Is a vanilla Asus P5Q enough?

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Shadowfury957

Limp Gawd
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Oct 13, 2007
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Hey, I'm picking the parts for my brother's new gaming computer and I have a question. I was looking through newegg at all the P45 boards, especially Asus's P5Q series, and It looked to me that a vanilla P5Q would be fine for this build since I will not be using crossfire. However, I see everyone talking about the more expensive boards in the P5Q series yet no one mentions the basic P5Q. For gaming (and overclocking), is the P5Q enough? Is the P5Q Deluxe, Pro, Premium, P5Q-E better for gaming or overclocking in some way? (I'll most likely be overclocking a Q9450 to 3.6ish with this build)

Also, would the x48 chipset be better for gaming/overclocking?

All help is appreciated :)
 
The P5Q has a horrible position for the 24-pin connector, and its NB/mosfet cooling is basic. What CPU does he plan on using and what are his OC'ing goals, if any? Are there any other features he needs in a board (firewire, 3 pci slots, etc)?
 
The plain p5q may not,check to make sure it has the ich10R sb and not the plain ich10.The p5q series are good,but if possible try not to get the base one.
 
The P5Q vanilla uses the ICH10R, so it has onboard RAID0. If he wants to OC past 400Mhz FSB SDR, then he'll need additional cooling on the NB. With the P5Q Pro, you'll get better NB/mosfet cooling and a bunch of features you don't need. How about the MSI Neo3-FR?
 
All I can do is tell you what I know.......

I had a P35 board......lousy overclocker. If the P45s are any relation, I would think twice.

I have an X48 board (Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4) and it is a great OC board, plus will accomidate Crossfire, if you are so inclined.
 
I'll tell you what I know, too, then... I've worked with over a dozen P35 boards, and they're all great OC'ers. They've each taken their respective chips rather high (mostly Q6600s to 3.6Ghz). My X38 can't OC my quad any better than my P35 (Q6600 still only reaches3.6Ghz). My P35 took my E6750 to 3.8Ghz, and so did my X38. I got to 4.2 on both boards, but neither could keep it stable long enough. There's not much OC'ing difference between chipsets, but there are many other factors with OC'ing that are mainly decided by the manufacturer; such as cpu circuitry, nb/mosfet cooling, power management, etc.
 
I second the first comment - the only bug of P5Q except missing ports is the HORRIBLE (no, caps are not a mistake, it is a screaming) position of main power connector. Get a P5Q PRO at least.
 
Considering the price difference is $10 after you factor shipping ($9.39 for the P5Q, free for the pro) I would definitely just get the Pro. Way better connector placement, better cooling, more features, and crossfire support should you ever feel adventurous.

But the again I'm biased since I got the Pro myself :p
 
Ok I'm definitely stepping the P5Q up to the P5Q Pro, and it sounds like the P5Q Pro is perfect for what I need. Thanks a bunch everyone :D
 
I have the P5Q vanilla and it's a wonderful board. I was deciding between the MSI Neo3 and the Gigabyte, but found the P5Q had the best of both worlds (full compliment of heatsinks like the Neo3, but an 8pin +12v like the Gigabyte to better support quads).

I didn't want to run crossfire as a P45 would only run 8x/8x in CF.

The main powerplug is in a weird spot, but I don't obsese with the placement of cables as long as it's neat.

As for OC, I can get my Q6600 @ 3.6GHz and my memory to 1000MHz
16,296 w/ a single card in Vista 64bit. (XP I can easily break 17,400).
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm06=7592319
 
tuksonrider said:
... the P5Q had the best of both worlds (full compliment of heatsinks like the Neo3, but an 8pin +12v like the Gigabyte to better support quads). ...
Click to expand...

The Neo3-FR has heatpipe cooling for the NB/mosfets, which makes it a better cooling solution than the standard heatsinks found on the DS3L and P5Q vanilla. With a Q6600, reaching 3.6Ghz only requires 400Mhz FSB SDR, therefore any of those boards will do fine. Thats why I asked which CPU, because if it has a lower multiplier, you'll need additional cooling to reach far above 400Mhz FSB SDR.
 
Wow....I was just thinking I was going to get a p5Q for my build....guess I'll have to look elsewhere.

It looks really great on paper for my needs (and looks cooler than P5Q pro to boot).

What's the difference between the P5Q Pro and P5Q-E? Is the "E" a good board as well?
 
