Need Help with MB recommendation

[Katscan]

I have built several machines before this, I know some things but am in no way an expert. A friend reffered me to this site and you all have a wealth of knowledge so Im hoping some of you can help me with my next system. I have read many of the reviews and multiple threads on parts I am considering but, I am still at a loss.

I am getting an Intell Core 2 Duo E6600 and I want to get an 7950Gx2.

Which MB would you all recommend that will utilize the 7950 the best. I have looked at the Intel 975XBX, Asus P5B and the Gigabyte board. Does the fact that none of them support SLI be a concern for me?(Since the 7950Gx2 is an SLI setup within a card?)

Also the boards that support DDR2 800 have this little notice

Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets.

So if I went with the Corsair XMS that is rated at 1.9v 5-5-5 will I run into problems because its not 1.8v?

Lastly is DDR2 800 that much better than DDR2 667?

 

[Bibble]

A mobo that does not support SLI should still be able to run the 7950Gx2 just fine. I'm not sure about your memory questions, though. I'd reccomend the Asus P5B Deluxe, I think i saw it on ZZF for $195.

 

[AMDfreak]

Any Core2 based mobo should work fine with a 7950GX2 card. Because the SLI is all handled within the 1 card, the motherboard does not need to have any SLI capability on its own. As for the XMS RAM, you want to look closely at the BIOS options for your desired motherboard. Specifically, look for the ability to manually adjust the vdimm (RAM voltage) so that you can give the XMS enough juice.

 

[Peter]

You might want to edit your thread title to give /some/ idea of what your question /is/.

 

[Katscan]

Originally posted by: AMDfreak
Any Core2 based mobo should work fine with a 7950GX2 card. Because the SLI is all handled within the 1 card, the motherboard does not need to have any SLI capability on its own. As for the XMS RAM, you want to look closely at the BIOS options for your desired motherboard. Specifically, look for the ability to manually adjust the vdimm (RAM voltage) so that you can give the XMS enough juice.

Ahh ok, then Im guessing from what I have read on the forums, the Asus P5B Delux is one of my better choices. That is unless I could get away with using DDR2 667, though XMS does not offer a DDR2 667.

Man I have a lot to learn =/

Hopefully those new boards people have been talking about will come out next month and give me more choices.

 

[Twitch22]

Welcome to the forums!

While the upcoming motherboards from nVidia (nForce 590?) will be very exciting, there really is need to wait right now. You can go with a Intel P965 or P975X based motherboard and have a really fast system right out of the box.

Since you seem to be building an "enthusiast" system, I'd stick with one of the more fully featured m/b's out there for the C2D. These boards represent the higher-end of the C2D boards, but they go along the lines of the CPU and GPU you have chosen. In the P965 chipset, go with the Asus P5B Deluxe or Gigabyte's DS3 or DQ6 m/b's. If you go the P975X route, the Asus P5W DH Deluxe and Intel BOXD975XBXLKR "Bad Axe" seem to be the most popular among enthusiasts, with Abit's newer AW9D getting some good reviews.

What are the differences? In real-world performance, there are none...most benchmarks place the P965 and P975X m/b's within a few percentage points of eachother. IOW, Intel makes one heck of a stable, consistent platform for the C2D processors. While the P965 chipset is newer, Intel views the 975X chipset as their "performance" product. The P975X has faster built-in FSB/Memory settings and "official" support for dual-16x PCI-Express slots. The P965 does offer a newer Southbridge solution that gives more flexible HD/RAID support and options as well as a more flexible I/O controller.

Like the others have said, you shouldn't have any problems with the 7950GX2 as it utilizes SLI independently of the m/b. As far as your memory questions go, first, stick with the "usual suspects" in the memory business: Corsair, Crucial/Ballistix, Mushkin, etc. Second, go with DDR2-800 if you can...it's more readily available from the manufacturers and will give you slightly better performance right away as well as higher headroom if you o/c. Last, don't worry too much about the "1.8 voltage" requirement. Initially, I was worried myself about this since I was going to go with 2 Gigs of DDR2-800, but learned how to get around it. Here's what I was taught by a forum member named phile:

During the build, install everything as you normally would do, but only install one DIMM. Turn on your rig and hope it POSTs. Once past POST, go into BIOS and set your memory settings manually...speed, timings and voltage based on your memory manufacturer's reccomendations. Save your settings, power down and install your second DIMM. You should be fine after that.

Well...sorry for the long post. But have spent last few weeks helping a number of my friends build C2D rigs. We seem to learn something new every time and it's always fun to get a new machine up and running and to share some knowledge/experience with others. Good luck with your new build!

Twitch

 

[Katscan]

Twitch,
Thank you for your reply. I know I have a lot to learn when it comes to the intricate details of computers, I just happen to have enough knowledge to somewhat piece a computer together but thats about as far as my current knowledge base goes. I have yet to really delv into tweaking my computer and O/C it. In that respect....I hate to say it but I am a virgin when it comes to tweaking. To be honest it does intimidate me a bit but it is something I am willing to try a little at a time.
These forums have a wealth of knowledge and I am glad that a friend directed me here. With that Im thinking that I am wanting to get a MB that uses the 975X versus the 965 Express chipset. All the ones that uses the 965, I noticed that they seem to be a bit more picky about what ram they will work with while the 975 ones do not seem to have this barrier. I could be wrong in my assumption but from what Ive been reading is this more or less the case?

Due to several recommendations on the forums I think that I will follow their advice and wait till November and see what new boards come out.

 

[Twitch22]

Katscan,

Overall, the 975X boards seem to be more sensible solutions at this point with reguards to system stability and integration, especially with memory compatibility. I chalk it up to the fact that Intel really did not mean for its P965 chipset to handle all the additional "features" many of the m/b manufacturers have been shipping with their boards. The 975X boards are so feature rich from inception that they should be inherently stable...just my opinion, of course.

The next few months should be interesting. nVidia's update to their n-Series of motherboards should be something to see. I do not know if they can ever be as stable as an Intel-based solution, but speed-wise, they should really scream, especially when you consider that true SLI/Quad-SLI support will finally be here for C2D!

Heck, I'm running a P5W DH Deluxe now, but will definately consider switching if they prove to be as fast an over-all solution as they were for the AMD platforms...

Twitch

 

[Katscan]

Twitch,

Thanks again for the info, Im going to wait and hope that some better boards come out next month. One of the things I am worried about is the placement of the PCI Express X16 slots. So far, majority of the boards the PCI slots are right next to the PCI Express slots and the fact that the 7950 takes up two slots means that if I choose to do a quad SLI system Ill be loosing almost all of my free PCI slots with the current board layouts. Is this intentional at all or they didnt take into account the size of some of the new high end video cards?

Im not a big fan of onboard audio as Ive always had a liking for a SB card in my system.