2 motherboards sitting here....one to keep and one to send back.....

[herbiehancock]

OK....ended up with two new retail Socket 775 motherboards due to impatience........the Gigabyte was late beign delivered by two days via FedEx.

So, I now have an Intel Bad Axe 2 and a Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 ver. 3.3 sitting in front of me. The question is which do I keep and which is "DOA" and sent back?

Personally, I'm leaning towards the Intel board.........

Thoughts?


It'll be running 1GB x 2 Buffalo Firestix DDR2-800, a C2D E6400, a Seagate 320GB SATA 7200.10 hard drive, Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB, Corsair HX620W, etc., etc.

 

[soybeast]

imo I'd keep the intel for the stability. Apparently it can also oc pretty well (~ 450 stable).

 

[herbiehancock]

Well, I do value stability and the jet black PCB on the Intel, along with the subtle blue here and there, instead of the garish Gigabyte, also helps. Not into cartoon colors, esp. since I've now seen the DS3 in person......

 

[MTDEW]

For an e6400, i'd keep the DS3, it will hit a higher fsb than the 775 board easily.

 

[Spring2188]

I have the DS3 and am overly impressed with it. I can OC to 460 fsb but my cpu temps got high due to the stock cooler. Got a Tuniq Tower on the way then gonna really push the board more

 

[ForgetCassettes]

I've had both boards and I definitely recommend the DS3.

 

[moosey]

Originally posted by: MTDEW
For an e6400, i'd keep the DS3, it will hit a higher fsb than the 775 board easily.

Gigabyte if you really want to push your o/c. I don't know where that board changes straps though.
Otherwise, I'd keep the Intel.

 

[herbiehancock]

Interesting that so many recommend the DS3. I've been reading various threads, esp. on the XtremeSystems forum and the numerous complaints of the DS3 ranging from being a great OC'er one minute to being a steaming pile of dog dung the next minute.....on the same person's setup with just a reboot. Won't hold settings in BIOS, burning up RAM (overvolting.....BIOS can't hold vdimm voltages to save its lift, etc.)

Of course, there are those dogging the Bad Axe 2, but most problems I've noted come from using "unapproved" RAM, which of course I have, too. Don't think Buffalo Firestix is on their approved RAM list, either. LOL!

Hmmmmmmm.....will just have to try both boards with my components and see which is more stable. Hate that I'm going to have to do an Anandtech testing setup, but I guess it's come to that. LOL!

Well, I've got an open day to mess with it on Tuesday, so I suppose a full-blown testing is in order. Glad I have a spare copy of XP to mess with, too.


And, no, ultimate overclock is not my intention. I am not seeking the absolute edge of speed with it. That's not to say I'm not going to OC it at all.....that'd be lying. BUT, I don't have to have the fastest cpu/mb combo out there, just a good, mild STABLE overclock is all I ever do.

I'm going to be using a Corsair Nautilus 500 watercooling kit for the cpu cooling (with the radiator upgraded to a DD Black Ice GT Stealth 120), so I'll never get it to achieve the speeds that a Tuniq Tower can give, but I hated the idea of hanging over 2 pounds off the motherboard anyway, and the amount of space the oversized tower air coolers required.

 

[moosey]

Originally posted by: herbiehancock
Interesting that so many recommend the DS3. I've been reading various threads, esp. on the XtremeSystems forum and the numerous complaints of the DS3 ranging from being a great OC'er one minute to being a steaming pile of dog dung the next minute.....on the same person's setup with just a reboot. Won't hold settings in BIOS, burning up RAM (overvolting.....BIOS can't hold vdimm voltages to save its lift, etc.)

Of course, there are those dogging the Bad Axe 2, but most problems I've noted come from using "unapproved" RAM, which of course I have, too. Don't think Buffalo Firestix is on their approved RAM list, either. LOL!

Hmmmmmmm.....will just have to try both boards with my components and see which is more stable. Hate that I'm going to have to do an Anandtech testing setup, but I guess it's come to that. LOL!

That could work, just see which one you like more. I'm running a BadAxe2 right now (w/ an e6600), but like I had said, the P965 should be able to o/c a bit better for your chip...if that's what you're pushing for.

 

[herbiehancock]

moosey, well, it's more for a mild but STABLE overclock.......highest speed is irrelevant.

This is my "ultimate" setup plan....

I bought a Cooler Master Mystique 631. I plan on polishing the front door, paint the rest of the case in a deep metallic blue, something like the GM corporate deep blue on their newer vehicles. I'm putting in a window on the left side made of A.C. Ryan's 2-way mirror acrylic. The plastic front bezel will be covered in engine turned vinyl from MNPC Tech....along with some of the interior, like the "floor" of the case and the rear area where the fan and slots are. Below are the links to the window and vinyl.

http://www.mnpctech.com/Engine_Turned_Vinyl_Film.html

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/5295/...Way_Mirror_ACR-AP32042.html?tl=g42c215


Inside is going to be front and rear 120mm blue LED fans, an OCZ memory cooler with its 2 40mm blue LED fans, an 80mm blue LED fan put into the window, a Zalman VF900 gpu cooler with a blue LED fan, and possibly a blue CCFL light or two.....along the top and bottom of the case, above and below the window.


