Saying goodbuy to a Foxconn Destroyer

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I have been using sli builds for ages, and have imo both of the best DDR2 SLI mobos out there: Asus M4N82 Deluxe and the Foxconn Destroyer (current). Recently i got a 27" monitor and wanted a new set of midrange bang for the buck cards in SLI for it. This is what i have so far:

Phenom X3 720 BE @ 3600
8Gb DDR2 1066 @ 800
GTX 560 Ti 2Gb - 2560x1440 monitor
GTX 260 Amp2 (physics, doesnt seem to be working because of wrong driver branch)
9600 GSO - 1920x1080 monitor

Im actually very happy with this build - it runs Crysis 2 at maximum settings perfectly most of the time. The GPU will benefit much from a doubling of memory and some load balancing though, so what i really need is to get rid of the GTX 260 and install a second 560 Ti 2Gb in its place. Trouble is, its a nightmare finding a long flexible sli bridge. Where, oh where do they disappear to?

ATM its either buying an old mobo just for the cables or switching to Intel. I put a rough system together including:

i7 950
Mobo for 2 560 2Gb in sli and the GSO for Physix and second monitor
12Gb DDR3 of some kind

My only complaint is that there are no amd boards other than the MSI NF980-G65 that were made after 2009... The wonderful X3 720 (which i used to run unlocked on the M4N82 Deluxe) is more than enough for gaming. And certainly the X6 which are considerably cheaper than i7. It would be a pity to throw away nice ram too...

 

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Oh, and im not willing to go over $600.

 

[aznshinobi]

Asrock Extreme4 P67 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229&cm_re=asrock_extreme4-_-13-157-229-_-Product
i5 2500K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&cm_re=i5_2500k-_-19-115-072-_-Product
Ripjaws 8GB DDR3 1333 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426&cm_re=ddr3_1333_8gb-_-20-231-426-_-Product
Total: 475

 

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That mobo sux: "3 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (PCIE2/PCIE4: single at x16 or dual at x8/x8 mode; PCIE5: x4 mode)"

I need something better!

 

[banthracis]

The performance difference btwn x8 and x16 is unnoticeable, and the difference is most likely in the margin of error.

1155 chips by design only have 16 lanes of PCIe, which toms has demonstrated several times now, makes not difference for SLI, or even tri sli with an NF200 chip.

 

[aznshinobi]

^+1

Then you clearly don't know how to view mobos subspace. That's one of the best motherboards out there. If you think that 8x/8x/4x is slow go ahead and get x58 which costs a lot more

 

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Thanks, but what is thew difference between the 2500 and 950? Are they different generations?

Im really not familiar with intel - the last 3 pc i build have been amd-based...

 

[mosox]

Yep, the 1155 socket (2500K) is the new mainstream generation while the 1366 is the former generation high-end platform to be replaced this year with LGA 2011.

The 2500K is just about as fast as the 950 in gaming at high resolutions and in usual applications and faster in video encoding and other stuff. It draws less power, it runs cooler and can be OCed easily having an unlocked multiplier (just like your BE). It has hardware DRM though.

For your budget ($600+ for mobo/CPU/RAM) I would wait a little for the new AMD platform (AM3+ Bulldozer to be released in June) and the LGA 2011, your current rig is a nice one, the X3 720 is a great CPU.

Or if you decide Bulldozer you can get sooner an AM3+ motherboard, those are about to be available:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3781#sp
Nvidia will remove soon the driver limitation that doesn't allow SLI on AMD mobos.

 

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But will id do SLI for my second 560ti? What about this thing:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131667

Or indeed any amd hydra mobo?

 

[mosox]

Your CPU is still very strong, the new AMD am3+ socket will be released in early June. The new AM3+ mobos are beginning to show up, only one for now on Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128490
Not good for dual video cards.

In June you can decide between Intel 1155 (with the new Z68 chipsets - to be released in May) and AM3+. If you want your second card right now then you can get Intel P67.

The Asrock above recommended by AznShinobi or:

GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD5-B3 + Intel Core i5-2500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.629264
ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) + Intel Core i5-2500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.628220

The RAM above or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231440