Which LGA775 mobo (mATX, of course) to get...

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grndslm

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I burnt out my last Gigabyte mobo (GA-G33M-DS2R), and I'm looking at something cheap this time, and passing up the OCing bit for a minute. Is there any reason not to get the GA-G41M-ES2L over the GA-G31M-ES2L ?? I think I need the 8GB max memory provided by the G41 board, but ya never know...

BTW, I'm trying to use this with Ubuntu, so if anybody knows if the X4500 graphics works with 8.10 or 9.04, that'd be awesome. I'll just use my graphics card otherwise, but I'd rather use the onboard Intel if possible.
 
Are there really no other options for micro-ATX cases? There were quite a few last year when I was looking, and now most of them are obsolete or at least not being sold.

Now the only thing I can find besides these Gigabyte boards is the Zotac 9300-ITX, which is a mini-ITX and has to drop the PCI slot.

Guess I'm gonna have to buy the G41 board for the extra supported memory, even tho it supposedly doesn't OC as well as the G31 board.

P.S. - Do I have these terms correct? micro-ATX & mini-ITX?
 
grndslm said:
Are there really no other options for micro-ATX cases? There were quite a few last year when I was looking, and now most of them are obsolete or at least not being sold.

Now the only thing I can find besides these Gigabyte boards is the Zotac 9300-ITX, which is a mini-ITX and has to drop the PCI slot.

Guess I'm gonna have to buy the G41 board for the extra supported memory, even tho it supposedly doesn't OC as well as the G31 board.

P.S. - Do I have these terms correct? micro-ATX & mini-ITX?
Click to expand...
Those are the right terms.

What cases are you looking at?

Mobo wise, it really doesn't matter if the Gigabyte mobo has support for 8GB of RAM because single 4GB sticks of RAM are very very expensive. So that support for 8GB of RAM is not worth it from a price to performance perspective since that Gigabyte G41 only supports two sticks of RAM.

So the max RAM you can fit in that Gigabyte mobo, from a price to performance perspective, is 4GB of RAM.
 
My case I've had for a while, Ultra Microfly w/ 400W PSU for dirt cheap, like $40.

DANG, Danny... I didn't even notice the G41 board only had 2 slots. Thanks for pointing that out.

Soo... is there any decent Micro-ATX board that's still in production with 4 memory slots, supporting 8GB of RAM? I'd like to keep it cheap, but I guess my price really is limitless since I need this quad core running again. My backup computer is killing me, honestly.
 
Oh yea... I might actually prefer NVidia chipsets/graphics. So, it's not Intel-specific.

That Zotac 9300-ITX was sounding really appealing with the NVidia graphics and built-in Wi-Fi. What kinda Micro-ATX cases are available with those specs?
 
Are you sure that you can't just RMA the motherboard? IIRC, Gigabyte mobos have a two year warranty. How'd you burn the mobo in the first place?

There is a 4 slot RAM version of the Gigabyte G41 mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128367

The best mini-ITX case out there IMO is this case:
$100 - Silverstone SG05B mITX Case with FSP SFX 300W PSU

In fact, there's combo deal right now that lets you get the Case and mobo for $200:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.185619
 
That's a sick deal!
The mobo never goes below $129.
So I guess there's more margain on both of those items.
Man I am tempted to get it to replace my MATX HTPC!
 
1. I found very few references to the G41M-ES2L on the web. If it's as good as the G31M-ES2L, then it's gotta be a winner. Depending on the price, of course. The one available for the moment is the EG41M-S2H, which incidentally has 4 mem slots. But apparently reviews on newegg seem to indicate that 4*2GB is not possible. I guess it's for people who are still stuck with 4*1GB single sided.
2. Why not then the G31M-ES2L?
3. I'm not trying to tell you what you need or don't need, but there is very little point in getting 8GB of RAM. Do not believe the hype or the over-enthusiastic people from these forums.
Check this out from Tom's:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-module-upgrade,2264.html
4. Jeez this Zotac + SG05 looks fantastic. Pity though that it's so hard to find the mobo in Europe. I still haven't found it in Sweden.
 
NichoTL said:
1. I found very few references to the G41M-ES2L on the web. If it's as good as the G31M-ES2L, then it's gotta be a winner. Depending on the price, of course. The one available for the moment is the EG41M-S2H, which incidentally has 4 mem slots. But apparently reviews on newegg seem to indicate that 4*2GB is not possible. I guess it's for people who are still stuck with 4*1GB single sided.
Click to expand...
Soo... how is the EG41M-S2H different from the EG41MF-S2H?? Either one support 6GB?

