TR Forums

Hello,

I'm going to be buying a new rig in the immediate future. The 780i doesn't appeal to me and I don't want to go with an AMD processor right now. The X38 looks like a solid choice, but I'm having some trouble deciding which board to go with.

The boards I'm looking at right now are the Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6, the Abit IX38 QuadGT, the Asus P5E, or possibly the Asus Maximus Formula. I've read mixed reviews about each of them, so I'm not sure what to think. I want to stick with a DDR2 board; I don't want to spend the extra money for DDR3 memory. I also want a 1600MHz FSB compatible board. Any suggestions?

I've pretty much decided that I'm going to get a Q6600, though I may wait for the newer Penryns (though I'd rather not wait two or three months, as I've already waited quite a while for the X38).

Also, I'm going for a HD 3870, and though I'm not going to get a second card for crossfire right off the bat, I plan on doing so in the not-too-distant future. I'm also planning on getting an AuzenTech X-Fi Prelude sound card and I'm wondering if I'll even have a PCI slot available if I have two 3870's in crossfire, seeing as they have dual slot coolers. I'm assuming there will be one PCI slot available, but I just want to make sure.

Any advice you guys could give me would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Any of those boards will fit the bill.

The question I have is why go with the X38. The only thing it really brings to the table over the P35 is PCI Express 2, which really isn't going to do much for you at this time. It's not really all that future proof, since in a year or two you'll be looking at DDR3 boards.

Right now, we're in a situation where memory types are in flux. I'd buy a cheaper P35 board recognizing that I'm gonna have to get a new board in a couple of years for DDR3.

Not that you could really go wrong, for a few bucks more, it may be worth it to you, but I'd keep that in mind.

Hi it depends what you plan to do with the board , i've been playing with both the abit & the gigabyte boards I've found them very different. The gigabyte is very classy, the heatpipes are superb, wjich is the 1st time i've ever said that:lol:. It has a good package & is very solid. The only letdown to me is the bios doesn't have as many options as the Asus or Abit boards. It overclocks well but is beaten by the Abit.

THe Abit has a poor package but the board is good, it overclocks well. I'm running my highest stable 24/7 clock on any board of 470x8. with my q6600. Which is pretty good with a still immature bios.

So between the 2 if you want solid luxury - gigabyte , boy racer ocing - Abit.

hope that helps:)
luck:)

I guess you have plan to use dual-graphics cards in your mind.

It's also my tough choice between Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 and Abit IX38 QuadGT.
IMHO, based-on my experience with Gigabyte GA-8KNXP,
I prefer Gigabyte hi-end products.
Its website is much easier to use than Abit
You can now try to download BIOS files and manual of each brand
and see how difficult and clumsy Abit provide to you.

Plus Gigabyte takes good care of their hi-end products
(often BIOS release, good manual, loads of accessories, nice components on board)

FYI, I don't hate Abit at all.
Every products has pro and con of its own.