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Am i making a good MOBO choice for my Q9550???

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planet

New Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
im a newbie on this forum, but ive been a silent watcher and visitor for quite some time.

i am putting together a computer for work purposes.
it will be used for running design programs some of which are resource hungry (adobe photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, fireworks, premiere pro, soundbooth etc...etc).

with the recent price crash, ive bought a Q9550 because of its quad capabilities, and 12m cache.

ive been eyeing up the Asus P5Q deluxe motherboard for my new cpu to sit in.

the question is whether this is a good choice of board for my requirements?
are there any other boards that i should consider?


i would really like to have a go at OCing the setup to achieve 3.4ghz fully stable. i will have a decent cooler and memory (any recommendations welcome...but for size considerations they will be going into a lian li a16 case)

any advice/recommendations welcome. thanks




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should be a great board for you. they are very nice. should be able to obtain you oc without a problem. of course there is other things out there to consider as well. i have a biostar tpower i45 that i am very happy with. plus its only $150 on new egg and has had some great reviews thus far. but anyways thats a real nice board and should achieve all your goals and then some.
 
thanks for the advice.
do you think that a board like the biostar would be more appropriate?
by going for a p5q....am i going overboard on the motherboard? :confused:

thx
 
its hard to say there really is no such thing as overboard. the deluxe has 16phase power. beyond that thought i dont really know what else it has that the biostar doesnt. im sure there is more but not sure. its all on your own preferences. the only problem with biostar as i see it, is that a lot fewer people have them so finding help if you need it can be harder and there really isnt any deicated forums to biostar like there is for the others. on the otherhand this board seems to be making a lot of noise for biostar so maybe that will all change soon.
 
The ASUS would be a very solid board for you. But if you're not going to do Crossfire video then one feature (2 faster PCIE slots for video) of the Deluxe that you're paying for won't be used (you can of course still use the second PCIE slot for something else). ASUS P5Q Pro and P5Q-E are also other good ASUS options if cost is an issue.

Here's a link to a review of the biostar tpower, sounds reasonable.

Which is the best board is a never ending discussion. It is always a balance of features versus cost with manufacturer's rep coming into play too. :beer:
 
i really liked the 16 phase power option on the p5q dlx .. this was one of the choices that drew me to the board when i compared it t the p5q pro and the p5q-e. im in the UK and our energy prices have just been cranked up several very large notches... so anything that keeps long term running coss in check is sure to be welcomed...(another reason why i chose the power efficient 45nm q9550 over the 65nm's)

it would be a crying shame not to use the extra PCIE slots that are ideal for crossfire, but i would be using a relatievely basic graphics setup...(unless is suddenly become addicted to online gaming..in which case id be sure to make use of those waiting slots)

that biostar sure looks mighty interesting. im in the uk, and the price difference between the biostar and the p5q would mean a whopping £50 saving ($100!)
..but then the biostar would not have the 16 phase power option...and lacks the widely available support that the p5q enjoys

daaamn...!! choices ...choices...!!

just when i thought that i had just about nailed my decision...
funnily..i feel wiser now about which boards are available that are best suited for my requirements..
....and yet.... i feel just as confused as before about which ones to pick!

makes me remember that old adage...too much knowledge can be a dangerous thing
LOL
 
It's not overboard. The P45 boards are great for OCing quads. I'm happy with my p5q-e.
 
i really liked the 16 phase power option on the p5q dlx .. this was one of the choices that drew me to the board when i compared it t the p5q pro and the p5q-e. im in the UK and our energy prices have just been cranked up several very large notches... so anything that keeps long term running coss in check is sure to be welcomed...(another reason why i chose the power efficient 45nm q9550 over the 65nm's)

Have seen a couple power measurement comparisons for the Deluxe versus other boards. On average, the power savings is ~10%. Plus link 1 indicates they do run cooler too.
Link 1 Link 2


it would be a crying shame not to use the extra PCIE slots that are ideal for crossfire, but i would be using a relatievely basic graphics setup...(unless is suddenly become addicted to online gaming..in which case id be sure to make use of those waiting slots)

When I buy the top end boards, I find there are always features I don't use. My believe is that top end boards resell a little better when time comes you want to upgrade. However, I have no proof and price has a significant part to too. :beer:
 
The p5q boards seem to have a lot going for them..
..but...they certainly are pricey when compared with the brightly shining biostar,
yet somehow i still feel drawn to the p5q.
(maybe they can perform mind control...as well as performing CPU control?)


looks like the devastatingly accomplished p5q might have just pipped the biostar to the post...

ah well..off i go to smash the piggy bank wide open..
thanks for all the advice..


now...just got to chose the right type of memory...lol


.
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i suggest the gigabyte x48t-dq6. Havn't had any problems with it and from what i seen they are excellent overclockers. Havn't tried overclocking yet, work keeps me busy.
 
i suggest the gigabyte x48t-dq6. Havn't had any problems with it and from what i seen they are excellent overclockers. Havn't tried overclocking yet, work keeps me busy.

X38/X48 is for better for ocing 45nm dual cores... P45 is better for ocing 45nm quads... that is if you looking at maxing out the cpus....
 
i'm still tweaking my o/c, but i have been able to reach 4.0 ghz easily just by increasing the fsb and increasing vcore a little bit. all else on auto. i am now working on manually reducing nb , sb and fsb term volt. to minimum stable levels. so far prime 95 stable 10.5 hrs with the following levels for those settings.

cpu- 1.4375
nb-1.28
sb-1.2
fsb term. volt. - 1.28

i believe these amount of volts here is safe for 24/7 use?

if someone could give me an opinion on this i would be grateful.

cheers.
 
have got mine to 4.0 ghz just by increasing fsb and vcore.

am working now on manually reducing other volts to minimum stable levels.

so far, manual settings below and so far 10.5hrs prime blend stable.

vcore - 1.2375
nb-1.28
sb-1.2
fsb term. volt.- 1.28
vdimm- 2.02


could someone please confirm (or refute) that these volts are safe for 24/7 use.all volts here are within the "blue" range of the p5q deluxe mobo, except nb wich at 1.28 is in the first "yellow" stage as is vdimm. but as the ram is rated ar 2.1 volts i believe it is ok.
so is the nb volt ok for 24/7 use??

someones opinion would be greatly appreciated.
 
have got mine to 4.0 ghz just by increasing fsb and vcore.

am working now on manually reducing other volts to minimum stable levels.

so far, manual settings below and so far 10.5hrs prime blend stable.

vcore - 1.2375
nb-1.28
sb-1.2
fsb term. volt.- 1.28
vdimm- 2.02


could someone please confirm (or refute) that these volts are safe for 24/7 use.all volts here are within the "blue" range of the p5q deluxe mobo, except nb wich at 1.28 is in the first "yellow" stage as is vdimm. but as the ram is rated ar 2.1 volts i believe it is ok.
so is the nb volt ok for 24/7 use??

someones opinion would be greatly appreciated.

You're well w/n the safety zone, and have room to push further if you want.
 
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