[J.Harris]

Basically what the title says. I'm looking for a mobo for my christmas build that consists of a q9550 and 4 gigs of RAM that I am undecided on. The rest of the stuff is going to be transferred from my sig rig. I was thinking about a p45, but i'm still not sure. I don't have any plans on going SLI, if that makes a difference.

 

[error10]

I'd get a nice X48 chipset board like the Rampage Formula or P5E Deluxe, if you have the money. It'll easily take your Q9550 to 4GHz and beyond.

 

[sabermetrics]

The X48 is a slightly better overclocker in comparison to the P45...

what is your budget?

For the best X48 DDR2 board on the market, I'm recommend the Rampage Formula...

If you want to save some money, get the P5E-Deluxe
Also, there are some X48 DFI boards you can check out

 

[Syrillian]

I'll second (oops, it's actually "3rd" as Sabermatics chucked one in there too) the Rampage Formula.

I have the Q9550 "rock solid" stable at 3.6, "meh stable" at 3.8, and will game and run benches at 4.0.. but Prime95 fails within a few minutes.

I still need to twiddle around as I would like 4.0 stable with the VCore below 1.4

 

[Robilar]

Your best bet is an inexpensive P45 board that will do 500 FSB with a quad.

The gigabyte EP45-UD3P just happens to be that board. $180 price range (or less), supports crossfire and its proven to do north of 500 FSB with a quad.

Make sure you get an E0 Q9550 and you will be able to get very close to 4ghz on air.

 

[Robilar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabermetrics The X48 is a slightly better overclocker in comparison to the P45... what is your budget? For the best X48 DDR2 board on the market, I'm recommend the Rampage Formula... If you want to save some money, get the P5E-Deluxe Also, there are some X48 DFI boards you can check out

I think not. With quads, the current gen of P45 boards are somewhat ahead of almost all of the X48/X38 boards. (with the exception of a couple of top end X48's like my Rampage Extreme).

Not to mention, the NB on the P45 runs far cooler than the X48 as well.

As an example, I have two Q9550's (just got an E0 that I haven't taken out of the box).

With my X48 P5E Deluxe (which provides identical performance to my Rampage Formula), the highest I can hit on the C1 Q9550 is 470 FSB.

My Rampage Extreme X48 would do 500 FSB but its a $430 motherboard supporting DDR3 only. I would expect that of it.

With my gigabyte board, I've been able to hit slightly above 500 FSB.... on air.

 

[proTip]

Probably get x48 if you are considering crossfire, otherwise p45 is a very good alternative.

 

[sabermetrics]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robilar I think not. With quads, the current gen of P45 boards are somewhat ahead of almost all of the X48/X38 boards. (with the exception of a couple of top end X48's like my Rampage Extreme). Not to mention, the NB on the P45 runs far cooler than the X48 as well. As an example, I have two Q9550's (just got an E0 that I haven't taken out of the box). With my X48 P5E Deluxe (which provides identical performance to my Rampage Formula), the highest I can hit on the C1 Q9550 is 470 FSB. My Rampage Extreme X48 would do 500 FSB but its a $430 motherboard supporting DDR3 only. I would expect that of it. With my gigabyte board, I've been able to hit slightly above 500 FSB.... on air.

Ah, really? I guess I'm thinking about the dual cores then...

I have the P5Q-Deluxe, and its working wonders with my quad... that would be a great choice if you're looking at the P45s... or if you're on a budget, the P5Q-E or even P5Q-Pro are great boards

 

[J.Harris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robilar Your best bet is an inexpensive P45 board that will do 500 FSB with a quad. The gigabyte EP45-UD3P just happens to be that board. $180 price range (or less), supports crossfire and its proven to do north of 500 FSB with a quad. Make sure you get an E0 Q9550 and you will be able to get very close to 4ghz on air.

Thanks for that

, but dang, why do they have to have such a terrible color scheme!? It's god awful! I like the price of it though, $110 after MIR at the egg. Compared to the p5e deluxe which goes for $220! I just wish that there was a prettier board than the gigabyte one!

 

[Robilar]

The board is a frickin monster though.

I just got mine but a bunch of lads at XS have been doing 600 FSB with duals and over 500 FSB with quads...

not to mention, you can get a cheaper version of the board (without crossfire support) that is otherwise indentical for about $140....

also, the UD3 stands for Ultra Durable 3. They use double the copper in the PCB layers. It creates the lowest NB and Mosfet temps on record for an intel chipset....

http://techgage.com/article/gigabyte_ep45-ud3p/

http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/...ds/1829_1.html

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...rd-review.html

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/162...iew/index.html

 

[J.Harris]

Wow that motherboard seems like the cat's pajamas! Hahah, the reviews make the board look really nice, thanks for showing this board to me Robilar! I am putting it on my list right now! You are the best! hahah, even though the colors are terrible

jk jk

 

[x2s3w4]

P45 works great for me. C0 stepping too.

 

[error10]

Who cares about the motherboard color, you want it to stand and deliver, not look pretty and perform like :turd:. I don't even consider color as a consideration when choosing a board.

 

[J.Harris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by error10 Who cares about the motherboard color, you want it to stand and deliver, not look pretty and perform like :turd:. I don't even consider color as a consideration when choosing a board.

That is a positive way to look at it, I think I can get over the color issue if this motherboard delivers what I have been seeing! hahah. But thanks for the screenshot x2s3w4! My question to you though is, don't you think you are pushing the temps a little too much?