NichoTL said:
2. Why not then the G31M-ES2L?
3. I'm not trying to tell you what you need or don't need, but there is very little point in getting 8GB of RAM. Do not believe the hype or the over-enthusiastic people from these forums.
Check this out from Tom's:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-module-upgrade,2264.html
Click to expand...
I definitely need a shit ton of memory. I ran outta 2GB within the first couple hours of rebooting. Opening hundreds of tabs in Firefox does that to ya. I just bought 4 GB more for a total of 6 GB Crucial Ballistix... in hopes that I'll never need to use swap space on the hard drive again. If I can keep all active processes & data inside memory... I can drastically reduce (READ: eliminate) the seek times necessary when swapping memory to/from the HDD.

This mobo decision ultimately comes down to the cheapest LGA775 board that allows 6 GB of RAM.
 
grndslm said:
Soo... how is the EG41M-S2H different from the EG41MF-S2H?? Either one support 6GB?
Click to expand...

My bad. I was talking about the EG41MF-S2H. I have a feeling that 6GB should work. But can't be sure.

I definitely need a shit ton of memory. I ran outta 2GB within the first couple hours of rebooting. Opening hundreds of tabs in Firefox does that to ya. I just bought 4 GB more for a total of 6 GB Crucial Ballistix... in hopes that I'll never need to use swap space on the hard drive again. If I can keep all active processes & data inside memory... I can drastically reduce (READ: eliminate) the seek times necessary when swapping memory to/from the HDD.

This mobo decision ultimately comes down to the cheapest LGA775 board that allows 6 GB of RAM.
Click to expand...

The first 2GB are actually taken by a lot more than app data. The next 2GB are more or less ONLY app data. Again, If all you do is open 100 Firefox windows (I should add that this has always puzzled me: why would ANYONE open 100 browser windows... because they can? but I guess this is none of my business.), 4GB should be enough. Really. Give it a try with your current setup.
 
I have 100 TABS open, not 100 windows. Not like it really makes a difference, but there is one. And I have them open to read, of course. I just open every page that I want to read... so that when I'm done closing one page, another one just pops up, already loaded. Keeps a constant flow of web surfing.

And I'd like to be downloading 2 or 3 torrents, creating a custom LiveDVD of my system with Remastersys, etc.... all at the same time, without using swap space.

I'm fairly certain I can break 4 GB in a day or two.... so the more the merrier.
 
Soo, I'll ask again... how is the EG41M-S2H different from the EG41MF-S2H??

And do both of them really support 8GB (4 x 2GB)???
 
I don't know if you'll want to go with a GeForce 9400 chipset, but I have a E7AUM-DS2H that I'm using in my server box. Seems to be useful and stable.
 
grndslm said:
Soo, I'll ask again... how is the EG41M-S2H different from the EG41MF-S2H??

And do both of them really support 8GB (4 x 2GB)???
Click to expand...

It used to be that the MF would be the one with 4 DIMM slots and the M with only 2. That applied to another model I can't remember though.
Anyway I was talking about the MF in my first post. Don't know about the M (does it even exist?)
From what I understand 8GB on the MF is a no-go.
 
grndslm said:
I have 100 TABS open, not 100 windows. Not like it really makes a difference, but there is one. And I have them open to read, of course. I just open every page that I want to read... so that when I'm done closing one page, another one just pops up, already loaded. Keeps a constant flow of web surfing.

And I'd like to be downloading 2 or 3 torrents, creating a custom LiveDVD of my system with Remastersys, etc.... all at the same time, without using swap space.

I'm fairly certain I can break 4 GB in a day or two.... so the more the merrier.
Click to expand...

Okie Dokie it's your computer and you do what you want with it. I'd say that all these open apps (Firefox, utorrent, Remastersys, etc...) is pretty standard fare. It's just your '100 tabs' usage that I find puzzling. But hey, each to their own.
 
Danny Bui said:
Are you sure that you can't just RMA the motherboard? IIRC, Gigabyte mobos have a two year warranty. How'd you burn the mobo in the first place?
Click to expand...
I looked up the board on newegg, and it says 1 year. Everywhere else says 3 years, tho. Soo... what should I do? I doubt I still have a receipt... I probly bought it from newegg, tho. Tried looking up a place on Gigabyte's site to contact them about RMAs and I failed.

Xaeos said:
I don't know if you'll want to go with a GeForce 9400 chipset, but I have a E7AUM-DS2H that I'm using in my server box. Seems to be useful and stable.
Click to expand...
Seems like that might be my best bet for right now. Will have to research this later tonight.

NichoTL said:
It used to be that the MF would be the one with 4 DIMM slots and the M with only 2. That applied to another model I can't remember though.
Anyway I was talking about the MF in my first post. Don't know about the M (does it even exist?)
From what I understand 8GB on the MF is a no-go.
Click to expand...
Yea, yea... I forgot the M only has 2 slots. So that's off the list.

So, it seems like my only options are the EG41MF-S2H (which may or may not handle 6GB of RAM) and the E7AUM-DS2H.... are there no ASUS mATX boards around still?

