So I have right now: AMD 3800X2 Biostar Tforce4-U 2gb in 4x512 of generic kingston ram XFX 7900gs. The mobo has been giving me problems and it's time for it to go. I don't have much money to work with at the moment, so I'm thinking: ASUS P5N-E SLI ($115 at newegg) Intel Allendale E2140 ($75 and I hear it's a good overclocker) and this G.skill ram (will later get another to have 4gb) - $55 So, total of $250 is about what I'm looking at. My main questions are (a) is this a good enough motherboard or should I save up more and get a better one? I want it to be rock solid stable, and also be decent at overclocking. Needs to have SLI support. (b) Is the E2140 as good as it seems? Will it be a step down from my X2-3800 or a slight step up (before I overclock it)? Does it really overclock that well on stock cooler? I could save up for a "real" C2D (no way I could afford the quad) but it would be a pain and I'd really like to just get something now, and this one is really appealing. Thanks in advance for any opinions you have on these two pieces of hardware.
So I did a little more reading on the E2140... looks like it will be a little faster than my 3800x2 at stock, but does the small L2 cache make it worth the step up to a E4 or E6 series processor?
A P35 board from gigabyte and a bigger processor is way better tbh. Why do you want SLI capable boards if you don't have dual graphics cards?
im looking at doin something similar. if you dont have two cards (you say 7900gs so i dont know if u have two or one) get the p35 ds3l board here and then with the saved money get e2180. that would be a faster computer. if you can stretch the cash try to get an e6750. good luck, pillow
Meh... that would mean giving up Firewire... Does the Gigabyte perform similarly? I guess I don't really *need* sli compatibility, but firewire would definitely be nice, and addon controllers are expensive (more expensive than the price difference between the motherboards) SLI because I know I can't afford an 8800 series anytime soon but another 7900GS is like $75 on ebay... I could afford to move up to the E2180. I assume it overclocks as well... same cache question though. Are e4400/e4500 type processors worth anything, or would it be better to save up for the 6750? I can definitely buy a sub-$100 processor right now, and maybe a $130-140 one too. Going to the near-$200 e6750 would be more of a stretch but I could probably make it work.
ok do this: keep the 7900gs, get a decent board thats not sli. most p35 boards are good when it comes to overclocking look for p35 boards with firewire, but i would still recomend something from gigabytes ds3 series. if your tight on money e2180 if not, try to get the e6750. i dont know about e4 series, but the e6750 is one of the best in that series and the one i would recomend (if you cna afford it). i cant really answer your L2 chache question besides more is better. why keep the 7900gs? no point in buying a second dx9 card. spend the cash on a decent p35 motherboard (since x38 is out of your price range) or to help towards the e6750. then this spring/summer when more dx10 cards are out and hopefully 9 series is out. i think that would be a wiser use of your money. good luck
Don't spend more on the motherboard than necessary. You might not need, for example, 8 S-ATA ports or dual gigabit ethernet controllers and they do add up to its price. You might even like a mini-ATX motherboard to slash the overall upgrade cost and allow headroom for a much faster processor.
I'm not a fan of mini-atx... too hard for me to work with. The jump from 4 to 8 sata seems to be expensive, even though I already have 4 SATA drives... I guess I can get a controller if I need more. So, maybe I'll keep my one 7900, get a DS3L, and get an e6750.
personally i have the p5n-e sli mobo and i have no other complaints other than chipset cooling which is fixed with 2 40mm fans. as for that processor i would spring the extra for a e6320 or now that they are cheaper the e6750. i dont think you would be disappointed with either of these processors. I have my e6300 oced to 2.6GHz on stock cooling. as for ram be sure to get decent speed ram suck as ddr2 800 and a good brand also. this mobo is picky about ram so make sure to get one that people have had good luck with. good luck
