q6600 mb - Evga 680i vs Asus p5k3 deluxe vs Gigabyte TDQ6

[bnk]

Hi,

Am considering the following MB's for a new q6600:
1. Evga 680i A1.
2. Asus p5k3 deluxe.
3. Gigabyte GAP35TDQ6.
4. Asus striker extreme.

My setup includes:
1. Q6600
2. Tuniq 120 heatsink.
3. Crucial balistix 6400 - 800mhz micron.
4. Evga 8800 GTX.

What I need:
1. Overclocking (and silent).
2. FireWire (1394).
2. At least two PCI's.


What will be your recommendation?

 

[jkresh]

There is supposed to be a 680i roundup sometime next week (possibly p35's as well), but from what people have been saying so far it appears that p35 boards can hit higher fsb's with the quads (though nvidia's new bios's which are the reason for the new roundup might change that). I say wait for the roundup next week (thats what I am doing). Also the asus blitz formula (basically their striker/comando with p35 instead of 680i/965 is due out soon as is dfi's p35 board and they might be the best of the p35 boards)

 

[bnk]

Thanks, I'll be looking into that roundup.

 

[lopri]

Originally posted by: jkresh
There is supposed to be a 680i roundup sometime next week (possibly p35's as well), but from what people have been saying so far it appears that p35 boards can hit higher fsb's with the quads (though nvidia's new bios's which are the reason for the new roundup might change that). I say wait for the roundup next week (thats what I am doing). Also the asus blitz formula (basically their striker/comando with p35 instead of 680i/965 is due out soon as is dfi's p35 board and they might be the best of the p35 boards)

Agreed. Although you never know when the round-up will actually make it out..

At this point, I would recommend against high-end 680i (such as DQ6 or Stryker). There really isn't anything going for them other than bling factors, IMO. EVGA 680i or other known good quality 650i boards are the way to go, if you're looking for NV chipsets.

I can't comment at all about P35 since I have no experience with it. One thing (off-topic) that I'm curious about is how it consumes more power (according to various reviews) but runs cooler (according to various users) than P965? They're both 90nm, correct?

 

[bnk]

I agree about the striker altough I noticed a Evga users upgrading to the striker.
What do you think about the Gigayte p35 TDQ6? For overcloking?

Another option is the "old" Asus p5B deluxe. It is in a very good price and has all of the features I need.
I don't need SLI and I don't see myself upgrading to SLI in the near future.
I will want to overclock the q6600 (~3.4 Ghz with the Tuniq 120) and the memory (1066Mhz?).

I would like you opinion on whether the p5B should be enough for the above specs?

 

[kevinali]

You do know that the P35T-DQ6 and the P5K3 are DDR3 only and the 680i is DDR2

Kevin

 

[orion23]

Originally posted by: kevinali
You do know that the P35T-DQ6 and the P5K3 are DDR3 only and the 680i is DDR2

Kevin

Yeah, your options are very random.

The 680I board supports SLI, while the P35 boards don't.

And those boards you listed support the newer DDR3 RAM.

If you plan un sticking with DDR2 RAM and no SLI, then the regular P35 such as the Asus P5K Deluxe or the Gigabyte P35 DQ6 are great options!

Forget the 965P. P35 is newer, better and faster!

 

[bnk]

Originally posted by: orion23

Originally posted by: kevinali
You do know that the P35T-DQ6 and the P5K3 are DDR3 only and the 680i is DDR2

Kevin

Yeah, your options are very random.

The 680I board supports SLI, while the P35 boards don't.

And those boards you listed support the newer DDR3 RAM.

If you plan un sticking with DDR2 RAM and no SLI, then the regular P35 such as the Asus P5K Deluxe or the Gigabyte P35 DQ6 are great options!

Forget the 965P. P35 is newer, better and faster!

Actually they're not so random:
1. I already have the DDR2 memory (thus I don't care about DDR3 support).
2. I want feature packed boards (firewire, usb's, esata, 2 nics).
3. Most of them known for their overclocking abilities.
4. I don't need SLI (the 680i is chosen for it's overcloking abilities including simple user interface to overclock).
5. The p5B is chosen for it's low price and good overclocking options.
The question is whether I really need the p35/680i to overclock the q6600 and it's memory (Crucial Balistix 6400 800Mhz - Micron D9 -> to ~1066Mhz)?

 

[orion23]

There really isn't a question here.

When buying a new motherboard, you need to choose the latest available, specially when the P35 has been a very solid board from the get-go.
The newer P35 will also more likely support the next upgrade in CPU's such as the 45nm coming soon.
No SLI, then forget the 680i. Those boards are only chosen for the SLI capability.

And the 680i is not so simple to overclock. I actually have an easier time with my P35 than I did with my previous 680i board.

About DDR3, well, the boards you originally listed support DDR3 and not DDR2.

P5K Deluxe and Gigabyte P35 DQ6 are DDR2 boards!

