![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
-
Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.
Chipsets: Intel Vs. Nvidia
- Thread starter Scotch77
- Start date
The Intel P35 and X38/X48 chipsets are slightly faster most of the time. The drivers and software for the Intel chipsets is unmatched for quality and stability. Also the boards based on the Intel chipsets have a better track record than ones based on Intel processor compatible NVIDIA chipsets.
The NVIDIA reference boards (680i SLI&780i SLI) use an older 6-phase power design and traditional capacitors. All the other enthusiast boards are now using solid-state capacitors and many even use digital PWMs. From a feature standpoint they are all roughly comparible but the Intel chipsets do support 2 more USB ports than the NVIDIA boards do. However the reference 680i SLI boards had terrible longevity and quad core overclocking. The non-reference boards were better but had a ton of memory compatibility problems. Since the 780i SLI boards are very similar to their 680i SLI predecessors I can't recommend them either.
If you aren't looking for SLI compatibility there is no reason to go with an NVIDIA chipset based motherboard over an Intel chipset based board.
The NVIDIA reference boards (680i SLI&780i SLI) use an older 6-phase power design and traditional capacitors. All the other enthusiast boards are now using solid-state capacitors and many even use digital PWMs. From a feature standpoint they are all roughly comparible but the Intel chipsets do support 2 more USB ports than the NVIDIA boards do. However the reference 680i SLI boards had terrible longevity and quad core overclocking. The non-reference boards were better but had a ton of memory compatibility problems. Since the 780i SLI boards are very similar to their 680i SLI predecessors I can't recommend them either.
If you aren't looking for SLI compatibility there is no reason to go with an NVIDIA chipset based motherboard over an Intel chipset based board.
Concerning the poll the individual who voted P35 doesn't have all their facts apparently. The P35 chipset is the current best value solution but it isn't the "best chipset" and neither is X38. Currently that honor falls to the X48 chipset as boards based on it officially support the 1600MHz FSB required by the QX9770.
X38 overclocks as well as P35 and has PCI-Express 2.0 support and additional PCIe lanes. That makes it better than P35.
X38 overclocks as well as P35 and has PCI-Express 2.0 support and additional PCIe lanes. That makes it better than P35.
uwishurockedthishxc
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2007
- Messages
- 1,043
im still on p965
buffbiff21
Gawd
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2006
- Messages
- 1,014
Intel, hands down.
chrisf6969
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2003
- Messages
- 9,011
I voted X38 b/c it is fastest, but if I was buying (like I did recently), I'd by the P35.
im still on p965
So am I, but I am happy with that fact. P965 is a little dated these days, but it still is a damn good chipset.
yep...my last chipset was the 875P, and that box is still alive and well as my brother's machine, so don't feel bad.
Only time I ever went with anything other than an intel chipset was when I had an Athlon 1800+ and I had a VIA set....and it had stability issues like you wouldn't believe under anything other than stock settings
Only time I ever went with anything other than an intel chipset was when I had an Athlon 1800+ and I had a VIA set....and it had stability issues like you wouldn't believe under anything other than stock settings
So am I, kind of. I picked up a couple of 975X boards on clearance, but they aren't much of an upgrade.im still on p965
I'm not going to bother with 45nm Core 2. It's not like an overclocked Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad isn't still very fast. Nehalem is going to a new socket and i'll just upgrade after reasonably priced Nehalem chips are out.
Best does not mean necessary translate into the most expensive solution.
P35 is a more mature solution since it has been available for a longer period of time
X38 supports PCI-E 2.0 but this feature does not add much value right now.
The official support for 1600MHZ is also a gimmick since only a handful of users will benefit from it.
AFAIK, X48 is still unreleased.
Is the P35 better than X38? Maybe not.
But my Abit IP35-Pro is a hell of a good board and I could not ask for more!
Also, NVIDIA boards should only be picked up by SLI users.
P35 is a more mature solution since it has been available for a longer period of time
X38 supports PCI-E 2.0 but this feature does not add much value right now.
The official support for 1600MHZ is also a gimmick since only a handful of users will benefit from it.
AFAIK, X48 is still unreleased.
