Narrowing down [Archive] - Overclockers Forums

Gensou

11-12-09, 10:16 PM

I'm having the hardest time deciding which motherboard to get. I don't have a lot of cash to spend freely so I want to get a good quality motherboard that will last me a while and can OC very nicely.

The three I have in mind:

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128362)
ASUS Rampage II Extreme (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131352R)
DFI LP UT X58-T3eH8 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136063)

Please, do not vote for a board just because it's "prettier". I really don't care how it looks, I just care about the quality of the board and how well it handles an i7 920. I'm anti-fanboy also, so no bloodrage suggestions. ( I heard foxconn is going under sometime in June anyways..meaning no support for hardware, etc )

Thanks

doz

11-12-09, 10:29 PM

RIIE hands down. If you are limited on funds, there are many other quality boards that are cheaper you could use. If you are planning on running a single card, id think about the mATX EVGA board. Its a VERY stout board and clocks well.

If you are looking to do some high benching, then by all means go with a RIIE or a Classified (from EVGA), otherwise if you want a nice 4-4.2ghz everyday clock, Id scale it down a bit if you want to save some bucks.

Here is the mATX EVGA: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188051

Gensou

11-12-09, 11:00 PM

Well, I'm not getting the motherboard specifically for benching. I will play games, do homework, listen to music, bench here and there, overclock, do some video encoding.
I was thinking of getting the Open Box RIIE ( $280 shipped from newegg ).

doz

11-12-09, 11:04 PM

Honestly, if you dont plan on going much over 4ghz for an overclock, save $70 - $100 and get a brand new board, like the one I linked above (if you dont mind mATX, some people are anal and wont buy them for whatever reason, they work just as well). Put that extra money towards a better HDD or Video card (if you are gaming, which card do you plan on getting anyways?, if a 5850, that money can goto a 5870).

Gensou

11-13-09, 06:16 AM

I have a 5770 currently and will crossfire in the future. I want to run the i7 @ 4.0 maybe 4.2 24/7? Is that possible with my cooling ( Megahalems with 2 88cfm yate loons in push/pull)?

doz

11-13-09, 06:30 AM

Yes

Gensou

11-13-09, 07:30 AM

A user is offering me an open boxed RIIE with everything guaranteed included for $280 shipped. Should I take the offer? Would I be better off in the long run with the RIIE or a cheaper board?

mattspalace

11-13-09, 01:40 PM

Might have a look at the board in my sig - running like a champ at 4.2 using the same cooler as you are.

doz

11-13-09, 03:13 PM

Again, like I said above. If you are on a budget like you say you are, you can easily do 4ghz overclock with a board that costs $180. If you want to pay for the RIIE, by all means go ahead, its a great board. Usually when people start saying they are budgeting, I will give options that will serve their purpose and gives them a quality product.

EarthDog

11-13-09, 03:16 PM

Neuromancer

11-13-09, 03:18 PM

I a miser, so do not like spending a lot of money on stuff :)

4.2 HTT should be doable on any board with adequate cooling. More than that is iffy. There are only a couple of boards that do not have a wall at 220-222 BCLK, so unless you are intending to push for the limits of the CPU, I would save some money and get a nice cheap board :)

I picked up a E758 off of ebay for under $200 and it ramps right up to 222x21 with no problem. Not 1 MHz more is possible though.

4.4HTT is easy peasy and a good "overclock setting" for this setup. I do not like the board layout, design or anytihng, but it is a super solid and powerful up to its limits. Make sure you have needle nose pliers if you want to hook up the 8 pin CPU and CPU fan header though LOL Its really got a bad layout.

Gensou

11-13-09, 09:08 PM

Thanks guys, I'll be going with the DFI. It handles RAM VERY VERY nicely and I've seen people hit 5ghz+ on i7 920 with it. Some people said it's even better than the classi.

doz

11-13-09, 11:30 PM

5ghz is using Liquid Nitrogen. I dont think anyone has hit 5ghz on water, let alone air.

OnDborder

11-14-09, 12:26 AM

Gensou

11-14-09, 09:36 AM

Eva2000 has gotten some good results with that board... Of course.
Plus there's a lot of tips and tricks over at i4memory. http://i4memory.com/f80/
I almost pulled the trigger on one of those dfi's.

Welcome to the Forum!:welcome: http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=491697 Gensou

Pulled the trigger? Haha, I don't understand that terminology. Is that a good or bad thing? What board did you get instead?

robble

11-14-09, 08:18 PM

Thanks guys, I'll be going with the DFI. It handles RAM VERY VERY nicely and I've seen people hit 5ghz+ on i7 920 with it. Some people said it's even better than the classi.

unless you are "expert" i'd stay away from the DFI boards.
They can o/c like crazy but require a lot of tweaking and can be real finicky on what ram/power supplies they work with.

Check out the dfistreet forums to see what i mean.

OnDborder

11-14-09, 10:38 PM

Gensou, I got the Asus Rampage 2 Extreme.
It was a deal I couldn't pass up. "Pulling the trigger", as in purchase one.
Robble has a good point. DFI's can be tricky. Alot of extra bios settings and can be frustrating for the impatient.
The Asus and Gigabyte's are more user friendly.

Gensou

11-15-09, 12:26 AM

I have "pulled the trigger".

I bought Asus Rampage II Extreme for $275 shipped. Good move, yes?

OnDborder

11-15-09, 02:15 AM

Good price for that board

fire2havoc

11-15-09, 09:30 PM

RIIE is a very good board, but I doubt you'll see much of a difference between that one and the Gigabyte EX58-UD5. I would also suggest looking at the ASUS P6T if you're on a tight budget.