Motherboard Recommendation - Struggling!

[Bunford80]

Hi all,

Basically, I currently have a Q6600 CPU which I'm very happy with and 6GB DDR2 RAM with an XFX 5770 1GB graphics card.

I'm looking to upgrade to a crossfire setup, buying another 5770 and the 5770 and a new mobo will be cheaper than a GTX560 but the crossfire setup will have more power (from what I've extensively read).

As I'm upgrading, I'd also like to upgrade to DDR3 as it's way cheaper than DDR2 at the moment.

So, what I'm trying to find is a motherboard with a 775 socket CPU, 16GB DDR3 RAM and Crossfire capability (ideally at x16 - though will I see a big difference if it's at x8?).

I found this which fits the bill: http://asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=P45X3%20Deluxe - but it seems impossible to get hold on one now. The same problem with these ASUS ones: http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_775/P5Q3_DeluxeWiFiAP_n/#specifications and http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_775/P5Q3/#specifications

Anyone able to recommend one that I should be able to get my hands on fairly easily? Searched online for the above 3 to no avail. Also, based in UK if it makes a difference!

Cheers.

 

[lozz08]

Well, I can offer that 8X PCI-E will definitely not bottleneck your 5770s. I use 2 6850s with dual 8x config and the performance is not compromised by the 8 lane slots.

 

[Bunford80]

That's good news! I'll probably buy a mobo and another 5770 to go crossfire then.

My only issues is cos I do a lot of audio stuff, I need to max out on RAM so looking for 16GB RAM capacity. I can get something like a ASUS P5Q Deluxe, but will have to go with the much pricier 4x4GB sticks of DDR2 at about twice+ the price of DDR3 RAM.

 

[lozz08]

you can get ddr3 socket 775 motherboards. Not that easy to find though...

Maybe you could try to sell your current system and then upgrade to an 1155 motherboard system. Because that would probably end up costing the same amount total for a better end result.

 

[Bunford80]

Hmmm. I had considered that, but trying to prolong as many components as I can. I think people get carried away with wanting the newest and best stuff, when in reality a Q6600 with a mild overclock is more than capable of what I need it for.

Upgrading to a 1155 system would be nice, but also costly needing new CPU, mobo, RAM, power supply along with the graphics card I want.

As I said, I'm happy with my Q6600 and want to simply crossfire my 5770 with another 5770. Upgrade to a DDR3 16GB setup too if possible. That would mean buying a cheap mobo, 5770 for cheap and cheap DDR3 RAM.

However, it's finding a mobo to fit the bill that seems difficult. I can easily find Asus P5Q Deluxe etc which fits the bill, but limits me to DDR2 rather than DDR3.