Hello all. I'm a first time poster, long time reader.
I'm getting ready to build a new system to replace my tired Athlon XP 1900+ and I've read up quite a bit, but still can't pull the trigger yet. I was hoping someone here can help me see the light.
1. I'm torn as to what chipset to get. I like the 680i for the SLI capability and the P35 for the DDR 3 capability. Both would seem to be good overclockers for the Q6600 (with G0 stepping, if I can find one soon) that I plan to use. I get the feeling that the P35 seems a bit more stable and runs cooler on the NB and SB. I guess my question here is: Is SLI worth it? I plan on installing a 8800GTX, so I know no game can touch that right now, but how soon might I be wishing I could SLI two of them?
2. I'm also not sure of my cooling solution. I've been eyeing the Vigor Monsoon II TEC and the Thermalright 120 Extreme for the CPU. I'm an overclocker, but not an aggressive one, so will either one do the trick? Also, are NB/SB coolers necessary on the P35 when overclocking? From what I've read, P35 seems to run cooler than the 680i.
3. I have some DDR2 PC6400 ram that I plan to use initially until DDR3 come down in price a bit. Do P35 boards offer backwards compatibility to DDR2 since they are both 240 pin RAM? Can the P35 boards handle the extra voltage required to fuel DDR2 RAM?
4. With X38 looming, will it benefit me to wait? Is there anything official that says it will support SLI, and if so, will it be at full 16x by 16x? Same for Penryn. Should I wait for the new 45nm processors? (This question might be moot since I may not be patient enough to wait, especially for the Penryn release.
Thanks for any and all responses.
I'm getting ready to build a new system to replace my tired Athlon XP 1900+ and I've read up quite a bit, but still can't pull the trigger yet. I was hoping someone here can help me see the light.
1. I'm torn as to what chipset to get. I like the 680i for the SLI capability and the P35 for the DDR 3 capability. Both would seem to be good overclockers for the Q6600 (with G0 stepping, if I can find one soon) that I plan to use. I get the feeling that the P35 seems a bit more stable and runs cooler on the NB and SB. I guess my question here is: Is SLI worth it? I plan on installing a 8800GTX, so I know no game can touch that right now, but how soon might I be wishing I could SLI two of them?
2. I'm also not sure of my cooling solution. I've been eyeing the Vigor Monsoon II TEC and the Thermalright 120 Extreme for the CPU. I'm an overclocker, but not an aggressive one, so will either one do the trick? Also, are NB/SB coolers necessary on the P35 when overclocking? From what I've read, P35 seems to run cooler than the 680i.
3. I have some DDR2 PC6400 ram that I plan to use initially until DDR3 come down in price a bit. Do P35 boards offer backwards compatibility to DDR2 since they are both 240 pin RAM? Can the P35 boards handle the extra voltage required to fuel DDR2 RAM?
4. With X38 looming, will it benefit me to wait? Is there anything official that says it will support SLI, and if so, will it be at full 16x by 16x? Same for Penryn. Should I wait for the new 45nm processors? (This question might be moot since I may not be patient enough to wait, especially for the Penryn release.
Thanks for any and all responses.