IP-35-E versus Pro?

[lollybo]

A lot of people have recommended me the IP-35-Po, and I tried the best I could, but I could not find a reason to justify the extra 50 bucks on an ip-35 pro.

Four SATA drives is plenty. I don't have any use for firewire, nor do I need spdif out. I only have one harddrive, so I don't need RAID. Better heatsinks would be nice, but I could do without them. I will never use SLI.

If you need these bells and whistles, an ip-35 pro might be useful. But for people like me, what is wrong with an IP-35-e?

 

[lollybo]

Misc question about IP-35 boards in general, will I need to install sata drivers with a floppy during OS installation with XP?

 

[hokiealumnus]

1. Absolutely nothing is wrong with the -E. If you don't need all that stuff, don't spend the money on it. For overclocking, this board is just as good as the Pro, it just lacks what would be a very convenient external clear-CMOS switch. You can build one if you feel like it though! 😉

2. You should not need to install any drivers unless you're running RAID, which is not included on the -E, so I guess you're not. The short answer is no.

 

[lollybo]

But IICR, if you have a sata hard disk, you have to install a special driver during xp installation because it's not included in the xp cd?

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Read my Abit IP35-E review @ MB forum. There's a general guide to load windows and overclock a CPU. Lowest price is $71 AR @ MWAVE. That's less than 1/2 the price of the IP35 Pro.

 

[hokiealumnus]

I have an SATA HDD and did not have to install any drivers during setup.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Windows will automatically load the proper drivers. IP35-E lacks RAID. Therefore, just put in the CD/DVD and load windows. No need to hit "F" anything.