Basic Guide Purchase a New System

[nish_higher]

^ 13000 , will post a personal review soon
and it only has DDR3 slots and you have to tweak it a little to run some high end rams afaik.

MSI P7N is a great value for money.any DDR2 board when paired with some good ram will be a good purchase for now.

 

[sagardani]

I've short-listed following motherboards-

1. Abit IX38 QuadGT

2. Abit IP35 Pro XE

3. MSI P7N SLI Platinum

4. Intel® Desktop Board DX38BT

Pricewise P7n SLI Platinum is cheapest at 9.8k and has PCI-e 2.0. The next one is IP35 Pro XE at around 10.5k. But does it has PCI-e 2.0? According to specifications it has 1 x PCI-E X16, 1 x PCI-E X16 (x4 bandwidth), 1 x PCI-E X1, 3 x PCI. But its not explicitely mentioned that it has PCI-e 2.0. Does it have it?

I don't really need multi-gpu. Just want (minimum) ddr2 and PCI-e 2.0 and if there are some additional features like onboard LEDs, on/off/reset buttons, external CCMOS switch just like Abit makes, will be cool . But all mobos which have it come with either SLI or Crossfire. P7n has PCI-e 2.0 and ddr2 as well as SLI. Then why its the cheapest? I doubt there may be some kind of compramise in it. The Abit Quad GT EX38 also has almost same features (except crossfire) and priced around 12k... Why its so? Only the Intel one is expensive out of these 4 because it also supports ddr3. So which one should I buy? Its been many days Im looking a mobo and my confusion is increasing .

Does IP35 pro XE has PCI-e 2.0 ? (then my search ends...)

 

[nish_higher]

i'd recommend Bonetrail or P7N Sli - the only ones with PCI 2.0 ,since DX38 would be a better choice over IX38 and P7N will be good value for money

IX38 also has PCI 2.0 but its kinda costly and bonetrail costs the same

 

[sagardani]

Hmmm but do you think Bonetrail is worth spending 3k extra over p7n? Will ddr2 work properly in ddr3 slots? (because right now I'll purchase ddr2 rams)

 

[nish_higher]

no. DDR2 does not work in a DDR3 motherboard
bonetrail is worth spending if you have good DDR3 rams,otherwise a P7N anyday

 

[DigitalDude]

no. DDR3 does not work in a DDR3 motherboard

priceless


_

 

[scavanger007]

cost of P7N?

 

[nish_higher]

^ 9500 at lynx , chandigarh ,9700 on theitwares

priceless


_

big typo there

 

[scavanger007]

hmm...so should i still opt for IP35-E or P7N?

 

[nish_higher]

P7N is more future proof if you are gonna stick to your proccy..which proccy are u getting btW?

 

[scavanger007]

P7N is more future proof if you are gonna stick to your proccy..which proccy are u getting btW?

this is wat i have decided so far.....
intel C2D Q6600
4gb patriot ram(if i m lucky 2 get patriot in nasik or sm other company like kingston/transcend)
XFX 8800GTS
and motherboard yet 2 decide.......
also will i need good PSU or my normal 400 watt enough.......if needed 1.5k is my budget for PSU.....
any need of graphics card cooler?

 

[nish_higher]

^ patriot Signature line only ! simply awesome and will cost 500 bucks more for a 4gb 800mhz kit
How much does 8800GTS cost?if around 20 k then i'd rather suggest getting 2* 9600 GT and use sli
PSU is definitely needed and a good one only for that config..atleast a Cooler mster 500W for a single card

Motherboard=P7N sli platinum

 

[sagardani]

There doesn't seem any difference between p7n and IX38... But considering build quality, additional features (like those I've mentioned) I think Abit is ahead MSI.. but MSI gives good vfm... Since sli/crossfire doesn't matter, if have money to go for IX38 do you think its worth?

 

[nish_higher]

those features are nice and prove handy if you are a overclocking nerd but most of us would just overclock once to the max.and for that it does not matter if there's no CMOS reset switch , after all i dont think its a problem resetting cmos from a jumper if you are that kind..surely if u gotta take regular "pangas" with the board u need those things

MSI is always good with build quality in mid-high end boards

 

[scavanger007]

i think XFX 8800GTS costs 18.5k-19k smthing......
wat is the cost of 9600GT (and btw of which company? XFX?)
and is i opt for SLi mode...then 500W will still b sufficient or i will have 2 go further?

 

[nish_higher]

hmm..

9600 GT sli is what i'd suggest for the price.im buying the same thing.i dont think if ASUS 9600 GT with custom cooler is available in india , if it is i'm getting it.
Else MSI 9600 GT or XFX 9600 GT ..Sli setup would cost around 18-19k..and yes u will need a better PSU.

 

[scavanger007]

ohk.......
if SLi mode will outperform then i will go for it......
btw XFX 8800GTS and XFX 9600GT....any/both are GDDR3 or GDDR2?

 

[nish_higher]

^ Source
*en.expreview.com/2008/02/23/geforce-9600gt-review/?page=15

*en.expreview.com/img/2008/02/23/9600GT/96sli_88gts.png


and both cards are GDDR3

 

[scavanger007]

hey tat was real nice comparison and i must say the difference is not small .....
so SLi mode is worth buy !!!
thnx for the above post

 

[scavanger007]

MSI Reminds you...
1. NVIDIA nForce Series boards DO NOT support Windows® 98/ME
2. SLI Technology only supports 32-bit and 64-bit Windows XP
3. For the best performance and commitment of convenience, please use memories listed in MSI approved memory module vendor list (Please check memory test report), which provides the easiest, up-to-date memory configurations.

just found it in official MSI site while checking the motherboard....
means if i use SLi ....no vista or future windows OS?