Asus P5Q or P5Q pro?

metamorphpwner · 1 Feb 2009 at 13:56

i'm planning on getting either an intel E8400 or an intel Q6600, the board im thinking of getting if the P5Q pro, but the only differnce i can see between that and the pro is Xfire support. I don't need Xfire support so it's not really worth the extra cost on the pro for me is it?
also, is the perhaps a better board for a bit less than both that is recomended. and of course i will be overclocking, Using 4gb RAM and an ati 4850/70

RJC · 1 Feb 2009 at 15:12

The plus point on the pro is the ATX connector is in a better place, I have the P5Q in my media center which seems to be running ok.

pastymuncher · 1 Feb 2009 at 19:23

The Pro. Better cooling and as already said proper positioning of the ATX 24 pin connector.

The Biostar T Power I45 is also a fantastic board.

Dicehunter · 1 Feb 2009 at 19:50

*just a point here*
Remember, you get what you pay for, buy cheap and thats what you will get.

OpenToSuggestions · 1 Feb 2009 at 19:52

The regular P5Q is good (I have one), it has loads of overclocking features. The 24 pin power is in a very wierd place though.

Phatjayunoi · 1 Feb 2009 at 21:20

I'd personally go for the Pro version. Its not that huge of a price increase and you get the better features out of it as already mentioned before, the layout and heatsink solution. Even though you don't need Crossfire, maybe somewhere down the line in the future and if you can get another card for cheap, it could be useful, and you can still use it for other devices like PCIE Soundcards anyways. Its a very popular board and one of the best P45 boards for the budget around here (Even though I have a Gigabyte

).

benlanky · 1 Feb 2009 at 22:34

Phatjayunoi said:
I'd personally go for the Pro version. Its not that huge of a price increase and you get the better features out of it as already mentioned before, the layout and heatsink solution. Even though you don't need Crossfire, maybe somewhere down the line in the future and if you can get another card for cheap, it could be useful, and you can still use it for other devices like PCIE Soundcards anyways. Its a very popular board and one of the best P45 boards for the budget around here (Even though I have a Gigabyte ).

Sorry to butt in, but which gigabyte do you have? What would compare with the pro?
Thanks

Phatjayunoi · 1 Feb 2009 at 22:47

benlanky said:
Sorry to butt in, but which gigabyte do you have? What would compare with the pro?
Thanks

Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard.

Costs a little more than the Asus P5Q Pro, but unlike that Asus, does not have 2x PCIE graphics for Crossfire. I personally do not need it anyways as I run a GTX280.

I bought this Gigabyte board mainly due to the great reviews it has, easy overclocking ability, DualBIOS (Incase I n00b up flashing one!), and the blue anodised look of the heatsinks drew me in and so was perfect for my windowed case. Its a great affordable P45 motherboard. The UD3P model is the Crossfire version of this but costs a lot more. These boards were a little cheaper but have gone up in price recently.

If anything, the Asus P5Q Pro is really bang for buck especially as a P45 and Crossfire supported motherboard, hence why it is so popular.

The other I would recommend is the Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard. Not that much more expensive than the Asus, has similar features and it looks nice and pretty

. Would have easily bought this one if OcUK stocked it earlier before I got the Gigabyte.

benlanky · 1 Feb 2009 at 23:03

Many thanks, that Biostar does look mighty tempting.

jamiehavok · 2 Feb 2009 at 09:39

im thinking of a p5q motherboard soon as well. i was thinking of the p5q-e version though because it only seems £5 more expensive than the pro and has better sound chip with optical and an e sata. is this right? might be worth considering.

metamorphpwner · 2 Feb 2009 at 11:19

Edit: Nvm, gigabyte board Doesn't support the RAM i want.

Flare · 2 Feb 2009 at 15:13

I posted this exact same thread yesterday, try using the forum search tool ^^

Anyway, i was thinking of going with either the pro or the deluxe but then decided on the biostar tpower p45 because it has the performance of the deluxe but at the price of the pro and it has two PCI Express 2.0 x16 which is much better if you ever plan on adding a second card.

metamorphpwner · 2 Feb 2009 at 16:34

Flare said:
I posted this exact same thread yesterday, try using the forum search tool ^^

Anyway, i was thinking of going with either the pro or the deluxe but then decided on the biostar tpower p45 because it has the performance of the deluxe but at the price of the pro and it has two PCI Express 2.0 x16 which is much better if you ever plan on adding a second card.

actually really like the look of that board, only problem is that i have a zalman 9700LED CPU cooler already that i plan to use. the cooling system on the board looks like it will be in the way of the CPU cooler, will it? or would my zalman fit on there? looks like a great choice if it will fit.
edit: is this board good for overclocking on aswell? if it's good overclocker and will fit my cooler i may get this one instead of asus.

pastymuncher · 2 Feb 2009 at 19:43

metamorphpwner said:
actually really like the look of that board, only problem is that i have a zalman 9700LED CPU cooler already that i plan to use. the cooling system on the board looks like it will be in the way of the CPU cooler, will it? or would my zalman fit on there? looks like a great choice if it will fit.
edit: is this board good for overclocking on aswell? if it's good overclocker and will fit my cooler i may get this one instead of asus.

The Biostar T Power I45 is a world record holder for overclocking. There is an excellent thread over at XS about it.

benlanky · 2 Feb 2009 at 19:50

pastymuncher said:
The Biostar T Power I45 is a world record holder for overclocking. There is an excellent thread over at XS about it.

Thanks for the link, I may be there for some time....

metamorphpwner · 3 Feb 2009 at 12:33

pastymuncher said:
The Biostar T Power I45 is a world record holder for overclocking. There is an excellent thread over at XS about it.

so the biostar is an as good/better board? and final thing befolre ordering later today, will the zalman cooler i have fit on the board? anyone confirm this, as the board looks to have a large cooler already on it THIS COOLER

damn i hate buying new components, i'm torn between the two now biostar and asus P5Q pro, both look good but the asus is slightly cheaper

mogwai · 3 Feb 2009 at 13:20

I have recently upgraded my video card to a GTX 280. I have the P5Q -Deluxe. Due to the dimensions of the card it goes across the chipset heatsink and rests on the two vertical SATA ports. This does not cause any issues but just though it might be a useful thing to know.

metamorphpwner · 3 Feb 2009 at 13:48

mogwai said:
I have recently upgraded my video card to a GTX 280. I have the P5Q -Deluxe. Due to the dimensions of the card it goes across the chipset heatsink and rests on the two vertical SATA ports. This does not cause any issues but just though it might be a useful thing to know.

that looks like it could be a problem on both boards, but i'm going to be buying ATI graphics card for it and don't think it's as big. But if it doesn't cause issues then it'll be fine.

pastymuncher · 3 Feb 2009 at 15:39

After reading what some people have been saying about the Asus P5Q boards (poor build quality, degrading chipsets etc) i would definately go with the Biostar. I might be myself anyway as my P5E has started to play up.

metamorphpwner · 3 Feb 2009 at 15:44

pastymuncher said:
After reading what some people have been saying about the Asus P5Q boards (poor build quality, degrading chipsets etc) i would definately go with the Biostar. I might be myself anyway as my P5E has started to play up.

must still be quite a good board going by the overclock in your Sig, but i'm leaning more towards the biostar now.