Best X58/i7 Motherboard for gaming?

[mlah384]

What is the best X58/i7 for gaming?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

The Asus board i hear is doin great

 

[NoStateofMind]

There won't be much difference in gaming when choosing a motherboard. If you want to get the most out of your gaming experience get the best graphics card you can get. The only things that may play a role in your decision for motherboards & gaming would be SLI/Crossfire support and PCIe x16 lanes. While most x58 motherboards make use of both SLI/Crossfire, there is atleast one that only supports crossfire. The current crop of motherboards have up to 32 PCIe lanes to work with. SLI or Crossfire will perform at x16/x16 for dual graphics solutions while tri-SLI/Crossfire will be limited to x16/x8/x8. If you are willing to wait another month, the nvidia (n200) chip will appear on boards that will allow full bandwidth triple graphics card solutions (x16/x16/x16). A powerhouse board like the Asus P6T6 WS Revolution is an example of what to expect. Prices will vary from place to place depending on demand. Expect to pay atleast the upper 300's or low 400's. Good luck

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: mlah384
What is the best X58/i7 for gaming?

mine, x16/x16/x8

 

[NoStateofMind]

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem

Originally posted by: mlah384
What is the best X58/i7 for gaming?

mine, x16/x16/x8

Yes it does, however:

specs

(Note 3) For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16_1 slot; if you are installing two PCI Express graphics cards, it is recommended that you install them in the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots.
(Note 4) The PCIEX8_1 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16_2 slot. When PCIEX8_1 is populated with a PCI Express graphics card, the PCIEX16_2 slot will operate at up to x8 mode.

Using two cards in SLI/Crossfire you get full bandwidth but if you populate the third (x8) PCIe slot, the board automatically reverts tp x16/x8/x8.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Okay nevermind, thanks for clearing that up. Still though, feature wise my remains untopped.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: mlah384
What is the best X58/i7 for gaming?

The one that can handle your video cards.

That's like asking which 1 liter bottle of water will quench your thirst the best.

 

[nenforcer]

Just make sure you get one which supports SLI AND Crossfire. Some of the boards may only support Crossfire. The ones that do support both however cost more.

 

[dajeepster]

Originally posted by: PC Surgeon
A powerhouse board like the Asus P6T6 WS Revolution is an example of what to expect.

ok... now i'm drooling

 

[yh125d]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: mlah384
What is the best X58/i7 for gaming?

The one that can handle your video cards.

That's like asking which 1 liter bottle of water will quench your thirst the best.

When you need to be asking which 1 liter bottle is closest to being full