Recommend a motherboard

[rampage42]

Case - Cooler Master HAF 922

PSU -

Mobo -

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad (Q8400) 2.66GHz

CPU COOL - thermalright ultra 120

GPU - NVIDIA 9800GT 1GB DDR3 (GOING TO UPGRADE TO SLI)

HDD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint 1TB

RAM - 4GB DDR2

Optical - LG GH-22NP20


Thanks for any input, this is probably the most important decision im going to make when building this computer.

 

[faxon]

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3508

I own two now

ed: and get this ram, i have 3 kits of it between the boards running solid as ever, 2 kits in my main rig and 1 kit in my secondary playing nice with a 2x1GB of Ballistix rated for the same voltage and timings. plus, it also goes with the color scheme of the motherboard

link to mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128358

ed2: also, get a Prolimatech Megahalems instead (unless you already own the TRUE). it's designed by the designers from thermalright who left after the top brass at thermalright wouldnt let them do what they wanted to do. it offers a much improved mounting mechanism and performance on par with the TRUE, while better supporting lower CFM fans at the same time.

http://www.jab-tech.com/Prolim...-775-1366-pr-4428.html

then just drop in an HX520 from corsair and you're done

 

[rampage42]

Is that board SLI compatible with 2 9800GT's?
I heard i needed to get a mobo with an nVidia chipset for SLI, but i might be wrong... (im a noob, y'see)

 

[faxon]

are you planning on going SLI now, or waiting until later to do it? if you only need the performance of a single 9800GT now i wouldnt bother getting an SLI motherboard, as you will be able to get better performance for your dollar getting a single somewhat faster card now, going with this (better) motherboard, and just getting another single fast card when you need the extra speed. i spent the extra cash for a good SLI board for my athlon 64 system back when i first built it, ended up getting a DOA card and a DOA RMA with no way to get another, and i got stuck up a creek until i was able to get a new (ATI) card a year later. since then, i have found that if you want to go dual card, do it when you first build the system. if you dont, you will be able to get a board for it for much cheaper later when you do the upgrade, and you might end up just getting a single new faster card anyway.

when were you planning on getting a second 9800GT? cause if its sometime in late september or october then i wouldnt bother with an SLI motherboard, since next gen cards will be out then and the new ones will be DX11 cards. why spend a ton of money on them now when it's right around the corner?

 

[rampage42]

I was thinking of going SLI later... Can you dumb that down a little? What should i do instead of going SLI now? Wait until the SLI motherboards have come down in price then upgrade the board as well as buying a new card?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

basically unless you get a hack bios version, you can't run SLI on a P45 chipset, although I see they are running SLI on the Maximus II Formula - read about it in the XS forums, under "Maximus II Formula - a new P45 king?" er something like that

 

[Brutus04]

Ditto on the Gigabyte MB!!

 

[rampage42]

Okay, screw what i said about waiting for SLI. I want to go for an SLI mobo, running 2 9800GT's.
What can you recommend me?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Are you ready for this? Scroll near the bottom of the page. post 3871 and 3872.

EDIT: Published Article

 

[yh125d]

I wouldn't go the 9800GT route. I'd get a single HD4890 instead. Performance will be about the same, but with less heat and noise of two 9800s, and less power usage. Also, it will probably be cheaper (1gb 9800gts are like $115, a single 4890 can be had for $170 pretty often or less), and you don'thave to worry about a SLI board, which for socket 775 means an nvidia chipset which will run hotter and overclock not as well as a P45 board

 

[rampage42]

I was also just recommended a single GTX260 instead of SLI'd 9800's, because its apparently better. Is this correct?

 

[Shmee]

^ LOL

ya, I would get a single GTX 260, GTX 275, or, get a single or dual 4870 1 GB or 4890.

 

[faxon]

yea thats what i was thinking when i first asked if you really wanted to go the SLI route today. in order to get an equal in quality board for SLI, you have to pay $100 more, where as if you were to get the GA-EP45-UD3P you could spend that $100 on an even faster graphics card, or in this case you might be able to get 4890 crossfire given the prices on them right now. a 4890 would be about as fast on its own, imagine what 2 could do. if dual 4890s is out of your price range, dual 4870s shouldnt be, since they are in the $150 price range per card for 1GB models like this