 

[bnk]

In that case the options are minimized to:
1. Asus p5k (DDR2, half the price).
2. Asus p5k3 deluxe (DDR3, twice the price of the p5k).
3. Gigabyte TDQ6 (not the DQ6, supports DDR3, middle price).

I'll probably go with the p5k as currently I don't need DDR3 & extra PCI express 16x slot (no need for crossfire).

 

[bnk]

Any idea on the Asus blitz extreme?
Will it support fully the upcoming 45nm intel cpu's?

 

[BenchZowner]

The Blitz Extreme supports the forthcoming Intel CPUs, but it's a DDR-3 board just like the P5K3 Deluxe with the only differences being CrossLinx ( 8x-8x CrossFire instead of 16x-4x ) and a wider range of voltages.

Blitz Formula is the 'ROG' version of the P5K Deluxe ( DDR-2 ), and the differences are the same ( like above ).

 

[jkresh]

BenchZowner any idea as to when the blitz (specifically blitz formula se) will hit retail?

 

[bnk]

We already have it here (the extreme).
I read it also has a water block for cooling.

 

[jkresh]

bnk, yes the extreme and formula se both have waterblocks on the nb, when you say you already have it here, where is here?

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: bnk
In that case the options are minimized to:
1. Asus p5k (DDR2, half the price).
2. Asus p5k3 deluxe (DDR3, twice the price of the p5k).
3. Gigabyte TDQ6 (not the DQ6, supports DDR3, middle price).

I'll probably go with the p5k as currently I don't need DDR3 & extra PCI express 16x slot (no need for crossfire).

Abit IP35 Pro. Clocks as well as the P5K Deluxe, has all the same features minus wifi but has one really nifty trick. There is a CMOS reset switch on the back of the motherboard. So if you need to reset the CMOS just flip the switch and wait a few seconds and flip it back. No need to remove the side pannel of your case and fumble around to get the jumper.

It's also only $180 which is a good deal compared to the Asus P5K or Gigabyte DQ6.

 

[bnk]

Originally posted by: jkresh
bnk, yes the extreme and formula se both have waterblocks on the nb, when you say you already have it here, where is here?

I updated my profile, so you can check.

The Abit looks interesting, it is almost the same price as the TDQ6.
The Blitz extreme also has a CMOS reset button.
From what I read the blitz has better cooling. I do consider the blitz as I might need water cooling in the future for the overclocking (?).

 

[jkresh]

bnk, you never "need" watercooling but it certainly can help (especially on quad core processors). For most boards watercooling the nb isint an issue unless you are going for very high overclocks but with the heatpipe setups its hard to just watercool the nb now, so if you do want to you then have to buy separate blocks or heatsinks for the sb and mosfetts (or cut the heatpipe and keep the sb/mosfetts part on the board).

 

[drakore]

Nice setup jkresh... Have you considered ditching the storm block?

 

[jkresh]

drakore, I am going to a q6600 in the next week or so and will be switching boards and moving to a fuzion.

 

[Shimmishim]

Originally posted by: bnk
In that case the options are minimized to:
1. Asus p5k (DDR2, half the price).
2. Asus p5k3 deluxe (DDR3, twice the price of the p5k).
3. Gigabyte TDQ6 (not the DQ6, supports DDR3, middle price).

I'll probably go with the p5k as currently I don't need DDR3 & extra PCI express 16x slot (no need for crossfire).

since you don't want ddr3 board, your only choice IS the p5k deluxe...

but like others i will recommend the ip35 pro as it is a stable and solid board from abit.

 

[bnk]

Originally posted by: Shimmishim
since you don't want ddr3 board, your only choice IS the p5k deluxe...

but like others i will recommend the ip35 pro as it is a stable and solid board from abit.

I just assumed they made the DDR3 slots compatible with DDR2. Apparently it's not.
The problem with DDR3 is that it's expensive and rare, and I don't see that big change from DDR2.

 

[jkresh]

bnk, there are some boards that can do both (2 ddr3 and 2 ddr2 slots) but ddr2 will not work in a ddr3 slot (possibly same number of pins but different layout and different voltages).

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: bnk

Originally posted by: jkresh
bnk, yes the extreme and formula se both have waterblocks on the nb, when you say you already have it here, where is here?

I updated my profile, so you can check.

The Abit looks interesting, it is almost the same price as the TDQ6.
The Blitz extreme also has a CMOS reset button.
From what I read the blitz has better cooling. I do consider the blitz as I might need water cooling in the future for the overclocking (?).

I can boot my IP35 Pro at 503Mhz FSB and run benchmarks (6x multi on cpu). You need more than that? Also, it is my CPU that holds back more FSB.

 

[bnk]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

I can boot my IP35 Pro at 503Mhz FSB and run benchmarks (6x multi on cpu). You need more than that? Also, it is my CPU that holds back more FSB.

Actually, what I'm worried about is noise. I don't want my fans to be too loud (that's one reason I thought of water cooling).
I do own the DDR2 already (and an EVGA 8800GTX) so that's why I thought of DDR2 board.

Is there any difference between the p5k and the deluxe regarding overclocking/noise/heat issues?