P45 chipsets,

[MarcVenice]

P45 chipsets are said to take a performance hit compared to x48 chipsets. I think it all started with tweaktowns comparison review with crossfired HD4850's. You can find it here

Now, LegionHardware found some contradicting numbers, summarized in this post over at madshrimps, here

So, what's the deal? If people want to crossfire HD4850's should they save themselfs some money and stick with a p45 mobo. Is crossfiring a viable option for people with a p45 mobo who currently only own a single HD4850 or HD4870? How do x38 chipsets mix into this?

-Moved to Video Cards and Graphics


Okay, this topic has tuned into a motherboard/chipset discussion so I've moved it to motherboards.

Video Mod BFG10K.

 

[Twsmit]

From what I have read the differences between the P35, P45, X38 and X48 are fairly minimal when it comes to performance. P45 is probably the best option with PCIe 2.0 and CF capabilities running inexpensive DDR2 ram.

 

[MarcVenice]

There seem to be contradicting reviews though, I'd like to know what the final verdict is, if there is one of course ...

 

[apoppin]

Well, it is pretty obvious that a P35's 16x + 4x PCIe slots will hold back my 4870 in the bandwidth-limited slot. They are saying up to 20% slower than a 16x + 16x 2.0 PCIe MB.

A p45's 8x + 8x will obviously be limited somewhat also .. but 8x is pretty fast. And there are p45s with 16x+ 8x which should mitigate the performance loss

Finally, if you want the most bandwidth, 16x + 16x from x48 seems to be the best option

i am exploring this in my own p35 with my forthcoming 4870x2 and my current 4870and i expect to upgrade to x48 [but hope to find a MB that will also take DDR2 also]

 

[Twsmit]

PCIe 2.0 bandwidth is twice is much as 1.0. Dual x8 2.0 slots should operate as fast as dual x16 1.0 slots. That should probably be enough for a CF setup.

 

[Howie]

I am trying to figure out whether to go with a Asus P5Q Deluxe or Rampage. I do plan to CF, but I really don't want to pay a premium for the X48 chipset.

What I'm thinking is that if you don't play at the highest resolutions on games that push your system to the limits, an X48 chipset will only give you a slight performance boost over the P45. But it does seem that the X48 consistently gives you that slight performance boost in resolutions above 1280X1024.

 

[Golgatha]

There's a nice combo at Newegg.com right now for a Q6600 and ASUS P5Q Pro, P45 based board. I'm honestly thinking about picking this up and selling my P5W DH Deluxe and Q6600 in a combo. Would be nice to have extra SATA ports and PCIe 16x 2.0.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...d=0&PageSize=10&page=1

 

[solofly]

Originally posted by: apoppin
And there are p45s with 16x+ 8x

Really? Which ones? My P45 runs at 8x 8x 4x which is good enough for a 1920x1200 res. I also have a X38 chipset but without benches I'll bet you wouldn't tell any difference between the two so I'm sticking with P45 until I upgrade to Core i7.

I have a Tri HD4850 setup. I will post pics tomorrow. Haven't had much time with it yet so can't comment...

 

[Sylvanas]

I'd probably put more faith in the LH review than the Tweaktown- if you google around a bit you come across a few similar reviews not in English that say pretty much the same thing. Have a look at Bit-Techs review here

And there are p45s with 16x+ 8x which should mitigate the performance loss

Could you provide a link to such a board? AFAIK that doesn't exist. You might have meant the 750a boards that run 16x8 2.0 SLI.

Bottom line is you don't need to worry too much about it. If you think you are bandwidth limited on a P45 you can always increase the PCi-E Frequency and see what gains you get. For example a 16x PCi-E 2.0 lane running at 125mhz PCi-E frequency has 25%+ more bandwidth than stock 100mhz (10gb/s opposed to 8gb/s).

 

[Team42]

The Gigabyte GA-EP45-EXTREME iP45 Express mobo has 1 x 16x and 1 x 8x PCI-e 2.0 slots.