So, the Intel board will fit much better into my scheme as the black PCB and the silver and blue heatsinks on the board and the black and blue memory slots much better fit my color scheme vs. the "cartoonish" coloring of the DS3 with its mishmash of garish colors.....lime green IDE port, yellow and red memory slots, baby blue PCI-e video card slot, 2 different gold colors on the heat sinks on the north/south bridges, the yellow and purple SATA connectors, and the medium blue PCB. I just wonder what drugs the designers at Gigabyte were on when they chose all those colors for their board that do not coexist well together.

 

[moosey]

I can see where you're coming from with the whole aesthetics thing involved. Well just from my experience, the BX2 was the easiest setup I've done. Even if you were to o/c to 400FSB that's multiplied by 8 on your CPU to give you 3.2ghz. Could just run it 1:1. I don't know if you went over 400FSB if the DS3 would change straps on you and that could hurt your performance there whereas the 975X will keep the tighter strap timings.

The Intel board might be the way for you afterall.

 

[craftech]

http://www.directron.com/rx9gtred.html

John

 

[herbiehancock]

Originally posted by: craftech
http://www.directron.com/rx9gtred.html

John

Interesting John.........

Here's my "inspiration" for what I want to do.....

Stu King's High Roller case from Kikboxes.com

 

[SpeedTester]

Originally posted by: herbiehancock
OK....ended up with two new retail Socket 775 motherboards due to impatience........the Gigabyte was late beign delivered by two days via FedEx.

So, I now have an Intel Bad Axe 2 and a Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 ver. 3.3 sitting in front of me. The question is which do I keep and which is "DOA" and sent back?

Personally, I'm leaning towards the Intel board.........

Thoughts?


It'll be running 1GB x 2 Buffalo Firestix DDR2-800, a C2D E6400, a Seagate 320GB SATA 7200.10 hard drive, Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB, Corsair HX620W, etc., etc.

How about you keep both of them since you are trying to lie to a company on recieving one of them DOA. People like you make me sick.

 

[herbiehancock]

Originally posted by: SpeedTester

Originally posted by: herbiehancock
OK....ended up with two new retail Socket 775 motherboards due to impatience........the Gigabyte was late beign delivered by two days via FedEx.

So, I now have an Intel Bad Axe 2 and a Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 ver. 3.3 sitting in front of me. The question is which do I keep and which is "DOA" and sent back?

Personally, I'm leaning towards the Intel board.........

Thoughts?


It'll be running 1GB x 2 Buffalo Firestix DDR2-800, a C2D E6400, a Seagate 320GB SATA 7200.10 hard drive, Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB, Corsair HX620W, etc., etc.

How about you keep both of them since you are trying to lie to a company on recieving one of them DOA. People like you make me sick.

Booo Hooooo......... I'm sooooooo hurt by your cutting words! I must end my life now!

Honestly, if you paid ANY attention to my first post, you'd notice I put DOA in quotation marks.....meaning I was just going to return it as I don't need it and eat any restocking charge if I had to.

Get a life and quit being so holier-than-thou. You people with those "I'm so morally superior to you" attitudes make me sick, esp. when you make a judgment without being able to understand the message being conveyed.

 

[Skott]

Not sure if anyone mentioned it besides the looks and features maybe see which has a better upgrade path performance? By that I mean which mobo get a better performance out of a quadcore chip. That may be something to help you in your decesion.

 

[tcG]

Do you really need more than 450 FSB anyway? I'd stay with the BX2 simply because you'll probably never use the amount of FSB capable on the DS3. Honestly, your E6400 is probably going to hit a silicon limit at or before 450...

 

[Jodiuh]

^^ that's all I really want. I know my E6400 can do 3600 w/ 1.475 on an Asus board, but I'd be happy w/ 3.2 as well. I'm just trying to get away from the crappy aesthetics of the P5B and the buzz/whine/pcie arrangement of the Commando. Off to Fry's!!

 

[grooge]

Originally posted by: herbiehancock
OK....ended up with two new retail Socket 775 motherboards due to impatience........the Gigabyte was late beign delivered by two days via FedEx.

So, I now have an Intel Bad Axe 2 and a Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 ver. 3.3 sitting in front of me. The question is which do I keep and which is "DOA" and sent back?

Personally, I'm leaning towards the Intel board.........

Thoughts?


It'll be running 1GB x 2 Buffalo Firestix DDR2-800, a C2D E6400, a Seagate 320GB SATA 7200.10 hard drive, Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB, Corsair HX620W, etc., etc.

Thank you for creating a false DOA, helping in increasing price and hardening return policies for those that really have to send back defective unit..

Please, sell it by yourself, don't make others pay for your mistake