Looking for help on a Motherboard decision.

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mikeyikeey

Member
Jun 26, 2007
104
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Hey, I'm confused with which motherboard to go with. I read the "Core 2 & AM2 Motherboards - Recommendations and Complete Lists" topic, and still can't decide between some motherboards.

Heres what I am currently looking at.

GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R
A friend of mine says with this, I'm prepared for the future with DDR3 and a P35.
But another friend says DDR3 isn't all that great..

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DQ6
A friend of mine currently owns this board, and says its great.
Also, this was recommended in the Recommendations thread.

ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP
This is suggested in the Recommendations thread, and it looks pretty good to me.

I am looking to build a new system towards the end of summer, and am looking for all the help I can get in picking out some good parts.

Heres a list of the other parts I have picked out, in case you want to check for compatibility too. I'm not too experienced in building my own computer, but I know my way around. Thats why I've come here for help! This is where the pros are! :p

Case: Antec Nine Hundred
Motherboard: Help me out here!
Processor: Probably an e6850 but if not, an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz
Graphics Card: EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply

So yeah, help me out friends! Which motherboard do I go with! If you've got another suggestion, please let me know!

Thanks everyone! :)
 
KeypoX

KeypoX

Diamond Member
Aug 31, 2003
3,655
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71
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: whitelight
you might also want to add the Abit IP35 Pro to your list.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127030

I've read many good things about it so far.</end quote></div>

LOL great lets give him more choices.... that should narrow it down

I to am looking for a mobo and dont know which one but was thinking about the ds3 gigabyte for 99 at the egg.... but future for ddr3 isnt a terrible idea though i think by the time i need ddr3 i will also need a new processor sooo...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128017

but i am looking for something not so pricey < $100
 
bryanW1995

bryanW1995

Lifer
May 22, 2007
11,144
32
91
Go with the p35 ds3r. it's only 129.99+ shipping at newegg and it'll do all that you need with only an e6600 or equivalent. Also, wait until july 22 price cuts to make up your mind about processor.
 
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eklipze

Junior Member
Jun 30, 2007
13
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If you want to overclock. its the P5k. and if you wanna do some minor overclocking i'd pick the ds3r. and yes. the ds3r with ddr3 isn't going to be popular later on. as i assume and readign the forums about their excitement on it. yet. both of those are a good choice.
 
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mikeyikeey

Member
Jun 26, 2007
104
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Originally posted by: eklipze
If you want to overclock. its the P5k. and if you wanna do some minor overclocking i'd pick the ds3r. and yes. the ds3r with ddr3 isn't going to be popular later on. as i assume and readign the forums about their excitement on it. yet. both of those are a good choice.
Click to expand...

Why won't the GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R be popular later on? It was actually what I was thinking of going with.

Well, for the record. I am leaning towards the GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R now. Let me know what you think about this board!
 
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Master G

Junior Member
Jul 1, 2007
7
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Yeah, I'm running into the same dilemma myself, with the same boards too. I really like the P5K, but it seems the DQ6 outperforms it in some of the tests I've read. The WiFi is a nice touch though. As for the DS3R, its heatsink system isn't as elaborate as either of the other boards, and as I plan on running on stock cooling for a while, that's not too attractive. Needless to say I'll be watching this thread.
 
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mikeyikeey

Member
Jun 26, 2007
104
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0
Decisions, decisions. :p

I hope to get more input on some of these boards for you Master G. I've already more or less made up my mind about the GA-P35C-DS3R though. This might be useful to you or someone, its a review of the P35C-DS3R by CPU3D. I thought it was pretty informative.

At first, I was going to go with the P5K, then someone suggested the DQ6, and then a friend of mine suggested the P35C-DS3R, since its pretty future-proof. When DDR3 improves, I'll be able to upgrade to that. And if I have to get a new Penryn processor at some point, that will be another component my motherboard is compatible with.

Hopefully someone else has some input on the other boards though. These forums are great, everyone knows what they're talking about! I'm sure someone will stop by and enlighten us. :)
 
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Master G

Junior Member
Jul 1, 2007
7
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Actually, I'm wondering if I should get the Asus P5B Deluxe, it doesn't seem to be prone to the SATA problems of the P5K and has most all of the features of it, albeit with a lesser heatpipe system. That way I can choose to upgrade to a X38 w/ PCIe 2.0 and DDR3 when all of them are available/affordable.

Comments?
 
