Best motherboard for an E8600 or Q9550?

Amidar · 19 Oct 2008 at 13:42

Looking at getting a new motherboard for either an E8600 or Q9550 to house the following.

1 x 280GTX.

8GB of DDR2 (4 x 2GB sticks) of Gskill PC8500.

Not bothered about i7 or crossfire & no DFI boards as my current powersupply has problems with them.

Budget for board around £160 - £170.

Thanks

Pilky01 · 19 Oct 2008 at 13:44

Asus p5q deluxe

Amidar · 19 Oct 2008 at 13:51

So looking at the P45 chipset,i can get a Maximus Formular II for £20 cheaper than Ocuk would that be a good choice?

Thanks.

Pilky01 · 19 Oct 2008 at 13:52

Amidar said:
So looking at the P45 chipset,i can get a Maximus Formular II for £20 cheaper than Ocuk would that be a good choice?

Thanks.

The only real difference between the deluxe and the mf2 is the soundcard, is you want the soundcard go for it, if not get the deluxe.

helmutcheese · 19 Oct 2008 at 13:57

Not really, its better Cooled and has More Phases.

Amidar · 19 Oct 2008 at 14:00

So it looks like the MF II would be the best choice for the money?

Pilky01 · 19 Oct 2008 at 14:00

helmutcheese said:
Not really, its better Cooled and has More Phases.

They both have 16 phases. The cooling is more than ample on the deluxe, my north bridge cooler is cold to the touch, even with some extra volts and a pretty big overclock.

helmutcheese · 19 Oct 2008 at 14:21

Seems it does have 16 Phase, well the difference cant be just a soundcard, though I ain't read up on it 100% and don't want either.

I have used the P5Q-E (8 Phase) for builds for customers though.

I do however know the NB cooling can have bad contact on them all, most peeps on XS have had to remove the Heatpipes and Refit with better TIM and add washers to get more pressure, more so on the MF2 but basically any Asus P45.

Amidar · 19 Oct 2008 at 14:26

Just had a look at the P5Q deluxe and i don't like where the lower pci slot is.By the time i put my prelude sound card in it's not going to leave much of a gap between my 280GTX.The MFII's lower pci slot appers to be quite a bit lower down.

RizlaKing · 19 Oct 2008 at 17:15

Have a look at the gigabyte boards if your not happy with the asus ones. Right now they seem to be the two brands that have less hassle then the others.

Amidar · 19 Oct 2008 at 17:21

The only problem with Gigabyte boards is they look like someone has vomited over them.

Looks like the Asus MF II is the board for me

RizlaKing · 19 Oct 2008 at 17:42

I might not think the look of gigabyte boards is good but i can't fault their performance which is more important to me then how they look in a case where i can hardly see them lol.

Amidar · 19 Oct 2008 at 17:54

Don't get me wrong they are probably excellent boards but not my cup of tea.

RizlaKing · 19 Oct 2008 at 20:48

Yeah they are not everyones cup of tea but i had personal requirements that left me with little choice really and settled for the board that filled all those thinking i would have to put up with it but it has turned out to be a really good board hence me being happy to recommend them

.

PaulyD · 20 Oct 2008 at 02:14

Don't get me wrong they are probably excellent boards but not my cup of tea.

+1

Not the greatest board to look at but a friend of mine has one and swears by it

mike gunnz · 20 Oct 2008 at 20:27

As no one has mentioned the Biostar TP I45, I'll do so. £98 and it overclocks like a mofo. If you don't need the soundcard and other paraphenalia its an excellent choice otherwise I'd try and find a Maximus II Formula for around £140 or a P5Q Deluxe as most others suggest.

Just don't pair an Asus P5** board with OCZ RAM, that combo always gave me problems.