x38 vs x48

jonneymendoza

Supreme [H]ardness
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Sep 11, 2004
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Hi with the new dual and quad core coming out from intel. whats the differnece between a x38 and x48 mobo?
 
DDR3 is still really expensive - at this point, almost certainly not worth the cost.
 
X48 supports DDR2 memory. I can confirm this as I am running a DDR2 based X48 chipset based motherboard on my test bench as I type this.
 
No idea. I'm not sure what Morry has reviewed lately.

We're still waiting on the Abit X38 Quad GT review. Which I had emailed Kyle about back in November '07, and he just said "We're still waiting on a board from Abit". Guess they never sent one. But I digress...
 
Can someone explain me the point of buying a X48 or P45 with Nehalem comming next year?
 
Can someone explain me the point of buying a X48 or P45 with Nehalem comming next year?

so that we dont have to wait another year or two before they come out. you expect people like me who boasta an AGP system to wait another year? no thanks im tired of waiting and as soon as the q945 arrives i be getting that along with a x48 mobo
 
The x48 is just a speed binned x38 with official support for speeds that are easily reached with OC'ing a x38.
 
The x48 is just a speed binned x38 with official support for speeds that are easily reached with OC'ing a x38.

That's correct. The X48 officially supports 1600MHz FSB speeds for the QX9770.

so in theory the x48 can OC better then?

It is possible but there are no guarantees that it would. The X48's 1600MHz FSB speeds can easily be reached by most if not all X38 boards.
 
Are there any board (out, or planned) that offer DDR2 & DDR3 support? I really loved the AsRock that allowed me to upgrade slowly from DDR to DDR2 (and AGP -> PCIe). The DDR3 $$$ is still such a killer....
 
whats the fsp on an x38 board? 1200fsb?

1333MHz officially.

so in theory the x48 can OC better then?

My experience says no. The X38 can already go well past 1600MHz FSB so speed binning X48 differently than X38 isn't necessary in my opinion. Though there could be more strict validation involved in X48 selection than just speed binning. In any case my experiences with X38 and X48 chipset based boards tells me that X48 doesn't always OC better. I recently worked with an X48 board incapable of anything over 525MHz FSB. While every X38 board I can remember working with overclocked to around 540MHz.
 
is there a x38 or an x48 board that only has one pci e connection? im not planning on using sli or crossfire and instead of having a useless pci e slot free i would rather much have a couple more standard PCI slots that can be used for usb, raid, sound card controlers.
 
is there a x38 or an x48 board that only has one pci e connection? im not planning on using sli or crossfire and instead of having a useless pci e slot free i would rather much have a couple more standard PCI slots that can be used for usb, raid, sound card controlers.

Multiple PCIe slots is one of the main reasons/selling points for X38 chipsets, so I doubt you'd find one that had only 1. I doubt you'll even find a P35 slot with only 1 for that matter. But how many USB headers do you need - most enthusiast class motherboards have at least 8, plus onboard RAID (sometimes via two different controllers). Bottom line, I think you're stuck with multiple slots like it or not.
 
so the ASUS Rampage Formula is the new X48 version of the Asus Maximus Formula?
 
Multiple PCIe slots is one of the main reasons/selling points for X38 chipsets, so I doubt you'd find one that had only 1. I doubt you'll even find a P35 slot with only 1 for that matter. But how many USB headers do you need - most enthusiast class motherboards have at least 8, plus onboard RAID (sometimes via two different controllers). Bottom line, I think you're stuck with multiple slots like it or not.

sounds strange because not many use crossfire or sli and they both dont gain much advantage in todays games
 
So... does this mean that the X38 boards will soon become less expensive... or is every X48 board going to cost damn near $400 and the X38s will stay put in terms of price? I sure hope the former is true as I want a "true" Crossfire board for my 3870s...
 
My Abit IX38 QuadGT is being RMAed atm, died, (Least i hope it did, because I can't RMA my Q6600 as it's lapped)

But other than that, its nice...:D
 
We're still waiting on the Abit X38 Quad GT review. Which I had emailed Kyle about back in November '07, and he just said "We're still waiting on a board from Abit". Guess they never sent one. But I digress...

We are getting nothing more than press releases from ABIT any more. They just don't seem to really give a shit about the American market anymore.
 
is there a x38 or an x48 board that only has one pci e connection? im not planning on using sli or crossfire and instead of having a useless pci e slot free i would rather much have a couple more standard PCI slots that can be used for usb, raid, sound card controlers.

