Help me pick a new motherboard

[MakubeX]

My Asus P5W64 went bad and now I need a new mobo.

I'm indecisive on what mobo to get. I want one that runs cool, that can handle a fair amount of voltage and it's solid and stable for 24/7 overclocks.

For 24/7 usage and stability, which motherboard would you recommend me for under $250?

My Specs:

CPU: Intel C2D E6600

VGA: EVG 8800GTX. Right now I have no intention of going SLI in the near future.

Memory: BUFFALO Firestix 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 1000Mhz (D9GKX)

3 x SATA HDD

I watercool CPU, GPU and NB.

Thanks.

[werty316]

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 is a good board.

[MakubeX]

Thanks for the suggestion Werty.

Alright, I've narrowed it to 2 boards so far:

Abit QuadGT

Intel XBX2

PS. Still wondering what people think of the Asus P5N32-SLI Plus?

[Rob Williams]

Hmm... I'd go with the Intel XBX2 if those are your only two choices. I am not familiar with the QuadGT, but I haven't really heard anything good about it from friends.

I've warned you about the XBX2... I hope you don't run into the same issues I did.

[MakubeX]

Yes, I've taken note of the quirkiness warning. But since so far I haven't read of anyone else experiencing those problems I think it might have been your board.

Well anyway, I've decided that I would take the Intel XBX2 over the Abit QuadGT, but now there's another contender... the Asus P5N32-SLI Plus.

So the main battle right now is between the Intel XBX2 vs Asus P5N32-SLI Plus.

PS. This doesn't mean I'm not open for other suggestions.

[Rob Williams]

I can't speak on the P5N32-SLI Plus, but I assume it's a solid board since the P5N-E was a derivative... which I loved. As for quirkiness of the XBX2, I was actually warned by a friend before I installed it, to expect some weird overclocking problems. It didn't take too long before I found those out.

I do hope it's just my board, but since I had a pre-warning, it didn't seem to me at the time that it was just my copy. I hope to install it again sometime this week if I can and then get it a re-test.

Still, the XBX2 is expensive for what it offers. If you can get it at a good deal it might be worth it. Hard to comment still though, since all of the problems I had might be just bad luck.

[MakubeX]

My main concern about the P5N32-E SLI Plus is stability. From what I've read, it seems like a hell lot of trouble to get OCs on this board stable.

[Rob Williams]

It's a tough situation. I haven't been pleased with any motherboard I've used lately. So far, I like the eVGA 680i most out of all of them, but I question it's stability as well. I have been having some random problem lately, but I'm not sure if it's the motherboard or the PSU.

Not sure if you noticed, but AnandTech posted a review for the P5N32-SLI Plus yesterday, and gave it their editors choice:

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2958

He does mention that it doesn't overclock as high as the 680i board, but he didn't mention of instability issues.

[MakubeX]

Yeah I saw the review. Also checked a few more. So far all the reviews give this board very positive scores.

[Rob Williams]

Oh for some reason, I thought that was the board you were talking about. I didn't notice the -E :-\

[MakubeX]

Damn and it seems that the P5N32-E SLI Plus runs very hot according to this review: http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Ha...2e-sli/12.html

Heat is one of the factors I'm more concern about because I live in a hot place, and it stays fairly hot all year. Yes it is a little cooler during the Winter, especially at night, but during the day temps don't drop that much.

Man, it's getting really hard to choose the right mobo for me.

[MakubeX]

Ok, I'm officially considering the Abit QuadGt over the Intel XBX2, mainly because the XBX2 doesn't allow to change the multiplier downwards.

[Rob Williams]

Ok, I'm officially considering the Abit QuadGt over the Intel XBX2, mainly because the XBX2 doesn't allow to change the multiplier downwards.

I am not sure that will even matter. I believe the highest FSB I could push with that board was 350. I haven't exactly read other reviews though, so I'm sure some people have pushed it further than that.

What is it about the abit QuadGT that catches your attention?

[MakubeX]

I am not sure that will even matter. I believe the highest FSB I could push with that board was 350. I haven't exactly read other reviews though, so I'm sure some people have pushed it further than that.

What is it about the abit QuadGT that catches your attention?

350?! Man there was definitely something wrong with your board.

According to some users the QuadGT is also a solid board and a good OCer. It has good features and I like the layout. The Debug LED is also a plus. Oh, and it isn't that expensive either.

Any thoughts on the ASUS Commando?

[MakubeX]

Hey Rob, does the eVGA 680i run much hotter than the XBX2? Or other 975x and 965p mobos?

