Intel X38 vs P35 chipset, How Much Better Is it? - Overclock.net

Nasgul · 10-03-07

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The biggest improvement is that the X38 chipset properly supports Crossfire technology. Whereas the P35 chipset runs the primary card in x16 mode and the secondary card was limited to x4 bandwidth, the X38 allows both graphics cards to receive full x16 PCIe bandwidth. The X38 chipset does this using the PCI Express 2.0 standard, allowing for complete support of two graphics cards. Although SLI support is not official, certain motherboard manufacturers such as Foxconn, are claiming to ship their boards with modified drivers to support SLI. For now we have held off on testing the multi-GPU capabilities of these two chipsets, but this is something we will look to include in the future.

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For now we have determined that for those of you like us that prefer to use a single graphics card, there is little to no difference between the X38 and the P35 chipsets. In terms of performance they are very much the same, overclocking performance appears to be the same and both offer the same list of features. The key difference here is that the P35 has been around for quite some time now and high-end motherboards supporting this chipset can be had for between $150-$200 US. On the other hand we have the new X38 chipset which will be featured on boards priced between $250-$300 US initially, while pricing is expected to fall to around $200 US eventually.

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At the end of the day the X38 chipset is a high-end solution designed to be paired with the greatest and most expensive motherboards the market has to offer. Only those who wish to build a Crossfire system need it and you should only use the Radeon HD 2900XT, as it is currently the fastest graphics card AMD has on offer. Therefore, if you can afford to spend $300 US on a motherboard and around $800 US on the accompanying graphics cards, then we can safely assume you have money to burn and value for money is not a serious consideration. For the rest of us, the P35 chipset seems like a better value option paired with a single AMD or Nvidia Graphics card.

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=689&p=0

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NintendoSensei · 10-03-07

Oh well, P35 is still the best price/performance option

ExiledDuke · 10-03-07

Score one for P35 early adopters! The p35 is a great chipset. Not buying anything except gfx cards until nehalem.

ElMikeTheMike · 10-03-07

Need Crossfire numbers.

frisbeeofdeath51 · 10-03-07

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Originally Posted by ElMikeTheMike

Need Crossfire numbers.

I wonder if the X4 bandwidth is that much different from the full X16...

Lt.JD · 10-03-07

Isn't their even a P35 Board that does 8x/8x Crossfire, this means im waiting till X48 in Jan. and getting a Penryn and a new motherboard.

liermam · 10-03-07

Quote:

Originally Posted by frisbeeofdeath51

I wonder if the X4 bandwidth is that much different from the full X16...

The GTX/Ultra's are said to just barely push 8x. So i'm assuming crossfire configurations with 2900XT's would be bottlenecked on one card by a 4x.

But...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lt.JD

Isn't their even a P35 Board that does 8x/8x Crossfire, this means im waiting till X48 in Jan. and getting a Penryn and a new motherboard.

Yea. I'm pretty sure there are lots that run 8x/8x. Whats up with that?

**Robilar** · 10-03-07

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/09/...et/page21.html

Conclusion: X38 Boards Too Expensive; P35 Offers More Bang For The Buck

Intel's new X38 chipset brings two new features to the table. However, there are no graphics cards yet for the PCI Express 2.0 interface, and no modules to make use of the XMP memory feature. Which brings us to another problem, namely DDR3 memory modules in general. While the board supports DDR3 memory, the prices for the modules are so high as to be practically impossible to sell them. It is no great surprise, then, that motherboard makers have decided to offer only products that support DDR2 for the time being. Bear in mind that these boards can't be upgraded for use with DDR3 memory later - X38 DDR2 boards will thus never be able to unlock their full potential!

The current situation is like a Gordian Knot: you can't say that Intel hasn't done its homework, since the X38 definitely includes some forward-looking features. Yet you also cannot blame the motherboard makers for only designing X38 boards that work with the cheaper DDR2 memory modules instead of the frighteningly expensive DDR3 variety. The price of DDR3 memory must first come down before motherboards with DDR3 support will appear, and then, finally, the user will be able to really benefit from the X38 design.

Time and patience seem to be the only solution to this situation. The same goes for the overclocking capabilities of the X38 chipset, by the way. At any rate, we hadn't heard of a working overclocking by press time.

Although Intel takes a step in the right direction by implementing support for overclocking features directly in software, the results so far fail to impress. The maximum clock speed of the North Bridge is not on par with that of the previous chipset, the 965P. Intel needs to work on putting its overclocking software on a firmer hardware basis.

Intel's two PCI Express x16 slots will only will only elate fans of AMD/ATI's Crossfire technology, since there is no support for Nvidia's SLI. The upshot: dual-graphics solutions are only available to "half the world".

The Bottom line: the first boards that are listed in the shops are simply too expensive and offer features that users will not be able to fully take advantage of today. This makes P35-based boards look a lot more attractive. Our recommendation is that potential buyers hold on to their money before buying an X38 board, and wait until the features it offers are properly supported.

So the summary as I see it of the extensive review:

Only DDR2 X38 boards are going to be initially released

There is a ceiling of 485 FSB on a retail product board (not a beta test board) and this is with a QX6850 and an E6750.

No PCI-E 2.0 cards out so one of the main features of the board serves no purpose at this time.

Boards are silly expensive. I still maintain that the Asus Blitz Formula which doesn't seem to have issues hitting close to 600 FSB and is in the same price range (less actually) is a much better offering.

No SLI so only crossfire users get the benefit of the dual 16x lanes

So the short answer would be: P35 to the rescue until we see what the new nvidia SLI chipset looks like.

Lt.JD · 10-03-07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robilar

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/09/...et/page21.html
So the short answer would be: P35 to the rescue until we see what the new nvidia SLI chipset looks like.

I agree maybe X48 will be better at OC'ing and finally make go out and get a ~250 dollar board.

pauldovi · 10-03-07

I am tired of the X38 bashing. People don't understand its purpose.

I love how they compare a $300 P35 board to X38 and then say it is a better price / performance ratio. $300 for a motherboard with a mainstream chipset!

The best of the best isn't suppose to have a good price / performance ratio. I don't know who would expect it to and I don't know why people are surprised by this.

No one has seen the BIOS yet either.

X38 will have its place.

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Intel X38 vs P35 chipset, How Much Better Is it?

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