Help Mobo choice!

[Lethul]

ASUS P5Q PRO P45 S-775 ATX

or

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R S-775 ATX

or something else?

 

[Kryten]

Both very good boards, I'd probably side for the Asus purely on brand strength and a few more bios options, but neither will be a bad choice really.

 

[Dr_Weasel]

I was looking at the Asus board recently too. They do 3 versions of that model though. The basic model doesnt have all the connectors Im after. The Deluxe model is a bit more up my street with the number of sata connections, and pci-e interfaces.

The ultimate version of the board seems quite nutty though. 4 slots for gfx cards, 10 back panel usb slots, 4 x gigabit ethernet, etc.

Its worth checking out the different models and making sure you have the connectors you need.

 

[SheepCow]

I'm a long time Gigabyte fan as they were one of the only manufacturers that didn't use the shitty capacitors, although I've had Asus in the past and not had any problems (I think it was an Abit that had capacity-related popping).

 

[old.Osy]

Gigabyte are known for overheating problems. Decent boards, but fail on cooling and memory compatibility. Personal experience.

 

[Kryten]

Same can be said of the Asus boards, which if anything are even more picky with memory. Ask any Ballistix or Kingston owners

 

[rynnor]

That ASUS motherboard has me drooling - starting to get the build a new system urge now. Just started off buying a graphics card but now think I might end up with a new system to put it in lol!

What brand of memory do ASUS boards like though for reference?

 

[Kryten]

You'll generally be fine with any Corsair, Geil, OCZ or basic/normal Crucial stuff. Avoid Kingston and Crucial Ballistix, Kingmax and you should be fine. There's a full list of "supported" ram on the Asus site but it's very restrictive

 

[rynnor]

Hmm - Ebuyer are out of the Pro version but have the deluxe version :

Asus P5Q Deluxe P45 Socket 775 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard - Ebuyer

Is that version worth the extra cash or is there a better card around that price?

 

[Kryten]

It's still one of the top boards in that price bracket, the extra from the Premium version is merely an extra PCIE-16x slot (at 4x) in case you wanted 3 way crossfire or similar, along with some stability design additions should you want to overclock it to silly levels. Not sure it's worth the extra unless you can 1. really afford it and 2. would be looking at overclocking hugely.

 

[inactionman]

It's got heatpipe cooling on the NB as well.