade components. Sounds very reliable and should last a long time before it begins to die. I'm not sure about my ASUS P6T SE X58, since it is a "budget" X58 board, and I am not very sure about it's quality and reliability.

The MSI "big bang" is "the best X58 motherboard money can buy, even better than the EVGA X58 Classified" and it is "the holy grail of X58 motherboards" some people have said in reviews. The only con is a junk sound card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130289&cm_re=msi_x58-_-13-130-289-_-Product

My current system setup is the following.

Core i7 930
ASUS P6T SE X58 (may be replaced by a better motherboard)
6GB DDR3 1333 MHz tri-channel
CM HAF 932 full tower case
Corsair TX850 850W PSU
ZALMAN CNPS9900 CPU cooler
DVD-ROM
Radeon HD 5970 (not yet purchased)
Windows 7 HP 64-bit (not yet purchased)
NAV 2010 (not yet purchased)

Off-topic, but is my 850W PSU enough for a single HD 5970 at stock clocks? Is a 1KW PSU absolutely necessary?

 

[o1die]

Unless you have deep pockets or sell your old board first, I don't recommend it. Try selling your current board on craigslist. I spend as little on a motherboard as possible. I don't want to get stuck with an expensive board.

 

[ambam]

Unless you have deep pockets or sell your old board first, I don't recommend it. Try selling your current board on craigslist. I spend as little on a motherboard as possible. I don't want to get stuck with an expensive board.

How much could I sell that ASUS motherboard on craigslist for?

 

[o1die]

It's free to post every few days (save the email response and delete the post after 3 days and repost it to move it up the list again), so you can list it awhile and see what offers you get for it. As long as your system is running well, it won't hurt to wait to purchase the msi board. Motherboards tend to drop in price the longer you wait. The only folks who get their money back are the ones lucky enough to live near a frys electronics. With some combos, the motherboards are free, but they are usually low end stuff. I don't mind; free is good. Current price at newegg is $190 after rebate, so I would start out asking $180 for it. Most people offer less.

 

[ambam]

It's free to post every few days (save the email response and delete the post after 3 days and repost it to move it up the list again), so you can list it awhile and see what offers you get for it. As long as your system is running well, it won't hurt to wait to purchase the msi board. Motherboards tend to drop in price the longer you wait. The only folks who get their money back are the ones lucky enough to live near a frys electronics. With some combos, the motherboards are free, but they are usually low end stuff. I don't mind; free is good. Current price at newegg is $190 after rebate, so I would start out asking $180 for it. Most people offer less.

The motherboard has not been removed from it's box, and it has never been used.

Is that MSI "big bang-X power" X58 motherboard one the very best X58 motherboards money can possibly buy? Even better than the EVGA X58 classified? Does it support crossfireX and SLI?

 

[o1die]

I only see crossfire support, not sli. It's an excellent board, but I wouldn't spend the extra $110 for it. My advice still stands for the old board. Newegg is the benchmark for motherboard pricing. If you ask too much, your old board may not sell right away. Good luck.

 

[ambam]

I only see crossfire support, not sli. It's an excellent board, but I wouldn't spend the extra $110 for it. My advice still stands for the old board. Newegg is the benchmark for motherboard pricing. If you ask too much, your old board may not sell right away. Good luck.

What is the very best X58 motherboard currently available? Isn't it the EVGA X58 Classified?

 

[bertimus]

What is the very best X58 motherboard currently available? Isn't it the EVGA X58 Classified?

What are you not able to do/unhappy about with your current board?

What are you looking for in a motherboard? Features?

Do you plan to overclock? Do you want to use multiple graphics cards? Do you want to effectively use SLI/CF at 16x/16x? Do you only want to use 1 graphics card?

If you don't overclock and you plan to use your current setup at stock clocks, there is not a good reason to upgrade your motherboard, because you aren't likely to see much difference in actual performance. If your board won't let you do the things you want to do, then an upgrade is probably needed, but before the forum can answer your questions, you need to let us know exactly what you are looking for in the board.

 

[o1die]

I'm not saying the msi board is bad. All I said was I wouldn't pay that much more over your current asus board. If you're willing to spend the money, then go for it. But be sure to sell your old board first before ordering. And what are you going to do when Intel changes their platform again in a year or two? Will you be happy with your current rig then? If you think you might change platforms again, there's no point in buying a more expensive board now. Good luck.

 

[ambam]

I'm not saying the msi board is bad. All I said was I wouldn't pay that much more over your current asus board. If you're willing to spend the money, then go for it. But be sure to sell your old board first before ordering. And what are you going to do when Intel changes their platform again in a year or two? Will you be happy with your current rig then? If you think you might change platforms again, there's no point in buying a more expensive board now. Good luck.

That MSI board is much better quality, has USB 3.0, SATA 3.0, built from military-grade components, comes with a free sound card, has top-notch overclocking and BIOS features.

It is one of the best X58 LGA1366 boards money can buy, allegedly.