As if I wasn't confused enough. I've been slogging through the data on motherboards and the P55 PCIe issue and I think I've got a fair understanding of that. One thing I don't understand at all is the hardware requirements of SLI/Crossfire. I'm not sure I will go that route when it's time to upgrade the video (August/September), but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot ahead of time with a MB that can't handle it.
I was initially thinking I7-860, but now I'm leaning towards the I3-530 for now, then the I7-860 (or whatever is available) in October/November. This would allow me to spend a bit more on the MB. I will also need memory.
I really want to be able to mirror the drives and install Win7 Pro. I have read of people having problems doing a clean install on a mirror without booting from a floppy or updating the bios first. Neither of those will be readily available options.
Stuff I'm keeping:
Monitor: LG W2361V at 1920x1200
Case: Antec Sonata II
Power: Antec Earthwatts 650
Drives: 2 x WD Black 500GB 7200rpm SATA 3.0GB/s
I hesitate to even mention my current video, as I will be replacing it around August/September. Right now I have an EVGA 8800GTS 512
I'd really like to keep this stage of the upgrade under $400 if that's feasible. I prefer to shop at microcenter.com as they have a retail store in my neighborhood (MO – St Louis/Brentwood).
The first salesman I talked to was pushing me towards the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3, the second recommended the Asus P7P55D-E. Time to turn to random strangers on the internet for advice. Thank you for reading and for any suggestions on MB and memory options.
I was initially thinking I7-860, but now I'm leaning towards the I3-530 for now, then the I7-860 (or whatever is available) in October/November. This would allow me to spend a bit more on the MB. I will also need memory.
I really want to be able to mirror the drives and install Win7 Pro. I have read of people having problems doing a clean install on a mirror without booting from a floppy or updating the bios first. Neither of those will be readily available options.
Stuff I'm keeping:
Monitor: LG W2361V at 1920x1200
Case: Antec Sonata II
Power: Antec Earthwatts 650
Drives: 2 x WD Black 500GB 7200rpm SATA 3.0GB/s
I hesitate to even mention my current video, as I will be replacing it around August/September. Right now I have an EVGA 8800GTS 512
I'd really like to keep this stage of the upgrade under $400 if that's feasible. I prefer to shop at microcenter.com as they have a retail store in my neighborhood (MO – St Louis/Brentwood).
The first salesman I talked to was pushing me towards the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3, the second recommended the Asus P7P55D-E. Time to turn to random strangers on the internet for advice. Thank you for reading and for any suggestions on MB and memory options.
, your first Microcenter salesman choice a great motherboard in the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 (actually better than what my local Cincy store would say). I recommend that board or the ASUS P7P55D-E Pro for any LGA 1156 CPU.
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