P55/I5 re-build check me etc.

[mikeo]

Hi...

Had thought about waiting for Sandy Beeches ( ) but after a bit of digging, I can't see the point! Looks pretty much to be I5/I7 with an integrated GPU core. And can't say I'm too interested in that! Unless there is likely to be something else I'm missing here!?

Now I know that for general PC use and gaming (just like me in fact) there's probably not much point in upgrading from the Q9650. I just sort of fancy an upgrade. Main advantages I can see are:

1) Slightly improved performance at stock.
2) Want SLI capability (maybe get another 460 next year).
3) Ability to OC a bit. While I OC'd my E8400 on my current mobo, I've not fancied trying on the Q9650 after reading the article on Xbits where they managed to melt the 4-pin CPU power connecter on my mobo!
4) Might pick up another WD velociraptor (2nd hand) and raid it. Still waiting for SSD's to reach the £1/GB price point (it "will" come).
5) Sell the Q9650 while it's still worth something.

So...

Current components (see sig.) +

CPU - no brainer I suppose....Intel I5 760
Mobo - Gigabyte Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4
Memory - Corsair Dominator 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit

So... a few questions.

Any other suggestions for the motherboard? Must support raid and SLI with a decent spacing between sockets. Not too worried about USB3/SATA3 as obviously a bit of a compromise on P55 anyway (I'm assuming the bandwidth problem applies to all boards). And be a decent board for overclocking.

What about the memory? Corsair usually a good bet. But must admit that I have seen a couple of posts (good old GOOGLE) and the problem on their build with this board appeared to be the Corsair memory. Though could just have been bad luck. Also a bit confused from the spec as to whether it supports the 1600MHz memory?

Is it worth while looking at memory with tighter latencies? or is the difference so small as to not really mater? and does it make it more likely to encounter comparability problems? It's just that there doesn't appear to be "that much" difference price wise between the different flavours of memory.

I'm also assuming that when Sandy Bridges comes along (got the name right this time!) that the current chipsets will go EOL. So again I'm assuming that no more CPU's will be coming along on 1156 etc. So on one hand I'm buying into a bit of a dead end, but on the other... at least all the bugs should have been ironed out in the current chipsets.

Any opinions / help / assistance very welcome.

Thanks in advance.

PS. Anyone know if my current CPU cooler will fit on this board (IE. Zalman 9500)? As I rather like it and they do appear to do an adaptor for 1156. Just wonder if the clip that holds the cooler down will foul the first memory sockets (like on my current mobo). If not, wondering about maybe a Corsair H50???

 

[cmndr_andi]

Sandy Bridge looks like it will be a pretty big jump, tbh. It is a new 32nm process (down from 45nm for your Q9650 & i5/i7) and the architecture is quite different as well. From early tests it looks like it will be clock-for-clock around 15-20% faster than current i7 chips and will clock higher too. Therefore it will be a very powerful platform.

Also, at around the same time that Sandy Bridge arrives, AMD will be releasing their new Bulldozer platform which is supposed to be much faster than the existing AMD tech.

If you already have a Q9650 (really great chip) then I don't think upgrading to s1156 is the best option at this stage. I would certainly recommend overclocking it - those chips often hit 4GHz with decent air cooling. What was the article you read that scared you off?

If you want more graphics power I reckon you would be better off selling the GTX 460 and picking up a GTX 480 or a new top-end HD 6000 card.

 

[1Day]

Yeah fully agree with cmndr andi - if you can hang around for a bit longer then I would say wait. But if not I like your selection.

The board is rock solid and the CPU is also pretty good. But if you are not really going to be using all 4 cores the i3-530 is a best value for money CPU right now. It will clock to 4GHz on the stock intel cooler and that is not saying too much about the Intel cooler but more about the CPU.

Plus I have heard that Intel have dropped their bulk prices for the 1156 range. Not sure when that will impact on the UK market but I am hoping sooner rather than later.

 

[mikeo]

Sandy Bridge looks like it will be a pretty big jump, tbh. It is a new 32nm process (down from 45nm for your Q9650 & i5/i7) and the architecture is quite different as well. From early tests it looks like it will be clock-for-clock around 15-20% faster than current i7 chips and will clock higher too. Therefore it will be a very powerful platform.

Also, at around the same time that Sandy Bridge arrives, AMD will be releasing their new Bulldozer platform which is supposed to be much faster than the existing AMD tech.

If you already have a Q9650 (really great chip) then I don't think upgrading to s1156 is the best option at this stage. I would certainly recommend overclocking it - those chips often hit 4GHz with decent air cooling. What was the article you read that scared you off?

If you want more graphics power I reckon you would be better off selling the GTX 460 and picking up a GTX 480 or a new top-end HD 6000 card.

Thanks for that.

Emm. I did not appreciate that Sandy Bridge was going to be that much of an improvement.

It's just the time frame (I've just got that itch ... I'm sure there's a powder for it?). And then wait for BIOS's to settle down etc.

I agree that Bulldozer looks promising, especially as AMD has a reputation of making their chipsets last more than 12 months (not poking fun at Intel here God forbid). But this looks to be even further down the time line here.