 

[solofly]

Originally posted by: Team42
The Gigabyte GA-EP45-EXTREME iP45 Express mobo has 1 x 16x and 1 x 8x PCI-e 2.0 slots.

Cool!

 

[apoppin]

do x48 Chipsets *automatically* have 16x + 16x PCIe 2.0 when crossfire is enabled?

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overv...del=X48TurboTwins-WiFi

- Supports ATI? CrossFire?
- 2 x PCI Express x16 slots (green @ x16 mode)
- 1 x PCI Express x1 slot
- 3 x PCI slots

are they both green?


what is the minimum priced, best bang-for-buck motherboard that supports 16x+16x 2.0 PCIe ?

i am shopping right now and so far, i have a $329 Q9550 in my cart

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115041

i should be able to get 3.7Ghz with decent cooling right?
[i am pretty sure my current Thermalright CPU cooler will fit]

and i still want to use my PC6400; it is very OCable .. at least for awhile

 

[ajaidevsingh]

lol, i have a P35 M/b on CF which has 16x and 4x PCIe slots....

I love the AMD camp for their m/b's tough "PCie is great"

 

[MarcVenice]

There's a DFI mobo, x38, which has dual pci-e 16x slots, but then again apoppin, you might as well just buy a P45 based mobo, because I'm pretty convinced that at your resolution you won't see a difference. Then again, with a x48 your chances of a good OC on that q9550 do increase. I think the dq6 from gigabyte is held in high esteem by overclockers. And I think a board from DFI is as well, probably the TR3, you should ask aigo, he likes clocking quads really high ...

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
There's a DFI mobo, x38, which has dual pci-e 16x slots, but then again apoppin, you might as well just buy a P45 based mobo, because I'm pretty convinced that at your resolution you won't see a difference. Then again, with a x48 your chances of a good OC on that q9550 do increase. I think the dq6 from gigabyte is held in high esteem by overclockers. And I think a board from DFI is as well, probably the TR3, you should ask aigo, he likes clocking quads really high ...

well x48 is not so expensive .. or is it?

MSI's looks OK [except for DDR3 support; i am using DDR2] for $199
MSI X48C Platinum LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Support DDR2/DDR3, ATI CrossfireX, efficient PWM design

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130157

http://www.msicomputer.com/pro...X48C_Platinum&class=mb

more suggestions ... please!

i am thinking q9550 for $329 will get me at least 3.5Ghz .. that MB for $200 looks to be good bang for buck

 

[sourthings]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
There's a DFI mobo, x38, which has dual pci-e 16x slots, but then again apoppin, you might as well just buy a P45 based mobo, because I'm pretty convinced that at your resolution you won't see a difference. Then again, with a x48 your chances of a good OC on that q9550 do increase. I think the dq6 from gigabyte is held in high esteem by overclockers. And I think a board from DFI is as well, probably the TR3, you should ask aigo, he likes clocking quads really high ...

well x48 is not so expensive .. or is it?

MSI's looks OK [except for DDR3 support; i am using DDR2] for $199
MSI X48C Platinum LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Support DDR2/DDR3, ATI CrossfireX, efficient PWM design

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130157

http://www.msicomputer.com/pro...X48C_Platinum&class=mb

more suggestions ... please!

i am thinking q9550 for $329 will get me at least 3.5Ghz .. that MB for $200 looks to be good bang for buck

I've been thinking about buying one of these http://www.ncix.com/products/i...4&manufacture=Gigabyte that or the dq-6, but the dq6 seems more expensive for features I won't need.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: sourthings

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
There's a DFI mobo, x38, which has dual pci-e 16x slots, but then again apoppin, you might as well just buy a P45 based mobo, because I'm pretty convinced that at your resolution you won't see a difference. Then again, with a x48 your chances of a good OC on that q9550 do increase. I think the dq6 from gigabyte is held in high esteem by overclockers. And I think a board from DFI is as well, probably the TR3, you should ask aigo, he likes clocking quads really high ...

well x48 is not so expensive .. or is it?