NichoTL said:
Okie Dokie it's your computer and you do what you want with it. I'd say that all these open apps (Firefox, utorrent, Remastersys, etc...) is pretty standard fare. It's just your '100 tabs' usage that I find puzzling. But hey, each to their own.
Click to expand...
Definitely to each his own. I'm not sure how people can just click a link on a page, wait for the page to load, read the page, hit back, waiting for it to re-render a page that was previously open, find the next link they'd like to click, and then wait for *it* to load. Everything that I have an interest in reading is already open, and when I'm done reading one, I simply close the tab and immediately start reading the next page. I get lost in the web easier this way, but it's still quicker to navigate thru this extra web space than if I were only using one or two tabs.
 
Just found the order in my order history from NewEgg... August 2007. So 3 months shy of 2 years.

Should I just email Gigabyte and see what they say? Should I only ask them how long the warranty is of the board at first? Do you guys think NewEgg just made a mistake?

Guess I just need to slow down and wait until Monday to figure out if I can get this repaired.

BTW... more thoughts on LGA775 mobos that can handle 6~8 GB of RAM would still be greatly appreciated.
 
grndslm said:
Just found the order in my order history from NewEgg... August 2007. So 3 months shy of 2 years.

Should I just email Gigabyte and see what they say? Should I only ask them how long the warranty is of the board at first? Do you guys think NewEgg just made a mistake?

Guess I just need to slow down and wait until Monday to figure out if I can get this repaired.

BTW... more thoughts on LGA775 mobos that can handle 6~8 GB of RAM would still be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Yes, definitely email Gigabyte. Wouldn't be the first time that Newegg listed something wrong.

This mobo suports 8GB of RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500019

I recommend just look through this short list of mATX Intel mobos with 4 RAM slots:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...escription=&Ntk=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=
 
The Gigabyte 9400 is in another price bracket altogether. The P5Q-EM should do if OCing is not your ultimate goal. My preference would go towards the EG45M-UD2H: it's still pretty new so the price hasn't come down yet but feature-wise it seems interesting.
 
NichoTL said:
The Gigabyte 9400 is in another price bracket altogether. The P5Q-EM should do if OCing is not your ultimate goal. My preference would go towards the EG45M-UD2H: it's still pretty new so the price hasn't come down yet but feature-wise it seems interesting.
Click to expand...
I really would like to try an Nvidia board, but the "Linux gawds" tell me that Intel is still the way to go, even tho my experience with Linux + Intel graphics isn't the greatest.

BTW, that Gigabyte 9400 board on newegg is cheaper than the P5Q-EM you just suggested. ;)
 
OH GAWD...

Gigabyte tells me that a chip has been oxidized and it's not covered. OXIDATION?!?!? Almost every metal can oxidize... BUT IN A YEAR AND A HALF? ... on QUALITY components??

Isn't it their responsibility to use metals that won't oxidize. Clearly, the customer service rep I just spoke with said that they wouldn't use crappy metals, but THEY DID!! It does say in their warranty exclusions that oxidation is'nt covered... but why is it happening in the first place?!? I have no water cooler, and the thing's in a damn case! WTF?!?

pic of oxidized chip :mad:
 
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Wow... there's something I havent seen before. Looks like it was left out in the rain for a while. You sure you dont have a humidity problem?
 
grndslm said:
OH GAWD...

Gigabyte tells me that a chip has been oxidized and it's not covered. OXIDATION?!?!? Almost every metal can oxidize... BUT IN A YEAR AND A HALF? ... on QUALITY components??

Isn't it their responsibility to use metals that won't oxidize. Clearly, the customer service rep I just spoke with said that they wouldn't use crappy metals, but THEY DID!! It does say in their warranty exclusions that oxidation is'nt covered... but why is it happening in the first place?!? I have no water cooler, and the thing's in a damn case! WTF?!?

pic of oxidized chip :mad:
Click to expand...

They didn't use crappy metal. Everyone else gets the same thing. Solder and leads simply won't oxidize in free air in that timeframe. I agree with the above poster, it got wet somehow. If you lived by the ocean you would see uniform corrosion, but it's limited to specific areas. I'm sorry but I agree with Gigabyte..this damage was outside of their control.

You can try to clean up the corrosion with a brass brush, you don't lose anything because the board is dead!

If you don't care about OC there are 16 open box 775 boards at newegg, starting at $29! And some of the more expensive open box board will OC just fine for your purposes.
 
Cheapest one I see that accepts 8GB of RAM is some open box MSI for $49 + S/H.

But there's a new P5B-VM SE for $60 + S/H. Sooo.. I'll prolly go with that if the wire brush idea doesn't work. Wonder why I didn't see this board when I was looking for it a couple weeks ago.
 
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