E8400 + Which MoBo?

[ReTiCuLeX]

Finally settled on a board the (DFI LP LT X38-T2R)


I currently have the ASUS P5N-E Sli but... it has stability issues with this beta bios to support the new 8400 CPU's. (ASUS has been horrid with bios updates for the board)

Actually every bios past 0401 for that board really makes it go down hill. I've tried down grading with no sucess; plus I would like to upgrade to the E8400.

I would like the following features in the new MoBo I'd like to purchase.

I usually would say I donot want to Go SLi but.. with Nvidia buying Aegia, and the 8800's supporting PhysX I'd say SLi wouldn't hurt.

Which 780i Board has REALLY good OC ability w/o hitches? I was looking at the EVGA board because of Motherboard factory having it for $230.

If I had to outweigh my choices, I'd rather OC past 4ghz than have SLi.

Plus I'd like stability. I'm really tierd of a finiky boards.. that if you go up 1Mhz
on the FSB, it's stable, but if you go down 1. it doesn't post. I really don't need that crap anymore, like this P5N-E SLi.

Thanks in advance,
Reticulex

[sofarfrome]

How much $$$ do you want to spend?

$100 range: DFI Blood Iron

$150 range: Abit IP35Pro

$200 range: Asus P5K Premium or DFI LP LT P35 T2R

$250 range: DFI LP LT X38 T2R (very hard to find)

Can't speak for 780i boards so I won't

[ReTiCuLeX]

$250 is my limit. I've seen that Abit board, but not at that price. Wow. Where did you see it for $150? Also, why is that DFi so hard to find, is it really good?

[Leeghoofd]

For +4ghz you know you need 445FSB, my 8400 ran 482FSB on the Maximus and P5K Dlx... and at amasing volts too ... 3.6ghz at 1.16 and 4ghz at 1.28volts...

Surely don't opt for 780i as the chipset runs too hot and will be unreliable for sure in the long run... P35 chipset runs very cool, X38 slightly hotter but nowhere as hot as 680 or 780i... but needs more tweaking to run stable than P35...

Boards I like P5K Dlx , Gigabyte DS4 rev2.0... both will handle E8400 nicely... make sure as the E8400 runs mildly hot at 4ghz and will require good cooling... mine topped under prime at 60°C under water...

[sofarfrome]

abit ip 35pro $145 AMIR -- LINK (http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A4841007&CMP=OTC-Adwords&gclid=CNSNpMrrzZECFREoFQodUjplug)

This board will do 500FSB easy.

[ReTiCuLeX]

http://www.ncixus.com/products/27482/LanParty%20LT%20X38-T2R/DFI/

I bought that and an E8400. I asume it will work fine with my 8800 GTX even though it's a crossfire board lol.

[BTK]

gigabyte-gap35-ds4 is very good

dfi dark p35
abit ip35 pro

um

dfi lp UT p35 would be the best choice but its around 240

[LagunaX]

it's a bit pricey for a p35 board but it is extremely stable and has active northbridge cooling - my e8400 easily overclocked to 4ghz on it with minimal tweaking - Foxconn Mars - reviews below:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813186133

[ReTiCuLeX]

Thanks guys. I bought the DFI LP LT X38-T2R though.

[sofarfrome]

If you are only going to use one card there is no real advantage to the P35 chipset vs X38. But it is a great board if you plan on using 2 ATI GPUs in XF mode. I had the X38 DFI and decided to sell it and now use a Blood Iron. 550FSB is a breeze with dual core CPUs and I plan on using a Quad next just to see if I can get it to go higher FSB than on my Asus P5K-Premium.

[ReTiCuLeX]

SoFarFromHome,

is the TuniqTower 120 compatible with this board? I just realized this after I ordered LOL.

[sofarfrome]

SoFarFromHome,

is the TuniqTower 120 compatible with this board? I just realized this after I ordered LOL.

It should work fine though you will need to point it in another direction as the fins on the tuniq will hit the NB cooler on the board. You may even need to modify it a little. Check the thread for thisboard.

[ReTiCuLeX]

Dang. Well I guess i'll point it in another direction. lol. Thanks for the input.