I looked at that when I was making my decision, and and the trade off was 4pin v 8pin +12. The P5Q doesn;t have heatpipes between each heatsink, but with proper airflow, I wouldn't have to worry about heatpipes at all going from one heat source the another.

Not so much I can do if I'm stuck with a 4pin +12v plug.

If I was going for a dual-core, then I would have been happy with a 4pin Neo3.
 
8-pin doesnt help THAT much. It simply spreads out the current among more wires. My X38 (8-pin, quad triple phase) still can't push my Q6600 higher than 3.6Ghz, which is exactly what my P35 (4-pin, 4-phase) could do. It may be a CPU limitation, but still, the 8-pin/quad-triple-phase dont exactly help much. :p So, IMO, they're not worth a huge price premium, if a premium exists. In the OP's case, its only a slight premium... negligible.

The heatpipes are faster at moving heat, so the cooling occurs between the heatsources, which is why boards with heatpipe coolers can reach much higher FSB speeds than boards with basic heatsinks. Though, if you have a basic heatsink, simply adding a small fan to it (or a case sidefan) will relieve any heat problem caused by 425-600Mhz FSB SDR -- or great airflow within a case, as tukson rider mentioned.
 
vanilla_guerilla said:
enough for who?
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His brother? Though, the more appropriate question would be, "enough for what?" ... and a part of the answer to that is a Q9450.

@OP: To reach 3.6Ghz on a Q9450, you'll need 450Mhz FSB SDR. To safely reach that high of an FSB, I don't think the basic heatsinks of the P5Q are enough. However, you should be fine with the P5Q Pro.
 
For a Q9450 @3.6 I would say at least a P5Q Deluxe (16 phase cooling) and this is only IF your brother likes "peace of mind". I'm sure you can reach it easily with vanilla. But peace of mind is worth alot to me.
 
kadozer said:
For a Q9450 @3.6 I would say at least a P5Q Deluxe (16 phase cooling) and this is only IF your brother likes "peace of mind". I'm sure you can reach it easily with vanilla. But peace of mind is worth alot to me.
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Shadowfury957 said:
What exactly is 16 phase cooling and what does it do?

EDIT: It says 16 phase power...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131297
Click to expand...

I have no clue what 16 phase cooling is, sorry. :p

As has been shown all over the net, you don't need 16-phase power to OC a quadcore, nor is it needed for peace of mind. Its pure marketing. Its not about quantity... its about quality.
 
So, I'm still curious...Is the vanilla P5Q a no-go? For those of us that are going for a first build, I'm curious...Why is the power connector placement that important? Does it matter just for aesthetics, or does it produce serious build problems?

I was thinking about the $95 Gigabyte P43 board as well. Don't think I need firewire or RAID at the moment, going for a budget build. I guess firewire in the front doesn't hurt, but idc about the back panel.
 
I would think a vanilla P5Q is still fine, but if your going to give it a decent overclock, the more expensive boards are safer because of the better heatsinks (from what I've read). The placement of the 24pin connector could possibly disrupt airflow...? It just seems like a better idea to not have it in the middle of the board.
 
go for the p5Q-E of your going to oc because it has added heatsinks on the mosfets chips
 
ajkates said:
So, I'm still curious...Is the vanilla P5Q a no-go? For those of us that are going for a first build, I'm curious...Why is the power connector placement that important? Does it matter just for aesthetics, or does it produce serious build problems?
Click to expand...

Shadowfury957 said:
I would think a vanilla P5Q is still fine, but if your going to give it a decent overclock, the more expensive boards are safer because of the better heatsinks (from what I've read). The placement of the 24pin connector could possibly disrupt airflow...? It just seems like a better idea to not have it in the middle of the board.
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Yes, exactly.

No, it does not produce serious build problems, just a problem. You'll have a tough time with cable management with the connector in the middle of the board. If you have poor cable management, then you'll possibly have poor airflow, which would then pose a serious problem. Take the P180/P182 for example... (or any case with the PSU on the bottom, like the Cosmos, if you're still planning on getting that) you'll have 3 options:
(1) all the way up the back of the case, then back down half way again to reach the connector
(2) along the back, to the side, over the RAM
(3) in front, over the expansion cards.

