790i mobo replacement for my 9800GX2?

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Gutspiller

Gawd
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I was thinking about getting a 790i mobo, the XFX nForce 790i 3-Way SLI Motherboard specifically. I had caught the article ( http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/chipse...a_Corruption_During_Overclocking_Company.html ) and the thread here about hd corruption. This is a very big concern for me as the system that I will being using this on is for my web company that I make regular backups to 2 different external backup drives. Needless to say, a hd corruption of any sort could really cause me headaches if those backups start getting corrupted.

I was looking to upgrade to a 790i mobo on Monday next week. I have a P5W DH Deluxe mobo and a 9800GX2 and for those that know, this mobo can only run the 9800GX2 with 1 GPU enabled and flickers in games if both are enabled.

My main purpose of wanting the 790i board was it seemed like a nice board for overclocking if you don't really know that much about overclocking. So I'm thinking of a replacement that will still be good for overclocking, but is very noobie friendly for somebody that doesn't know WTF they're doing and just has simple settings that can be increased where I don't have to mess with voltage and anything else that you need to know about. Simply up it a little by little until it crashes and then lower it back down a little bit and call it good is really what I'm looking for.

I run a E6600 right now and will be running in my new mobo for a while until I upgrade to a E8400 or E8500 unless people here think I can squeeze more performance out of a quad chip? From the benches I've seen on these (E84/8500) they seem to be better than most quads out there until you get into the Extreme quad models.

DDR3 isn't a must, but I just want a mobo that will:

1. Support my new 9800GX2 and BOTH of it's GPUs. (Strange that I have to actually specify this.( damn you Asus mobo).

2. Is not an Asus mobo (Sorry, never again).

3. Will give some futureproof as far as PCI-E slots (2 at least)

4. Can use my E6600 CPU in it until I upgrade to an E84/8500/quad CPU.

5. No chipset fan. (another experience I had)

6. Doesn't cause hard drive corruption and is overall a stable board.

7. Is noob overclocker friendly.

All are fairly important to me and aren't listed in any particular order. I know I could wait until more news comes out about the 790i mobos and then buy one, but frankly, I don't want to run my 9800GX2 as a 9800GTX with only 1 of its GPUs being used.

I'm really looking for suggestions on what I should do. From my card, you can easily tell I use the machine for gaming, but like I mentioned I also use it for web design.

I currently have 2GB of ram, but was thinking if there was another DDR3 mobo out there I would consider moving to 4GB, but if it's a DDR2 mobo, I'm not sure I want to invest into 4GB at the moment, if people are thinking things are going towards DDR3 sooner than later?

I run WinXP, but was considering the move to Vista64. (Yes I know that WinXP would only use 3GB/2GB depending on how you look at it, and who you talk to)

Sorry to make this such a long post, but I already had to wait a week while my stupid 8pin PCI-E power adapter came in so I could power my 9800GX2, then I find out about this F*ing my current mobo problem and how it only uses half of the video card, then the mobo I was planning on (790i) has corruption problems, so yeah, I'm really ready to finally be able to use the ~$550 card I paid for 3 weeks after buying it.

Please help!
 
I was in a similar situation as you. Got a 9800 GX2 and it simply did not work in my retail Acer Q6600 based machine. I fried the motherboard playing around with BIOS updates, so I built the sig rig.


Yes, an Asus Striker II Extreme, obviously not going to be your choice. My experience with Asus motherboards has been good. I’ve had about 6 over the years, never got one bad or have one go bad before retirement. The only issue I’ve had is that I lost two USB ports on my 2.5 half year old A8N32-SLI which is still humming along pretty well. I’m pretty sure too that burring out those ports was my partially my fault as I was messing around with some stuff just as a major bolt of lightning struck. It was nothing that a USB hub didn’t cure.


If you’re not going to go QUAD-SLI with the 9800GX2 (I might that’s why I got the Striker) you might want to look in X48 boards. They are great boards, just no SLI and when I was checking a couple of people with 9800 GX2’s said they had no problems. Just double check before you order.


As for the data corruption issue, it looks to be related to overclocking the FSB, that’s when I’ve heard it mentioned the most, those others claim that they have experienced it with no overclocking at all. For now, all I have done with my sig rig is up my CPU voltage to 1.35V and bumped my multiplier to 10.5. So I’m at 3.5 GHz with stock cooling. I can’t seem to get Prime 95 and Memtest to not lock up when I got to an 11 multiplier, better cooling might take of that but I’m happy for now.


As for the 9800GX2, it rocks! SLI is finally getting there. It’s a good bit faster than my 8800 Ultra.


I admit so far I’m very pleased with this Asus Striker II Extreme, but I can’t recommend it because of the HD corruption issue, plus the fact you don’t want an Asus anyway! Good luck!
 
