A board for I5

[progunnerboi]

I went to a shop just now to get some parts for my computer. And I was told the board i wanted the ASUS P7P55D EVO was outdated because it doesnt not have the USB 3 feature and i should chose a USB 3 board. The salesman suggested the ASUS P7P55D-E which i noticed runs a second GPU at a slower speed(if i want to do crossfire/sli) or MSI P55A-G55 which i heard is quite a good board for gaming.

Overall can anyone suggest to me a board which can support 2 GPU(for future needs) and
Whats the difference between USB 2 and 3 how many times is it faster?
and difference between Sata 2 and 3.

Thanks!

 

[rolli59]

Here is one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128409 that MSI looks good to.
Neither technology is mainstream but will be.
SATA3 6GB SATA2 3GB answers it self. USB2 480Mbit/s USB3 4.8Gbits/s

 

[progunnerboi]

Here is one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128409 that MSI looks good to.
Neither technology is mainstream but will be.
SATA3 6GB SATA2 3GB answers it self. USB2 480Mbit/s USB3 4.8Gbits/s

That motherboard is way off my budget............I and not sure which is better the MSI P55A-G55 as it is Very cheap.
or ASUS P7P55D-E PRO where its a motherboard which i am more familiar with

Anyway USB 2 wont fit into a USB 3 slot right? Its not the same and an adaptor is needed?

 

[rolli59]

I believe the connector is the same it is just a speed difference. Both boards are good but if any then the Asus has a better reputation. I personally would buy the MSI.

 

[progunnerboi]

I believe the connector is the same it is just a speed difference. Both boards are good but if any then the Asus has a better reputation. I personally would buy the MSI.

Connector such as the PCIe and Ports? And speed difference how do you see which is faster?

 

[sir philus]

best lga 1156 motherboard price vs performance is the asus p7p55d e pro

 

[rolli59]

Connector such as the PCIe and Ports? And speed difference how do you see which is faster?

The USB connector.

 

[Twoboxer]

The problem is the limited number of data paths on the 1156 platform. On boards supporting USB/SATA 3.0:

- Both Asus and Gigabyte run a single vid card at X16. USB/SATA 3.0 works at 3.0 speed.

- When a second vid card is installed:
-- Gigabyte runs the cards at x16-x8, and USB/SATA 3.0 drops back to 2.0 speed. So you get crossfire while losing only a few percentage points of FPS vs x16-x16.
-- Asus runs both cards at x8-x8 leaving paths available to run USB/SATA 3.0 at 3.0 speeds. So you get crossfire while losing several more percentage points vs Gigabyte's approach.

Regardless of manufacturer, there will be some trade-off like this, and you need to choose your poison. For me, gaming FPS is more important and if I am protecting against needing crossfire, I'm going to want more of its performance than I need or would use USB/SATA 3.0 speeds over the life of a build done today. YMMV.

 

[progunnerboi]

The problem is the limited number of data paths on the 1156 platform. On boards supporting USB/SATA 3.0:

- Both Asus and Gigabyte run a single vid card at X16. USB/SATA 3.0 works at 3.0 speed.

- When a second vid card is installed:
-- Gigabyte runs the cards at x16-x8, and USB/SATA 3.0 drops back to 2.0 speed. So you get crossfire while losing only a few percentage points of FPS vs x16-x16.
-- Asus runs both cards at x8-x8 leaving paths available to run USB/SATA 3.0 at 3.0 speeds. So you get crossfire while losing several more percentage points vs Gigabyte's approach.

Regardless of manufacturer, there will be some trade-off like this, and you need to choose your poison. For me, gaming FPS is more important and if I am protecting against needing crossfire, I'm going to want more of its performance than I need or would use USB/SATA 3.0 speeds over the life of a build done today. YMMV.

So your suggesting a Gigabyte board?anyway whats the difference between Gigabyte P55A UD3 or UD3P. UD4 and above is way off my budget.

