how do i know which board supports...

E

evanisthecoastie

Supreme [H]ardness
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Nov 14, 2006
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crossfire from looking at all the mobos on the newegg list? i havnt been following the ati side of motherboards at all, all im used to is sli boards :-/
 
Well, it really depends...

If you're looking at Intel boards almost all of them support CF and they should indicate it by how many PCI-E X16 slots there are. I believe certain P35 boards are CF while others arent while most X38 and X48 boards are CF. Then with the P45's the same goes as did with the P35s. I believe all intel chipsets are CF with the exception of the Skulltrail.

Im not necessarily sure what you're looking for but i hope ive been some help.
 
Generally speaking, for intel platforms:
P35: mainstream chipset that can support Crossfire in 16x + 4x mode
X38: enthusiast chipset that can support Crossfire in 16x + 16x mode
P43: mainstream chipset that can not support Crossfire
P45: mainstream chipset that can support Crossfire in 8x + 8x mode
X48: enthusiast chipset that can support CrossfireX in 16x + 16x mode

So basically, all X38/X48 boards support Crossfire. Some P35 boards support a crippled Crossfire. No P43 boards should support any Crossfire. Most P45 boards support a cheaper version of Crossfire.
 
Not all P35/P45 boards have dual x16 slots though...so you have to check the layout of the board and not just buy any random P35/p45 board.

Personally, I'd prefer the dual x16 bandwidth of x38/x48, especially with newer ATI cards.
 
kirbyrj said:
Not all P35/P45 boards have dual x16 slots though...so you have to check the layout of the board and not just buy any random P35/p45 board.

Personally, I'd prefer the dual x16 bandwidth of x38/x48, especially with newer ATI cards.
Click to expand...

I've got an Intel P35 chipset based board in my HTPC and it can not support Crossfire as it only has one PCI-Express x16 slot.
 
Menelmarar said:
I too would vote X38/X48 if you are eying a crossfire config.
Click to expand...

Crossfire is really the only feature that can justify the purchase of an X38 or X48 board in my opinion. The P35/P45 boards are just as good as they are in every other way really.
 
enginurd said:
Generally speaking, for intel platforms:
P35: mainstream chipset that can support Crossfire in 16x + 4x mode
X38: enthusiast chipset that can support Crossfire in 16x + 16x mode
P43: mainstream chipset that can not support Crossfire
P45: mainstream chipset that can support Crossfire in 8x + 8x mode
X48: enthusiast chipset that can support CrossfireX in 16x + 16x mode

So basically, all X38/X48 boards support Crossfire. Some P35 boards support a crippled Crossfire. No P43 boards should support any Crossfire. Most P45 boards support a cheaper version of Crossfire.
Click to expand...

bingo, exactly what i was looking for! sorry for my shitty explanation, i couldnt think of how to word it.
 
enginurd said:
Generally speaking, for intel platforms:
P35: mainstream chipset that can support Crossfire in 16x + 4x mode
X38: enthusiast chipset that can support Crossfire in 16x + 16x mode
P43: mainstream chipset that can not support Crossfire
P45: mainstream chipset that can support Crossfire in 8x + 8x mode
X48: enthusiast chipset that can support CrossfireX in 16x + 16x mode

So basically, all X38/X48 boards support Crossfire. Some P35 boards support a crippled Crossfire. No P43 boards should support any Crossfire. Most P45 boards support a cheaper version of Crossfire.
Click to expand...

Correct.
The big question for me was:
What chipset do I need/want if I didn't want to run crossfire that would be a true upgrade from 975x. Nobody usually runs any single video card bencmarks, so it is hard to know. They are "selling" the P45 as "being 45nm ready" but I assume that the X48 would be, and also the P35.

Basically, I would like the fastest DDR2 or DDR3 setup with a 45nm Dual or Quad with the best overall performance. Some recent reviews are suggesting that the P45 is a step down in memory performance due to softened timings, etc.

So, what board would be the Socket 775 single video card performance leader?
 
The difference in overall computing performance between the Intel chipsets is so small that its not even worth comparing in such a way. Eaglelake (P45 family) is mostly (except for the X48) a die shrink of the Bearlake family (P35). As stated already, the only reason to get an X38/X48 board would be for Crossfire, or if you need a 2nd PCI-E 16x slot for something like a RAID card. If you want the fastest single card setup, then go for a P45. Even if those reports are true, about decreased RAM performance, I doubt you'd notice the difference. Sorry, I'm too lazy to investigate that right now, so if you could post a link, it would be most helpful. :)
 
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