Is the P35 better than X38? Maybe not.
But my Abit IP35-Pro is a hell of a good board and I could not ask for more!
Also, NVIDIA boards should only be picked up by SLI users.
That is the great thing about Intel. Even on brand new hardware their drivers are almost always rock solid from the very start. So even though the X38 is newer, the drivers are probably just as solid and stable as for the P35 boards.
They are since they all use the same drivers. I remember using the alpha (internal) drivers at one point and they were perfectly stable. The chipset drivers for X38/X48 are stable and even the new 5400 workstation chipset drivers are perfectly stable.
MrWizard6600
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2006
- Messages
- 5,791
best as in what? as in feature set? as in overclocking potential? asking for the "best chipset" depends entirely on where your coming from, right now three 8800 Ultras pretty well goes unrivaled for gaming performance, (keeping in mind crossfire X's final rebuttle hasn't really debuted).
Aside from that I would say Intel has the advantage all around.
Aside from that I would say Intel has the advantage all around.
Night_Hawk-19
Gawd
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2004
- Messages
- 830
Yes, all hinges on what you want. If its SLI then your stuck with Nvidia unless you go with expensive skulltrail. Don't get me wrong I have been with Nvidia chipsets for awhile and ATI.
This statement is not true:
The NVIDIA reference boards (680i SLI&780i SLI) use an older 6-phase power design and traditional capacitors
Actually 780i and 680i striker has been and still are 8 phase power and 2 phase power for the RAM slots. I also know EVGA will have a 8 phase power and 8 sata connections on their limited edition coming out soon. I need two video cards for my monitor 1920x1200 so going Intel is not a choice. I guess if I have a smaller monitor I would go Intel. Intel of course has better support for thier processors.
My vote is 780i for now. Even though I could see Intel X48 (mean new ram for me)
This statement is not true:
The NVIDIA reference boards (680i SLI&780i SLI) use an older 6-phase power design and traditional capacitors
Actually 780i and 680i striker has been and still are 8 phase power and 2 phase power for the RAM slots. I also know EVGA will have a 8 phase power and 8 sata connections on their limited edition coming out soon. I need two video cards for my monitor 1920x1200 so going Intel is not a choice. I guess if I have a smaller monitor I would go Intel. Intel of course has better support for thier processors.
My vote is 780i for now. Even though I could see Intel X48 (mean new ram for me)
The Striker Extreme and Striker II Formula aren't reference boards. ASUS designed their own boards but the EVGA, XFX, BFG and ECS 680i SLI boards are all made by Foxconn using NVIDIA's reference design. What I said was absolutely correct. The 680i SLI & 780i SLI reference boards like the EVGA 680i SLI (122-CK-NF68-A1) & 780i SLI (132-CK-NF78-A1) use a 6-phase power design. I also know that the EVGA 780i SLI FTW Edition will be an 8-phase design with solid capacitors. That board should be 780i SLI done right.
chrisf6969
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2003
- Messages
- 9,011
so its like
30 - P35 = Intel
18 - X38 = Intel
6 - Other = mostly Intel votes, like P965, etc)
Total 54
and only
3 - Nvidia
so 54 to 3 in favor of Intel... ouch.
30 - P35 = Intel
18 - X38 = Intel
6 - Other = mostly Intel votes, like P965, etc)
Total 54
and only
3 - Nvidia
so 54 to 3 in favor of Intel... ouch.
so its like
30 - P35 = Intel
18 - X38 = Intel
6 - Other = mostly Intel votes, like P965, etc)
Total 54
and only
3 - Nvidia
so 54 to 3 in favor of Intel... ouch.
I guess people, despite what the small, loud-whining SLI-club wants you to think, are aware that a Intel CPU has the best time with a Intel Chipset.
I always use Intel chipset with Intel CPU's, NVIDIA have burned me badly in the past.
SLI/Crossfire is just an excuse for not having a preforming single GPU solution.
Well I'm a supporter of SLI but I find it unfortunate that you have to tolerate NVIDIA chipsets to have it. Intel chipsets are vastly superior to their NVIDIA counterparts.
Yeah, but people aren't really answering the question - they're answering "What chipset is the best buy?" instead.