MSI's looks OK [except for DDR3 support; i am using DDR2] for $199
MSI X48C Platinum LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Support DDR2/DDR3, ATI CrossfireX, efficient PWM design

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130157

http://www.msicomputer.com/pro...X48C_Platinum&class=mb

more suggestions ... please!

i am thinking q9550 for $329 will get me at least 3.5Ghz .. that MB for $200 looks to be good bang for buck

I've been thinking about buying one of these http://www.ncix.com/products/i...4&manufacture=Gigabyte that or the dq-6, but the dq6 seems more expensive for features I won't need.

What is wrong with MSI's x48? .. it looks like their problems are with extra SATA and DDR3 2GB modules ...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16813128336R

Open Box: GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard $160 and $10 shipping

is it complete?

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: sourthings

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
There's a DFI mobo, x38, which has dual pci-e 16x slots, but then again apoppin, you might as well just buy a P45 based mobo, because I'm pretty convinced that at your resolution you won't see a difference. Then again, with a x48 your chances of a good OC on that q9550 do increase. I think the dq6 from gigabyte is held in high esteem by overclockers. And I think a board from DFI is as well, probably the TR3, you should ask aigo, he likes clocking quads really high ...

well x48 is not so expensive .. or is it?

MSI's looks OK [except for DDR3 support; i am using DDR2] for $199
MSI X48C Platinum LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Support DDR2/DDR3, ATI CrossfireX, efficient PWM design

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130157

http://www.msicomputer.com/pro...X48C_Platinum&class=mb

more suggestions ... please!

i am thinking q9550 for $329 will get me at least 3.5Ghz .. that MB for $200 looks to be good bang for buck

I've been thinking about buying one of these http://www.ncix.com/products/i...4&manufacture=Gigabyte that or the dq-6, but the dq6 seems more expensive for features I won't need.

What is wrong with MSI's x48? .. it looks like their problems are with extra SATA and DDR3 2GB modules ...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16813128336R

Open Box: GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard $160 and $10 shipping

is it complete?

Nothing wrong with the MSI, it's a good board, and it gives you the option to use DDR3 in the future if you ever see the need. I would however recommend that if you are getting an X48 it might aswell be one that allows TrD adjustment (see AT's recent reviews plenty of info) so that means Asus Rampage formula or DFI X48.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Sylvanas

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: sourthings

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
There's a DFI mobo, x38, which has dual pci-e 16x slots, but then again apoppin, you might as well just buy a P45 based mobo, because I'm pretty convinced that at your resolution you won't see a difference. Then again, with a x48 your chances of a good OC on that q9550 do increase. I think the dq6 from gigabyte is held in high esteem by overclockers. And I think a board from DFI is as well, probably the TR3, you should ask aigo, he likes clocking quads really high ...

well x48 is not so expensive .. or is it?

MSI's looks OK [except for DDR3 support; i am using DDR2] for $199
MSI X48C Platinum LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Support DDR2/DDR3, ATI CrossfireX, efficient PWM design

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130157

http://www.msicomputer.com/pro...X48C_Platinum&class=mb

more suggestions ... please!

i am thinking q9550 for $329 will get me at least 3.5Ghz .. that MB for $200 looks to be good bang for buck

I've been thinking about buying one of these http://www.ncix.com/products/i...4&manufacture=Gigabyte that or the dq-6, but the dq6 seems more expensive for features I won't need.

What is wrong with MSI's x48? .. it looks like their problems are with extra SATA and DDR3 2GB modules ...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16813128336R

Open Box: GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard $160 and $10 shipping

is it complete?

Nothing wrong with the MSI, it's a good board, and it gives you the option to use DDR3 in the future if you ever see the need. I would however recommend that if you are getting an X48 it might aswell be one that allows TrD adjustment (see AT's recent reviews plenty of info) so that means Asus Rampage formula or DFI X48.

is it worth $100 more than the DS4 ?

and the MSI board only allows 2 sticks of either DDR2 or DDR3
- i have 4 x 1 GB PC 6400