If not 680i, then..? (recommendation request)

S

Solanio

n00b
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
4
Hello and thanks for reading this post,

I'm a newbie building his first computer, looking for recommendations for a motherboard for a gaming system. All I need to go forward is a mobo and I could use some experienced opinions to help me choose something to finally get this thing going.

These are the parts I have on hand:

OCZ GameXStream OCZ850GXSSLI 850Watts Power Supply
Thermaltake Armor Series Full Tower Computer Case
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Conroe 2.93GHz processor
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
Zalman 9700 LED 110mm CPU Cooler (I also have a Zalman 9500 on hand in case there are fitting issues with the 9700's size)
Corsair DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) ram 2x 1 GB
eVGA GeForce 8800GTX Video Card
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series sound card
Western Digital Raptor X 150GB hard drives (x2 for Raid 0 configuration)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 7200 RPM hard drive
Sony 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive
Samsung 18X DVD±R DVD Burner
Windows XP Pro
24" Dell lcd monitor

I'm hoping that my next purchases once I have the above installed and running are:

eVGA GeForce 8800GTX Video Card (2nd card added in SLI configuration)
Bigfoot Networks Killer PCI Network Adapter (optional - was thinking it would be good for World of Warcraft and other MMOs; but I notice that some boards lack the space if two video cards are used)

All the choices and issues are driving me nuts; I'm worried that my lack of experience is just not up to par to wade through all the user feedback and sort between what seems justified warnings and possible misunderstanding based on similar lack of experience/knowledge. (eg. mobos that are raved in the computer modder mags being dissed by some people who have purchased them, in the Newegg reviews or on forums such as this; all of which is leaving me scratching my head to figure out what I can buy to start building this thing).

I was initially looking at boards with the new NVIDIA nForce 680i chipset such as the eVGA 680i and some of the Asus models (like the Asus Striker). But given the numerous reported problems, I had reluctantly given up the idea of getting a board with this new chip but recent feedback regarding eVGA's beta BIOS update (P23) seem to indicate that the SATA issues might have been solved. Not sure about the raid issues being resolved (and I have already planned for a raid 0 configuration)

So, now I'm questioning whether the 680i should still be considered a viable candidate or if I should be looking at something like the ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe instead? - I'd really like a forward looking component that would allow for future upgrades and some longevity.

Anyway, thanks for reading this far and thanks-in-advance for any feedback or advice based on your own experience and reading. It is much appreciated.

S.
 
Yep, if you're going to do SLi in the future (and you apparently are), then the 680i chipset is the only real choice. Personally, I'd still go with the eVGA 680i solution since it's less expensive than the Asus board. Yes, there have been issues with it. . . but you are likely to get a problem-free board. And those problems that you might have seem to be getting ironed out via BIOS updates relatively quickly.

Personally, I've built two systems with the eVGA 680i board and haven't had any problem other than the occasional PS/2 keyboard beep. . . which could easily be worked around with a USB keyboard.
 
One other note: Reputable sites (such as storagereview.com) have time and time again demonstrated that (aside from joining multiple drives into one volume), there is no benefit to RAID-0 at the desktop/gaming-user level.

Server or "multi-user environments", yes. But for desktop systems, there is no need. Just get a single large drive (like a Seagate 400GB 7,200rpm Barracuda) and enjoy.

And, theoretically speaking, even if there were a benefit to RAID-0, it wouldn't generally increase game performance or frame rates. It would just decrease level load times, etc.
 
Hurin said:
Yep, if you're going to do SLi in the future (and you apparently are), then the 680i chipset is the only real choice. Personally, I'd still go with the eVGA 680i solution since it's less expensive than the Asus board. Yes, there have been issues with it. . . but you are likely to get a problem-free board. And those problems that you might have seem to be getting ironed out via BIOS updates relatively quickly.

Personally, I've built two systems with the eVGA 680i board and haven't had any problem other than the occasional PS/2 keyboard beep. . . which could easily be worked around with a USB keyboard.
Click to expand...

I agree, I love the eVGA 680i...
 
Hi (and thanks again to the responders).

Let me ask this then: what board would you recommend given the specified components, IF the 680i mobos did NOT exist?

