what mobo with a E6400???

[colinloves]

This is what I'm aiming for

E6400. 2 x 1gig RAM (priced around 180-200). An Nvida card of some kind (or ATI - will it make a difference in deciding which mobo?)(cant afford SLI)

Mainly used for gaming. Will overclock, using stock cooler - might get better, if I like overclocking. So Im a noob wannabe overclocker. Never done it before. Are the (overclocking) differences between mobos like a 1-2% difference? If Im not gonna overclock like a nutter, will that also affect what mobo to get?

Have a budget of £120 give or take.) So this is what Ive came up with:

P5b Deluxe (like the AI nap feature)

ASUS PSN32 deluxe wiFi - sounds good

ABIT AB9 Pro (but can you adjust the multiplier like on the non-pro model?)

MSI Platinum P965 (has good reviews, yet also been told it ain't all that)

ASUS AW9D MAX (looks quite sexy, but also been told its a far from the best)

GIGABYTE DS4 (seems better than the ds3 - people say its good)


Or is their any that I've missed? Please give me as much input as possable.

Ive been told that most on these mobos you cant change the multiplier. If so, don't that effect the amount you can overclock? Ain't it best to have the multiplier unlocked? or don't it really matter?
Remember, Im a wannbe noob overclocker.


Been told that the 965's are better than the 975's. (But have been told that the 975's chipsets are faster - anyone care to put more light on this?


I'm new to all this. Please help

PLUS, ontop of all that. I want a mobo that I can drop a quad-core into without hassle, in about 10 months time (or whenever the price really drops).

Thanks guys

[Richie P]

The DS3 is a quality piece of kit, lots of people getting some really good overclocks with the allendale (E6300 and E6400).

One thing i will say is for gods sake, if you're at all serious about overclocking, forget the MSI P965 Platinum. Terrible overclocking options and all board i've seen are FSB limited at 360, meaning a clock of less than 2.9 Ghz...where the chips can go a lot higher.

I'd say the Asus P5B Deluxe is the best board for you, but i'm not sure whether it's quad-core-proof...failing that, any of the gigabyte boards will suit your every need, again nto sure on quad-core-compatibility.

Deffo 965's if you're avoiding SLI/CF and leaning toward an E6400.

[[GSV]Trig]

Just ordered myself an AB9 Pro, Rys did a review on both but I opted for the AB9 Pro over the AW9D

[EtheAv8r]

From that list - or rather at that budget - ASUS PB5 DeLuxe definitely, and if it had not been on your list lots of peeps would have suggested it I think.

[BUFF]

for an E6400 I would go with the DS4 or possibly P5B.
Both of those are better overclockers than the AB9 which is better than the MSI 965 Platinum.

The AW9D is a good board but not the best for an E6400 as the 975 chipset doesn't hit as high an fsb as 965 does.
The 975 can be faster at the same clock than the 965 because the 965 typically switches to the 1333 strap ~400fsb. That's part of the reason that they clock higher but it's also a performance hit so they need to clock higher to get the same performance.

[acrobat]

but i'm not sure whether it's quad-core-proof

Do you know anything about quad-core proof motherboards? Have you seen one labelled as that? As far as I knew, the quad core would work in all current socket 775 motherboards with the 1066FSB capable of running the quad cores. Is that not right?

It would be well worth getting a quad core capable motherboard, seeing as it will give a much better upgrade route for the future.

[colinloves]

The 975 can be faster at the same clock than the 965 because the 965 typically switches to the 1333 strap ~400fsb. That's part of the reason that they clock higher but it's also a performance hit so they need to clock higher to get the same performance.

Would this still be the case if I only half clocked it? - I know I aint really gonna push the clocking side of things.

One more question. Would ram speeds affect my mobo choice? Im looking at some 6400.

[BUFF]

Would this still be the case if I only half clocked it? - I know I aint really gonna push the clocking side of things.

You say that now ....
& as for the multi question that you asked earlier apart from on the 6800 all the multis above default are locked although you can usually drop to a lower one.
With an E6400 having a default 8x I would just stick with that.

One more question. Would ram speeds affect my mobo choice? Im looking at some 6400.

6400 should be fine

[Jay007]

Im Just about to order a P5B Deluxe(with a E6600, read many good things about them.

[kimandsally]

I've a DS4 with a E6600 does 3.6GHz nicely very nice motherboard now the BIOS has improved.
I would certainly recommend it.

[colinloves]

.... apart from on the 6800 all the multis above default are locked although you can usually drop to a lower one.

So the P5b multis feature is quite unless then for the CPU Im getting?


I got two othre really noobie questions concerning the p5b.

Looking on Asus website, it states it has

ATI's CrossFire boosts image quality along with rendering speed, eliminating the need to crank down screen resolutions to get the high image quality you want. CrossFire ignites with the higher antialiasing, anisotropic filtering, shading, and texture settings you desire. Adjust your display configurations, experiment with your advanced 3D settings, and check the effect with a real-time 3D-rendered preview within ATI's Catalyst™ Control Center to rule your CrossFire system.

Does this mean an ATI card will run better on this board than an Nvida? Or is this only when 2 ATI cards are used?

Ok noob question no.2 (and this is a real noob question - lol)

ASUS WiFi-AP - Does this mean I can share my internet access with another computer (downstairs). Or does this mean they are both linked up all the time, like an network? - As I;m looking to share my connection with another computer, yet dont want to it to be networked (as that can affect performance, right?)
Also what else would I need for the other computer for this?

sorry if Ive gone abit off topic.

[colinloves]

You say that now ....

what do ya mean?

[Clunk]

he is saying that the multi is locked by the cpu not the motherboard, on most, you can unlock the multiplier downwards but not upwards.

the wifi thing, you can share your internet connection or network with your other pc...if you have a wireless router, that will help

[BUFF]

what do ya mean?

I'm saying in response to "Would this still be the case if I only half clocked it? - I know I aint really gonna push the clocking side of things." that you will probably try more overclocking further down the line ...

[colinloves]

the wifi thing, you can share your internet connection or network with your other pc...if you have a wireless router, that will help

But wouldnt I need a wireless router if I didnt pick the Wifi edition?

Im just trying to work out if its worth the extra cash. If Im gonna need a router ontop, then it seems pointless. - But I dont know about such things.

[Blitzen]

ASUS AW9D MAX (looks quite sexy, but also been told its a far from the best)

I dunno where you heard that.

Its a fine board!!!