Need some mb advice...

Discussion in 'New Build / Upgrade Advice' started by Dambuster, Dec 27, 2006.

  1. Dambuster

    Dambuster Magic

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    Hi
    I'm new to this forum, don't shoot me if this thread is in the wrong place...:p
    So, I decided to get a new rig, mainly for gaming... I'm gonna get an Intel C2D E6700. It's a nice processor for overclocking, so I thought I'd get a good mobo, was kinda thinking of the ASUS Striker Extreme ( nForce 680i SLI ), though some people say it's not worse it etc...
    It is true that I don't know much of CPU overclocking trough BIOS, but I learn very fast... so my question is: what are the overclocking advantages compared to the P5W DH Deluxe?
    Thank you!:)
     
  2. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    The Striker Extreme has a higher ceiling, but the prowess it has in overclocking isn't as good as other, less expensive 680i boards, like the one eVGA has out, which is almost half the cost. Unless you're really keen on the whole Republic of Gamers frills, it's really silly to drop that kind of cash on any desktop/enthuisast motherboard. Even with the new BIOS updates, it can't top the eVGA board by quite a bit from what I've read.

    What kind of price range are you looking at here?
     
  3. Dambuster

    Dambuster Magic

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    Well that price range exactly... but for me the mb has to be asus... now it's Striker vs P5W DH... I'd like to know how well it can overclock exactly. I mean let's take an E6700, the P5W can overclock it to some 3.2-3 GHz, how much higher can the Striker overclock safely?
     
  4. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    The reviews on the P5W DH are older, but it seems to do in the 350-400MHz FSB range. The Striker does in the 410-430MHz FSB range. There's also only one review of the Striker I'm aware of, so BIOS updates may do a better job. If you're not dropping the multiplier, you're unlikely to hit these speeds. Even then, I'm not sure the slightly higher headroom is worth nearly double the price.

    I do know that the eVGA board seems to be doing 500MHz FSB's pretty easily.
    Now, do understand that many of these reviews and overclockers drop the CPU multiplier to max out their FSB. On the flip-side, those eVGA boards were reference design units, and there's been a few issues with them in regards to the SATA controllers, although that's been resolved with a BIOS update.

    If you go with the Striker, make sure to get the latest BIOS, as that will give you the best overclocking potential.
     
  5. Dambuster

    Dambuster Magic

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    Ok, thanks! I think that I'll get that one! A bit expensive but not a problem...
     
  6. Dambuster

    Dambuster Magic

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    Ok, now except for overclocking, are there any performance differences between the P5W DH and the Striker Extreme?
     
  7. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    They trade the very, very small leads between them. It can be seen in benchmarks by a few points, but nothing you'll even come close to noticing.
     

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