If you are not going toward quad SLi or DDR3, you do not need an nForce based motherboard. I would suggest getting a P35 or an X38 so you can still use your DDR2. That Abit X38 motherboard in the hot deals look mighty good for $130 on newegg.

If you are leaning toward quad SLi but not DDR3, I might suggest the MSI 780i as I have heard people have better success than an eVGA or an XFX 780i
 
What are peoples thoughts on the 780i motherboards? Are they proven to be reliable and would I be clear from any problems with a 9800GX2 running in one?
 
Gutspiller said:
What are peoples thoughts on the 780i motherboards? Are they proven to be reliable and would I be clear from any problems with a 9800GX2 running in one?
Click to expand...

they are reliable but theyre still not as stable as intel boards, my P35 board has never crashed or locked up once since i bought it a couple months ago, the nvidia has crashed few times and hard locked a couple times. but nothing a reboot couldnt fix. and no you wouldnt have a problem running a gx2 in one.
 
I looked into P35 boards and a roundup said that gigabytes was the fastest. Unfortunantly, after looking at a picture of it, I can see that the sata connectors would become unusable if I ever decided to add a 2nd 9800gx2 to my system.

Who would have ever thought it would be this hard simply to find the best mobo that gives the best performance while still allowing 1 and if/when the time comes, 2 9800gx2s.

EDIT: Is it true that only nvidia chipset mobos have SLI, so if I want SLI for the future I couldn't go with an Intel board but would need to go with a nvidia chipset mobo?
 
Gutspiller said:
I looked into P35 boards and a roundup said that gigabytes was the fastest. Unfortunantly, after looking at a picture of it, I can see that the sata connectors would become unusable if I ever decided to add a 2nd 9800gx2 to my system.

Who would have ever thought it would be this hard simply to find the best mobo that gives the best performance while still allowing 1 and if/when the time comes, 2 9800gx2s.

EDIT: Is it true that only nvidia chipset mobos have SLI, so if I want SLI for the future I couldn't go with an Intel board but would need to go with a nvidia chipset mobo?
Click to expand...

there is only 1 intel board which can support sli and its more of a server board, the skulltrail board... runs about 650 bux lol.

this is why im going crossfire in my next rig because i want a computer that wont randomly crash or lock up, even if the nvidia cards do end up being a bit better i dont care because id rather have stability over a bit more performance....

ideally tho you wanna just use an intel chipset mobo with an nvidia card, but if you play at 1920 / 2560 resolutions then it gets frustrating sometimes with 1 card.
 
I truly doubt that the entire nvidia platform isn't stable. Surely that has to be mobos out there that are stable and offer SLI. This isn't like some unique, off the wall request for a motherboard. I'm leaning towards the 780i. I looked at the review of the XFX on hardocp and they said in gaming you wouldn't notice a dip in performance and they had it stable the entire time.

I was considering the 790i until I heard of the hard drive corruption problem.
 
I'll again vouch that the 780i MSI P7N Diamond is probably the best modern SLI board on the market in terms of stability, feature set, and OC capability. The down side (currently) is the BIOS: It can be difficult to tweak when finding optimum OC settings, and it's still a bit less mature than reference BIOSes. This can make OCing a bit of a challenge, but when you've found success with it you'll no doubt be quite satisfied. (I've hit 4.05ghz on my Q6600, but currently run 3.6ghz 24/7.) On the up side, I've known of no reliability issues, except for flaky OC support with some of the newer 45nm quads, and support will no doubt improve soon as the BIOS matures.

I've had the board for over three months, and it's been a great experience. Flawless reliability.
 
Well I'm a noob at overclocking, but I did want to overclock my soon to purchase E8400 / E8500. That was why I was leaning towards the 790i because I had heard it had really easy overclockability, basically even a noobie could really get the most out of their CPU.

So when you say the 780i is a little difficult, and me being a noob at overclocking, does that mean I will have a very difficult time getting anything more out of a regularly purchased CPU?

On a side note, are all 780i mobos created equally or does the MSI P7N Diamond stand above the rest? I'm asking this before seeing if I can find any comparisons, but I'm never sure which mobo to purchase once I have which chipset I like. They all look so similar and unless review sites to a comparison specifically between the different brands, it's hard to ever know.

EDIT: The one review I found on MSI P7N Diamond vs. MSI P7N SLI Platinum said that they didn't recommend either for overclocking or for newer Intel CPUs. ( http://www.digital-daily.com/motherboard/msi_p7n_diamond_platinum/index4.htm )

I guess not that mobo either. :(
 
All 780i boards are not created equal. The two reference boards (evga & xfx,) are identical, but each non-reference board is quite different. The P7N non-reference board stands above the reference boards as it's built with better components. Specifically, it employs a better PWM and all solid state capacitors. These two features contribute to greater reliability and stability when compared to the reference boards, which suffer from many short and long term issues. The other non-reference options are the ASUS Striker II Formula and the P5N-T. Both had significant compatibility issues at launch, and both were known to be poor OCers, but I believe both have matured considerably in the last month. Still, the P7N is the cheapest non-reference 780i board on the market, and most would agree that it's the best.

