Intel P35 or the X38?

[Drunkentig3r]

I'm currently contemplating doing a new build, since my old AMD 64 S939 3500+ build is getting long in the tooth. As of now, I'm leaning towards a P35-based build, but with the upcoming launch of X38, should I delay my build and just wait until September?


I know for certain that some of the features of the X38 chipset I will really have no need for, such as SLI; I can't ever imagine myself using two graphics card from a financial standpoint. Also-the fact that Intel intends X38 mobos to solely use DDR3 is definitely off-putting (though I bet mobo manufacturers will come out with DDR2-based boards). I'm a pretty patient person and will have no trouble waiting another month to start building.

If I do go with P35, which motherboard do you guys recommend? I'm stuck between either the Abit IP35 Pro (Off Limits) or the Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6. The Abit is cheaper, but the fact that they used copper-colored aluminum instead of the real thing for the heatsink is sort of off-putting. The Gigabyte isn't perfect too, as it is more expensive and I've read horror stories on here about people having difficulty posting from a cold boot.


What should I do?

 

[Sylvanas]

If you intend to keep your future build as long as you have you S939 build, I would wait another month or so for the X38. Not only will it *apparently* have an updated memory controller, but it will support some cool new tech for the future like PCI-E 2.0, which will come in useful if you intend to put a new video card in later down the track.

If however you decide to jump on the P35 now It is really up to you as with both the DQ-6 and the ABIT board will have their pros and cons and will always have a mixed bag of reviews on the net. If it were me, I would go the DQ-6 as it has solid capped capacitors and a 12phase power regulation for the CPU meaning less V-droop.

 

[Shimmishim]

12 phase power really isn't necessary. i have ip35 pro with its puny 4 phase but can handle my chip at 4.23 ghz.

but i agree with sylvanas that you should just go ahead and wait... supposedly X38 is due out end of September time frame but its possible it might be later

 

[Drunkentig3r]

Alright-thanks for the input guys. Oh, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the Abit also has solid capped cap's?

 

[kevinali]

Hey, I am in the same boat,

I have all my parts, Q6600, 4 GB of DDR2-667 RAM, 2 320 WD HDD, 8600 GT (XFX, PAssive) and i am just waiting for the motherboard,

I was going to get the Gigabyte p35-DQ6, until i emailed Gigabyte and they told me that the P35-DQ6 WILL be discontinued once the X38-DQ6 (the DDR2 board) comes out late Sept.

So my build is on hold for the moment

Kevin

 

[lopri]

That's quite a long time to wait.. Why not get a performance-budget P35/650i board to get you through till X38 comes out? We don't know much about X38 and every time a new chipset debuts, there will be lots of boards coming one after another. (meaning that the day after you buy one, something better will be out shortly) I expect plenty of bugs and compatibility issues for the first few months. DDR2 support is optional at best and if DDR2 performance on X38 is lower than that of DDR3 by a sizable margin, you could be disappointed.

Plus, you want to make sure the other parts are good, no? You don't want to find out one of your HDD to be faulty after the RMA window is closed.

 

[buddhatb]

Originally posted by: kevinali
Hey, I am in the same boat,

I have all my parts, Q6600, 4 GB of DDR2-667 RAM, 2 320 WD HDD, 8600 GT (XFX, PAssive) and i am just waiting for the motherboard,

I was going to get the Gigabyte p35-DQ6, until i emailed Gigabyte and they told me that the P35-DQ6 WILL be discontinued once the X38-DQ6 (the DDR2 board) comes out late Sept.

So my build is on hold for the moment

Kevin

Thanks for the heads up.

The P35-DQ6 was one of the boards I was deciding on as well. I guess I will wait in the mean time.

 

[kevinali]

No problem,

But today i made my wait even that more painfull, i purchased an EVGA 8800 GTS 320 Superclocked for $279 CDN or about 230 USD....i am telling you, the end of Sept seems very far off at this point

Kevin

 

[LightningRider]

I was waiting for X38 but then I decided it wasn't worth it. PCI-E 2.0 will probably not be required for a long time still. And like others, SLI or Crossfire isn't really for me. I don't think you will gain that much performance from X38, though they should be nice boards. They will likely be more $$$ too.

 

[Drunkentig3r]

Well supposedly the X38 will have better overclocking performance, which is a major plus for me, since I want to get the most for my money. Beyond that and SLI though, what major features does it supposedly have?

Also, judging by pictures from Computex 2007, both Abit and Gigabyte will be releasing DDR2-based X38 mobo's with the X38-Quad GT and the X38-PQ6