Santa brought me a Core 2 Due E6600! 6

[wahnula]

Now for the mainboard...I am a power user not a gamer, will probably team this w/ AIW 2006 (ATI x1300 I believe)plus two 1GB DDR2-800 RAM. I need lots of expansion slots but never SLI, but two x16 PCI-Es would be welcome. Currently looking at Asus P5W DH Deluxe, I would like to ask our distinguished panel for recommendations.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Tony

 

[tf1]

Let me releave you of this arduous and overbearing decision. Please send me Santa's gift and make it my problem.

The Asus mobos are well designed and never give problems. We currently use this mobo (with the E6600 and DDR2-800) as the basis for a surveillance video server that monitors up to 16 cameras taking ½-second snaps, converts to jpegs on the fly and saves them to disk. It also lets users log in remotely over the Internet to investigate alerts, so it has to read back and send jpegs (16 thumbnails to a page) whilst still continuing to record the 16 cameras. It is demanding application and it works well.


Regards: tf1

 

[paparazi]

Exactly what I have! 3months now, rock solid!
I did however return my first board with an overheated Northbridge (discolouration marks on the reverse side of the board and would not run stabley) I now have a small fan mounted on the passive cooler.
To be honest I think the first one had already been fitted and was a customers return but in my haste to build I didn't notice.
I believe lots of high end users are biging up the new Nvidia chipset on the eVGA board (can't remember the model mumber)but it is very expensive.
Martin



We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[wahnula]

Exactly what I have!

That's where I got the idea, from your post on the eVGA thread. Seems like a good choice, although I recall you said you "settled" for it. What other board did you really want?

I prefer Asus over the eVGA even though it is highly praised, so was Rambus RAM when it came out, not that the reviewers are wrong, it just has not stood the test of time...yet.


Tony

 

[paparazi]

OK! I'm doing my famous contradicting exerscise lol.
Yes! I would still buy the Asus P5W DH Deluxe, with the latest bios applied they are rock solid and said to be the "best" overclocking 975 chipset equipt board (although I am not into that)

I also believe that the MSI 975X Platinum PowerUp Edition is a good choice

Some of the 965 chipset boards are improving. Each have seen several bios releases so are becoming solid performers.

Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[tf1]

Hi Martin

I agree about your northbridge overheating: all the mobos we have used are fitted with NB fans. I guess that fitting a passive cooler would only be safe if you take care to ensure that it is well ventilated; possibly one of the processor fans that blows down through the fins and out across the chipset so that it is in a good airstream.

We have found the mobos to be 100% reliable.


Regards: tf1

 

[Ploper001]

I sense no love for AMD in this thread

 

[tf1]

Well at the moment, the Core 2 Duo (and Quad version) are currently the best processsors. That doesn't necessarily mean that AMD won't catch up or that they represent poor value or poor performance. But Tony wanted a new system with the current best and already has an E6600: there's hardly any point in recommending an AMD mobo then.


Regards: tf1

 

[Ploper001]

I know....hence the

 

[tf1]

There's me thinking you had a grit in your eye!


Regards: tf1

 

[wahnula]

Thanks guys. I received my Maximum PC and CPU magazines a day apart, the first picks the eVGA (but pans the sound) the latter picks the P5W DH Deluxe. Thread done, Asus it shall be!


Tony

 

[wahnula]

Where are my manners??? I forgot to share my good fortune and give out stars for Christmas!

Tony

 

[Ploper001]

Hehe @ me getting a star for injecting some mild humour...oh well!

 

[wahnula]

Hey it's Xmas...you could fart in this thread and I'd still award you a star...plus you are generally a helpful sort!

Tony

 

[LawnBoy]

pffffft!

 

[wahnula]

Lawn Boy, I can smell that from Texas!!!

Tony

 

[LawnBoy]

Lol, you are a man of your word. Right back at ya.

 

[BadFrog]

I though I smelled a fart thread!

"Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy"
Albert Einstein

 

[wahnula]

Merry Christmas!!! Lots of stars!!!

 

[wahnula]

The other elves brought an Asus P5W DH Deluxe, OCZ-DDR2 PC2-800 Platinum Dual Channel RAM Kit, Zalman Flower Cooler and fanless PSU. Okay I bought some of the above myself. Why not??? Now, should we load Vista or WinXPPro...

That's a toughie. I played w/ RC1 & liked it...sorta.

XP is comfy but I'm thinking I ought to move in clean, and I will probably be going to Vista eventually. What's your thoughts, XP or Vista?

Tony