CrossfireX mobo suggestion?

[Amberite]

I am in the process of getting together the parts to do my first build, and I am stuck on which motherboard to get.

I am getting an ATI HD4850 now, but in 2-3 months when the HD4870x2 is out, I plan on getting that. Also, eventually I plan to CF two HD4870x2's, which is why I would need a CrossfireX motherboard.

Some other info: Intel QX9650 chip, 4 GB DDR2 RAM (no DDR3), need SATA connections.

Any suggestions on a good board I can use for this purpose? My price range is $200-300.

 

[HighTest]

According to http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonhd4800/index.html the 4800 series is PCI Express 2.0. They'll still work on older 1.1 version boards, but the bandwidth available to them will be half (x16 PCIe 1.1 = x8 PCIe 2.0).

The only reason I point that out is that you are looking at the top end and even considering CF.

Based on that, I'd recommend an X48 based board. However, compare the models to pick one that is DDR2. Mine for example is DDR3. Of course, the question is.......

If you are going extreme on everything else, why not 1600MHz DDR3?

 

[Amberite]

According to http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonhd4800/index.html the 4800 series is PCI Express 2.0. They'll still work on older 1.1 version boards, but the bandwidth available to them will be half (x16 PCIe 1.1 = x8 PCIe 2.0).

The only reason I point that out is that you are looking at the top end and even considering CF.

Based on that, I'd recommend an X48 based board. However, compare the models to pick one that is DDR2. Mine for example is DDR3. Of course, the question is.......

If you are going extreme on everything else, why not 1600MHz DDR3?

Definitely not looking for a PCI-E 1.1 board, as it's just a waste. As for the RAM, I was looking up DDR3 and it seems like it is much more expensive for small, if any, performance increase. I think in a year or so DDR3 chips will be much faster, but for right now, do you think its worth it?

I was looking at the X48 boards but I'm a little confused. What requirements are there to CrossfireX? For example, on a board like this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131284), would I be able to do CrossfireX? On [H]'s review of this board, one of the guys said no...

 

[HighTest]

I had gone with DDR3 1333 RAM versus the top end 1600, so at this exact moment in time it may not provide much of a boost. However I do expect the pricing to drop as a number of X48 boards are DDR3.

As for the ASUS Rampage, according to their website http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=640&l4=0&model=2070&modelmenu=1

The board is supporting CrossFire. Here's a direct quote.

Graphics Technology
ATI CrossFire™ Technology
ATI´s CrossFire boosts image quality along with rendering speed, eliminating the need to scale down screen resolutions to get the high image quality you want. CrossFire ignites with the higher antialiasing, anisotropic filtering, shading, and texture settings you desire. Adjust your display configurations, experiment with your advanced 3D settings, and check the effect with a real-time 3D-rendered preview within ATI´s Catalyst™ Control Center to rule your CrossFire system.

Dan in the review said no CrossFireX, where as Kyle disagreed with him. Guess it comes down to the ability to have more than two PCIe X16 slots for three way CrossFireX. Kyle disagreed and stated that Four way CrossFireX was still possible with two Radeon HD 3870 X2 cards.

I guess it comes down to the differences between ATI CrossFire and CrossFireX.

If you need the full three slot goodness, then you'll want a different board.