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yea i have the MSI P6N sli-Fi (though they have since dropped the FI from the name) and let me tell you with the current bios this board is a monster. It oc's great and I was running dual 8800gts with no problem. Only downside to this board is the northbridge overheats sometimes...I would suggest either getting the platinum version with improved cooling or rigging a fan to blow on the northbridge heatsink.The boards based on the 650i SLI chipset are well-regarded and sell for about $115-130.
See this list. Actually, with rebates they're even lower than that. The MSI P6N Platinum on that list is a favorite, I can't believe it's come down to $119 after MIR. Its little brother, the FI, is now $85 after MIR. If you don't need legacy support the GIGABYTE GA-N650SLI-DS4 is pretty sweet too.
Edit: that all supposes you have or want a Core 2 processor. If you're on AMD, I dunno...
Thanks for the quick response guys. Okay I've been looking into it and a have a couple of questions. If I get the 650i does it really matter what brand when it comes to performance? I'd like to moderately overclock an E6750 in addition to my two 8800GT's.
What does 680i offer that 650i doesn't?
i heard the msi p6n didnt have a real high fsb... but i dont think that would been an issue with that proc ur using.
its supports very high fsb actually... Ive been able to run my e6400 at 1720mhz at 7x multi orthos stable for 24hours (with the case open).
nice but thats not nearly as high as my p5n's 1850fsb also 24hr stable
Good stuff guys, thanks. If I get the MSI or the P5N, do I have to be careful which brand of memory I get? I was planning to get 4 GB of this...
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820231098
Also are there any compatibility issues with either of these motherboards and an X-Fi card? I already have the card and would like to keep using it. Planning to go with 32-bit Vista as well.
you can get the evga 680i LT board for $129 ar. its a fantastic board.
The 680i boards have a lot of little extras--the faster PCI-E slots (as stated, not much real-world benefit), more SATA ports, two Gig ethernet ports instead of one, and so on. For me, the attraction of the 650i boards besides the cost savings is the legacy support, especially on the MSI. I have all PATA drives still and it has two PATA connectors instead of one. It has a floppy controller, PS2 connectors for mouse and keyboard, and a parallel port for an older printer like mine. If you are upgrading and carry forward older equipment like that until it dies (like me), the 650i boards will help you out--not so the 680i's, the P965's, the X38's, etc etc.
Is this good memory to use with the MSI P6N Sli Platinum?
http://www.buy.com/prod/crucial-bal...-240-pin-ddr2-memory/q/loc/101/202541818.html
The 680i boards have a lot of little extras--the faster PCI-E slots (as stated, not much real-world benefit), more SATA ports, two Gig ethernet ports instead of one, and so on. For me, the attraction of the 650i boards besides the cost savings is the legacy support, especially on the MSI. I have all PATA drives still and it has two PATA connectors instead of one. It has a floppy controller, PS2 connectors for mouse and keyboard, and a parallel port for an older printer like mine. If you are upgrading and carry forward older equipment like that until it dies (like me), the 650i boards will help you out--not so the 680i's, the P965's, the X38's, etc etc.
OMG, YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION!!!
"If you are upgrading and carry forward older equipment like that until it dies (like me), the 650i boards will help you out--not so the 680i's, the P965's, the X38's, etc etc."
THANK YOU! !!!!!!!
You're welcome! One thing to watch out for--the 650i Ultra boards are cheaper than the 650i SLI's (no SLI support, just one graphics slot) but they drop most of the legacy support--odd design choice for a budget product, but there you go. So don't try to save a little more by getting an Ultra if you need the legacy support.