Option (1) is best, but I doubt the cable will be long enough to reach. Option (2) is ok, but still unfavorable. Option (3) is probably the worse, since it has to go over the expansion cards.

ajkates said:
I was thinking about the $95 Gigabyte P43 board as well. Don't think I need firewire or RAID at the moment, going for a budget build. I guess firewire in the front doesn't hurt, but idc about the back panel.
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The P43-DS3L is a good alternative, especially if you don't need RAID. Make your own thread or revive your old one, so we could help you further.
 
enginurd said:
I have no clue what 16 phase cooling is, sorry. :p

As has been shown all over the net, you don't need 16-phase power to OC a quadcore, nor is it needed for peace of mind. Its pure marketing. Its not about quantity... its about quality.
Click to expand...

Yeah my mistake completely fubar'ed that, '16 Phase power'. Was under the assumption that there is quite a difference between analog and digital cooling:

better power efficiency and power loss reduction reduced thus yielding more stable and higher overclocks. etc etc. (p5q being 8 phase analog vs 16 digital on deluxe) Guess I was believing the hype. I'll take your word for it. Or maybe not :p
 
I had a p5k-premium previous to this board,i got my 6750 to 4ghz in that board no sweat.

The p5q-e i have now is a great board,i have tested and it did 500fsb pretty easy(6x500) with only 1.2v nb.Its a good overclocking board.I have had big problems with crucial ram in it,so be warned :)
 
I was so tempted to get that P5Q Pro on sale on newegg for $82. I decided against it because of Newegg's terrible open box terms.
 
I am using a v1000b case with the psu at the bottom,and my wiring is niice :p.My mate has a antec p180b and omg,it was a pain in the arse getting the 8 pin cpu power lead on,had to snake it across his board.
 
That's guys, and Enginurd in particular. I will be starting my own thread soon, but I won't be ordering until the weekend of August 9th (next weekend) or later, so I'll start a thread closer to when I plan to order.

But the P5Q vanilla having the connector in the middle does pose problems, and it makes sense now, thanks to your explanations.
 
I have the P5Q Pro and it's great. In terms of overclockability I was able to get my E2160 to 3.1GHz stable (8 hours of Prime95). Used 1.4vcore and Auto NBv. Also this is on the stock cooler. So I know I can go much higher after aftermarket HSF. Considering its only 10 more dollars to go the the Pro from the vanilla, I would certainly recommend it.
 
What about the difference between the P5Q Pro and P5Q-E? I noticed that there are minor differences...specifically an E-Sata connection and the cooling system. Is the cooling system reall worth the extra $20? At first, I was considering going with the P5Q-E, but I'm not sure if it will be worth the extra money. Can you guys give me some input?
 
omz said:
What about the difference between the P5Q Pro and P5Q-E? I noticed that there are minor differences...specifically an E-Sata connection and the cooling system. Is the cooling system reall worth the extra $20? At first, I was considering going with the P5Q-E, but I'm not sure if it will be worth the extra money. Can you guys give me some input?
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The cooling system of the P5Q Pro should be enough for most people. How high do you plan on OC'ing? If further than 500Mhz FSB SDR, I'd think the P5Q-E would be better.
 
enginurd said:
The cooling system of the P5Q Pro should be enough for most people. How high do you plan on OC'ing? If further than 500Mhz FSB SDR, I'd think the P5Q-E would be better.
Click to expand...

So far, I've been able to run 515x7 with my P35-DS3P but I've lowered it down to running 400x9. One of the things I really want to make sure doesn't fail is my motherboard...I've been having all kinds of comptuer problems that keep going away and coming back. I've always thought it was my memory but other errors keep pointing me to my motherboard.
 
All that matters is resulting clock speed. 9x400 = 450x8... same performance, so you might as well run the lower FSB to lessen the stress on the mobo.
 
You guys are spot on. The reasons listed above are why I chose the P5K-e vs the P5K as a replacement when my current motherboard died. Better power connector, back panel connectors, and heatsink placement and appearance prompted me to spend the extra $30.

Why the p5k and not the p5q? The p5k suited my needs, was cheaper, is an older, more established chipset, and I prefer black pcbs over the newer brown ones.
 
Spectrum17 said:
You guys are spot on. The reasons listed above are why I chose the P5K-e vs the P5K as a replacement when my current motherboard died. Better power connector, back panel connectors, and heatsink placement and appearance prompted me to spend the extra $30.

Why the p5k and not the p5q? The p5k suited my needs, was cheaper, is an older, more established chipset, and I prefer black pcbs over the newer brown ones.
Click to expand...

Mine is black, and I believe if you look up some results, you will find that the P45 is quite well established and has excellent overclocking capability. Not to mention great for Xfire.
 
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