Sell the 460. EEEEK... I've only just bought it. But mad as it sounds, I had sort of thought of that. Unluckily (due to my finger slipping on day one) I paid a premium for that card and will make a fair loss (my own fault I know).

Now left wondering what to do (if anything!). O'hum...

There are a number of articles about OC problems and Quads (especially if pushed too far on this board).

EG. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mainboards/display/ga-p35-ds3l_9.html#sect0

There are other articles floating about as well. Maybe they were just unlucky, or tried to push things tooo far. Though I don't think the voltage regulator circuitry is a strong point on these boards.

 

[Ravenger]

The only thing I would say is that the first iteration of any hardware is always buggy and/or less efficient or powerful than the inevitable revised version. It's best to wait for a while until the first batch of processors and motherboards have been and gone and go for the next revision, The Q6600 G0 stepping was a good example.

 

[mikeo]

I suppose that if I just want to have a play with a new toy, I could try and find a better quality LGA775 board! Wonder if there's any out there that do SLI and OC decently?

 

[cmndr_andi]

I suppose that if I just want to have a play with a new toy, I could try and find a better quality LGA775 board! Wonder if there's any out there that do SLI and OC decently?

Unfortunately, not really. These are all Nvidia chipset boards and don't really like quad cores that much (they certainly don't overclock as well as intel based boards).

You may want to wait it out till the AMD HD 6900 cards come out (november) and see if they will tempt you to change the graphics instead. In the mean time, i'm pretty confident that your 3Ghz Core 2 Quad isn't holding you back much in games.

 

[mikeo]

Unfortunately, not really. These are all Nvidia chipset boards and don't really like quad cores that much (they certainly don't overclock as well as intel based boards).

You may want to wait it out till the AMD HD 6900 cards come out (november) and see if they will tempt you to change the graphics instead. In the mean time, i'm pretty confident that your 3Ghz Core 2 Quad isn't holding you back much in games.

After starting off all excited... I'm now feeling a bit deflated.

Snookered all ways I am!

I expect you are right about my current CPU not holding me back. Just looking for a new toy to play with.

How about... forget the SLI and just look at a better quality mobo that I can safely play around at over-clocking!? At the same time, maybe think about that SSD after all!?

I could then use my 150GB Velociraptor for my games and the WD 640Gb for backups. Left with a spare 400Gb HD but that can just go in the cupbaord (known as my "home for old drives").

 

[cmndr_andi]

How about... forget the SLI and just look at a better quality mobo that I can safely play around at over-clocking!? At the same time, maybe think about that SSD after all!?

In that case, look no further than the ASUS P5Q Deluxe. It is an excellent board for overclocking quads and it also supports x8x8 CrossfireX and PCIE v2.

Assuming your gigabyte P35 is in full working order, you should be able to sell it one the MM without much trouble - so your upgrade will only cost you ~£50.

At the same time, maybe think about that SSD after all!?

A big +1 from me.

It won't increase game FPS, but windows, games and apps will load so much faster. Also due to the much faster response time, random reads (and writes) using your system will feel so much snappier.

 

[mikeo]

In that case, look no further than the ASUS P5Q Deluxe. It is an excellent board for overclocking quads and it also supports x8x8 CrossfireX and PCIE v2.

Assuming your gigabyte P35 is in full working order, you should be able to sell it one the MM without much trouble - so your upgrade will only cost you ~£50.



A big +1 from me.

It won't increase game FPS, but windows, games and apps will load so much faster. Also due to the much faster response time, random reads (and writes) using your system will feel so much snappier.

Will have a read up on the ASUS board.
Just a couple of quick questions:
1) It's obviously an X-fire board. But I'm assuming any single card will be fine?
2) The CPU power connector while looking like an 8-pin, appears to have some sort of blanking plug covering 4 of the holes in the connector! So is it only a 4-pin CPU power socket? Confused I am. Or am I getting hung up about nothing?

Thanks for your help.

 

[cmndr_andi]

Yea, have a hunt there are loads of review of that board around - all of them are very positive. It is generally accepted as one of the very best overclocking s775 boards.

1) Aye, no worries. Your single GTX 460 will work fine.

2) That is just a removable cap - it pulls off to reveal the full 8pin power port. It is for people with PSUs that only have a single 4pin 12V CPU connector. Obviously you are not in that boat, so just pull it off and plug in your 8pin.

 

[mikeo]

Yea, have a hunt there are loads of review of that board around - all of them are very positive. It is generally accepted as one of the very best overclocking s775 boards.

1) Aye, no worries. Your single GTX 460 will work fine.

2) That is just a removable cap - it pulls off to reveal the full 8pin power port. It is for people with PSUs that only have a single 4pin 12V CPU connector. Obviously you are not in that boat, so just pull it off and plug in your 8pin.

Starting to get inflated again (so to speak).

Looking good. Will do a bit more reading up.

Off to watch Axe men now (sad I know!). I do a bit of chain saw work these days myself, so can sympathise. A far cry (almost a gaming pun there!) from being a freelance computer programmer (like what I was).

Thanks again.

