EVGA 680i to 780i promotional upgrade, is it worth it?

Very good question, the 780I and 680I are almost identicle, i would say you ahve a 70 % chance of success if your organized on tear down
 
I went ahead and jumped on this since my 680i died over the weekend. After reading how many people have burned up their boards and had their boards kill memory, im just glad im getting out with a dead board and not dead memory(i hope). Also if i read it right, its only $15 not 15% if you dont return everything. Right now i have most of my sata cables in my media rig cause im not exactly sure where the hell the cables went that came with my ds3r.

Edit: yep just checked again. Its a 15$ charge "at the discretion of evga". So most likely i'll just hang on to my sata cables. I figure 5 sata cables are worth 15 bucks + the time required to rewire my media pc :)
 
I have a bfg 680i sli mboard... pritty we'll brand new will anyone with a retail evga 680i mboard trade there board up for me and have me trade them my board and the extra money for the 780i??

if anyones interested pm me.
 
good luck with that request.

If I were to trade my working 680i in for a 780i just to dump the 780i for a different brand of board with a company that pales in comparison for customer service and warranty support....I would instead ebay the 780i since it's nearly a $300 board you're getting for $90. A 680i + $90 + shipping doesn't equal a 780i since the 680i isn't worth squat IMO.

But hey, that's just what I'd do...not saying someone else that has money to burn isn't willing b/c there just may be.
 
I currently only have one video card. I doubt I'll ever run dual video cards and, as such, it's even more unlikely that I'd ever run three!

That being said, is it worth the upgrade simply for the new PCI Express 2.0 and 45nm CPU support? Also, is the 780i better than the 680i -- or vise versa?

Is the lack of DDR3 support much of negative/drawback? If I wait for the new 790i mobo (which I've read supports DDR3), will I be required to get DDR3 ram, or will I still be able to use my current DDR2 ram in the new 790i mobo -- i.e., does DDR3 have a different form factor than DDR2, or will DDR2 fit (and work) in a DDR3 slot?

I can say that the only issue that my 122-CK-NF68-AR ever had was a voltage/memory issue when auto detecting my Corsair. Set it to 2.0V and all has been well from that point on. We'll see how these 780i's are. time will tell...

DUDE!!! Forgive me for my ignorance, but I wonder if I am having the same prob!!?? Can you describe the issues you were having before you set your ram to 2.0V?

I have the 122-CK-NF68-A1 mobo, and my ram is CORSAIR Dominator (2 x 1GB) DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel. I run Vista Ultimate, and windows does some weird shit sometimes -- it randomly freezes and hangs up on me. I have been wondering if it is just Vista's instability issues, or if it is related to my mobo and/or ram -- maybe a voltage issue with my ram (I think my mobo set the voltage too low by default)? I have also wondered if it is my hard drive (Western Digital Raptor X 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150). My Hard drive runs VERY HOT, and I didn't have a fan in front of it -- I have wondered if it is my hard drive that is freezing up because maybe it has overheated?

Anyone have any ideas???? Please help if you can!!!! I am fine with keeping my 680i (and not upgrading) if the prob is not with my mobo and if I can get the problem resolved.
 
BUMP!

Anyone have an answers to any of my questions (above)?? Sorry for the bump, but the thread seemed to be slipping away!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!!!
 
I currently only have one video card. I doubt I'll ever run dual video cards and, as such, it's even more unlikely that I'd ever run three!

That being said, is it worth the upgrade simply for the new PCI Express 2.0 and 45nm CPU support? Also, is the 780i better than the 680i -- or vise versa?

Is the lack of DDR3 support much of negative/drawback? If I wait for the new 790i mobo (which I've read supports DDR3), will I be required to get DDR3 ram, or will I still be able to use my current DDR2 ram in the new 790i mobo -- i.e., does DDR3 have a different form factor than DDR2, or will DDR2 fit (and work) in a DDR3 slot?

Is it worth the upgrade? For 90 bucks and shipping? I think it is. Support for 45nm CPUs is huge! PCI Express really isn't that big a deal with the current lineup of video cards. The 780i isn't really that much better than the 680i performance wise, with the same equipment. Benchmarks are virtually thesae.

You're not going to be fitting DDR2 ram into DDR3 slots or vice versa...DDR3 right at the speeds we have now... but mostly the price, is ridiculous. Wait until late 2008 or 2009 until prices become more sane.
 
Are they not going to be able to BIOS update the 680i's to support 45nm processors? Not that I'm going to rush out and get one...
 
All this talk of support for the 45nm CPU's, the 780i uses the 775 socket right?

How much life is left in that platform? I thought after the next batch of CPU's intel are moving away from that socket, I dont see the 780i being useful for anything other than a short term boost, if people are looking for a long'ish upgrade path then maybe they should wait until the new sockets start showing up? Or is that a fools game?
 
Everything's a fool's game, though.

(My PC's got the clocks, it rocks/But it was obsolete before I opened the box...)