The reason I'm asking is that, though I've ordered an evga 680i mobo, encouraged by the positive-seeming results from the P23 final, I've since then seen a number of posts that indicate that serious problems might still be extant. - It's hard to say since I'm not hearing the positives from people who have systems similar to what I intend (one would expect the most vocal to be those with problems and this might make the situation seem bleaker than it is).

I'm keeping an avid eye on the forums but I'm considering just returning it unopened and eating the restock fee if something else suggests itself.

tia, S.

* * *

P.S.

I didn't mention it but I bought usb gaming keyboard and mouse (logitek and razer) so the PS/2 problems shouldn't be an issue. - And not related, but I also bought a dremel tool to be able to mod my CPU cooler support (been reading about issues about bent capacitors and other protrusions making the install of the Zalman 9700 not an out-of-the-box solution)

As for RAID0 striping, yes I might be just mimicing my betters since I'm following along with configurations based on my readings of CPU, Maximum PC, and books like "Building the Ultimate Gaming PC" - but I: a) already have the drives and am set to go that way; b) I think for my first-ever build, setting up a RAID0 system will be a fun and valuable learning experience; and c) it seems that a purported high-end mobo should support RAID since that support is extant in other mobos of the same price/target market. - I do appreciate the feedback though and I think I see what you're saying. Still, in the games I do play, travelling from zone to zone and having to load textures a lot, I think it might have some benefit.

Ciao
 
Another vote for the Evga 680i, I had mine since the release date and it has been rock solid with zero problems for me so far. I personally would not get the Asus boards (long time Asus customer) they are way over priced and their customer support sucks big time!!!!. :p
 
If you want SLI, the only other choice is the 650i. Which is probably a better choice regardless; we'll know enough to make a sound determination in a week or so when more people have them.
 
Why would anyone NOT want a 680i Intel based motherboard?

Best board I've ever owned in terms of overclockability. It's that simple to use.

3.3GHz here 50c under load
 
680i MBs are your best bet at this juncture.
You really went all out for a first build. :D
680i available:evga,bfg,Biostar,ECS,ASUS(striker and p5N32-E SLI)
I really dont think you will be disappointed with a 680i board. You'll just have to endure some growing pains.
If the nvidia reference boards scare you,go with ASUS.
 
Dude you have a killer system going right there...

Abit is releasing their new 680i board in the first 2 weeks of January, and the DFI board is soon to follow, so I would wait if I were you to see if those boards improve on the bugs.
 
Well... so far I seemed to have dodged a bullet. Again, so far, I've had none of the reported issues with the eVGA 680i board.

Got the system up and running this last weekend without hardly any hitches (I did have some bad ram but once that was replaced, went good). Setting up RAID was not a problem, all my SATA drives were recognized (the SATA socket order is in error and it was even wrong from what eVGA tech support told me, the RAM was recognized as SLI-ready RAM. I even had the P23 BIOS downloaded and set to go but it was not needed. Everything is working good so far (fingers crossed).

I did have to change the multiplier from x7 to x11 to get my processor going at its rated speed (that's good enough for now. I'll let this thing cook and settle in), and change the memory timings and voltage as the auto setting was incorrect. I did have to demel the Zalman backplate to get it to clear the caps on the backside.

Positive: well, again for me, very easy set-up. RAID drivers on a floppy all set to go making RAID easy to set-up, everything recognized and working. eVGA tech support was absolutely outstanding and very patient with my newbie questions

Negs: really not much. Just small things for me: The I/O shield is really flimsy and lightweight IMHO. I guess it does the job but not as nice as the one I removed from the case; not sure why they don't just correct the online version of the documentation; it's just an edit, resave and upload after all. The errors in for instance the SATA configuration were never corrected in the online copy; call-back option for support very spotty - sometimes they called back, sometimes not; wished the SATA 1,2 sockets were elsewhere as it was a cable stretch in my case; would have been good not to have had to dremel the Zalman backplate - if those caps could have been moved just a short distance; very snug if I put in that second GPU. Might think of having to insulate some of the caps on the soundcard but I won't know until I try it.

But, again, very happy and just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to help me out by responding to my post.

Thanks a bunch, Sol.
 
The other downside to RAID 0 is that if one of your drives go, you loose everything. There is no data redundancy. If you're going to play with RAID, do RAID 1. At least then you will not loose any data. RAID 0 is risky for a desktop / gaming pc considering the gains are minimal at best.
 
neorecon said:
The other downside to RAID 0 is that if one of your drives go, you loose everything. There is no data redundancy. If you're going to play with RAID, do RAID 1. At least then you will not loose any data. RAID 0 is risky for a desktop / gaming pc considering the gains are minimal at best.
Click to expand...

