Lost as to which P45 motherboard to get

H

Harb

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
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I hate to make another "which motherboard?" thread, but even after reading tons of threads here, I'm still lost.

I'm building a new system in a month or so, and the motherboard is my biggest question mark so far. Here is what I plan on putting in the system as of right now:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Quad-Core Processor
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Memory
VisionTek radon HD 4870x2

This system will need to be a strong all-around system, hence the beefy video card and processor. I don't need a motherboard that is bloated with features; I've already got an X-Fi card, so I'm reluctant to buy a motherboard that comes with anything more than an onboard sound chip because I know that the piece will never get put to use.

All I need out of a motherboard is a stable, solid board that can overclock well, and that can fit a 4870x2, and I want to spend as little as possible on it. I'm not saying I want a budget board, but rather that I don't want to spend more than I have to. I was originally going to go with an X38/X48 board, but I realized that I would never get a second 4870x2, so the dual PCIe 16x that was my entire motivation for getting a 38/48 was no longer needed. I've heard good things about P45 boards and overclocking/stability, but they run the gamut from sub-100$ to 200$+, and I don't know what I need.

Thanks! If I need to provide any more info, let me know and I'll post it ASAP.
 
Tough to go wrong with an Asus P5Q Mobo, Here is a list with some of the differences between them. People seem to be going with the pro, the E, and the deluxe the most, I guess it depends of what features you need/want.
 
C/P from Danny Bui
- Other good motherboard options:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $90
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $112
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $128
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $140
Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 Motherboard - $150
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2R Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you don't need more than 6 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, x8/x8 Crossfire, and great overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, just support for 8GB of RAM, and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want a motherboard with excellent overclocking capabilities above all else (feature wise), go with the I45. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn, need x16/x16 Crossfire, and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus, DFI, or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.
 
Wow, quick replies, thanks!

I doubt if I'll ever need more than 6 sata ports, and RAID has never really been my thing. I run 2-3 HDD's at most, and rarely more than one optical drive. I don't need any more than 1 PCIe 2.0 16x, and I doubt if I'll ever go over 8 gigs of ram. The more I think about it and the smaller my list of needed features gets, I realize that overclocking is probably my biggest concern with buying a board, but at the same time, I'm reluctant to drop 200$+ on the top-end stuff.
 
Just got myself P5Q-Deluxe and loving it.

Amazing board, compared to my old pos 680i
 
Go with the P5Q Pro, E, or Deluxe depending on your needs and how much you want to spend. Can't go wrong with any of those.
 
Yeah... I'm with the group here. I love my P5Q Deluxe. It's one of the most solid boards I have ever owned. The rest of the P5Q line look great too.
 
I've been using the P5QL-Pro (cheaper version of what most get) for a couple weeks, and it is a perfect mobo (zero complaints). Another vote for Asus!
 
After yet more research, this time taking these recomendations into account, I'm going to go with the P5Q Pro. I don't need the extra PCIe x16 2.0 slot, but the northbridge and southbridge heatsinks look like they're much higher quality than the lower P5Q models, and they look like they would be extremely easy to attach 40mm fans to (which I plan to).

I've only got one more question. What does the heatsink at the other end of the northbridge heat pipe cool? And whatever it is, does it get very hot? I might take advantage of this heatsink/heat pipe to attatch another 40mm fan or something to further cool the northbridge if needed.

Thanks!
 
Harb said:
After yet more research, this time taking these recomendations into account, I'm going to go with the P5Q Pro. I don't need the extra PCIe x16 2.0 slot, but the northbridge and southbridge heatsinks look like they're much higher quality than the lower P5Q models, and they look like they would be extremely easy to attach 40mm fans to (which I plan to).

I've only got one more question. What does the heatsink at the other end of the northbridge heat pipe cool? And whatever it is, does it get very hot? I might take advantage of this heatsink/heat pipe to attatch another 40mm fan or something to further cool the northbridge if needed.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

It cools the mosfets that power the cpu. I would take advantage of the heatpipe and add another fan, should help in overclocking as the mosfets would get hotter the more you overclocked, because of higher voltages. I have the P5Q Pro mobo also and it's amazing. Overclocks like a champ. :D
 
a vote for the p5q as well, probably one of the most painless and easiest to oc board i've ever used, i just got a second one from a member on this forum
 
Gigabyte 'cause I heard it's feature-packed :D Personally, I want Asus P5W DH features (including DDR2 support) on P45 chipset, none of the P45 motherboards deliver it :(
 
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