need help with motherboard and ram selection

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cameramonkey

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My desktop PC recently died. I need to purchase some new components to get up and running again. I’ve been researching web sites and forums and have decided that I want to get the Intel Core Duo E6600 and the BFG Geforce 7950GT. I wanted the machine to be able to run Windows Vista with some ease (this is a future OS upgrade, I’ll be installing Windows XP Pro for now), that’s why I picked these 2 components. The problem is after all the researching I’ve done, I don’t know which motherboard and RAM combo to get with these aforementioned components. It seems that a lot of builders out there are having some issues when assembling their build, especially when it comes to selecting the right Mobo/Ram combo (Ram voltage and timing issues, IDE drive issues, etc.) My budget allows for me to spend up to 200 dollars on a motherboard, and since I don’t plan on running an SLI rig, I’ve ruled out anything based on an Nvidia chipset. I think that I’d like to purchase a motherboard with the P965 chipset, firewire support and Raid capability. I’ve really been eying the following boards:

1 .Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6
2. Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 – (could always get a firewire card for this one)
3. Asus P5B Deluxe
4. Asus P5B-E

I‘d like to pair one of the above with a 2 Gig kit of DDR2 PC6400 Ram. I need a recommendation on what type of Ram to purchase. The main thing I want is an easy, no nonsense build that I can get up and running quickly and be very stable. Since I do a lot of video editing with Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere Pro and image editing with Photoshop (I do dabble in some gaming - Half Life 2 and Battlefield 2), stability is of utmost importance. I do not plan to overclock my components. I just plan on running thing at their stock ratings. Can you please recommend which motherboard would suit my needs best and suggest some Ram to go with it. Thanks so much in advance.
 
I just built a rig for someone using the DS3, E6400, and 2GBNQ (g.skill ddr2-800 2gb) sticks. It booted on first try, both sticks. The DS3 came with the F7 bios.

I bumped the FSB to 300, but it needed a bit more voltage. So I raised the vCore from 1.325 to 1.33125 and that was good til about 433. He was happy with that OC (on stock cooling) so we left it there. He's getting a Tuniq Tower to see if he can push the CPU more, lol. He didnt want to bother with ram timings, so he left it at 5-5-5-15 with 1.8V and 1:1 throughout all the OC'ing.

$220 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz
$130 - GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express
$210 - G.SKILL 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
$80 - BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE Geforce 7600GT 256MB ($145 - $65MIR)
*prices are what he paid, except for the vidcard, which is an AR price
 
enginurd said:
I just built a rig for someone using the DS3, E6400, and 2GBNQ (g.skill ddr2-800 2gb) sticks. It booted on first try, both sticks. The DS3 came with the F7 bios.

I bumped the FSB to 300, but it needed a bit more voltage. So I raised the vCore from 1.325 to 1.33125 and that was good til about 433. He was happy with that OC (on stock cooling) so we left it there. He's getting a Tuniq Tower to see if he can push the CPU more, lol. He didnt want to bother with ram timings, so he left it at 5-5-5-15 with 1.8V and 1:1 throughout all the OC'ing.

$220 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz
$130 - GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express
$210 - G.SKILL 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
$80 - BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE Geforce 7600GT 256MB ($145 - $65MIR)
*prices are what he paid, except for the vidcard, which is an AR price
Click to expand...

That's a great config. I wonder how this config would work in the Asus P5B-E? I'd like to get that board for the built in firewire and the external SATA connector. The only other concern I have is how reputable is the G.Skill Ram? If I did go the DS3 rote, all I would really need to add to this configuration is a PCI firewire card for video capture. I would lose the E-SATA connector though... :(
 
E-sata wasn't a big factor with the person I built the system for. The P5B-E only has Firewire 400, and a Firewire 800 card is only around $30. So you'll be paying $15 more for firewire and esata... not bad. The P5B-E will reach at least 400Mhz FSB.

G.Skill's been around for a while, but if you want one of the name brands, then go ahead and pay the extra price premium.
$213 - OCZ Platinum Rev2 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 SDRAM DDR2-800 OCZ2P800R22GK ($245 - $32MIR)
 
enginurd said:
E-sata wasn't a big factor with the person I built the system for. The P5B-E only has Firewire 400, and a Firewire 800 card is only around $30. So you'll be paying $15 more for firewire and esata... not bad. The P5B-E will reach at least 400Mhz FSB.

G.Skill's been around for a while, but if you want one of the name brands, then go ahead and pay the extra price premium.
$213 - OCZ Platinum Rev2 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 SDRAM DDR2-800 OCZ2P800R22GK ($245 - $32MIR)
Click to expand...


Thanks for the advice. I don't have a problem trying out the G. Skill. Just hadn't heard much about them. I think I'll give them a try. How's this config look to you:

BFG Tech GeForce 7900GS 256MB
OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI ATX12V 600W Power Supply
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ 2GB RAM (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
Asus P5B-E
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
 
Looks good. If you can, go for a Seasonic S12/M12 or Corsair HX PSU. FYI, you can get an eSATA PCI bracket to adapt any internal SATA port into an external one.
 
enginurd said:
Looks good. If you can, go for a Seasonic S12/M12 or Corsair HX PSU. FYI, you can get an eSATA PCI bracket to adapt any internal SATA port into an external one.
Click to expand...

Really? Cool. (I think someone's trying to nudge me towards a DS3 ;) ). If you think the DS3 is a better board more stable overall and that I'm better of getting one instead of the P5B-E, let me know and I'll get it instead and just get a PCI firewire card and an eSATA bracket. (I do like the features of the P5B-E better overall...) But, I do trust your opinion...

