Motherboards Motherboard and ram combo

Howdi all,

Ive got a q6600, Akasa AK-966BL cooler, 550w corsair VX, and a cheap palit 9800GT on order etc - I know the 4850 is a quicker card gaming wise but for work nvidia is my preference. It will all go in a Coolermaster RC-330 with front and rear fans.

Ive had a read of this months buyers guide and its set my build in motion but I think my requirements fall between the different specs. I work in 3D and film (mainly modelling and texturing), but im not much of a gamer.

I've also been reading about motherboards and ram issues for a good few days now and Im struggling to decide which combination I should go for. Ive looked at the variations on the asus P5Q and gigabyte DS3 but Im still not really sure which brand/flava is appropriate.

I'd like it to have 8gb of ram - I know some people have problems so Id like to avoid such issues if possible by choosing right - the board to be reasnobly easy to setup and finetune (bios flashes etc), and also be capable of getting the q6600 upto 3ghz without putting any stress on the components. I dont plan to go SLI or crossfire in the future. Standard onboard audio is fine and at least one IDE connector for my spare harddisk would be helpfull. Oh and im not bothered about raid etc.

As I do chunks of 3D rendering its important it can take the pressure for long periods of time, but not necissarily all of the time. Id hope to keep the rig for at least 2 years but could be as long as 4.

Im working to a bang for buck budget but i dont mind putting a little more cash into a board that will be more reliable or last longer etc.

Any particular advice regarding putting it all together and getting up and running etc would be welcome - I seem to recall someone having problems installing vista with all 8gigs of ram fitted etc?

Thanks in advance - any comments appreciated

 

I've got a P5Q Pro with a Q9550. I run 8GB's (4x2GB) of Corsair 800MHz CL4 RAM, no issues. There is a possibility, though, that you can't run 1066MHz RAM if you populate all the RAM slots, so stick with 800MHz.

The Pro model doesn't have as advanced CPU voltage regulation as the Deluxe model for example, but I've been running my CPU @ 3.4GHz 1.28V for a few months with no problems.

I had no problems installing Vista64 with all my RAM inserted, that's a rare problem.

 

For the motherboard, I'd go with the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R. It's (somewhat obviously) a P45-based board, only 1 PCI-E slot, an IDE port, 8 SATA ports, nothing but glowing reviews on Newegg (rare for any motherboard), and it's crazy cheap ($120 before rebate, $105 after).

As for memory, DDR2-1066 won't really get you any tangible benefits above DDR2-800, especially with lower-latency DDR2-800. So I'd get two of these Crucial Ballistix 2x2GB kits. Very low latency for DDR2-800 at 4-4-4-12. Again, nothing but glowing reviews on the Egg, and after rebates, 8GB of this will run you about $70.

Hope that helps.


- Diosjenin -

 

Hey you two, thanks for the replys.

mm vr - thats good to know, I was wondering if that ram is the XMS2 stuff? do ya recon that the cheaper CL5 stuff will work just as well - its just its a chunk cheaper.

Diosjenin - Its strange - that board really hasnt popped up much here in the UK for reviews - and Ive just looked it up and only a few retailers sell it and at £101 its not quite in the value sector. Im not ruling it out but its not a 'value' board here lol. But it does sound peachy to set up!! And I do like Gigabyte boards.

The ram you suggest also isnt widely available here, but where it is its expensive... no where near as gooda bargin as you get over there unfortunatly

Thanks for the input guys - if anyone else wants to chip in too Id welcome the suggestions.

 

If you're going to fill all four slots for 8GB of memory get an X48 - the chipset is made to better handle 4 DIMMs. P45 can be "sensitive"

Ive got the UD3R in house, but haven't yet had a chance to test it - next month we're planning the review for.

 

I'd say the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R is well worth 100+quid for stability alone.
Give you a stable q6600 at 8x400.
Someone in the states really should start a PC Component export business......I'd def buy at stateside prices.

 

come on, get that review out

GA-EP45-UD3R and GA-EP45-UD3P look to be the sweet spot if only for looks

 

Ive got about 6 other reviews in the pipe along with that, things take time to do properly

 

I'm about to buy the GA-EP45-UD3R....it the gem I believe it to be?

 

Haven't even turned it on yet... lots of people are saying good things though.

 

Hey guys thanks for the further input.

Bindi - Id love to go with the x48 but i just cant stretch that far price wise - I may regret it but i do feel i shud be spending much nearer the £100 mark on the board. Not wanting to put you out but do you think the AK-966BL would fit on UD3R ok? From reading I know some of the other gigabyte boards are tight on space.

Den - where are you gonna buy from? and what ram are you gonna put on it?

Cheers fellas

 

It's Corsair XMS2 DHX PC-6400 (800MHz) 4-4-4-12 (CL4) 2.1V 2x2GB. Two of these packs.

http://www.verkkokauppa.com/popups/prodinfo.php?id=23441

 

i'm going to get it from overclockers.co.uk, only trustworthy place I could find it but didn't really did that deep.
Will Either go with 2x2GB crucial bassilix 4t ddr2 800(the yellow ones) or 2x2gb corsair xms2 ddr2 800 5t
i'm going to give it another month as fingers crossed pound will strengthen and maybe see some deals around xmas