As for OCing being difficult, that really applies more to the P7N than all 780i boards. The reference boards are known to be the easiest of all nForce boards to OC... but then they're also the most trouble-prone when it comes to reliability. If you are a noob at OCing, you may want to consider the EVGA 780i instead, but if reliability and build quality are top concerns, the P7N would be a better choice.

Lastly and most importantly (by far,) if you are not building an SLI setup with two discrete graphic cards (note cards --- not chips,) then there is no reason to consider a nForce board at all. Go with a P35 board and call it a day. Note that you do not need an SLI board to support both GPUs on a GX2... that's the value of the GX2 -- you get SLI performance without the issues of an SLI chipset.
 
Well I have one 9800GX2 now, but would like a motherboard that if I decide to later throw in another one I have that option. I am more interested in reliability and quality and stability than overclocking, as I can always pay for a better chip and simply not waste the time overclocking.

My real main concern that I've bee reading up on is that it seems there are still a bunch of motherboards out there that have a problem running both the GPUs on the 9800GX2.

This is why I'm upgrading in the first place, because my current mobo has this same problem.

So with my situation, you would recommend the MSI P7N Diamond?
 
I have an EVGA 780i. I too was brand new to OCing. I never went into the bios other than to set up my drives, boot sequence, etc. I was able to take my e8400 to 4.0ghz with no problems what so ever, although I run it a 3.8ghz 24/7. I did do a lot of reading, and from the sound of it you would do the same. I too like to do a lot of research.

I haven't had any issues with trying to OC for the first time. I also haven't had any random restarts, etc. other than when I was OCing and did not have things set correctly. That will happen to anyone. I am about to add another 9800GTX to my case once my EVGA step up goes through. I highly doubt I will ever to tri sli, but I like having the room so I can use my X-Fi soundcard. Most sli boards I looked at wouldn't have supported my X-Fi with dual slot cards.

I haven't looked back since getting the EVGA 780i since I got it. I can't tell you much about the non reference boards since I did my research, liked what I saw, and purchased. I am definitely a happy customer with my EVGA 780i.
 
Sorry, what is the difference between a "non reference board" and a "reference board"? How does one tell when they are purchasing? I've heard the term thrown around a lot, but I've yet to figure out what it means.
 
Reference boards are manufacturers that are in kahootz with nvidia, EVGA, XFX. That's why they look exactly the same, with a few minor cosmetic changes. Non-Reference is from manufactures that don't get their specs straight from nvidia, but are allowed to build an nvidia(sli capable) motherboard. Atleast that's how I understand it.
 
A reference board is designed by nVidia, then manufactured by it's manufacturing partner (Foxconn for the 780i,) and then sold by it's marketing partners (EVGA and XFX for the 780i.) Hence, evga and xfx did not design their own 780i motherboards. They simply sell the boards provided to them by nVidia. A non reference board uses the same nVidia 780i chipset found on the reference boards, but employs a different, custom motherboard design made by the manufacturer / seller of the board.

Also, what resolution do you game at? Keep in mind that SLI is not needed nor should be considered if you game at a resolution below 1920x1200. Also, keeping SLI as an upgrade option is usually a terrible idea and a waste of money. By the time you're ready to get that second GX2, nVidia may well have released their real successor to the 8800 GTX -- due out (according to current rumors) in the early fall. You may find that a cheaper, single card solution outperforms two of your cards in SLI, and that by selling the original GX2, you can get a better upgrade for far less. All SLI boards have their issues. If you think about it -- it makes perfect sense. If you can have a board where the processor and chipset are made by the same company (Intel,) or a board where different parts were built by competitors w/o intimate knowledge of each other's workings, then why would one choose the later? There's bound to be some knowledge put to use where the proc and chipset are made by the same company that the alternate solution must do without -- and history has shown that Intel bases nForce boards are always inferior to their Intel counterparts.
 
I'm starting to see that. The one real question I have now is will the Asus P5E3 Premium support a 9800GX2 without having problems?

That's what I really need to find out.
 
Instead of 2 threads asking basically the same questions, wouldn't it help you more to ask....

"Who has a 9800GX2 and what motherboard to do you run it on?". That might spare you the commentary and get you facts that would help make a purchasing decision.

Just a thought I had reading both your threads. :p
 
Nah, that would make it too easy. :p

Actually I was going to ask that, but I also wanted to get a feel for fastest motherboards so I knew what to look for in those threads to. Just because people don't have them with a 9800gx2, doesn't mean they aren't stable either.

