EVGAs 1156 mobos

[Gautama2]

I'm putting a new rig together based around the i7-860. I want to be able to take it to around 4ghz max.

Do you think this board would be able to handle it (EVGA P55 LE) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188054

or would it be in my best interest to step up to this (EVGA P55 FTW)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...namitedata.com


I'm looking for two pci-e slots, SLI not required. I'm moving my 8800gt to Physx whenever I upgrade the graphics card. I'm open to other suggestions as well.

 

[lothar]

P55 LE is an overpriced, underfeatured motherboard. It lacks eSATA, solid capacitors
$170 for that? That's nuts.

P55 FTW is nice, but a little overpriced.
It was actually on sale on "black saturday" for $189 on Newegg after rebate(bing wasn't available that day).

Depending on how much you're comfortable to spend, they may or may not fill your needs.
I of course assume you can afford it since you linked to it yourself. You shouldn't have any regrets going for the P55 FTW version.

 

[Gautama2]

I don't need eSATA - my external drive uses USB 2.0. Do solid capacitors really make that much of a difference?

What, other than a better power scheme and the aforementioned, does the FTW have that the LE doesn't? Extra PCI-E slots I won't use and only 6 USB ports? What makes this board so great?

I'd like to stay confined to these two boards, if only because they have mounting holes for 775 heatsinks. I don't know if you've looked, but the pickings are slim for good quiet 1156 coolers. I'd really like to be able slap a Scythe Mugen 2 in there.

EDIT: On further inspection, the LE does in fact have solid capacitors. There are some electrolytic, but these don't appear to be in critical positions.

 

[lothar]

I don't need eSATA - my external drive uses USB 2.0. Do solid capacitors really make that much of a difference?

What, other than a better power scheme and the aforementioned, does the FTW have that the LE doesn't? Extra PCI-E slots I won't use and only 6 USB ports? What makes this board so great?

I'd like to stay confined to these two boards, if only because they have mounting holes for 775 heatsinks. I don't know if you've looked, but the pickings are slim for good quiet 1156 coolers. I'd really like to be able slap a Scythe Mugen 2 in there.

Only in overclocking maybe.
If you don't plan to overclock, there's no difference just go for the cheaper one.
Buy that from Amazon or eWiz for $150...$170 for that is too much.

2 extra SATA ports, dual gigabit LAN.

 

[PCTC2]

eVGA boards are often feature-lacking comparatively for price with other major brands, but they are made for overclocking and SLI. I own the P55FTW and the P55Micro.

It really depends on what you plan to do with this computer and what features you need in a board. The P55FTW is a great board, but you could also go with the Asus P7P55D EVO or Pro, or a Gigabyte UD3R/UD4P board for different features at a lower price.