Planning out a new Q9450 system

[aamsel]

I realize that most people go ASUS over Gigabyte.
I have, several times in the past.
Just wondering if I should continue to do so now?

 

[faster]

Dude, I recently put together this build based on Gigabyte. It runs AWESOME. I swear it is faster than my QX9650 system on a EVGA 780i. Check it out:

SYSTEM 2 - RAID 5 on Win XP 64 bit/Vista 64 bit
Component Detail2 Cost2 Shipping2 Tax2 Rebate2
Motherboard GA-X38-DQ6 $211.00 $17.40
Power Supply BFG 800 Watt Crossfire $119.99 $10.00 $30.00
Processor Q9450 Quad Core 12M L2 2.66Ghz $299.99 $24.67
Video Card HIS 3870 X2 $369.99 $5.11 $40.00
Memory Geil 8GB 4x2GB DDR2 800 $220.00 $5.99 $15.00
DVD Burner 1 20x DVD Burner Lightscribe $28.99 $0.00
DVD Burner 2 20x DVD Burner $27.99 $0.00
Case Asus refurbished $39.99 $3.30
Hard Drive 1 WD Raptor 150GB 10K $169.99 $0.00
Hard Drive 2 WD Raptor 150GB 10K $129.99 $16.50
Hard Drive 3 WD Raptor 150GB 10K $135.00 $7.50
Hard Drive 4 WD Raptor 150GB 10K $139.99 $9.99
RAID Card Highpoint RocketRAID 3510 $309.99 $7.00
Media Reader 52 in 1 $32.99 $7.59 $10.00
Operating System Win XP Pro 64 Bit $139.99
Operating System Win Vista Ultimate 64 Bit $179.99

Totals $2,555.87 $69.68 $45.37 $95.00

Computer Cost After Rebates $2,575.92

 

[faster]

Oh yea, here is the other system (I have a serious technology spending problem):

SYSTEM 1 - RAID 0 on Win XP Pro 32 bit
Component Detail1 Cost 1 Shipping1 Tax1 Rebate1
Motherboard EVGA 780i SLI $259.99 $8.55
Power Supply COOLMAX 1200W $269.99 $10.00 $40.00
Processor QX9650 Quad core 12M L2 3.0 Ghz $800.00 $0.00
Video Card EVGA GX2 $549.00 $0.00 $30.00
Memory OCZ 2GB DDR2 1066mhz $81.99 $4.30 $35.00
DVD Burner 1 20x DVD Burner Lightscribe $29.99 $0.00 $2.47
DVD Burner 2 20x DVD Burner $29.99 $0.00 $2.47
Case Lian Li $219.99 $15.83
Hard Drive 1 WD Raptor 150GB 10K $139.99 $9.99
Hard Drive 2 WD Raptor 150GB 10K $139.99 $9.99
Hard Drive 3 WD Raptor 150GB 10K $139.99 $9.99

Media Reader 52 in 1 $19.99
Operating System Win Xp Pro $139.99
Operating System

Totals $2,820.89 $68.65 $4.94 $105.00

Computer Cost After Rebates $2,789.48

 

[anindrew]

aamsel,

I think you'd be fine with that Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS4P board you posted. In fact, it looks almost identical to the GA-X48-DS4 I'm planning to get. Very similar features on both. Just one has P45 and costs a nice bit less. Perhaps use the savings on a nice CPU cooler so you can overclock a bit. From everything I've been reading, both Gigabyte and Asus make very high quality motherboards.

faster,

Those are very impressive systems you have. Someone likes WD Raptors! That says a lot if your Q9450 on X38 seems faster than your 780i system. I was tempted to just get a Gigabyte X38, but I can't find any in stock for reasonably less than the X48s.

I've read a few reviews of the P45 boards. It seems they are just barely faster than the X48 in some tests/benchmarks, but it's often by 1% or less. They do seem to OC extremely well, though. I think I'll probably stick to my original decision and get the GA-X48-DS4.

 

[Putz]

just got this setup myself:

Q9450 2.6 @ 3.6 1.2v (8x450)
8 GB GSkill DDR2 1000
GTX 280 1gb 675 core
ASUS Maximus II Formula p45
1920x1200, 24" LCD
Vista 64 Bit, Velociraptor x 2 Raid 0
Antec "Blue" Neopower 650w

works great, very impressed with 3.6 stable @ 1.2 i didnt even bother to try for more

 

[anindrew]

Hi Putz,

That's a pretty sweet sounding system. Dual Velociraptors, too. That Maximus II Forumula looks like a killer board.

I've read that Intel is most likely doing some price cuts (Q9550 for $317ish and Q9450 will be no more), product cuts, and releasing a few new CPUs around July 22. Since that is close to my birthday, I figured I'd see how prices look around then. I'm happy to see the some of the price gouging on the 4870s is going away; you can actually get one for $299.99. Hopefully, that card will be plenty for playing at 1920x1200. Although, my monitor still looks great at non-native resolutions.

I'm still thinking I'll get the Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4, but I see the Asus P5E Deluxe for a little cheaper. I've heard it is basically a simpler version of the Rampage Formula. The only reviews for it I see are the 3 user reviews on newegg, though.

 

[nyker96]

If you want the best setup that's also reasonably priced, here it is:
Q9459 w/ Xigmatec S1283 or ocz Vendetta 2 HSF
ASUS P5Q Deluxe (P45s) - allows high OC
2x2GB Gskill DDR1000 (excellent RAM)
PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750W
Radeon 4870s (DX10.1 DDR5s 55nm process etc etc) can crossfire later
HD your choice of sizes
as for case I'd prefer Antec 900 or P182.