Hi, I am a newbie making my computer for the first time. I am planning to build my PC with Intel E6600 processor, 7950 GT or 8800 GTS NVidia graphics card, 2 GB Corsair SLI memory. I am in the process of deciding my motherboard. I was looking at "ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard" costiong around $210 from newegg. Can you please tell me how is this motherboard or there is something better than this one. (I know there is "ASUS Striker Extreme LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX The Ultimate Gaming Motherboard" probably better than the earlier one listed but this costs $339.) Thanks, Prateek
The Striker Extreme is loaded up with a lot of goodies like some LCD panel in the IO area a huge accessory bundle and a wow factor.
Big B, I agree with you, but its costing $120 more. I was wondering if its really worth spending so much. I am assembling my PC for the first time. Will this LCD panel help me later debug things which otherwise might be difficult with non Striker m\b. And by the way how does "ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 " fare. Are there any notable issues/bugs with this motherboard. Thanks, Prateek
It might, but all motherboards use a series of beep codes you can reference. While the panel does do that, you're going to have to give me a real good arguement why that's worth that much extra. It seems more like a marketing gimmick than all that useful. Plus, you don't have to look at the IO panel just to find out what's wrong. I don't know if you keep your box under the desk or not, but if you do, I think you'd find it irritating and just wait for beep codes. If it was a few bucks extra, that'd be one thing, but I can't, in good conscience recommend spending that much more for the Striker Extreme when you can get the same performance out of most other 680i board for significantly less. Ultimately, it's your money, but that LCD panel can't be costing Asus anywhere near $100+ for it. Eventually, you'll upgrade, and the motherboard you have will very likely not have an LCD panel and have to rely on conventional methods anyway. Additionally, that LCD panel is good for diagnosing the motherboard startup, which is what beep codes generally do. It's not going to help you if your sound card doesn't work, for example. For diagnostic purposes, it's location is such that it's not anymore useful than simply listening for beep codes. Other companies have used a POST display on the motherboard or a few LEDs for additional debugging, but they weren't adding this much heft to the price. They're nice for assisting, but I just don't believe it's worth that much extra. $20? Not that bad for something like that. $120? No thanks. Also consider the fact that basically every other 680i board lacks that kind of panel...actually most all motherboards lack one.
To me, the Striker Extreme is overpriced. Asus is a great brand, and, admittedly, the Striker is pretty cool. However, my assessment is it's not worth that kind of price hike, even for a new builder. The only thing the the LCD panel does in troubleshooting is display messages during POST. Motherboards have used a series of beep codes, which, I think would be a lot easier than sticking your head behind the case to read the LCD. I think you'll get sick of sticking your head behind the case anytime you have a problem, and that's a lot of hassle for a product that *might* make things easier. Ultimately, I don't think you're going to end up finding it any easier over just listening for beep codes in the long run. I think the P5N32 is just as good as any other 680i board. Where you might get an edge is in documentation, where Asus does very well in.
