undertheradar
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2004
- Messages
- 1,792
Okay, this is what I want...
None of the 'FRILLS'... you know... the X-Fi card, the RAID, etc...
How about a x58 board that is 'stripped down', simple, and performs well... maybe better than most because there is less 'crowding' on the board?
This is what it should have:
-6xUSB 2.0, heck, maybe 8.
-1xethernet jack
-x58 chipset (which includes crossfire and SLi support)
-PCI, PCI-E (1 of the shorter x1's, three x16's for GPU's)
- 4 to 6 internal SATA hookups (perpendicular/edge connect sockets)
THATS IT! When I look at the back plate, I will see a couple PS/2 plugs, 6-8 USB ports, a RJ-45 port... and thats it. Maybe an LCD or CMOS reset button... those things can be handy... but not really that important.
Why? Well, if Im making a 'gaming rig', I already have a X-Fi Titanium sound card (and I do), so I don't want to buy some 'add-in' version that comes with a board (which so many seem to be sporting). I have never used 'on board' audio... dont even bother me with it. If I want RAID, Ill use a real hardware card, not some half-baked on-board version with silly drivers that 'may or may not' work... and with the current speeds HDD's and SSD's are hitting, whats RAID for again? Who really uses that?
None of the following:
-Firewire (whats that for?)
-2x ethernet (yeah, cuz you need that)
-floppy disk ATA/ribbon cable port... I havent had a floppy in over 5 years
-P-ATA hookup... there are plenty of SATA drives now, optical and HDD
-optical/digital out (no audio, so none of that)
-WiFi (if you desire PERFORMANCE, you are going to use a cable)
-RAID (I covered this before)
-external SATA plugs (for what exactly?)
Thats it... if you are making a serious rig, chances are you either already have the add-in cards that do things like audio & RAID, and you will just end up turning them off in the BIOS. Heck, chances are that I wont be sporting SLi or Crossfire any time soon (just not worth it IMO, done SLi twice...), but rather opting for just one top-notch card instead, like a 4870x2 or the smaller die GTX280's when they come out. That doesnt mean I want less performance or overclocking potential with what I do have though... I just dont need more than one card. So 50/50... SLi/crossfire may not even be important to me, but for a 'GAMER' board, I suppose it has to be, and considering all it takes is the x58 chipset, software, and a couple cables... its not a huge 'extra' to pay for... not like a X-Fi card that I dont need.
So how about it? Can some maker out there consider this? It should make the board cost less (no liscencing for the RAID controller chip, Firewire, Audio/X-Fi, and all the other smaller chips), and possibly allow for more attention to things that people like me would rather have: maybe a 'dual bios' setup, a LCD screen and other cool power regulation/saving features. But really, leave the X-Fi cards, RAID controllers, integrated Wi-Fi out...
None of the 'FRILLS'... you know... the X-Fi card, the RAID, etc...
How about a x58 board that is 'stripped down', simple, and performs well... maybe better than most because there is less 'crowding' on the board?
This is what it should have:
-6xUSB 2.0, heck, maybe 8.
-1xethernet jack
-x58 chipset (which includes crossfire and SLi support)
-PCI, PCI-E (1 of the shorter x1's, three x16's for GPU's)
- 4 to 6 internal SATA hookups (perpendicular/edge connect sockets)
THATS IT! When I look at the back plate, I will see a couple PS/2 plugs, 6-8 USB ports, a RJ-45 port... and thats it. Maybe an LCD or CMOS reset button... those things can be handy... but not really that important.
Why? Well, if Im making a 'gaming rig', I already have a X-Fi Titanium sound card (and I do), so I don't want to buy some 'add-in' version that comes with a board (which so many seem to be sporting). I have never used 'on board' audio... dont even bother me with it. If I want RAID, Ill use a real hardware card, not some half-baked on-board version with silly drivers that 'may or may not' work... and with the current speeds HDD's and SSD's are hitting, whats RAID for again? Who really uses that?
None of the following:
-Firewire (whats that for?)
-2x ethernet (yeah, cuz you need that)
-floppy disk ATA/ribbon cable port... I havent had a floppy in over 5 years
-P-ATA hookup... there are plenty of SATA drives now, optical and HDD
-optical/digital out (no audio, so none of that)
-WiFi (if you desire PERFORMANCE, you are going to use a cable)
-RAID (I covered this before)
-external SATA plugs (for what exactly?)
Thats it... if you are making a serious rig, chances are you either already have the add-in cards that do things like audio & RAID, and you will just end up turning them off in the BIOS. Heck, chances are that I wont be sporting SLi or Crossfire any time soon (just not worth it IMO, done SLi twice...), but rather opting for just one top-notch card instead, like a 4870x2 or the smaller die GTX280's when they come out. That doesnt mean I want less performance or overclocking potential with what I do have though... I just dont need more than one card. So 50/50... SLi/crossfire may not even be important to me, but for a 'GAMER' board, I suppose it has to be, and considering all it takes is the x58 chipset, software, and a couple cables... its not a huge 'extra' to pay for... not like a X-Fi card that I dont need.
So how about it? Can some maker out there consider this? It should make the board cost less (no liscencing for the RAID controller chip, Firewire, Audio/X-Fi, and all the other smaller chips), and possibly allow for more attention to things that people like me would rather have: maybe a 'dual bios' setup, a LCD screen and other cool power regulation/saving features. But really, leave the X-Fi cards, RAID controllers, integrated Wi-Fi out...