To answer your original question: I don't think anybody's explicitly said anything on the Intel side of the fence about what will inevitably replace LGA775. Not yet, anyway. The 45nm chips will use it (and, yes, the 780i 'boards will play nicely with them) and probably the refresh chips that will immediately replace them later in the year, but beyond that...the road winds into darkness.

(Hmmm...do I redo the system on this DS3 1.0 I bought so I can free up my 680i, or leave it alone...?)
 
Are they not going to be able to BIOS update the 680i's to support 45nm processors? Not that I'm going to rush out and get one...

Bios update is supposed to work for the dual core 45nm cpus but apparently won't work for the quad core 45nm cpus.
 
All this talk of support for the 45nm CPU's, the 780i uses the 775 socket right?

How much life is left in that platform? I thought after the next batch of CPU's intel are moving away from that socket, I dont see the 780i being useful for anything other than a short term boost, if people are looking for a long'ish upgrade path then maybe they should wait until the new sockets start showing up? Or is that a fools game?
Thats what I am thinking. I just got a 680i and a Q6600 about a month and a half ago. I don't don't plan on upgrading my CPU for quite a while and by that time a new socket will be out (2nd half 2008 if I remember correctly). It will probably be after 08 till I get a new CPU :p. I think I will stick with the 680i and keep my $90.
 
I actually cancelled my upgrade request because somehow i went from #377 in the queue to 750 in queue. Also add in the fact that my 680i board has been nothing but a doorstop since the promotion came out and has now been "awaiting approval" for RMA since last wednesday, i think i'm just going to save my money and eventually give nvidia the finger for forcing me to use inferior chipsets for SLI.
 
I hope I don't get into any trouble for this post... but I read a post on Abit forums hinting that Abit might be developing a BIOS for their IN9 32x-MAX to support 45nm core 2's.... if that's the case, YAY FOR ABIT!! Maybe my 680i still has hope for future readiness... the box does say "future-proof" on it... lolz! :)
 
Hey, Zork:

In reply to post #47 here, I had the memory set for "auto" settings. Changed the timings AND voltage to match my Dominator sticks. 4-4-4-12 and 2.0V. I basically had the same issues: random lock ups, failure to posts, etc. Ever since setting the timing and the voltage to spec, no problems. We'll see how the 780i handles it...:rolleyes:
 
Reply to msg. 47:

SATA drives I use now tend to run hotter than ATA hard drives I used in the past. Don't know why this is, though. I put cooling fans on my SATA hard drives from now on. Less heat is always better. Most of my problems locking up have been due to my overclocking experiments with the processor, and with the RAM. My RAM's stock voltage is 1.8v. By increasing to 1.9v, I noticed a dramatic increase in stability, and my RAM is still cool to the touch. It also runs stable at an overclocked 962MHz linked to the CPU which is running at 3.2GHz. I'm not saying you should use these same settings because all RAM is different, but my RAM sure does a lot better with a little extra juice. I have seen hard drives get so hot they can lock up, which is preferred to overheating and causing permanent damage, but this is more rare. Cool those hot raptors, nevertheless. You will extend their life a bit by adding active cooling for them.

Avoid noisy beasts like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999152

I purchased two and they went right back into their boxes. No way to control fan speed unless you have a dedicated speed controller, as they are molex only connectors, not straight to the mobo which could control them. They push decent amounts of air, but the noise is unbearable. Measurably above the 30dba rated in the specs. They have a reported shorter than normal life span, too.

Pick up these instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835192004

They also push a good amount of air, but are difficult to hear, fit better, and I have several running in different computers I've assembled for myself and others without a single failure yet. Worth the extra three bucks.

Hope that helps. Have you run memtest or Prime95/Orthos's memory stress tests? This might be a good idea. Cheap/free way to test if the RAM is the problem. Fortunately, the 680i has lots of settings you can tweak in the BIOS to find maximum stability/performance for your memory. You have total control. Unfortunately this leads some to abuse their power and fry memory sticks.... :p just kidding. I have read that a few have had to underclock RAM on this board to achieve maximum stability, but I haven't ran into this yet...

Do let us know how it goes!
 
To dandapice & SirKronan:

Thank you both SO MUCH for your replies!!! People like you are the reason I love HOCP!!

Ok, so far, this is what I've done:

1.)
I changed the voltage settings in my BIOS to better match my Dominator memory sticks (they were auto detected at around 1.8v, and I changed them to 2.0v -- the specs for my ram say 2.1v, but I didn't want to go that high). I haven't checked the timings yet, though. BTW, speaking of memeory/voltage/cooling, I am thinking about ordering this memory fan/cooler for my ram: here <-- any thoughts on this?

2.)
I added a seconded 120mm fan to the front of my case. Basically, because my 8800GTX video card is SO LONG, I had to move my HDD rack from the bottom to the top of my case (fortunately, my case supports multiple configurations). Because I was worried about how hot my video card might get, I left the front fan in the lower position and never bothered to get a second fan for the top. As a result, I didn't have a fan in front of my HDD rack. With the second fan I just got, I now have one in front of the HDD rack (and I still have the orignal fan in the lower position).

