I got my eVGA 680i and 8800GTX yesterday. Some thoughts on the board and video card. I'm definately not trying to scare anyone off, just some information I would have liked to have BEFORE I ordered.
1) You cannot mount a Ninja on it without modification! Where you would normally install the steel backplate there are electronics that get crushed, killing your board. For now, you have to you the intel stock-style mounting holes or cut holes in the backplate to allow electronics to go in them. The back side of my P5W DH is completely smooth.
2) This is not a passive motherboard! The MCP gets to 93C in the BIOS with no load. It is scalding hot to the touch. You MUST install the fan or get ready to RMA for replacement boards. The fan is also very NOISY, though it drops temp to more reasonable 50Cish. After idling in Windows it was 101C. I didn't dare run any apps or anything at that point.
3) The stock MCP fan blows scalding hot air right across the CPU HSF. This raises your load and idle temps by about 12C. Be prepared for this if you have a horizontal-slat heatsink.
Other) The HSF on the 8800GTX does NOT EXHAUST ALL OF THE HOT AIR. About 80% of it is blown into the case through the top vents instead of out the back. I'm currently investigating blocking them to force it out the rear.
How this information helps. I'm returning my 680i and keeping my P5W DH as I miss how quiet it was. Also note that since this information is about the eVGA board, it's safe to say it applies to all other board makers following the reference design.
Of course I am keeping the 8800GTX. It's the same speed as the X1950XTX Crossfire I have (within a few percent), but it's a LOT quieter (the fan is a pleasant wooshing instead of the whine of the 1950's), and uses less power.
1) You cannot mount a Ninja on it without modification! Where you would normally install the steel backplate there are electronics that get crushed, killing your board. For now, you have to you the intel stock-style mounting holes or cut holes in the backplate to allow electronics to go in them. The back side of my P5W DH is completely smooth.
2) This is not a passive motherboard! The MCP gets to 93C in the BIOS with no load. It is scalding hot to the touch. You MUST install the fan or get ready to RMA for replacement boards. The fan is also very NOISY, though it drops temp to more reasonable 50Cish. After idling in Windows it was 101C. I didn't dare run any apps or anything at that point.
3) The stock MCP fan blows scalding hot air right across the CPU HSF. This raises your load and idle temps by about 12C. Be prepared for this if you have a horizontal-slat heatsink.
Other) The HSF on the 8800GTX does NOT EXHAUST ALL OF THE HOT AIR. About 80% of it is blown into the case through the top vents instead of out the back. I'm currently investigating blocking them to force it out the rear.
How this information helps. I'm returning my 680i and keeping my P5W DH as I miss how quiet it was. Also note that since this information is about the eVGA board, it's safe to say it applies to all other board makers following the reference design.
Of course I am keeping the 8800GTX. It's the same speed as the X1950XTX Crossfire I have (within a few percent), but it's a LOT quieter (the fan is a pleasant wooshing instead of the whine of the 1950's), and uses less power.