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Okay folks, I haven't delved deeply enough into i7 yet (I know, I know, late adopter, etcetera,) so I could use some experience feedback here.
Figure on an i7 920 D0 with VERY mild OCing, probably only taking it to 3.0GHz steady. (When I OC, it's a long term always-on thing.)
Memory's going to be 12GB, 6x2GB DDR3. This is a major sticking point here.
Graphics will be sticking with my ATI 4870X2, I don't see a major reason to upgrade it. (What I play is CPU bound more than GPU bound.)
SSD OS, plus local storage drives, plus new SATA DVD+-RW and DVD-ROM.
This will be a Windows 7 system.
Vendors already eliminated from competition; Asus, ECS, ASRock. Too unstable, QA problems, RMA problems, etcetera. I don't wanna hear about how awesome you think any of them are - I won't waste my own time and money considering anything from those three.
I don't want to hear how great pre-watercooled boards are; this isn't a WC rig, and I don't want to WC it. I also don't want to hear how great >$350 boards are - I don't want a >$350 vanity board.
So, given those parameters, let's talk motherboards. The fact is that lots of boards are flat out unstable with 6 DIMMs. Same as it used to be with 4 DIMMs. So, we've already eliminated all the 4 DIMM and 3 DIMM boards. The best for what I'm looking for seems to be the EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1. But I could be totally off the mark. Hence why I'm looking for feedback.
The primary things besides what I've already stated?
One, it's got to be STABLE. If I have to flash the BIOS every month to fix crash or sleep issues, it's not stable. If it crashes during normal operation on a regular basis? It's not stable.
Two, I don't care about onboard sound - so it needs to have a PCI slot. I have an HT Claro I'll be reusing as well.
Three, I could care less about SLI and whatnot - I already have a 4870X2 and it's overkill for most things.
Four, if BIOS updates can only be done from Windows I will not even consider it. For or Against it, I don't trust it 100%, and this is a daily use system. I need to trust it 100%.
And finally, it's got to have at least 6 USB ports on the rear and PS/2 keyboard or it's got to have 8 USB ports that have no trouble with high draw 5V or it's got to be guaranteed compatible with an IBM Model M with high 5V draw.
So there you have it, folks. Hit me with your recommendations, experiences and opinions.
Figure on an i7 920 D0 with VERY mild OCing, probably only taking it to 3.0GHz steady. (When I OC, it's a long term always-on thing.)
Memory's going to be 12GB, 6x2GB DDR3. This is a major sticking point here.
Graphics will be sticking with my ATI 4870X2, I don't see a major reason to upgrade it. (What I play is CPU bound more than GPU bound.)
SSD OS, plus local storage drives, plus new SATA DVD+-RW and DVD-ROM.
This will be a Windows 7 system.
Vendors already eliminated from competition; Asus, ECS, ASRock. Too unstable, QA problems, RMA problems, etcetera. I don't wanna hear about how awesome you think any of them are - I won't waste my own time and money considering anything from those three.
I don't want to hear how great pre-watercooled boards are; this isn't a WC rig, and I don't want to WC it. I also don't want to hear how great >$350 boards are - I don't want a >$350 vanity board.
So, given those parameters, let's talk motherboards. The fact is that lots of boards are flat out unstable with 6 DIMMs. Same as it used to be with 4 DIMMs. So, we've already eliminated all the 4 DIMM and 3 DIMM boards. The best for what I'm looking for seems to be the EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1. But I could be totally off the mark. Hence why I'm looking for feedback.
The primary things besides what I've already stated?
One, it's got to be STABLE. If I have to flash the BIOS every month to fix crash or sleep issues, it's not stable. If it crashes during normal operation on a regular basis? It's not stable.
Two, I don't care about onboard sound - so it needs to have a PCI slot. I have an HT Claro I'll be reusing as well.
Three, I could care less about SLI and whatnot - I already have a 4870X2 and it's overkill for most things.
Four, if BIOS updates can only be done from Windows I will not even consider it. For or Against it, I don't trust it 100%, and this is a daily use system. I need to trust it 100%.
And finally, it's got to have at least 6 USB ports on the rear and PS/2 keyboard or it's got to have 8 USB ports that have no trouble with high draw 5V or it's got to be guaranteed compatible with an IBM Model M with high 5V draw.
So there you have it, folks. Hit me with your recommendations, experiences and opinions.