Asus striker II formula or MSI P7N Diamond

[Deuzsama]

Hello All,

I've been reading the forums and browsing the web for days trying to decide on the Motherboard I want to buy for my new system.

I've narrowed it down to these two:

• Asus striker II formula
  MSI P7N Diamond

My main reason for wanting this chipset is because i'd like the SLI option and i want PCI-E 2.0, I know its under used and what not, but I want the option there because I don't feel like upgrading in a year.

I already bought a Q6600 Kentsfield and plan to OC it so with that in mind, which Board would you all suggest? Also, what memory should I buy with for it?

Thank you in advance for your help.

P.S. Hope you guys aren't like the snobs on Tom's hardware that won't even bother to answer =(

 

[bramdo]

I would definately go for the asus, excellent support (fast updates) and overall build quality is great.
This board has good reviews and also has a good sound card.

Bram

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: Deuzsama
Hello All,

I've been reading the forums and browsing the web for days trying to decide on the Motherboard I want to buy for my new system.

I've narrowed it down to these two:

• Asus striker II formula
  MSI P7N Diamond

My main reason for wanting this chipset is because i'd like the SLI option and i want PCI-E 2.0, I know its under used and what not, but I want the option there because I don't feel like upgrading in a year.

I already bought a Q6600 Kentsfield and plan to OC it so with that in mind, which Board would you all suggest? Also, what memory should I buy with for it?

Thank you in advance for your help.

P.S. Hope you guys aren't like the snobs on Tom's hardware that won't even bother to answer =(

What resolution are you going to be using ?

SLI is only of Value on High Resolution Monitors at resolutions over 1920 x 1200.


SLI is not a Viable upgrade path, if you do the math.. you are better off simply updating the Video Card when the time comes.

By the time you add up the premium that you will pay for the MOBO, and then add the expense of the second card....

The Premium that is involved is about $400.00 - 450.00 right now currently.

SLI is plagued with Poor Game Profile Support in Vista, and 790i can cause data corruption, under certain operating conditions.

780i, and 790i also do not scale over 400 FSB well when it comes to overclocking.

 

[Deuzsama]

Hi and thx for replying.

I've owned asus boards previously and i really can't complain, i've read that the performance on these is very unstable.

I was leaning towards the MSI board but i just can't make up my mind.

Thanks for the input though =)

 

[Deuzsama]

Originally posted by: Mr Fox
SLI is plagued with Poor Game Profile Support in Vista, and 790i can cause data corruption, under certain operating conditions.

780i, and 790i also do not scale over 400 FSB well when it comes to overclocking.

Would you suggest going with the x48 chip set instead?

I don't mind giving up SLI, but i do want PCI-E 2.0.

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: Deuzsama

Originally posted by: Mr Fox
SLI is plagued with Poor Game Profile Support in Vista, and 790i can cause data corruption, under certain operating conditions.

780i, and 790i also do not scale over 400 FSB well when it comes to overclocking.

Would you suggest going with the x48 chip set instead?

I don't mind giving up SLI, but i do want PCI-E 2.0.

There is no advantage to PCI-E 2.0 at this time ... PCI-E 1.1a is no where near saturated.

The Cards, and MOBO's are interchangeable the VideoCards that will use the Buss to the max. are quite a way off.

With Nehalem about Six mos. away... I would keep the Capital outlay to a minimum.

Avoid the Marketing Crapola and minimize the pain.


By the Way ... Welcome to AT forums !!

 

[Sylvanas]

I have enjoyed great support from MSI with my board and a solid BIOS so the MSI would get my vote. However you would probably be better going for a 750i board for SLI at this stage- cheaper and arguably better all round.

 

[Cookie Monster]

790i data corruption issue has been fixed according to AT. Check ATs main page.

780i may have been a poor OCer, but 790i is completely the opposite. Id say a 790i ultra is better than the X48 when it comes to OCing, id say asking the XS (XtremeSystems) for recommendation is the best bet, since OCing is like eating to them.

And since when was SLI plagued in Vista? It was maybe 13 months ago. But i think its way too outlandish to claim that the game profiles are "poor" for Vista at this point in time.

 

[Deuzsama]

So could anyone suggest a good Board for my needs?

I'm not in a position to buy and sell or exchange something that I don't like (I don't live in the US or anywhere near a civilized country, thats if you consider the US as civilized xD), but seriously, what could I get thats good, reliable, OC's well and can last for atleast 2 years hopefully more.

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
790i data corruption issue has been fixed according to AT. Check ATs main page.

780i may have been a poor OCer, but 790i is completely the opposite. Id say a 790i ultra is better than the X48 when it comes to OCing, id say asking the XS (XtremeSystems) for recommendation is the best bet, since OCing is like eating to them.

And since when was SLI plagued in Vista? It was maybe 13 months ago. But i think its way too outlandish to claim that the game profiles are "poor" for Vista at this point in time.

In Vista 64 Bit there is poor proflie support to new games, and especially older games.

It requires the user to get Nhancer... and create your own... for the novice it is beyond them...And before NHancer was released for Vista.. you were literally screwed.

It has improved, but there are still a substantial amount of Micro Stutter, and other anomalous behavior being reported on an operating system, that they have had almost two years in final release form.

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
790i data corruption issue has been fixed according to AT. Check ATs main page.

Guess Again !!


Check This Post :

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2194842&enterthread=y

Sounds to me like they CASTRATED THE PERFORMANCE AGAIN... to stop the issue..

It makes alot of sense I'll buy a $450.00 Enthusiast MOBO to experience Data Corruption, and Performance Castration. That's the ticket !! Yep !!

790i Continues to be as Pathetic as all the other NVIDIA Chipsets...

How can a Company that can be so Dominant in the Video Card Arena Be so Malignant in this sector of the Market ?? I swear that their chipsets are made in some Factory that is in Orbit around URANUS.

 

[sammajidi]

Originally posted by: Deuzsama
Hello All,

I've been reading the forums and browsing the web for days trying to decide on the Motherboard I want to buy for my new system.

I've narrowed it down to these two:

• Asus striker II formula
  MSI P7N Diamond

Perhaps you already made your decision... but I have owned a Striker II Formula for several months now and I think it is just plain awesome!

I am running it with an E8400 overclocked to 4.05Ghz for daily use and it runs fantastic. It can push 475/4275 stable, however the chip gets too hot under orthos/occt. It can even boot and run some limited apps @ 500/2000.

I have also read lots of horror stories about this board... I think they are mostly configuration problems. This board is targeted towards Enthusiast... so it will take some tweaking.

Airflow and heat management are important with this board as the north bridge tends to run hot. No problem if you take the necessary measures to counteract.

Good Luck,

Sam

 

[Gary Key]

Since you are running a Q6600 and need/want SLI, the EVGA 750i FTW Edition is a great board and after the last BIOS update, the MSI P7N Platinum is a very good choice also. However, with the 750i, you only get four SATA ports. I would go with a solid 750i board over the 780i any day at this point.

The EVGA clocks a little better and performance is slightly better than the MSI board, but it also costs an extra $40 or so. So far in SLI testing with the 9800GTX and GTX260, the EVGA board is faster than any of the 780i boards we posses. I have not noticed video corruption problems on our board, some users have reported it.

Overall, both boards either work very well or they do not depending on your setup. A common theme with the NV Intel chipsets, if you have the right setup, they work great, if not, they are very frustrating.