Which is the better Motherboard?

[WEW]

I'm planning on building my first system using the Intel Q6600 Processor.

I have a Antec P180b Case, already have the hard drives, dvd drives, and the RAM.

I need to Power Supply as well.

Now, in regards to a motherboard, I don't OC but want that option open, it seems like best value is between Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R and Asus P5K.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[jawknee530]

i would go with the gigabyte. the ds3r offers more sata ports off of the ich9r south bridge. two of the sata ports from the p5k are from a jmicron controller. ive heard that the setup that the ds3r uses is better. i could be wrong though. the ds3r uses the 889a audio while the p5k uses the 883. i dont know the real difference but on the realtek website the 883 is referred to as a "value" codec. i also would prefer to have the 3 PCIe x1 connectors offered on the ds3r over the extra PCIe x16(x4 electrical) on the p5k. the ds3r is missing firewire which could be a deal breaker for some. and i also like the blue pcb of the ds3r rather than the brownish orange of the p5k. you could also look at the Abit IP35. It's popular board but I dont know much about it.

 

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: WEWNow, in regards to a motherboard, I don't OC but want that option open, it seems like best value is between Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R and Asus P5K.

If you don't need RAID then the abit IP35-E is probably the best bang for the buck.
If you need RAID then P35-DS3R
RAID & Firewire abit IP35

 

[WEW]

I guess the DS3R advantage is that it will support the new chips when they come out.

 

[Heidfirst]

all the P35s will

 

[Ozoneman]

As far as a power supply, I'd suggest the Corsair 620.

 

[NXIL]

Gigabyte, or, perhaps even better, the Abit IP-35?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...8050%2CN82E16813131180

HIghest rated boards per Newegg customer reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...8050%2CN82E16813131180

I don't know, reading the Asus "stack cool 2 lowers temperatures by 20 degrees C...." some sort of cold fusion going on there?

HTH

NXIL

 

[boglwe]

Originally posted by: NXIL
Gigabyte, or, perhaps even better, the Abit IP-35?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...8050%2CN82E16813131180

HIghest rated boards per Newegg customer reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...8050%2CN82E16813131180

I don't know, reading the Asus "stack cool 2 lowers temperatures by 20 degrees C...." some sort of cold fusion going on there?

HTH

NXIL

The Asus boards can run hot for some people, that Stack cool is nothing special. I had it with the p5W DH deluxe and was not impressed, Its nothing but advertising hype. The gigabyte boards or the coolest. Look here. Video

As far as the sound goes for the two boards, Asus cannot handle Hidef Audio content, Gigabyte can. Both and ALL onboard sound systems still are average at best on all motherboards ever created. but jsut fine for gaming. ANy kind of audiophile would quikly turn the audio off in the bios and buy a proper sound card or breakout box.

the Gigabyte uses the best products on its board and is very hi quality. The Asus and Abit are Almost as good, but not quite. But, hey, all three are wonderful boards, and its basically down to what it is you need and looks. I went with the Gigabyte.

ONE LAST HUGE THING: The big deal about the DS3R is that it can handle DDR3, If you dont need DDR3 then get the DS3P. Same exact boars, just one handles DDR3.

 

[WEW]

Thanks for the info guys - it seems like the Gigabyte is the winner over the Asus.

Another one I'm considering highly is the Abit IP35-E.


I have DDR2 PC5200 RAm, I've read that the Abit IP35-E might not handle that.

From those two which one would you suggest? Thanks!!

 

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: boglweONE LAST HUGE THING: The big deal about the DS3R is that it can handle DDR3, If you dont need DDR3 then get the DS3P. Same exact boars, just one handles DDR3.

The P35C-DS3R can handle both DDR2 & DDR3 - the P35-DS3R is DDR2 only.
& the DS3R & DS3P are quite different boards.


No P35 chipset board supports DDR2 533 RAM but they all should handle DDR2 667 afaik.

As I said above imo:
If you don't need RAID then the abit IP35-E is probably the best bang for the buck.
If you need RAID then P35-DS3R
RAID & Firewire abit IP35

 

[boglwe]

Yea, you are totally right, i just read his origiinal post wrong and just went to typing.

 

[nitromullet]

I have the Abit IP35 Pro (a little more expensive than the IP35-E and IP35), and I'm really pleased with it. Prior to this board I had pretty much always stuck to Asus, but I felt that thier P35 boards were a little overpriced and tended to come with a bunch of crap I didn't need or want. Asus also has a pretty large gap between their entry level P35 boards and their Deluxe/Premium P35 boards, both price and feature wise. Had they offered something between the $250+ and $115 boards (when I bought mine), then they might have sold me. As it stands, I'm actually glad that I was compelled to try an Abit board. I highly recommend the IP35 Pro to anyone looking for a solid P35 motherboard.

edit: between the vanilla P5K and the GA-P35-DS3R, the Gigabyte gets my vote hands down.

 

[kbright]

I have the Gigabyte P35 DS3R, and I like it.
But I would like to improve the cooling on the P35 Northbridge. The small passive heatsink concerns me (overclocked). The heatsink also sits under my PCIe graphics card, so there is limited headroom.

Any suggestions on a better heatsink? Adding a fan? Adding a duct from a case fan?