Got the p5nsli

[fox55]

I recieved my c2d 6400 and the Asus p5nsli 5 days ago. Unfortunately, I had ordered it before reading the Anandtech article. Read the article and believe! With OCZ 6400 memory @ 403.3 4-4-4-12 2t 3:4 ratio, the highest stable bus speed is 1210 or a 303fsb. Any attempt to go higher leads to instability or if I go above 315 fsb a failure to boot. I would go on, but, I would only be restating what was said in that article. For what its worth, setup and installation went very well with NO problems at all.

 

[shadykidd]

So it came Core2Duo ready, with no BIOS flashing or compatibilty issues? That is good to know.

As for the OCing...(I am a complete OCing noob) I know this board cannot do any major OCing, but can you even get some minor performance boost out of it? Maybe just a few 100mhz? Maybe a BIOS update can help this board in the future?

I am currently building my first PC, and I want an easy, stable motherboard. SLI is preferred, and under $150. So naturally, the p5nSLI caught my eye. I do not want to do any serious OCing, just a little experimenting.

Would you recommend this board for my needs?

 

[FireChicken]

I had the 570 and it ran great. I was getting an 8800 in 3dmark06 with that board and my 7950 all at stockspeeds. I tried a little experimenting my self. This board has a nice feature called AI OCing. You set a number to raise the FSB and it raises the memory frequency automatically according to what you set the FSB to. The problem was that if I got an unstable OC the system would lock up in the bios and I couldnt set the system back to the default settings. It would lock up in like 2-5 sec so i had to keep restarting until it gave enough time to set the setting to default and save. Then it completly died after 1 week of use. IMO if you are OC noob like me and want to do some experimenting with OCing DO NOT use this board. Great board if you are going to run it all at stock speeds.

 

[fox55]

Yes C2D ready as is. You can get a MINOR boost in performance. My current cpu speed is 2420Mhz. That isn't much compared to the OCs other boards allow. Hopefully a bios update will help. There are a couple of other problems. I'm using the Intel stock cooler at present and the cpu seems to be cool enough (barely warm to the touch) but the temp readings have run from 50c at idle to 62c under load. These readings don't "feel" right, and I have read several posts relating to inaccurate Asus sensor readings. The large red north brige cooler does however get very hot. If I keep this board both coolers will be replaced.

Should you buy it?

"I am currently building my first PC, and I want an easy, stable motherboard. SLI is preferred, and under $150. So naturally, the p5nSLI caught my eye. I do not want to do any serious OCing, just a little experimenting"

Based on that, I will tell you that of the many motherboards I have used, none have gone from the box to up and runnig any more quickly than this. But will they all be as easy, or was I lucky this time? I have had easy times with boards that made others crazy and went crazy with boards that gave others no problems.

I will also caution you that once you begin overclocking "a little experimenting" Is never enough. "Free" speed is addictive, and "enough" is often dictated only by the depth of your wallet.

If you haven't already, read this article,( http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2820) and then decide if you want to buy, or wait until either this board is improved by a bios update, or a wider selection of 570sli boards become available. If other 570 boards perfom well then mayby there's hope for this one. If not then you can avoid my mistake.

 

[shadykidd]

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

I am still not too sure what to do. I already have most of my components bought, so I am eagerly waiting to get a MoBo.

I wish there was a reliable, well-priced motherboard for Core2Duo. I would willingly sacrifice SLI if there was such a board. The DS3 is a possibility, but I have heard just as many horror stories as I have heard success.

The wait continues...

 

[FreedomGUNDAM]

heard the Biostar Tforce 965 Deluxe is pretty good with a competitive price, but can't find it anywhere. Talked with Gary Key, he is checking on it with Biostar and Newegg

 

[Gary Key]

Originally posted by: shadykidd
The DS3 is a possibility, but I have heard just as many horror stories as I have heard success.

The wait continues...

99% of the DS3 issues have been solved, it really does not matter what board you look at as all of them were released too early. However, most are starting to mature well now, enough so that we are completing our 965 roundup.

 

[shadykidd]

^ That is good to know. I'm looking forward to your roundup article.