3.)
I also bought a HDD cooler (here) for my raptor. I got it before SirKronan's post/reply, so I didn't end up getting the one he recommended. So far though, I have been happy with it. As a result of the second front/case fan and this HDD cooler, my raptor runs very cool (which is a night and day difference from before when it was running scorching hot!!).

4.)
I created a second partition on my raptor and installed Windows XP. I did this because I wasn't sure if the problem (or, at least, part of the problem) was Vista. Unfotuently, the boot record for the Vista install got screwed up I think because I can't boot into Vista now (this has never happed to me before whenever I have set up a dual boot, so I am not sure what the issue is atm).

The results:
So far, I have had zero systems freezes / lock-ups. I don't think I have experienced any of the weird shit and hang-ups I was experiencing before either (I was having a lot of these issues before, and they seemed to be getting worse over time). Everything seems to be running well. Only problem is, I don't know which change(s) fixed the issues -- was it the ram, or the HDD running so hot, or was it Visa? Was it a combination or all of the above?

My only concern now is:
Could I have permanently damaged my ram by under-volting it for 6 months? Could I have permanently damaged my raptor HDD for letting it run SO HOT for 6 months? Does the fact that everything seems fine now mean that nothing has been permanently damaged? I was really worried about my raptor HDD because I couldn't even touch it because of how hot it ran before.

Thanks again for the replies!!!!
 
as a tech of 8 years.. Id have to say it was probly the Memory. ive found 96.6% of crashing and instablility problems are connected to memory or an unfunctional psu...
 
To dandapice & SirKronan:

Thank you both SO MUCH for your replies!!! People like you are the reason I love HOCP!!

Ok, so far, this is what I've done:

1.) I am thinking about ordering this memory fan/cooler for my ram: here <-- any thoughts on this?

3.) I also bought a HDD cooler (here) for my raptor. I got it before SirKronan's post/reply, so I didn't end up getting the one he recommended. So far though, I have been happy with it. As a result of the second front/case fan and this HDD cooler, my raptor runs very cool (which is a night and day difference from before when it was running scorching hot!!).

The results:
So far, I have had zero systems freezes / lock-ups. I don't think I have experienced any of the weird shit and hang-ups I was experiencing before either (I was having a lot of these issues before, and they seemed to be getting worse over time). Everything seems to be running well. Only problem is, I don't know which change(s) fixed the issues -- was it the ram, or the HDD running so hot, or was it Visa? Was it a combination or all of the above?

My only concern now is:
Could I have permanently damaged my ram by under-volting it for 6 months? Could I have permanently damaged my raptor HDD for letting it run SO HOT for 6 months? Does the fact that everything seems fine now mean that nothing has been permanently damaged? I was really worried about my raptor HDD because I couldn't even touch it because of how hot it ran before.

Thanks again for the replies!!!!

You're welcome. I doubt you did permanent damage to the hard drive or the memory. Corsair makes darn good stuff, and Raptors run hot by nature. Cooling them down just makes them last longer. My RAM actually runs a little more stable with some extra voltage, even though it rates at 1.8. Hopefully I don't burn it out faster, as it is still quite cool to the touch.

On your first install of Vista, it's entirely possible that the lack of proper voltage to your ram or an overheating hard drive (or a combination of both) was throwing errors into the mix while installing/running/updating your first Vista install. If so, it could've been corrupted from the get-go. Try a clean install of Vista now that everything is nice and cool and has happy voltages. Also, try running your ram at the voltage they recommend. That's tough, powerful, overclockable stuff. You should be able to get it to scream at stock volts with a decent overclock, even. That cooler is a good idea. It's a nice, quiet cooler, and the hard drive fan you picked looks fine, too. Anything's gotta be quieter than that uncontrollable thermaltake I bought....

Let us know how it goes for you the second time around.
 
Thanks again for replying SirKronan!

So, are you saying I should up the voltage to the ram's recommended 2.1V instead of just setting it to 2.0V like I did (originally, the mobo had set the ram to around 1.8V)?? I upped it to 2.0V instead of 2.1V because I was afraid of going too high -- should I not be afraid of that since the specs for the ram say 2.1V?

I plan on doing a fresh install of Vista soon like you said. I will give an update when I do. Before I do, though, I want to make sure I got the ram set right and all is running well.
 
Thanks again for replying SirKronan!

So, are you saying I should up the voltage to the ram's recommended 2.1V instead of just setting it to 2.0V like I did (originally, the mobo had set the ram to around 1.8V)?? I upped it to 2.0V instead of 2.1V because I was afraid of going too high -- should I not be afraid of that since the specs for the ram say 2.1V?

I plan on doing a fresh install of Vista soon like you said. I will give an update when I do. Before I do, though, I want to make sure I got the ram set right and all is running well.

If 2.1v is the stock voltage then it should be fine. Putting a fan on it could extend the life of it, too. I'm going to order one for mine as soon as I get another set of 2 sticks:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835202003

I like it because it's quiet, pushes good air, and it's purdy...:cool:
 
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