eBuyer refund for dodgy P5K-E/WIFI-AP - What board now?

[th0r0n]

Hi guys,

My P5K-E went toes up last month (Just as I got STALKER 2: typical! )

eBuyer approved my RMA and went to deliver me a new one, but they're out of stock, so they're crediting my account with the money.

So, what motherboard would you buy for around £100?

The rest of my Spec:

Intel E6750
Nvidia 8800GT
Antec P182
GeIL 4GB DDR800 RAM,
Samsung Spinpoint 500GB
Samsung S203 DVD Burner
Zalman 9700LED Cooler
Corsair HX620 PSU

I want overclock my E6750, and run Vista 64

Thanks!

[shaithis]

P5Q Pro?

Although if you have Vista OEM you will need to jump through the hoops that is Microsoft re-activation because of a change of motherboard.

[th0r0n]

Oh arse, I'm sure I'll work it out with them!

[staffsMike]

This is what I would buy
http://scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=884418

But if you get stuck with having to get another P5K-E that's not such a bad thing it's still ar very good board. It seems to have gone from most sites though so it might be a good excuse to get the P5Q-E. As it is like for like in the asus range

[th0r0n]

Are DFI good? Might give 'em a try

[staffsMike]

I've never actually used a lan party, they tend to be a bit more fiddly to overclock but that does mean they often make the better (best?) overclockers in the end. I beleive you can also download bios settings etc.. and simply use that as a profile, quite a nice idea

My old company used DFI in their industrial PC's though and they were always very good with good support too so I'd have no problem recommending them on that basis and it is almost certainly what I would buy. But I would get the uATX version as that is just too kool for school

[dangel]

I got a P5Q to replace the PK5 and it's a really nice board - very stable and some very nice features (onboard linux is shiny).

[th0r0n]

Onboard Linux? You're messing?!?!

[kalniel]

Onboard Linux? You're messing?!?!

It's a mini linux, but yes.

[staffsMike]

Yeah this is an Asus thing they are trying to do now. You can just boot straight to a limited version of Linux to do odds and sods.

I thought it was a good idea for Laptops and perhaps good for testing whether your PC is working without getting stuck into you windows install.

[th0r0n]

Yeah that sounds good,

"Asus P5Q-E P45 Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard"

Is that the one to go for? That's pretty much the most I can afford.

T

[staffsMike]

The PRO version is good too. Go over the specs of both with a fine tooth comb and see which one you want

[th0r0n]

Will I notice a performance difference from my P5K? I imagine I will considering it was a faulty board anyway, my machine always did benchmark low...

[Papipap]

P5Q Pro?

Although if you have Vista OEM you will need to jump through the hoops that is Microsoft re-activation because of a change of motherboard.

When I re-installed my copy of Vista on a new motherboard, I had not problem re-activating it - it just did it.

[staffsMike]

Will I notice a performance difference from my P5K? I imagine I will considering it was a faulty board anyway, my machine always did benchmark low...

Nah the differences between the two are negligible and won't make any real difference.

[shaithis]

When I re-installed my copy of Vista on a new motherboard, I had not problem re-activating it - it just did it.

Sometimes it does, most times it will not. If the motherboard changes on OEM it should not allow auto-reactivation. If it goes through on its own, you were very lucky