I-5 2500k motherboard with 6950

[csp836]

hello guys i already had an 2500k cpu with a 6950 gpu but i dont know wich motherboard will be the best because in a future i will add another 6950. i heard that some motherboards have problems when you add the second gpu it will run x8 instead of x16

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

That isn't a problem -- it's normal behavior. With a second GPU, most P67/Z68 boards will switch to x8/x8 operation.

If you have a single monitor, then x8/x8 CrossFire performs the same as x16/x16 CrossFire. It's only when huge multi-monitor resolutions (like 5760x1200 or 5760x2560) are used that x16/x16 begins to pull ahead in performance.

 

[csp836]

thanks i didnt know that -- which motherboard you think would be good my budget is around 200$

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

Since you're going to be using CrossFire:
ASRock P67 Extreme4
ASUS P8P67 Pro
Gigabyte P67A-UD4
MSI P67A-GD55

All good boards with pretty equal features, and all within your budget. Among those four, my preferences would be the ASRock or Gigabyte.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

Leaps from Shadows gives you a couple great boards that will all do the job you are looking for. With the Intel Core i5-2500K before you start to overclock it make sure that you add a good 3rd party HSF. Good luck and enjoy the new system.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[JackNaylorPE]

If ya wanna see what difference x8 x8 can have versus 16 x16 at 1920 x 1200, read this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/p67-gaming-3-way-sli-three-card-crossfire,2910-7.html

On this page for example we see conflicting results....with AA off, we see x8 x8 outperforming x16 x16 .... but turn AA on (who wouldn't) and the x16 x16 outperforms 99 to 91 ....almost a 9% improvement ... on other games the lead was consistent but the amount was smaller.

It's not a "problem", just a bandwidth limitation. For the most part, there is a small performance difference .... tho I'd be most anxious to see the impact on minimum (rather than average) frame rates as well where I think the impact would be more pronounced. Still for $30 more than the next MoBo down w/o the NF200, seems a "why the hell not" decision.

The WS Revolution (NF200 - x16 x16) w/ i5-2500k is $465
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.642533

The P8P67 Deluxe (x8 x8) w/ i5-2500k is $435
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.642514