Changing from 680i to... something? Help :)

Curunen

Curunen

Curunen

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Well, now I'm all confused. I bought an EVGA 680i, which I am now sorely regretting (still waiting for some low volt ddr2 to arrive, so I can get my system running), and I am seriously considering, selling it if it works, or selling it after an RMA if it doesn't.
What other motherboard is in the same ballpark, performance wise?
My specs (excluding mobo):

intel e6600
BFG 800GTX
150GB raptor
320GB Seagate (x2)
Crucial 10 Anniversary 2GB
Zalman CNPS9700 NT
Tagan 600W TG600-U25
Akasa eclipse 62
Pioneer 111BK
Noctua 1200rpm
Zalman ZM-F3

I don't care for SLI, or crossfire now, I just want the best possible performance, for these specs (single graphics) - am not bothered about money atm either.
intel 965p, or 975x?
Any advise is very welcome.
Thanks :)

Edit: I forgot to mention- reliability, and stability, are a must. As well as great overclocking ability, and overall performance.
 
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Yeah, it looks good.
At the moment, I'm deciding between the following:

1) Asus commando
2) Intel Bad Axe 2
3) Gigabyte (DS3/DS4/DQ6 I've got no idea which one. I don't think my zalman 9700 nt will fit on the dq6, due to the heatsink on the back of the board, so it looks like DS4 atm)

If there's anything better, I'm always open to advice :)
 
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I would go for an ECS 680i, if I couldn't get one of them then maybe a bfg 680i or perhaps an MSI 680i. I love the 680i tbh, one of the few who have had 0 problems with it it seems :confused: .

Seriously though I would plump for either the dfi RD600 or bxII as a 2nd choice.
 
Bad Axe 2 is drawing me in!
But I'm still being held back, wondereing is there any better board with the 965p chipset?
Or does the BX2 top those as well?

Edit: Anyone with the Asus commando? What are your views on this board.
Remember, I'm not bothered by price now, I need something good that works.
 
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LoL, in other threads, where people are wanting the 680i, replies are given listing the problems. Here, I'm not too keen on it, due to the potential problems, yet I get replies on its flawless performance.
:p

My god, this has really scrambled my brains. I need to make a decision today.
Any further help? :beg:

Reading other threads, it seems to me the 975x chipset, is better for overclocking e6600, and above processors, and the 965p is better for the lower clocked processors e6400 and below.
Is this presumption correct?
 
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Curunen said:
Reading other threads, it seems to me the 975x chipset, is better for overclocking e6600, and above processors, and the 965p is better for the lower clocked processors e6400 and below.
Is this presumption correct?
Click to expand...
This has been the case in so far as most 965 boards have resorted to dropping to slower straps relatively low (for them) in the FSB range (around 400MHz) and so assuming, with a higher multi CPU, that you'd want an FSB somewhere around 400-420MHz, the 975 boards were the better choice as their performance would, in benchmarks at least (actual game testing hasn't really borne this out), beat out the 965 boards, clock-for-clock in this range.

However, with the advent of 965 boards with manually selectable straps, it would seem the tide may turn as clock-for-clock, with the same strap, the 965 chipset may (and should) be faster than the 975.

Having said that, the 'Bad Axe 2' is a nice board (using one currently) but IMHO is slightly limited for those used to extended BIOS tweaking (lack of memory options).
The inability to use lower multis and necessity in many cases to drop to a slower strap to run RAM at high speeds when using a divider are also slightly dissappointing.
 
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Thanks for that :)
Oh well, I've gone for the Bad Axe 2. At least, I'll have a machine up and running soon :) (I hope anyway).
 
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