Might want to wait for P45 then.
 
is there a x38 or an x48 board that only has one pci e connection? im not planning on using sli or crossfire and instead of having a useless pci e slot free i would rather much have a couple more standard PCI slots that can be used for usb, raid, sound card controlers.

No there are not. At least none that I have seen. There are always multiple PCIe x1 slots and usually no more than two legacy PCI slots on modern motherboards. In fact PCIe x16 slots are the most useful on a modern motherboard as they'll accomodate all PCIe devices on the market. Which includes RAID controllers and other things. More and more items are going PCIe and slowly but surely PCI devices are going away. The only PCI slot I generally need is for a sound card and nothing else. Eventually PCIe sound cards will be more mainstream eliminating the need for PCI completely.
 
No it is not. They are very different boards.

how? They look the same here
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3208

I recently worked with an X48 board incapable of anything over 525MHz FSB. While every X38 board I can remember working with overclocked to around 540MHz.
Bad news about the GIGABYTE X48-DQ6 :D
seems that Intel ruled the CPU field, Nvidia ruled the Graphic cards, and now ASUS is ruling the mobo’s
 

Never mind, you are correct. I hadn't looked at the Maximus Formula in awhile. I thought it had a different expansion slot configuration. I look at so many boards I get confused sometimes.

Bad news about the GIGABYTE X48-DQ6 :D
seems that Intel ruled the CPU field, Nvidia ruled the Graphic cards, and now ASUS is ruling the mobo’s

Technically on sales and market share ASUS has ruled the motherboard industry for some time.
 
As a result of a dispute with Newegg, I am entitled to a full refund for my Asus PK5 Premium. I'm thinking since I can get the $250 I spent when it first came out refunded, I could get a x38 board such as P5E or Maximus Formula (they are almost the same right?) or should I wait for the x48 boards? The memory results in the Anandech article are very interesting, but would those settings even work with four DIMMs? I run a [email protected] and 4x1gb ddr2-1000 Ballistix, the P5K has been rock solid for months and I don't want to go through the trouble if the x38 chipset isn't as reliable but it would be nice to have pci-express 2.0 for future cards. I read the newer boards don't have the amazing voltage damper option anymore (why asus why?) but if the pencil mod works properly then I can let it slide.
 
As a result of a dispute with Newegg, I am entitled to a full refund for my Asus PK5 Premium. I'm thinking since I can get the $250 I spent when it first came out refunded, I could get a x38 board such as P5E or Maximus Formula (they are almost the same right?) or should I wait for the x48 boards? The memory results in the Anandech article are very interesting, but would those settings even work with four DIMMs? I run a [email protected] and 4x1gb ddr2-1000 Ballistix, the P5K has been rock solid for months and I don't want to go through the trouble if the x38 chipset isn't as reliable but it would be nice to have pci-express 2.0 for future cards. I read the newer boards don't have the amazing voltage damper option anymore (why asus why?) but if the pencil mod works properly then I can let it slide.

The XMP feature of the X38/X48 chipset is for two DIMMs only.

As for reliability the X38 boards and X48 boards have been perfectly stable and reliable in my testing. As for their later boards not having the EPU feature, I don't believe that's true. The ASUS Rampage Formula does indeed have it.
 
Thanks for the fast reply and answers. Not sure if we are on the same page about 'voltage damper'. I'm refering to the feature on the P5K Premium that eliminates vdroop under load (heck mine even overvolts a litte hehe) while the Asus website describes EPU as a power saving feature that disables 4 phases of the power circuitry when the cpu is idle. Based on everything I have read here and on XS there is no voltage damper option in the x38 boards but a pencil mod does the trick. It was such a useful feature and put Asus P35 boards above the rest, I have no idea why they would remove it.
 
Thanks for the fast reply and answers. Not sure if we are on the same page about 'voltage damper'. I'm refering to the feature on the P5K Premium that eliminates vdroop under load (heck mine even overvolts a litte hehe) while the Asus website describes EPU as a power saving feature that disables 4 phases of the power circuitry when the cpu is idle. Based on everything I have read here and on XS there is no voltage damper option in the x38 boards but a pencil mod does the trick. It was such a useful feature and put Asus P35 boards above the rest, I have no idea why they would remove it.

I can tell you that the Rampage Formula does have the EPU feature. I do believe that the EPU feature which saves power is also what allows for the voltage regulation that eliminates vdroop.
 
The P5E also has EPU and seems to be identical to the Max Formula, and the vdroop pencil mod is proven to work so I'm going to order it. It's cheaper than my P5K was, so I come out with some money saved. Apparently the x48 chips are being delayed and I don't want to wait.
 
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