 

[Twoboxer]

Actually, you must choose an approach - I just told you what I would choose and why to start you thinking about it.

Comparing 3 Gigabyte boards:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...28-417^13-128-417-TS,13-128-409^13-128-409-TS

UD3 supports crossfire @ x16-x4 and SATA/USB 3.0 simultaneously, UD3P adds eSATA + some features, UD4P supports crossfire & SLI at x16-x8 dropping USB/SATA 3.0.

Asus' current P55 line is a bit different:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...31-407^13-131-407-TS,13-131-617^13-131-617-TS

$140 - Crossfire @ x16-x4, simultaneous USB/SATA 3.0
$150 - Crossfire @ x8-x8, no 3.0 support
$160 - Crossfire @ x8-x8, no 3.0 support, eSATA & some other features
$240 - Crossfire and SLI @ x8-x8, simultaneous USB or SATA 3.0 support

This Asrock board (Asus made) supports both SLI & Crossfire @ x8-x8, with simultaneous USB/SATA 3.0:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157193

 

[progunnerboi]

Actually, you must choose an approach - I just told you what I would choose and why to start you thinking about it.

Comparing 3 Gigabyte boards:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...28-417^13-128-417-TS,13-128-409^13-128-409-TS

UD3 supports crossfire @ x16-x4 and SATA/USB 3.0 simultaneously, UD3P adds eSATA + some features, UD4P supports crossfire & SLI at x16-x8 dropping USB/SATA 3.0.

Asus' current P55 line is a bit different:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...31-407^13-131-407-TS,13-131-617^13-131-617-TS

$140 - Crossfire @ x16-x4, simultaneous USB/SATA 3.0
$150 - Crossfire @ x8-x8, no 3.0 support
$160 - Crossfire @ x8-x8, no 3.0 support, eSATA & some other features
$240 - Crossfire and SLI @ x8-x8, simultaneous USB or SATA 3.0 support

This Asrock board (Asus made) supports both SLI & Crossfire @ x8-x8, with simultaneous USB/SATA 3.0:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157193

So is the max speed something like x16-x16? So if i use a single GPU at x16 compared to 2 GPU at x8-x8 will it be the same as a Single GPU at x16 like its using half of the speed?

 

[rolli59]

So is the max speed something like x16-x16? So if i use a single GPU at x16 compared to 2 GPU at x8-x8 will it be the same as a Single GPU at x16 like its using half of the speed?

No! None of current GPU´s can max out the bandwidth of the 16x and only the most powerful ones come close on the 8x. Two cards on 8x is almost double the performance of 1 card at 16x

 

[progunnerboi]

No! None of current GPU´s can max out the bandwidth of the 16x and only the most powerful ones come close on the 8x. Two cards on 8x is almost double the performance of 1 card at 16x

So in terms of PCIe speed the fastest is 16x-16x followed by 16x-8x then 8x-8x then 16x-4x and lastly 16x? But then again you said 8x-8x will lose more FPS with the USB 3.0 speed.But wont the FPS be already higher than a single GPU already?

 

[rolli59]

Even at highest resolution with a HD5870 the difference in performance between 16x and 8x is only 2% http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_5870_PCI-Express_Scaling/25.html

 

[progunnerboi]

Even at highest resolution with a HD5870 the difference in performance between 16x and 8x is only 2% http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_5870_PCI-Express_Scaling/25.html

Well the Gigabyte's motherboard are way off my budgets as the cheaper versions are much more expensive. So i checked between the ASUS P7P55D-E PRO it supports x8-x8 while the price of MSI P55A G55 is 2/3 of the ASUS board ^^ and runs at 16x8x. Is the MSI one a better choice? Plus are all the USB 2.0 being switched to 3.0 or only certain industries are changing?So maybe is more worth for the MSI board as 3.0 is not so famous yet?


I am doing SLI now,maybe crossfire in the future

 

[rolli59]

For the price it is!

 

[progunnerboi]

For the price it is!

