I'm spec-ing a new build, which is a weird feeling considering my last build was an Athlon T-bird rig. Things have changed a bit...
This will be a monster. HTPC, pro audio multi-track recording, and software development, running on Linux of course. I will have two or three 1920x1200 LCDs, but no SLI. I don't game... EVER. I will have at least four HDDs for the data volume plus perhaps one of those 10K drives for the OS. The data volume will be software RAID, since onboard hardware RAID seems like a cruel joke perpetrated on the AnandTech crowd.
There will be massive I/O. I'll put as much of it as I can through PCI-e Firewire-800 adapters, but PCI might be only good option for audio output. In case you're wondering, there will be two channels of video capture (probably not higher than 480p with today's set-top boxes), eight channels of pro audio in, and a nice 8-channel audio output. Plus the video outputs I mentioned above. I'll certainly disable the video capture devices while recording, but not while mixing unless that becomes a problem.
Requirements:
LGA-775, quad-core-capable
Reputable manufacturer with exceptional support
Quality components preferred, such as solid-state caps and high-end voltage regulators
6x SATA2 (at least)
2x PCI-e 16x (physical)*
2x PCI-e 1x
2x PCI
1x IDE
* I'm not sure how many PCI-e lanes I need to properly drive a graphics card with two HD LCDs. There will be some light 3D rendering for desktop effects and some MPEG-2 decoding, but no gaming. We're talking GeForce 7xxx series cards. I think 8x/8x would be sufficient, right?
I'm worried that today's enthusiast boards just aren't up to the task. It seems like even the best and most expensive boards have unacceptable quality and stability issues, particularly with lots of HDDs and I/O cards installed.
Plus, feature lists like above are part of the problem. It doesn't matter if the board has all of these ports and slots if I can't fill them up and push them to the limit without crashing or causing some devices to disappear from the system. OCers get to push their clocks, timings, and voltages way beyond spec. So we should at least get spec performance out of the I/O controllers. Right?
My instinct after investigating the P965 and 680i boards is that the 975X boards might be the way to go despite the aging chipset. But then again, I haven't read as much about the 975Xes, so it might be that they all suck. If this is like the Dark Ages of motherboards and better stuff is coming soon, I'll wait. Also, when it comes to motherboards, price is not an issue for me. I'll spend $300 if that's what it takes to get a rock-solid board that lasts for years, but sometimes it seems like the $100 boards are more reliable than the $200 ones.
What do you guys think?
This will be a monster. HTPC, pro audio multi-track recording, and software development, running on Linux of course. I will have two or three 1920x1200 LCDs, but no SLI. I don't game... EVER. I will have at least four HDDs for the data volume plus perhaps one of those 10K drives for the OS. The data volume will be software RAID, since onboard hardware RAID seems like a cruel joke perpetrated on the AnandTech crowd.
There will be massive I/O. I'll put as much of it as I can through PCI-e Firewire-800 adapters, but PCI might be only good option for audio output. In case you're wondering, there will be two channels of video capture (probably not higher than 480p with today's set-top boxes), eight channels of pro audio in, and a nice 8-channel audio output. Plus the video outputs I mentioned above. I'll certainly disable the video capture devices while recording, but not while mixing unless that becomes a problem.
Requirements:
LGA-775, quad-core-capable
Reputable manufacturer with exceptional support
Quality components preferred, such as solid-state caps and high-end voltage regulators
6x SATA2 (at least)
2x PCI-e 16x (physical)*
2x PCI-e 1x
2x PCI
1x IDE
* I'm not sure how many PCI-e lanes I need to properly drive a graphics card with two HD LCDs. There will be some light 3D rendering for desktop effects and some MPEG-2 decoding, but no gaming. We're talking GeForce 7xxx series cards. I think 8x/8x would be sufficient, right?
I'm worried that today's enthusiast boards just aren't up to the task. It seems like even the best and most expensive boards have unacceptable quality and stability issues, particularly with lots of HDDs and I/O cards installed.
Plus, feature lists like above are part of the problem. It doesn't matter if the board has all of these ports and slots if I can't fill them up and push them to the limit without crashing or causing some devices to disappear from the system. OCers get to push their clocks, timings, and voltages way beyond spec. So we should at least get spec performance out of the I/O controllers. Right?
My instinct after investigating the P965 and 680i boards is that the 975X boards might be the way to go despite the aging chipset. But then again, I haven't read as much about the 975Xes, so it might be that they all suck. If this is like the Dark Ages of motherboards and better stuff is coming soon, I'll wait. Also, when it comes to motherboards, price is not an issue for me. I'll spend $300 if that's what it takes to get a rock-solid board that lasts for years, but sometimes it seems like the $100 boards are more reliable than the $200 ones.
What do you guys think?
