Upgrade?

R

Rydawg5143

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
6,781
So I going to build the GF a new computer ( Kinda). I have the follwing sitting around my work bench.
-E-8400, got it for 112 bucks from MC open box, works good.
-2gb ( 2x1) or 4gb ( 2x2) both sets are gskill ( took 4 gb out of my system to help OC)
-Corsair 450VX
-8800GT ( BFG) or 8600 (evga)
-WD3200AAKS
SO I'll need to get her a case and motherboard. I can do 2 things, I can give her my motherboard and 'upgrade' my motherboard or I can just get her a cheap but good motherboard.

What do you guys think, is there a motherboard that would fit my system better that would be worth the money? or should I just get her a cheap mobo? which one?
 
Give her your DS3L mobo, then get yourself an Asus P5Q Pro for $150. Then Crossfire 2 x 4870 later. Hehe. nah but, 1 x 4870HD is good already for your 24". But, you have that option on the P5Q Pro mobo if you choose to do so.
 
Here's a cheap yet effective case: the Antec Three Hundred.

If all of the stuff you have are extras, you might as well give her the best: specifically, 4GB of RAM and the 8800GT. And I second HardwareGuru's suggestion.
 
I saw on the mobo you 2 suggested that it is crossfire at the PCI-e are 2.0 but at x8 instead of x16. Will that matter? Will my single card run the same on tha x8 as it does on my x16 now
 
No; you'll still be able to use your video card in x16 mode. It will only switch to x8 mode if you are using CrossFire, but since most cards today don't fully utilize the x8 bus on their own, you should be fine either way.
 
SO would the P5Q Pro be a good upgrade, I see it has RAID? I doubt i would crossfire till christmas or so but still a nice option. How is the ocing of it with e8400?
 
It depends; do you plan on using RAID? How far do you want to overclock the E8400 to?
 
I have the e8400 at 3.6 atm and that seems pretty good for me, I dont liek the heat to get above 50c and anything above 3.6 does on load ( yeah ive been told anything below 60 is fine, but meh i don tlike heaters :p) Using RAID would be nice, but its not a must. I dont use it now and Danny said I wouldnt get much preformance increase goign RAID0 with 2 WD6400AAKS than without, so I thought it wouldnt be worth the money for a controller. But if I'm buying a new Mobo, may as well get with onboard?
 
For RAID 0, onboard would work just as well as an expansion card. The P5Q Pro would be able to maintain your overclock.
 
Think the P5Q would be good, or should i look into a xfire board with x16 on both slots in xfire?
 
Crossfire is only needed for very high resolution gaming, 24" @ 1920x1200 or higher. Otherwise, save your money.
 
So unless I want to get a bigger monitor/tv later one, Xfire would be worthless? I wouldn't get any better quality with xfire vs non with 4870 at 1920 x 1200?
 
Rydawg5143 said:
So unless I want to get a bigger monitor/tv later one, Xfire would be worthless? I wouldn't get any better quality with xfire vs non with 4870 at 1920 x 1200?
Click to expand...

At 1920x1200, you would get better quality with Crossfire, that was my point. Unless you have a screen with that high, or higher, of a resolution, then Crossfire is a waste.
 
It ok, Most of the time im totally oblivious about things. So should I get teh ASUS or the Gigabyte p45 w/ crossfire and RAID, they seem like similar boards.
 
Are you referring to the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R? If so, this is a good board and it's $15 cheaper than the P5Q Pro on NewEgg.
 
150+/- 20 bucks or so
Wouldnt mind RAID, Crossfire. I like my ep35-ds3l borad atm as it OC's easy
 
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $95
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $135
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $150
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you don't need more than 6 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, x8/x8 Crossfire, and high overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, only need support for 8GB of RAM and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.
 
I think dual 16x Crossfire would be better than dual 8x Crossfire, in which case, you'll want an X38 board (P45 is dual 8x only). The problem with that is, many of the X38 boards have been discontinued in favor of the X48 boards, so your choices are limited unless you'd rather pony up for an X48.
 
Asus, Gigabyte, etc. The Asus P5E (or deluxe) or the Gigabyte DS4 are always good choices. Though, I'd go for the DFI X38 if you want to get the same performance, but spend less money. If you want to spend MORE money, for the same performance, the DQ6 and the Rampage are also very popular.
 
I'm finding out that I hate 99% of motherboards just from their layouts. I got lucky with my current one. I need enough room for 2 vid cards and sound card without them being raped by each other. Also sucks that the Antec 900 has the PSU at the bottom of the case, making the 4 or 8 pin connector hard to reach
 
Ya know, they should include a 4/8-pin extension with that damn case, as well as the P180s, too, lol.
 
GA-X48-DS4, what you guys think of that board for me? ALso will my corsair 750 be enough power for xfire?
 
Rydawg5143 said:
GA-X48-DS4, what you guys think of that board for me? ALso will my corsair 750 be enough power for xfire?
Click to expand...

The Corsair 750TX will be more than enough power for XFire. The X48-DS4 is an excellent motherboard.
 
think i will have an issues with 2 4870's and a pci sound card ( fatalty) fitting in ?
 
Well I ordered the GA-X48-DS4 from eg, along with 12" 8 to 4x2 pin connection so the cpu power cord will reach and be outta sight ( right now it crosses over the RAM) I'll probably order my other 4870 in a month or 3. When xfiring, does the brand matter? I have VisionTek can xfire with any other brand, as long as its a stock 4870? I'm sure once i do finally get my 2nd card i'll have another million questions.
 
Danny oe Eng, do either you think i should upgrade my memory or think ill be fine with what i have. really only want to get an 3.6 OC.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top