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Master G

Junior Member
Jul 1, 2007
7
0
0
Originally posted by: Weyl
An opinion on combo motherboards:

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>DDR3 should not distinguish itself from DDR2 before the arrival of chipsets that manage DDR3-1600 and quad core processors in FSB1333 or 1600 capable of gaining in available memory bandwidth. For this reason, combo motherboards that look good on paper aren?t necessarily that great in practice.</end quote></div>

Intel P35 Express, FSB1333 and DDR3 (page 9: Conclusion) - BeHardware
Click to expand...

I concur, one of the reason I don't want a C board is that the FSB will be outdated by the time DDR3 is mainstream, and the advent of PCIe 2.0 will just rub it in. Still, I can't decide about the Asus Deluxe; the P5B is tried-and-true, but will not improve from BIOS updates like I'm sure the P5K will. On the other hand, since I'm only using 800 MHz RAM and an E6600, its not like I need the best board ever, and I'd want an upgrade from the P5K for DDR3, PCIe2, etc anyway.

Anyone know if future performance gains via BIOS and driver updates are worth the $30 extra for a P5K?
 
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mikeyikeey

Member
Jun 26, 2007
104
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0
Oh wow, I think that just blew my board out of the water. :(

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>I concur, one of the reason I don't want a C board is that the FSB will be outdated by the time DDR3 is mainstream, and the advent of PCIe 2.0 will just rub it in.</end quote></div>

Thanks a lot for informing me on this. So if I were to be in the market for a brand new board, is there nothing out right now that is set for the future? I don't want to have to buy a new motherboard soon down the line.

If anyone has any advice on a good board, please share.

I should mention, I do not want to make the move to DDR3 sticks right now, because they arn't that great yet. Also, they're pricey.
But sticking with DDR2 will just lead to an upgrading of the motherboard later on. This is why I thought the P35C was my way out of this. Perhaps, its not. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
 
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Weyl

Junior Member
Jun 28, 2007
10
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0
DDR3 Memory Won't Be Mainstream Until 2009. By then the Nehalem processor will have been released that will have integrated memory controller and support DDR3-1600. This may be your next upgrade (depending on how often you upgrade though) and you will need a complete new platform. My advice is just forget about DDR3 and stick to DDR2. Extra DDR3 slots are not harmful, but just useless. GA-P35-DS3R is a good choice.
 
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mikeyikeey

Member
Jun 26, 2007
104
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0
Thanks a lot for clearing up the DDR3 issue for me Weyl.

But now I ask, if I am going with a DDR2 board, why not go with the ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP. Is it not better than the GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R? Or perhaps just go with the GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R.

If I'm sticking with DDR2, I figure this opens up a lot of new doors for me. I understand the P35C is a good choice, but I'm looking for something great. :p

As for how often I update; after this computer hopefully not often.
I plan on running with my new build as far as she will take me.
 
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Weyl

Junior Member
Jun 28, 2007
10
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ASUS P5K DELUXE is a great choice. But I've heard too many problems on SATA ports and RAID to recommend it to other people comfortably. You will see more professional and user reviews by July 22 when E6750 (2.66GHz, $183) is released and you will have a better view on which board is really great.
 
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mikeyikeey

Member
Jun 26, 2007
104
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I see what you're saying. I've read some user reviews about those problems.
I'm definitely waiting until the 22nd for some more input. I was just hoping someone could provide me with something before then! And so far, everyone has!

But I have yet to decide on a motherboard! In time, I suppose!
 
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SerpentRoyal

Banned
May 20, 2007
3,517
0
0
Abit's IP35-E is an excellent P35 overclocking board without bells and whistles. There is no need to invest in DDR3 today when you can get 2GB of overclocked DDR2 800 for $60 after rebate. I doubt that you will want to check out AMD or DDR3 till 2nd quarter 2008.

I paid $95 at Fry's (AR) for the IP-35-E. The Pro version adds heat pipe cooling, 1394, two more SATA connectors, and reset buttons.
 
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mikeyikeey

Member
Jun 26, 2007
104
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0
Hey, just a crazy idea.

Would any of you recommend waiting until September or whenever for the X38 chipset to be out?
I don't know much about the X38, so if someone can tell me if its worth waiting for or not, I would appreciate it!