How's the Cosair 520 watt power supply? Are the connectors long enough to reach components in a full tower case?
 
Haha, like I said, the P5B-E is a good board. I got one for my uncle, and he loves it. He's an Asus junkie :p I got the DS3 for my mom and a friend, and they, too, are great boards. The Corsair has long cables, and work well in the P180(B). Here's a review on the HX520:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=28
** Four of the 5.25" peripheral/drive Molexes are on two very short cables: 12" X 6" Ideal for optical drives.
The other six cables are longer 21" X 6" cables.
Click to expand...
Oh, the FDD splitter cable is rather short.
 
Thanks for all of your help enginurd. It is VERY appreciated.

Just one more question. I was sharing my findings with a coworker, and he is interested in the P5B deluxe so that he can run dual video cards and use 4 monitors. Video editors love their screen real estate. If the P5B DLX is just as stable with this same hardware that I've chosen and can run 2 video cards, he's interesting in building one. Is the P5B DLX just as stable ad the P5B-E and the DS3? Will it work with the G. Skill RAM? Thanks in advance.

Now, I'm off to Newegg to spend some money.....
 
im using the F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ and gigabyte DS3 and e6300. Rock stable at 7x430=3ghz. Had it up to 3.2ghz (7x457)and it booted into windows, but my screen kept "blanking" for some reason, not enough voltage on something maybe?
 
I think the G.Skill ram will be fine in the P5B Deluxe. The P5B Deluxe is VERY stable and one of the best boards out there for Core2Duo. Its 8-phase power design is what makes it such a great board. Though, I believe it is WAY overpriced. Alot of people use hacked drivers to get it to run in SLI/Crossfire mode.

While the P5B Deluxe is a great choice, there are less expensive alternatives. You don't need 2 16x PCI Express slots to run 4 monitors. Video editing doesnt require powerful graphics cards, therefore he can run 2 of the monitors off a PCI vidcard instead. So, unless hes really comfortable with the price premium on the Deluxe, he should go for a less expensive board.


cooldude918 said:
im using the F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ and gigabyte DS3 and e6300. Rock stable at 7x430=3ghz. Had it up to 3.2ghz (7x457)and it booted into windows, but my screen kept "blanking" for some reason, not enough voltage on something maybe?
Click to expand...
What was your CPU voltage at? Try raising it another notch and see if it helps. I doubt its your ram or board. My sticks could do at least 433, rock stable at 5-5-5-15 with only 1.8v. To go higher, you'll need to play with timings and voltage. I havent had a chance to play beyond 433, but after I do, I'll let people know in future posts, lol. What are your temps at, too (cpu)?
 
timings are at 5-5-5-15 and 2v. Voltage for cpu i believe was ~1.4 or a notch or 2 below that?(im at work right now, not sure) I suppose that probably is it. At 3ghz i run it at 1.35, and after vdrop i think its around 1.296(thats what cpu-z says). With the freezer 7 and at 1.35v and 3ghz, temps with fan on lowest setting after 10 hours of orthos where only 60c max. I used the gigabyte tuner to turn the fan up to around 70% (at 100% its the loudest thing in my case and really stands out), and temps seem to have came down to around ~55C orthos loaded. I think i will try playing around with it some more the next few days, i would really like 3.2ghz. I had just read this ram seemed to max out around ~450mhz/ddr900 so i was suprised to see mine booting at 457mhz.
 
Dangit enginurd, you got me thinking about the 8-phase power design of the P5B Deluxe! It might be worth the extra money to get it instead the P5B-E. Alright, I think this is going to be my final specs:

Asus P5B Deluxe
BFG Tech GeForce 7900GS 256MB
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ 2GB RAM (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W Power Supply

What do you think?

Do I really need a new soundcard? I've got a Soundblaster Live! 5.1 that still works great. I guess I could just use that.
 
Got mine up to 457 but memtest would fail within a split second, so im pretty sure the memory just doesnt like being that high. Orthos failed after 15 minutes. I may play with it later, but 3ghz is more than enough for anything.
 
Haha! You should already know what I think... its overpriced! But hey, its a great board, so if you're comfortable with the price, go for it. The 8-phase power helps with stability. That doesn't mean the other boards aren't as stable, it just means they had more creative engineering put into them, lol. I'd stick with the P5B-E since you don't really plan on OC'ing.

For people seeking stability and plan to never overclock, I usually recommend Intel and RAM thats JEDEC compliant (1.8v). However, I think the P5B-E or DS3 along with the G.Skill sticks are nicely priced for the performance. They're stable at stock settings and leave the door open for overclocking later down the road.

You really can't go wrong with any of those 4 boards you listed in your OP. I think the P5B-E fits your needs best.

I don't think you need a soundcard, but try the onboard sound first. If you dont like it, get an Audigy2 ZS for $60AR or an X-Fi for $90AR (I'm not sure if those rebate deals are still around, lol, but they show up every now and then).
 
cooldude918 said:
Got mine up to 457 but memtest would fail within a split second, so im pretty sure the memory just doesnt like being that high. Orthos failed after 15 minutes. I may play with it later, but 3ghz is more than enough for anything.
Click to expand...
Its already at 2v? dang... try 2.2v and relax the timings a bit more. Yah, I think its hit its max, hehe. I'll try the sticks I've got over the weekend. No time right now :(
 
enginurd said:
Its already at 2v? dang... try 2.2v and relax the timings a bit more. Yah, I think its hit its max, hehe. I'll try the sticks I've got over the weekend. No time right now :(
Click to expand...
Which timings? the main ones? 5-5-5-15? Do the other timings make that much difference? Im just not 100% sure what to set the other ones on
 
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