Trigger Happy

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Mekanic01

Gawd
Joined
Jul 11, 2002
Messages
927
Yea, it's about time. Within the next week I should have the money to pull the trigger, and I just wanted some final thoughts on this.

SAPPHIRE 100243L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card 4870 for sure, suggest a brand?

CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 Power Supply

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Saitek PK17U Black/Silver USB Standard Cyborg Keyboard

BenQ G2400WD Black 24" 5ms, 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 4870 going to be enough for this?

ERGOTRON 33-310-060 Neo-Flex LCD Stand

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S203N To lightscribe, or not to lightscribe?

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD

ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound zero cure time

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler

XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket

APEVIA CF12SL-URED 120mm Red LED Case Fan - Retail
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Anybody recommend a motherboard? Originally I was going to go with the MSI Neo2-FR, but, then the P45s came out, and the new GPUs came out, and should I go SLI/Crossfire? Too many questions, too many alternatives. Anyway, does this look good, and for a good OC/gaming, what's a good motherboard? And should I be planning to have crossfire in the future?

Oops, almost forgot. I can probably go up to $300 more.
Thanks up front.
 
I'm pretty happy with my Foxconn IP35A board. It has the P35 chipset, but for all intents and purposes it's just as good as a P45 board. Good feature set, including Crossfire and overclocking. Can't beat it for $73 after rebate.
 
Looks like a solid build to me. Visiontek has the best customer support and lifetime warranty for ATI cards so get a 4870 from them. Sapphire customer service is a joke. Forget about Crossfire, I think you'll be plenty happy with a 4870 on a 24" monitor. If you need more power down the road sell the 4870 and pick up a 4870X2.
 
You'll always find people bitching and moaning about the RMA process. If a replacement isn't hand delivered to their door in under 24 hours people will find something to complain about. Visiontek seems to have the best track record of all ATI vendors. They have the best warranty. A rather friendly and useful support forum. They're an American company with headquarters in the US. Everyone you talk to speaks good English and you don't have to send your card off to China to get a replacement. Not saying they're perfect, but you could do much worse. :D
 
What features do you need in a motherboard?

EDIT: I remembered asking you this question before, so I looked...

Mekanic01 said:
Stable. Is there a motherboard with a decent built in wireless network? ...
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Danny Bui said:
The only motherboards I've ever seen with onboard wireless are ones made by Asus. This mobo is relatively stable and does have that onboard wireless you seek:
Asus P5K-E/WIFI-AP Intel P35 ATX Motherboard - $150 ...
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Do you still want onboard WiFi? If not, the Neo3-FR should be fine if you didn't need that extra PCI-E 16.4x slot on the Neo2-FR. I'm not sure if any of the newer Asus boards have onboard WiFi.

<RANT> For some stupid reason, MSI thought it would be better to have 4 PCI slots on the newer P45 board... WTH? Why use the P45 chipset at all on this board? The P43 Express would have been a better fit, and cheaper, too, right? </RANT>

The P5Q Deluxe you linked too is way overpriced, IMO. The P5Q Pro would be a better choice.
 
enginurd said:
<RANT> For some stupid reason, MSI thought it would be better to have 4 PCI slots on the newer P45 board... WTH? Why use the P45 chipset at all on this board? The P43 Express would have been a better fit, and cheaper, too, right? </RANT>
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Yeah it seems like the new P45 motherboards have some very....umm......odd features or lack thereof. Still kind of peeved that Gigabyte removed two SATA ports from their DS3R line...

Anyway I concur with Enginurd about the Deluxe. You can get a X38 motherboard for that price.
 
I don't really need the WiFi onboard. It was really something I was just curious about. Yea, the 4 PCI slot is bs, what's the point.

So, P5Q Pro, or Neo3 FR?
 
Mekanic01 said:
So, P5Q Pro, or Neo3 FR?
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Up to you now. Compare the features and see which one appeals to you more. Neither motherboard is a bad choice. Just go with the one that best fits your needs.
 
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