Anyways, Monday is the purchasing day and I've spent hours on HardOCP viewing threads, suggestions, and reviews, and I still feel no more closer to having an idea of what the fastest motherboard out there is.

Is it that complicated? Would have surely though that Google would pull something up from a site that would have done a roundup on receive mobos and which one was the fastest as far as giving you that extra bump in performance in gaming. If they can do it in 640x480 like in HardOCPs tests, shouldn't they give you a little bit of the same in high resolutions and even in everyday use as well, even if it's on a smaller scale?
 
I just happened across this thread, thought I would chime in. I have been contemplating the switch to sli, but I cannot find a sli chipset that doesn't carry some baggage. At this point I am damn happy to have my abit that works flawlessly with my 9800gx2 and 3110(same as e8400). I would highly recommend this board to anyone and it can be had on newegg for like 80 bucks AR. If you go sli, please update this thread. I would be very interested. Also, when looking at sli, make sure you get something that supports 16x in two pci-e slots if you want to run two 9800gx2's. If you get a board that does 8x, you will not be able to sli your current card. Good luck.
 
Gutspiller said:
What are peoples thoughts on the 780i motherboards? Are they proven to be reliable and would I be clear from any problems with a 9800GX2 running in one?
Click to expand...


i am running quad sli on the evga 780i and its great. if you look at my sig i am running nvidia chipsets on all my machines. i had a couple 680i boards and they were terrific also. one of the intel chipsets would probably be ok with the gx2, but i have to tell you i cant see one running any better than my 780i, which has been flawless.
 
Gutspiller said:
What are peoples thoughts on the 780i motherboards? Are they proven to be reliable and would I be clear from any problems with a 9800GX2 running in one?
Click to expand...

I think he means reliabillity in terms of HDD curruption. I've once-overd a couple of those articals and they kept referring to the problem as across all 7 series Nforce boards. My 680i board (almost the exact same chipset cept 780i has a frankinstein PCI-e 1.1 to 2.0, presumably it has the same problems as 780i) has never given me any blatent signs that it was being messed with, for the 8 months that I owned it before it died.
 
HD Corruption was an early issue on 680i boards, but was fixed after a few months with a BIOS update. I haven't seen reports of it occurring on the 780i boards, nor on the 650i / 750i boards. It does appear to be back on the 790i boards under certain circumstances.

To the OP,

If your only consideration for SLI is to have the ability to add a second GX2 later down the road, then there should be no consideration at all. Get a P35 board and call it a day. In addition to the reason for not pursuing SLI as an upgrade path explained earlier, consider also that the GX2 is very much a make-shift release at the tail end of an architectural generation. Keep in mind that It doesn't break new ground or significantly expand on the gains made by the original 8800 GTX. It's certainly an awesome card in today's market, but (baring any screw-ups,) watch it be eclipsed by the next new architecture in some fashion (whether in performance, power requirements, or both.)

It's very hard to predict nVidia and ATI graphic card releases. Rumors are often wrong, and good, hard information is never available until the cards themselves are out on the market. However, when a company presents a dual GPU solution as a means to provide significant performance gains over their previous flagship, you know that the underlying architecture is nearing its sunset. Consider that the 7950 GX2 was king of the mountain for maybe 6 months at most, and even if Quad SLI had worked on those cards, people would have likely seen that a) it didn't provide a revolutionary performance increase over older 7800/7900 GTX SLI setups and b) that it would still trail an 8800 GTX SLI setup. Now consider the 8800 GTX, the first of a new architectural generation which provided a revolutionary jump in performance. 8800 GTX SLI setups are still going strong today, a year and a half after their release. If recent graphics card history has told me anything about top of the line dual graphics card setups, it's to buy at the beginning of an architectural generation, not the end.
 
Markyip1 said:
If your only consideration for SLI is to have the ability to add a second GX2 later down the road, then there should be no consideration at all. Get a P35 board and call it a day... If recent graphics card history has told me anything about top of the line dual graphics card setups, it's to buy at the beginning of an architectural generation, not the end.
Click to expand...

QFT. A very well thought out and convincing read. I was debating a similar move, but by the time I get the newest SLI ready card, there will also be a better chipset to pair it with.
 
Yeah, it's a shame H'ers didn't mention this to me BEFORE I got an 9800GX2, I'm fine though. This 9800GX2 is from a 2900XT and that was from a ATI 9800 Pro or something similar. So I think a 9800GX2 will be a good upgrade for me, though people that were already on fast nVIdia cards, I would say the same thing that there really was no point to upgrade.

Plus I didn't want to wait another 3 / 6 months to get this performance. Having a 47 inch screen and not being able to play in 1920x1080 was killing me.
 
It's a great card, plus if you went evga or bfg you can step up in 3 months. :)
 
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