[decapitator]

what do ya'll think of these things there are a few choices out right now with more on the way i have been looking at the eVGA board because the asus ones are over priced. Alot of people are talking about all these issues with this chipset but most are fixable through bios updates and common sense. You think the eVGA board is good or hold off?

 

[tubnotub1]

I like it, however, after reading a news article posted by boredom that claims DFI will be releasing a 680i, I personally think I would wait!

 

[Selmer2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubnotub1 I like it, however, after reading a news article posted by boredom that claims DFI will be releasing a 680i, I personally think I would wait!

I second that

 

[pbasil1]

Well, what chipset to get matters more on what you need it for. Are you planning to run SLI/CF? Or do you just want a good board that overclocks like hell, with no need for dual vga?

If you like the sounds of SLI/CF, then the 680i is the way to go! And waiting for the DFI is smart, for they are awesome boards.

If you dont need/want SLI/CF, then the p965 and 975x chipset is the way to go.

 

[decapitator]

anyone look at the asus board thats like 400 dollars

 

[JacKz5o]

Quote:

Originally Posted by decapitator anyone look at the asus board thats like 400 dollars

The Striker Extreme? That is a great board but.. its $400 on newegg. You can find it for much cheaper on sites thats not so popular.. 680i is the board im getting when I get my new rig.

 

[decapitator]

as you can tell from my sig that i got my mindset on the evga board, witch i will have very soon.

 

[decapitator]

i want sli but dont know what cards to use i could but a one 8800 in the next month or two or get 2 7950's right away and start my new build with sli. how limited are the overclockabilities with the 680i chetset compared to the 975 or 965?

 

[SpookedJunglist]

The 680i is a very strong overclocker. I have read of people hitting 500mhz on the FSB. And get one 8800gtx and then another one later. the 7series cards are not DX10. I personally like the evga board. I think it looks cool. blue and black are awesome colors.

EDIT:::Links to reviews of EVGAs 680i board

http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/...ds/1673_8.html
http://sg.vr-zone.com/?i=4215
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/articl...50aHVzaWFzdA==

 

[astraelraen]

The 680i's are nice if you know what you're getting into and are prepared

I have my E6600 at 430 fsb, 7 multiplier for 3ghz, with the ram at 1000mhz and it runs great. I tried messing with 500fsb, but it didn't work the first few attempts and I haven't messed with it since.

After dealing with some cooling issues, I got mine to about 35-38 idle and hovering 50-60 at full load depending on whether I'm running orthos, playing games, etc.

I'm getting an aftermarket northbridge cooler today so that should drop temps again some and I will probably go for 3.2 or 3.4 ghz.

If you can spend the money I would just go for an 8800 right now, whether the gtx or gts. I was going to do an sli 7900gt setup and get a dx10 card next year. But 2 7900gt's is 400-450 bucks, which I could have gotten a 8800gts for and it would have beaten the sli'ed 7900gt's. I just went all out and got the gtx and I definately don't regret it.

 

[FrankenPC]

Word of caution...the EVGA 680i is a bit of a pain to overclock. The raw number of BIOS tweakable elements is daunting. Plus, the new chipset introduces new concepts like SLI compatible memory.

I've already had issues with the memory divider and the "SLI compatible" RAM (which does not work at all with Corsair 8500 XMS2 ram). The defaul RAM voltage is WAY off as well. If you are going single GPU, I REALLY recommend the 975x or 965 still.

 

[bdattilo]

Another word of caution- the ASUS Striker Extreme is not very good at overclocking at all. All the review sites are not having much luck with it, saying that it stops around 430 FSB, which is not exactly stellar. That does not really justify the $400 for that board.

 

[TheKraken]

I don't know why everyone likes the DFI boards. Black, yellow, and orange are clown colors and it would make me sick to have to look at it all day.

Right now, eVGA 680i is your best bet if you're going 680i, and I'm pretty sure they've worked out some of the early issues by now.

That Asus Striker Extreme is just an expensive toy that has poor overclocking capabilities.

The main concensus is to get an aftermarker northbridge cooler because that's really where you're going to be limited in your overclock.

 

[decapitator]

so people that off that whole stock northbridge heat sink and put better ones on. i plan on getting one 8800 for now then another in like a year. i hope i can handle this board.

 

[DuckieHo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheKraken The main concensus is to get an aftermarker northbridge cooler because that's really where you're going to be limited in your overclock.

Not true, plenty of ppl have gotten great OCs without aftermarket cooling the MCP. The NB DOES get quite hot but is still within specs though. Make sure to use the included fan when OCing!

 

[ENTERPRISE]

Well the 680i chipset from what i can see is going to be a real Nice Chipset for most Especially for people with Nvidia Cards..However i would wait for the DFI version. I would reckon it would yield a better overclock.

 

[Lt.JD]

Yes DFi has a great reputation but there board isnt coming out till 07 I mean if you wait now something better is always on the horizon I say eVGA 680i which is available right now

 

[alpha_omega]

So far, this board is "mostly" stable. I've had it for several weeks now, and have been steadily overclocking my E6700 and I've gotten it up to 3.6Ghz (unstable) and 3.2Ghz stable on stock voltage. It only crashed twice, and after clearing the CMOS and starting over it was fine (all with the original BIOS). My NB is stock and the temps only get up to about 34-36 C according to nMonitor.

 

[decapitator]

i got a pretty good cooling solution with my case, thermaltake armor, and many fans to spare. i plan on overclocking little by little and increases the cooling as i go. I also got a zalman 9500.

 

[WhoIsMysterion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdattilo Another word of caution- the ASUS Striker Extreme is not very good at overclocking at all. All the review sites are not having much luck with it, saying that it stops around 430 FSB, which is not exactly stellar. That does not really justify the $400 for that board.

That's not what the folks over at Anandtech have said in their preview of the Striker Extreme. They say they easily got it up to 534 FSB.

"In initial testing we have reached 7x534FSB with our retail E6600 sample and general performance has been excellent."