Exactly.
chrisf6969
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2003
- Messages
- 9,011
True, but a large amount are looking at this the wrong way. The original poster didn't ask what the best value was, or what did you think he needed. He asked what the best chipset is out of the bunch listed and that's not the P35 technically speaking.
I know x48 isn't out yet....But, from what I understand it's going to be a more refined x38, and generally a much better NB. If what I'm thinking is true. I'd vote for the yet unreleased x48 which is due out in March/April I think. But obviously, we'll have to wait and see if it truly is better.
I've used X38 and X48 chipset based boards. There is no difference. The only change is that X48 officially supports 1600MHz FSB speeds and the X38 doesn't.
Right.
i voted nvidia because he said best performance.
i currently use a p35 and love it i been a big fan of intel chipsets but i built a 780i system,
all the parts where the same as mine but i scored better in almost everything with my 780i system. about 800 points higher in 3dmark was the most notable difference.
my memory even overclocked better on the p35 yet was still not as fast as the 780i in memory tests. i dont have the 780i system i built it for a friend who wanted to go SLI . once i noticed his was faster i put all of my parts in to his system and tested more.
the few % where not worth the price difference of an extra 150$ for a motherboard but it was faster. so it performed better IMO.
i currently use a p35 and love it i been a big fan of intel chipsets but i built a 780i system,
all the parts where the same as mine but i scored better in almost everything with my 780i system. about 800 points higher in 3dmark was the most notable difference.
my memory even overclocked better on the p35 yet was still not as fast as the 780i in memory tests. i dont have the 780i system i built it for a friend who wanted to go SLI . once i noticed his was faster i put all of my parts in to his system and tested more.
the few % where not worth the price difference of an extra 150$ for a motherboard but it was faster. so it performed better IMO.
Out of those the X38 is obviously the best, although the X48 officially supports 1600MHz FSB so technically it's superior, I suppose. I personally think the P35 has better value though. You really can't go wrong with either. nVidia's chipsets aren't worth considering unless you go with an SLI setup.
Again the question wasn't "Which chipset is the best value?" but rather "Which chipset is the best?"I do agree that the NVIDIA chipsets aren't worth considering if you don't want to go with SLI. At this point I'd almost be willing to buy an Intel D5400XS and a pair of Xeons to avoid using NVIDIA chipsets.
And there you have your answer, Seaburg is the best chipset, which is why I voted other. Support for 128 GB of ram in quad channel, 8 cores, crossfire and sli with Quadros.
Greencreeks the second best for the same reasons but lacks PCIe 2.0, has less PCIe lanes, limited support of the 45nm chips and the memory controller isn't quite as good.
Actually the Seaburg chipset does not support SLI. The Intel D5400XS motherboard supports SLI because it has two NVIDIA nForce 100 MCPs onboard providing the SLI support. You can however use SLI Quadro's on the Seaburg chipset and use Crossfire as well. The D5400XS is a unique board and has no equal among its' peers. However it does fall short in other areas compared to more conventional workstation motherboards.
Yes, I'm well aware Seaburg and Greencreek don't support GeForce cards in SLI (which is why I specified Quadros), not that I didn't try when I first got my 5000x board with some 7900GS's.
Bad answer in this tread.
Price was not an issue...nor is "just about as good" != just as good
Yea, didn't notice that till after.
I have no idea on performance, all I know is that:
680: 50/50 on how much luck people can OC w/ it, can do SLI
P35: OC's great and price can very between $85+
X38: Guessing can OC like a P35, but start at $200+ pretty much
Price and it's ability to OC are the most important to me. You might get a few sec difference on how long it takes to compress something with winrar, but if my 680 board can't OC my proc, I already lost.
Save your money for the next in latest and greatest, for now buy a P35. I guess if you want bragging rights and dump in extra money, get the X38. But I'd say 680 is a total no no unless your some total SLI fanatic.
It depends on your priorities and what you consider the best. For instance, the x38 chipset requires more power than the P35 chipset. 'Not much, but that may be more important to some. It is to me. I don't need SLI or PCI-e 2.0. Money or value is not the factor in my choice.
Robert