AM3 or i7 core build under $700???

i have a system running the tpower board. i like it plenty, but there isn't a bios update for it yet. with any of the bigger brand manufacturers you're almost guaranteed to get consistent bios updates.
 
Not sure if anyone saw my note. I'm buying the i7 config- I decided to drop down the ram to a 3gig triple channel kit and spend a bit more on a good mobo. I need some input on the BIOSTAR TpowerX58 and the GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P.
The Gigabyte board has a $20 rebate as well. Both support SLi and have 6 ram slots so I can upgrade to 6 gigs later on this year.

I've never liked a Biostar board, but I'm not stubborn either... I'm open to shiny suggestion.:cool:

Get 2x2Gb for sure! The i7 is barely affected by the third channel! Why limit yoursef to 1gb sticks???

But seriously, I've wrked with the Asus x58.... its fine, no issues whatsoever...
 
Get 2x2Gb for sure! The i7 is barely affected by the third channel! Why limit yoursef to 1gb sticks???

But seriously, I've wrked with the Asus x58.... its fine, no issues whatsoever...

Great suggestion ordovician! I'm going to upgrade the ram anyway in 3-6 months, why not upgrade the ram size and the channels! I love it! Thanks so much for everyone's help on this! I can't wait to see my new system in action. I'll keep you all updated.
 
Not sure if anyone saw my note. I'm buying the i7 config- I decided to drop down the ram to a 3gig triple channel kit and spend a bit more on a good mobo. I need some input on the BIOSTAR TpowerX58 and the GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P.
The Gigabyte board has a $20 rebate as well. Both support SLi and have 6 ram slots so I can upgrade to 6 gigs later on this year.

I've never liked a Biostar board, but I'm not stubborn either... I'm open to shiny suggestion.:cool:

I cried inside when you say that you don't like Biostar. I guess it may have been that I never got a crummy one but the 3 ones that I've use so far have all been fantastic. I couldn't as for more in terms of performance and features for the price I paid for them. But the Gigabyte should be a great board as well. I just have a soft spot for Biostar :p.
 
Look at this deal: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211369

That's an awesome brand at an awesome price. Like I said before, using DDR3 1600 really only makes a difference if you're REALLY overclocking that i7. DDR3 1333 should still accomodate a healthy OC.

I've had bad luck with stock A-Data chips on customer's PC in the past (i'm talking 2-3 years ago). If I'm overclocking, aren't the head spreaders and the low latency essential?
 
The two year warranty EVGA board is available again on newegg for $269.99 with $20 MIR. I've heard and read nothing but great things about this board. You should check into it if you're considering the UD4P.
 
The two year warranty EVGA board is available again on newegg for $269.99 with $20 MIR. I've heard and read nothing but great things about this board. You should check into it if you're considering the UD4P.

I've been sold on the EVGA boards. They get great reviews and I've heard nothing but great things. Thanks for this! Nice find!
 
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P or the BIOSTAR TpowerX58? Both are $269.99 but the Gigabyte has a $20mib.

I've heard the Biostar is a true over-clocker's dream, but I've never like any Biostar board. The last Gigabyte mobo I had ran forever, oc'd like a champ and even had great support. Dual-Bios on that old board was a nice feature too...

What I'm looking for is some definitive pro's and con's between the two boards.
The price is perfect on both, and I need SLi support for any x58 board I buy(the 8800gt's are still solid cards).
I'll be putting in a triple channel 3 gig OCZ kit (7-7-7-20 for timings) and an i7 920. I can upgrade with another triple channel 3 gig kit later without degrading performance right?

Based on my experience with Biostar bios support, I will never buy a Biostar board again. The Tpower I45 which wasn't cheap and they made a killing on hasent seen a bios update since July or August, I think July. Trust me it needs a bios update bad, too.

The bios is the worst of any P45 in it's price range by far. The vNB and vSB are linked, the steps that you can use in VCC and VTT are HUGE (0.025), there is no way to fine tune your GTLs, and the memory support is questionable at best. Just a sloppy bios and they have no intention of updating it.

My P5Q Deluxe is 100x better than that pos and was only $20 more at the time.

Go with Asus, Gigabyte, or even DFI. These companies have proven good bios support on their boards. I have my doubts about EVGA at this point since Nvidia helped them directly with their bioses in the past, but I haven't really read up on them. MSI's customer service is just pathetic so I would stay away from them too. Foxconn is allways a solid option too if you can score one for a reasonable price.
 
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