I'll post up what I decide to do.

PS. I'll be interested to see if my Zalman 9500 will fit on this board.

 

[pastymuncher]

You might want to see how far you can get your Q9650 without increasing any voltages. My Q9550 will do 3.6Ghz with no voltage increase on the board or cpu.

 

[reilly]

Well I too was waiting for sandy Bridge, but the top end isn't coming till late 2011, with the mainstream coming sometime Q4 2010, Q1 2011. I tookt he plunge yesterday from a E8400 to I5 760 as I was getting bottlenecked in games. I thought to myself a year is a long time to wait for Sandy Bridge, and if it is 20% quicker the i5 can be sold or a nice ott home server .

There will always be something round the corner, so if you are feeling abit slow, bottlenecked then upgrase if you have the funds.

Replacing LGA775 stuff is really expensive in my eyes, had a Striker Extreme it went pop, and there was no way I was paying £80 for and ASUS P45 board, that is like a brand new I5 board (plus £20)

 

[mikeo]

You might want to see how far you can get your Q9650 without increasing any voltages. My Q9550 will do 3.6Ghz with no voltage increase on the board or cpu.

I don't really consider this an option on my current board (see the Xbits article I linked to). And yes I have tried and the connector after even 30 mins of Prome95 starts to get quite warm. The Southbridge on these Gigabyte boards also gets pretty hot as well!

Mind you, I see you have the ASUS board, so are you talking about that?

 

[mikeo]

Well I too was waiting for sandy Bridge, but the top end isn't coming till late 2011, with the mainstream coming sometime Q4 2010, Q1 2011. I tookt he plunge yesterday from a E8400 to I5 760 as I was getting bottlenecked in games. I thought to myself a year is a long time to wait for Sandy Bridge, and if it is 20% quicker the i5 can be sold or a nice ott home server .

There will always be something round the corner, so if you are feeling abit slow, bottlenecked then upgrade if you have the funds.

Replacing LGA775 stuff is really expensive in my eyes, had a Striker Extreme it went pop, and there was no way I was paying £80 for and ASUS P45 board, that is like a brand new I5 board (plus £20)

I see / hear where you are coming from, but if I went I5, I would want an SLI board, so would be looking at more like £150 and also need to move over to DDR3 memory. Where if I just replaced the mobo, I would have the money to fund an SSD as well.

Still cogitating at the moment.

 

[Liampope]

You can get an sli board for £100, but no USB3/SATA3.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-124-MS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1495

Shame OCUK dont stock it's followup - the P55A version which does USB3/SATA3 (and even includes a PLX chip that gives full speed USB3/SATA3 even with all the CPU's PCIe lanes used up by single GPU at 16x or x-fire/sli at 8x/8x).

 

[mikeo]

You can get an sli board for £100, but no USB3/SATA3.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-124-MS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1495

Shame OCUK dont stock it's followup - the P55A version which does USB3/SATA3 (and even includes a PLX chip that gives full speed USB3/SATA3 even with all the CPU's PCIe lanes used up by single GPU at 16x or x-fire/sli at 8x/8x).

Looks an interesting board. Not had an MSI mobo for many a year.

If you don't mind me asking. How do you think they rate against Gigabyte/ASUS these days?

Out of interest. Why do some boards not seem to support 1600MHz RAM "natively" (if that's the correct expression)? And make a comment along the lines of "available via OC".

 

[Liampope]

Not sure how it stacks up to the more expensive Gigabyte/Asus boards unfortunately. I have a UD5 and it's great. MSI have a great reputation lately though as well.

1600 MHz is technically an overclock on most P55 mobos as they only offer 6, 8, and 10 (typically) mem multipliers, meaning at the stock 133 BCLK, highest you can run is 1333MHz RAM. You'd have to have your BCLK OCd to 160MHz (easy) to get your RAM to 1600MHz using the x10 multi. If a board claims to offer 1600MHz RAM 'natively', I guess it must offer an additional 12x mem multiplier so you can get 1600MHz at the stock 133 BCLK. Even my UD5 doesn't have a 12x multi, but it's no bother for me as I'm running a 200 BCLK and so only need the x8 mem multi for my 1600MHz.

 

[mikeo]

Not sure how it stacks up to the more expensive Gigabyte/Asus boards unfortunately. I have a UD5 and it's great. MSI have a great reputation lately though as well.

1600 MHz is technically an overclock on most P55 mobos as they only offer 6, 8, and 10 (typically) mem multipliers, meaning at the stock 133 BCLK, highest you can run is 1333MHz RAM. You'd have to have your BCLK OCd to 160MHz (easy) to get your RAM to 1600MHz using the x10 multi. If a board claims to offer 1600MHz RAM 'natively', I guess it must offer an additional 12x mem multiplier so you can get 1600MHz at the stock 133 BCLK. Even my UD5 doesn't have a 12x multi, but it's no bother for me as I'm running a 200 BCLK and so only need the x8 mem multi for my 1600MHz.

Interesting.

So I'm assuming that 1600MHz memory would probably default to 1333MHz on this board unless the settings were tweaked?

Thanks.