Upgrade to Conroe w/SLI. What motherboard to choose?

[terentenet]

Current system in sig, I want to upgrade to Conroe X6800. I know the memory I must choose, it MUST be Corsair TWIN2X 2048 8500C5.
Concerning the motherboard, I've only seen ASUS P5N32 SLI Deluxe SE that's Core 2 ready and SLI 16x compliant.
Other than this ASUS, what options I have left? What do you fellows use for your SLI setups?
And also, what do you think? Going from X2 4800 to X6800, beside games, will I see a speed bump in general usage? Windows / multitasking?
Thanks

 

[lopri]

Originally posted by: terentenet
Current system in sig, I want to upgrade to Conroe X6800. I know the memory I must choose, it MUST be Corsair TWIN2X 2048 8500C5.

Why?

Concerning the motherboard, I've only seen ASUS P5N32 SLI Deluxe SE that's Core 2 ready and SLI 16x compliant.
Other than this ASUS, what options I have left? What do you fellows use for your SLI setups?

ASUS and DFI both are on the verge of introduce their NForce 590 SLI boards. I'd wait at least untill the reviews come out.

And also, what do you think? Going from X2 4800 to X6800, beside games, will I see a speed bump in general usage? Windows / multitasking?
Thanks

What do you mean by 'general use'? If you're talking about OS performance, web-browsing, office programs, etc. - I don't notice any difference between Opteron 146 and E6700. This applies to light multi-tasking, too. Though level loading in games is faster with E6700. If anything my Opteron 146 rig feels snappier due to the Raptors in my main rig.

 

[Skott]

Other than the one mobo there are no other Conroe/SLI out yet. They (590 mobos) are suppose to debut this month sometime but I havent seen any release dates yet. I would suggest holding off till new mobos come out if you want Conroe and SLI.

 

[acegazda]

I'm pretty sure that with most c2d MoBos the voltage regulation on the RAM limits it to 1.8v to POST. I believe you can POST, then oc it to over stock speeds, but you have to have 1.8v RAM to start.

 

[NoStateofMind]

The only thing about the 590 boardss is they don't overclock well. Good for gaming but not anything else. Don't take my word for it. Read the second post down and check the links

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...adid=1920501&STARTPAGE=2&enterthread=y

 

[n7]

X6800 = waste of money.
Corsair TWIN2X 2048 8500C5 = waste of money
nForce for Intel = crappy OCing.

Solution:
Asus P5W DH Deluxe + E6700 + Team Group DDR2-667 3-3-3 + hacked SLI drivers

Results:
Easy 3.0+ GHz with 1:1 RAM @ tight timings & SLI performance

 

[acegazda]

I like it... what is the multi locked @ on the e6700? Also: how much would a 2gb kit of that RAM be? Does the asus have voltage parameters that restrict it to say... 1.9v on the vdimm?

 

[DeathReborn]

Originally posted by: n7
X6800 = waste of money.
Corsair TWIN2X 2048 8500C5 = waste of money
nForce for Intel = crappy OCing.

Solution:
Asus P5W DH Deluxe + E6700 + Team Group DDR2-667 3-3-3 + hacked SLI drivers

Results:
Easy 3.0+ GHz with 1:1 RAM @ tight timings & SLI performance

Or wait for DFI to release a new BIOS for the 590SLI. Normally doesn't take them long to do that. Otherwise the P5W DH Deluxe is a sure fire hit (no pun there, honest...).

 

[terentenet]

Guys, managed to get the processor, X6800 engineering sample and the memory, Corsair TWIN2X 2048 8500C5.

Is the Engineering Sample stuff considered good or bad? Can someone decode the stepping? OEM code of the proc is 80557PH0774M, underneath is this code: L617A807. Is there a way to tell the stepping by these? B0, 1, 2?

nForce4 can't be that bad for Intel. You get crappy FSB overclock, but that's not the case here, I can easily push the multiplier from 11 to 12 or 13.
I also got the Scythe Ninja Plus cooler, with 120mm fan. That's huge, but seems good. It has 12 heatpipes.
Now, if I could only find a SLI board w/out hacked drivers it would be perfect. Damn this country and it's shipping channels!!!

Other than ASUS P5N32 SLI SE Deluxe, is there any other board that supports Core 2 and SLI officialy?

Thanks