Hi all. I'll build a new PC very soon. (if all go well, I'll commande tonight ) But I want to know your suggestions before: 1: Is this (Corsair XMS2 4 Go (kit 2x 2 Go) DDR2-SDRAM PC8500 CL5 - TWIN2X4096-8500C5) will compatible with the EP31-DS3L? I have two config: Antec Sonata III Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 Akasa AK-965 Corsair XMS2 4 Go (kit 2x 2 Go) DDR2-SDRAM PC8500 CL5 - TWIN2X4096-8500C5 ATI Radeon HD 4830 - 512 Mo Pioneer DVR-216D BK Gigabyte GA-EP31-DS3L All: 430 euros and this one: Antec Sonata III Corsair XMS2 4 Go (kit 2x 2 Go) DDR2-SDRAM PC8500 CL5 - TWIN2X4096-8500C5 ATI Radeon HD 4830 - 512 Mo Pioneer DVR-216D BK ASRock P45TS (Intel P45 Express) Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Scythe Ninja II All: 575 euros Do you think which one is better choice of prix/performance? Thank.
It's OTT for that 800MHz E5200 processor, even overclocked to the maximum DDR2-667 is enough, though you could get DDR2-800 for a bit of future-proofing, it's not much more these days, and much easier to find (my XMS2 DDR2-667 cl4 seems to be unobtainium). Q6600 - £35 DDR2-800 (PC2-6400) will go as far as the processor can. You can use higher memory multipliers with £45 DDR2-1066 PC2-8500, but not much gain. I have the GA-P35-DS3L board with 4 x 1Gb of the Corsair XMS2 (bought as 2 separate kits), never had a memory problem.
Thank for your answer. But my question is: with EP31-DS3L, can we stick a 2 Go DDR2 in the slot RAM or not cause seem it's only accept 1 Go per slot? Am I right? I want buy the kit 4 Go: 2x2Go DDR2 8500 but I fear if the motherboard only accept not more than 1 Go per slot. Someone can confirme if I am right or I am wrong? Thank.
Dunno where you got your info, the limitation (by the P31 chipset) is 4Gb total so 2 x 2Gb is OK. But plenty of people must have that board so wait for confirmation. Or to save waiting, look at this Bit recommended budget system.
Capacité maximale de ram supportée par port DIMM 1 Go Capacité maximale de ram supportée par la carte mère 4 Go http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00076849.html I found that in here, it's French. thank a lot for your help.
My friends, if you can choose between the Phenom II 920 and Quad 6600. Which one you think have better performance?
The 920, but if you ask me, but it needs a good 790GX board, and there are very few of those. So Q6600 is still a good choice.
2x2GB does work in the GA-EP31-DSL as that's the setup I run (see my signature). The limit is that you can only run 4GB of system ram in total. However I would try to stretch up to the P43 version of the board to get the more feature rich chipset, it will take more than 4GB of RAM and it has a better southbridge with more SATA ports etc.
How much did your computer cost tank_rider? My friend could be getting a new machine at some point but his budget is very limited... And I've thought about a such configuration as yours is, but with a bit cheaper video card.
i have 2x2gb kingston hyperX in my p31 and its fine, you cant have four double sided sticks in the board, meaning 4x2gb, im not sure whether some 1gb sticks are double sided, but since you're looking at 2x2gb anyway you'll be fine. this has been a great board for me, fantastic overclocker, nice and cool. it only has a few sata ports but how many do you really need? the answer was two for me so no issues there. its a rock solid heart for a budget overclocker system, go for it.
Thank for your answer... Yeah, i'll buy a Quad6600 like you, but I don't know if i'll buy a EP45-UDR3 or EP31-DS3R. Now my question of Ram is cleared...thank a lot.
I only upgraded the cpu/cooler/mobo/ram/gfx in one go all the rest i already had. CPU was about £55, cooler ~£15, mobo about £55, RAM ~£35, gfx ~£175 so total of £335, or 160 without a gpu. For the money it's pretty much spot on, the overclocked cpu doesn't hold the gfx back and is significantly faster than the old X2 3800 i had before!
Although I'd gladly suggest the EP45-UD3R anytime, the EP31-DS3L is just so much cheaper, of course you'll be missing out on some of the UD3R's features(PCI-E 2.0, more SATA, Optical Output, 8GB Max RAM, and possibly a higher overclocking roof, but I'm not too sure it's worth the extra $$. Of course if you get it, it's a great purchase as it could push any processor to the max quite easily, just like it's elder sibling the EP45-UD3P.
Well, I have a 19' LCD moniter (perhaps buy 22' in future) and I think i'll buy a Ati HD 4830, do you think it'll fit? And I'll buy a motherboard P45 which have CrossFire like: ASRock P45XE (Intel P45 Express) do you think when I make CrossFire 2 card 4830 in future, it'll work properly becauce I don't know about PCI-E's things (4x, 8x, 16x) to make it work CrossFire properly... With Q6600 (o/c) and CrossFire in future, do you thing an Antec Earthwatts 500W is enough? ASRock P45XE (Intel P45 Express) - ATX is this motherboard good? Thank.
in one test: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/intel-p45-core,review-31473-22.html I see: Finally there’s the gaming crowd who could find extra value by using a pair of low-cost Radeon HD 4830 graphics cards in CrossFire mode. The two motherboards in today’s comparison that had the best overclocking capability also featured the CrossFire-supporting P45 chipset, but only one of these is a true CrossFire-enhanced design—the ASRock P45XE supports automatic switching between a single graphics card in PCIe 2.0 x16 mode and dual cards in x8 mode, while the Jetway BI-500 forces the second graphics card to limp along using previous-generation PCIe technology {and} x4 pathways. Can you explain to me what's mean PCI 4x 8x 16x? Thank. If Asrock is good(???), i'll take it.
its basically the bandwidth the card can use to swap data with the board. although tbh with 4830's im not sure if the throughput would be enough to use more than 8x
the amd chip in that scenario. assuming prices are similar there as they are here. you can get the 920 for about $190, while the q6600 is around $210. and the phenom ll overclocks nice.
AsRock isn't bad, in fact most of their midrange is cheap at the same time offering good stuff. However their support is a bit sub-par.