Is it more voltage hungry? I mean, does it require noticeably more voltage than other 975x and 965p motherboards to maintain the same clocks?

[Rob Williams]

350?! Man there was definitely something wrong with your board.

Glad to hear it. I will give it another shot this week.

Any thoughts on the ASUS Commando?

Greg would be the one to talk to about this... as he owns one. I will ping him about it. From what I gather, it's a solid board overall.

Hey Rob, does the eVGA 680i run much hotter than the XBX2? Or other 975x and 965p mobos?

Hmm, to be honest I never pay attention to temps really. This rooms ambient temp usually hovers around 80F, so I can't usually tell. I need to get a thermometer...

It's also hard to tell with the 8800GTX that's in there, because even without playing a game, that card idles at a very high temp. I can test the temps out later this week... when I move back to the Intel. I need to do a slew of benchmarking with the 680i before I move back to the XBX2, hence the delay.

[MakubeX]

Glad to hear it. I will give it another shot this week.



Greg would be the one to talk to about this... as he owns one. I will ping him about it. From what I gather, it's a solid board overall.



Hmm, to be honest I never pay attention to temps really. This rooms ambient temp usually hovers around 80F, so I can't usually tell. I need to get a thermometer...

It's also hard to tell with the 8800GTX that's in there, because even without playing a game, that card idles at a very high temp. I can test the temps out later this week... when I move back to the Intel. I need to do a slew of benchmarking with the 680i before I move back to the XBX2, hence the delay.
Alright, thanks a lot. :)

[MakubeX]

Alright, I think I'm getting the eVGA 680i A1.

I do like the 965p chipset too, however the only board I would actually get is the Asus Commando, but the one piece heatpipe heatsink covering the whole board (SB, NB and PWM) is a turn off. I'm watercooling the NB so I would have to replace heatsinks for the SB and the PWM.

The only 2 other 965p boards I would consider are the Abit QuadGt and Asus P5B Deluxe.

But according to testimonials the QuadGT has enough problems to turn me away from it.

I already have an Asus P5B Dlx in my lady's rig and, although a good board, I want something different.

So, I think eVGA 680i it is.

I hope it doesn't fail me or kill any of my components. :p




PS. This heatsink should fit the SouthBridge of the EVGA 680i, right?

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/sidewindercomputers_1944_11008161

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/sidewindercomputers/cnbr1clip.gif

[Rob Williams]

Hmm, I am not sure about the size of the Southbridge heatsink... I've never tried to replace it or measure it for that matter. I love the look of that though... clean. Have you Googled to see what size sink it would require?

I doubt the eVGA board will kill anything. I had a stick of ram die last week, but I think it was just a faulty module, not the board.

[MakubeX]

Maybe not. Were you running the stick at 2.3v or more?

A lot of people are reporting dead RAM lately, and it seems it seems it's because they are using too much voltage.

EVGA even recognized this problem:

http://evga.com/community/messageboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31115

[Rob Williams]

I was running it at 2.4v @ DDR2-1100. It's not the first time though. That would have been the... fourth kit I've run on that board with 2.4v or more voltage. That was the first time I had a stick die on me though.

If it happens again with another stick, then I will know where to point the blame.

[MakubeX]

Yeah, I'm betting it was the 2.4v over time. But this is not a chipset thing, it's been happening with all chipsets, it just seems that people with 680i boards had worse luck.

The memory manufacturers are to blame. Manufacturers are selling RAM rated at voltages that will eventually kill it.

[Rob Williams]

"Yeah, I'm betting it was the 2.4v over time."

I dunno... it was about an hour after I installed them ;-)

"Manufacturers are selling RAM rated at voltages that will eventually kill it."

I agree. At least most of these guys offer nice warranties.

[JacKz5o]

You don't want to do 2.4v for a long period of time. 2.4 is the RAM killer lol :(

http://www.evga.com/articles/350.asp


Important message regarding memory and the EVGA 680i motherboard

NVIDIA has investigated end user reports of high performance DIMM failures on the NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI-based platforms. During this process we have been in close contact with DIMM manufacturers and the DRAM manufacturers they rely on to understand the failure scenario. By working with our community, we believe that the observed failure is a breakdown of the silicon in the DRAM caused by the prolonged application of 2.4V on the voltage rails of the DIMMs.

NVIDIA’s own internal testing has observed this failure on multiple motherboards using different chipsets (both NVIDIA and non-NVIDIA chipsets). This issue is not directly related to motherboards using the NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI MCP or other chipsets.

If you are using this type of memory and are experiencing this issue, NVIDIA recommends contacting your memory manufacturer or system manufacturer for additional information and warranty information.