If not, I've got another idea for a motherboard. So far the choices are:

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R
or, the GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R

ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP

and newly added to the possibilities list, the ABIT IP35 Pro

If you guys have any ideas whats good, let me know. I will obviously be waiting until July 22nd for the price cuts, and I have all the other components picked out for my future computer. I just can not come to a conclusion when it comes to a motherboard! Ahhhhh! :(

Well, let me know what you guys thing.
 
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Weyl

Junior Member
Jun 28, 2007
10
0
0
Originally posted by: mikeyikeey
Hey, just a crazy idea.

Would any of you recommend waiting until September or whenever for the X38 chipset to be out?
I don't know much about the X38, so if someone can tell me if its worth waiting for or not, I would appreciate it!
Click to expand...
The main purpose of X38 is introduce PCI Express 2.0 (twice the bandwidth of PCI Express 1.1) and dual PCI Express x16 supporting CrossFire and possibly SLI. If these features are important for you, you should wait for it (but will be very expensive, ~$300). Otherwise it's a waste of time and money.
 
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mikeyikeey

Member
Jun 26, 2007
104
0
0
I see now, the X38's are aimed at a more hardcore audience.
Well then, I think I've narrowed it down to..

In first place, ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP

In second place, GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R

And.. I don't know where to go from here. :confused:
But from a review I read, the P5K is good, and it convinced me.

Final words: The Asus P5K Deluxe is a very good motherboard for which enthusiasts and overclockers will really like. It offers excellent overclocking ability, good performance and even better performance when 1333FSB and DDR2-1066 are selected. However, for the average user who's not that technical ... all this might seem a little too much.
Click to expand...
Asus P5K Deluxe (Bearlake) Motherboard - Conclusion

CPU3D highly recommends it, and it sounds good to me!
Again, I'll wait until July 22nd to see what people say about the SATA ports and RAID problems. Although, I saw a recent comment on newegg from someone with roughly the same build as me saying he didn't have any problems. This kind of gives me hope! :)

Let me know what you guys think, and thanks for all the input everyones been giving. I really appreciate it!
 
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Weyl

Junior Member
Jun 28, 2007
10
0
0
I just found another discouraging fact about P5K Deluxe: it cosumes 20W to 40W higher than any other P35 boards. There are three independent sources that confirmed this fact.

  1. Five flavors of Intel's P35 Express compared - The Tech Report - Page 16

    GA-P35-DQ6: Idle 101W, Load 158W
    P5K Deluxe: Idle 138W, Load 183W
  2. Hardware.Info - Gigabyte P35-DS3R and Hardware.Info - ASUS P5K Deluxe Wifi-AP Edition

    GA-P35-DS3R: Idle 118W, Load 146W
    P5K Deluxe: Idle 152W, Load 169W
  3. ComputerBase - Test Asus P5K3 Deluxe - Seite 12

    P5B-E Plus: Idle 145W, Load 276W
    P5K Deluxe: Idle 158W, Load 248W (not that bad?)
BeHardware's test I cited before shows no difference between P5B and P5K, though. At idle P5K Deluxe consumes more power equivalent to 3 SATA drives than DQ6.
 
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mikeyikeey

Member
Jun 26, 2007
104
0
0
Oh man, again my top choice is blown out of the water.
And again, thanks Weyl! You've been a big help to me!

I take it the 20-40W higher consumption results in bad, bad things. So I guess I could go back to the board that started me off, the GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R unless the 20-40W difference is something that can be controlled.

So do I stick with my original P35C or get hot with the P5K Deluxe?
What are the risks? Who would you bet on?
I feel like this is a boxing match! :p

Well, again I'm looking for help!
 
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Weyl

Junior Member
Jun 28, 2007
10
0
0
Well, 30W difference is very important if you want a cool and quiet system, but does not matter otherwise apart from a slightly higher electric bill (less than 0.5 cents per hour). Comparison of features is a good way of choosing a board.

P5K Deluxe: no keyboard PS/2, no serial/parallel ports in the back panel, dual PCIe x16 slots (one is electrically x4), 6 internal SATA, 2 external SATA, daul Gb LAN + wireless LAN, AD1988B audio codec, IEEE 1394

GA-P35C-DS3R: all the legacy ports in the back panel, single PCIe x16, 8 internal SATA, 2 external SATA by the bundled bracket, ALC889A audio codec (slightly better than AD1988B), no IEEE 1394

GIGABYTE's high-end DQ6 supports dual PCIe x16, DTS Connect, IEEE 1394, and so on.
 
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