But i got the feeling like its too cheap and got a side effect..................so is 3.0 going to be in a high demand or will 2.0 still be in the market for sometime?

 

[rolli59]

It is not to cheap. USB2 is mainstream today a year from now USB3 will be more common, it is called progress.

 

[progunnerboi]

It is not to cheap. USB2 is mainstream today a year from now USB3 will be more common, it is called progress.

So you would choose the MSI P55A-G55 at 368 USD bundle with Intel I5-760 (16x-8x)over the
Asus P7P55D-E PRO at 425 USD with Intel I5-760(8x-8x) ? The MSI version should be faster and cheaper than the asus right?

 

[sir philus]

get the asus board

 

[rolli59]

There is not going to be any noticeable speed difference barely measurable. I have had good experience with both MSI and Asus. If it was me buying I would base my decision on price and get the MSI. They are both quality boards.

 

[Twoboxer]

Asus & Giga are generally recognized as the highest quality boards, with the Asus costing more and often performing marginally (unnoticably in general use) better. Asrock and MSI are generally seen as second tier boards, acceptable values and sometimes each brand produces performance surprises. At this point in time with a budget, none of these boards would be considered a mistake.

Here's an article that talks about the restricted number of paths and its impact on, eg, SLI that might interest you:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pcie-geforce-gtx-480-x16-x8-x4,2696.html

From articles like this, the general belief goes something like this:

If a single card gives 100 FPS in a game, SLI might give 175 (crossfire somewhat less) at x16-x16. At x16-x8 SLI FPS might drop to 165, and at x8-x8 to 155. Crossfire numbers would run parallel, but lower due to scaling differences.

Finally, give some thought to whether you'd really by a 3.0 HD for this rig, and what performance would improve if you did. Or if you had USB 3.0, what plug-in device would you use it for, and how often. And what are the odds you will need or install crossfire/SLI?

I've told you that for me, SLI/crossfire would be more important, because if I need it, I want higher FPS. If I don't have USB/SATA 3.0, I'm not sure I would miss it or even use it over the next few years. YMMV.

 

[progunnerboi]

Asus & Giga are generally recognized as the highest quality boards, with the Asus costing more and often performing marginally (unnoticably in general use) better. Asrock and MSI are generally seen as second tier boards, acceptable values and sometimes each brand produces performance surprises. At this point in time with a budget, none of these boards would be considered a mistake.

Here's an article that talks about the restricted number of paths and its impact on, eg, SLI that might interest you:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pcie-geforce-gtx-480-x16-x8-x4,2696.html

From articles like this, the general belief goes something like this:

If a single card gives 100 FPS in a game, SLI might give 175 (crossfire somewhat less) at x16-x16. At x16-x8 SLI FPS might drop to 165, and at x8-x8 to 155. Crossfire numbers would run parallel, but lower due to scaling differences.

Finally, give some thought to whether you'd really by a 3.0 HD for this rig, and what performance would improve if you did. Or if you had USB 3.0, what plug-in device would you use it for, and how often. And what are the odds you will need or install crossfire/SLI?

I've told you that for me, SLI/crossfire would be more important, because if I need it, I want higher FPS. If I don't have USB/SATA 3.0, I'm not sure I would miss it or even use it over the next few years. YMMV.

Sata 3 is twice as fast as Sata 2
USB 3.0 is ten time as fast as USB 2.0 right? So if i go for the MSI board i should get a sata 2 while sata 3 if i chose the Asus ?

 

[nukemaster]

Anyway USB 2 wont fit into a USB 3 slot right? Its not the same and an adaptor is needed?

I am not sure if this was cleared up yet, but USB 3.0 ports work fine with usb2 devices. USB3 add additional contacts in the back for 3.0 devices but still works with usb2 devices. I know this since i have 3 boards with usb3(H55N-usb3, X58A-UD5 and 770T-usb3)

 

[Twoboxer]

USB/SATA 3.0 allow faster devices to run on them, they do not speed up the devices themselves.