Yeah but Raid1 = Backup, so you loose out on half your storage.
 
Solanio said:
Hello and thanks for reading this post,

I'm a newbie building his first computer, looking for recommendations for a motherboard for a gaming system. All I need to go forward is a mobo and I could use some experienced opinions to help me choose something to finally get this thing going.

These are the parts I have on hand:

OCZ GameXStream OCZ850GXSSLI 850Watts Power Supply
Thermaltake Armor Series Full Tower Computer Case
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Conroe 2.93GHz processor
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
Zalman 9700 LED 110mm CPU Cooler (I also have a Zalman 9500 on hand in case there are fitting issues with the 9700's size)
Corsair DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) ram 2x 1 GB
eVGA GeForce 8800GTX Video Card
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series sound card
Western Digital Raptor X 150GB hard drives (x2 for Raid 0 configuration)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 7200 RPM hard drive
Sony 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive
Samsung 18X DVD±R DVD Burner
Windows XP Pro
24" Dell lcd monitor

I'm hoping that my next purchases once I have the above installed and running are:

eVGA GeForce 8800GTX Video Card (2nd card added in SLI configuration)
Bigfoot Networks Killer PCI Network Adapter (optional - was thinking it would be good for World of Warcraft and other MMOs; but I notice that some boards lack the space if two video cards are used)

All the choices and issues are driving me nuts; I'm worried that my lack of experience is just not up to par to wade through all the user feedback and sort between what seems justified warnings and possible misunderstanding based on similar lack of experience/knowledge. (eg. mobos that are raved in the computer modder mags being dissed by some people who have purchased them, in the Newegg reviews or on forums such as this; all of which is leaving me scratching my head to figure out what I can buy to start building this thing).

I was initially looking at boards with the new NVIDIA nForce 680i chipset such as the eVGA 680i and some of the Asus models (like the Asus Striker). But given the numerous reported problems, I had reluctantly given up the idea of getting a board with this new chip but recent feedback regarding eVGA's beta BIOS update (P23) seem to indicate that the SATA issues might have been solved. Not sure about the raid issues being resolved (and I have already planned for a raid 0 configuration)

So, now I'm questioning whether the 680i should still be considered a viable candidate or if I should be looking at something like the ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe instead? - I'd really like a forward looking component that would allow for future upgrades and some longevity.

Anyway, thanks for reading this far and thanks-in-advance for any feedback or advice based on your own experience and reading. It is much appreciated.

S.
Click to expand...

The new P24 bios has fixed all the problems that it has had so far. FINALLY! :D
 
Ooooo! P24! Didn't know it was out!

Congrats to the OP for a successful build. For SLi on the Intel platform, there's just no substitute for a 680i or 650i.

Regarding RAID-0 vs RAID-1. RAID-1 sacrifices performance for reduncancy. So it's unlikely a gamer would go that route. It's just mirroring. Whereas Raid-0 sacrifices *all* redundancy for performance.

But, as I wrote above. . . RAID-0 is essentially useless for gaming and desktop performance. You'll never notice the difference. Such money is better spent on video cards or more RAM. . . and you won't have doubled (or tripled) your risk of catastrophic data loss.
 
Hurin said:
One other note: Reputable sites (such as storagereview.com) have time and time again demonstrated that (aside from joining multiple drives into one volume), there is no benefit to RAID-0 at the desktop/gaming-user level.
Click to expand...

Can you provide a link to any of these articles? I'm thinking about having Raid 0 on two of the Seagate 320GB perp drives.

I understand that disk speed doesn't impact video frame-rate, but I am desiring faster application load and level loading for games.


Thanks,
Steve
 
Windfire said:
Can you provide a link to any of these articles? I'm thinking about having Raid 0 on two of the Seagate 320GB perp drives.

I understand that disk speed doesn't impact video frame-rate, but I am desiring faster application load and level loading for games.


Thanks,
Steve
Click to expand...
Here ya go:

Link 1

Link 2

It's important, however, to read the analysis of the graphs presented in those article, however. As they often explain how the synthetic benchmarks are misleading and do not represent real-world situations.
 
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