Hey all, Really cant decide which to go for. Im not the biggest fan of SLI, but ill also want this machine for 4-5 years. I know the diff is the INtel lan and the extra lanes for multi GPU's. But is the overclock or the system stability going to be dropped at all if I go for the vanilla?? Im getting a 2500k to upgrade the old reliable and still going strong Q6600 @ stock. Thermaltake Jing, Define R3 case, Gonna keep my GTX460 and overclock the thing finally. So im hopeing to have a quite beast on my hands. Just really stung up on the MOBO choice. Your views and opinions will help greatly. Thanks all.
The only 'real' difference between the Pro and the non-pro is SLI support, but its about a £30 premuim. You can still overclock just as well on the non-pro mobo, so its really about whether you think your going to go sli in the future. If you cant see yourself doing so, get the P8P67 and a decent 500/550W psu. Or if your want to spend the cash now just in case, get the pro (£148) and get a 650W psu like the Antec TruePower 650W here.
If you run the q6600 @ stock, then is there much point having a mobo or cpu for that matter you can overclock, why not just go for the 2500 standard setup?
I already have a 850W Corsair TX850 PSU. EDIT: Overkill I know. Also my curent system is in a cheap sh**y case with the stock fan. Im looking to seriously upgrade. And now that im a bit more informed, Id like to OC the new system, I also dont really wana bother OC this system as the headroom aint gonna be much. The case is awful. Didnt relise how important it was 4 years ago when i decided on it. Its noisy at times. So this system is gonna be my "first" real system where I OC it and have decent parts to do so. Knowledge is power. lol
I have a P8P67 with a 2500K, managed to get mine up to 4.6Ghz with almost no hassle whatsoever, made a few changes which took about a minute then benched for 12 hours, then dropped the vcore gradually and tested between until it was just happy. In all hontesty, save the cash. If you were planning on putting in an i7 2600k and two 580's and going for a really quick setup then yes. But in all honesty, even if in a few years you want more graphical punch just buy a new single bigger card rather than the same/similar 'old' one. Sli is only really good for people with multiple large monitors imho.
if you're heavily oc'ing I suggest the gelid tranquillo cooler, and case wise the the fractal r3 will be nice. a lot of guys on here use it - good air flow etc.
It really does just come down to the SLI or no SLI. Personally I have never had an SLI board becasue I am a believer in 1 powerful card, however, that said I have always regretted not having an SLI board (silly I know! I guess it is the nerd in me wanting all the options even I I won't use them) With my new machine I finally went with SLI option and have the Pro and I am happy because you never know when some Bit Techer will be selling an old card that matches yours at a bargain price which will allow you to SLI and prolong your machines life! Ultimately the choice is a lot easier if you use your shopping smarts - you have over 20 posts so get free scan delivery, so, over the next week check the today only offers - I can almost guarantee that in the near future there will be an i5 2500K plus an Asus Pro board deal going on as there almost always is. That's how I bought mine and instead of £140 for the mobo it cost me £120 - at a price so close to the non Pro it was a no brainer
Im in Australia so scan is out of the question . There are a couple of cheap hardware places near me but the pro is AU$239 the Vanilla is $202. I really think ill only ever have the one GPU. Got the GTX460 right now. So that will keep me going for a little bit. PLus ill OC it in the new system And the Tranquillo isnt easily available here. Or at least I havnt found a place that does. Its a choice between the 212+, Frio or Jing. $33, $74, $75 respectivly. Im goin with the Jing cause i want the cooling in summer, multiple >40deg Celsius days, and minimal noise. The noise is what made me go with the R3 rather than teh Antex 902V3, even thou it hasnt got USB 3 ports on the front. Plus the look of the antec wasnt something i could live with on a daily basis. the R3 however, Is damn slick.
Shame you can't get the gelid, thats what I am using. Very surprised at how this £25 cooler actually performs. From memory, didn't CPC say the Frio was better than the Jing...? Not sure though. At work so can't check atm...
i would personally go for Pro simply because there are more PCIe lanes, the future is PCIe and the non-Pro don't seem to have enough PCIe lanes, if you are looking at sound card + physx card in addition to main graphics card.
Save the pennies and go for the non pro version. Spend the extra few pennies on a faster graphics card. Graphics cards only have a limited life, and unless you intend to upgrade your PSU in line with the GPU upgrades, then save your money.
Does any1 have any experience with the Intel lan controller?? Is it any better that the Realteck. Im using realtech now and have no issues. The only thing I know about the Intel controller is that is uses less CPU power and slightly, ever so slightly less thruput. (~.4%) If i recall correctly. Also what on earth is the ASUS Q-shield, and y does the vanilla not have it??? All your imput has been much appreciated.
Thnx for the imput guys. Ill go with the PRO. Just in case I do SLI, plus Iv got the 850W PSU that could handle it. Plus Id like the piece of mind that Im getting a little more Upgrade potential in future. Thanks all.
