Socket 775 DDR3 Motherboard recommendations please

craigt1989

craigt1989

craigt1989

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Ok, so 1 of my 2GB DDR2 RAM sticks got fried some how so now I need to buy a replacement stick of RAM, been looking at the prices and DDR3 RAM is a bit cheaper overall it seems.

So now it has got me thinking of buying a new motherboard that will support my current Intel Quad Core Q8300 and DDR3 RAM, reason for this is that next year I may look at upgrading my CPU so if I buy the RAM this year it will ease the finances next year when I come to upgrading the CPU.

I am aware the motherboard will have to be replaced when I get round to upgrading my CPU next year. So with that in mind I wont be spending a lot on one right now if I do decide to get the DD3 RAM.

Are any of the motherboards listed any here any good?
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=5&subid=1490

I would like to be able to overclock but that isn't a deal breaker if I cannot.
 
Hi there,

Do you plan on overclocking the CPU or need any features like SLI?

If not then one of the G41 DDR3 board there would be OK (like the GA-G41MT-S2P).

Personally, if I had a Core 2 Quad core and a need for DDR3 RAM, then I would be looking for a well priced second-hand X48 chipset DDR3 board. Then overclocking the quad as far as I could.
 
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cmndr_andi said:
Hi there,

Do you plan on overclocking the CPU or need any features like SLI?

If not then one of the G41 DDR3 board there would be OK (like the GA-G41MT-S2P).

Personally, if I had a Core 2 Quad core and a need for DDR3 RAM, then I would be looking for a well priced second-hand X48 chipset DDR3 board. Then overclocking the quad as far as I could.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.
Would you be able to link or name an x48 motherboard?

I probably wont need SLI, however if the CPU overclock I get keeps me going all through next year then I may add another GTX 560, but tbh I dont think I would be using SLI with the current CPU I have.

Are any/ all of the motherboards I linked unable to do CPU overclocking?


EDIT: found some x48 motherboards on ebay and they are a bit too expensive for me, atm I am only thinking of keeping this a year or just over a year so spending £100 on a motherboard is a bit much, only reason I was looking at getting a new motherboard is so I could just buy the DDR3 RAM now and not need it next year since i need new RAM anyway.

Looking to spends around £50 on the motherboard.
 
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craigt1989 said:
Thanks for the reply.
Would you be able to link or name an x48 motherboard?

I probably wont need SLI, however if the CPU overclock I get keeps me going all through next year then I may add another GTX 560, but tbh I dont think I would be using SLI with the current CPU I have.

Are any/ all of the motherboards I linked unable to do CPU overclocking?
Click to expand...

There aren't really many s775 boards that can do SLI (only Nvidia chipset ones) and these boards don't really overclock quad cores that well. So as long as you don't need SLI then DDR3 supporting X48 and P45 boards are your best shot, here are a few ones to look out for:

ASUS P5E3 Premium
ASUS Rampage Extreme
ASUS P5Q3
Foxconn Blackops x48
Gigabyte GA-EP45T-UD3LR
 
Thanks a lot for your help.

Just had a quick look for the motherboards you posted, most are over £100 some close to £200 so too pricey for me right now : ( .

With that in mind (£50ish budget for motherboard) would you say changing motherboard to one of the ones posted or a better one at £50 or less would be worth it?

Bearing in mind DDR2 RAM is dearer than DDR3 RAM and I do need to buy RAM anyway.
 
It really depends on what your existing motherboard is. You could spend £35 on a G41 board and £28 on 4GB DDR3- but you can't expect this board to be able to overclock your CPU at all.

However, if your existing DDR3 motherboard is half-decent and allows you to overclock the CPU then you may as well spend the money on DDR2 - as it is about the same total cost anyway (£9 more). Bear in mind that DDR2 prices are going up since production is going down, obviously this means that its more expensive than DDR3 to buy new - but it should also mean that selling it on in the near future will get you a fair chunck of money back.

If you can't get your existing board to clock much at all then I would just go for this board and the DDR3 RAM I linked to above as it's the cheaper option.
 
My current motherboard doesnt overclock at all, heard it can but for whatever reason it just resets all the settings back to defualt one I change them in the BIOS. Might just buy a new motherboard and DD3 RAM so I am prepared for if I do upgrade the CPU next year, they best not bring out DDR4!!

So to clarify the all the motherboards in the link I posted and the Gigabyte one you recommended will definitely work for me?
 
Most of the ones in the link you posted in post#1 will work with the Q8300 (you really need to check each model on the manufacturers website to see if it is officially supported), butI can confirm that the cheapest (and imho the best option) the Gigabyte G41MT-S2P does indeed support the Q8300 CPU and 1.5V DDR3 RAM (have a look here).
 
Thanks a lot, think I will order one of those motherboards next Friday, wont be in next week and I hate my stuff being left at the neighbours!!! Plus I get paid next Friday. Wish Crysis wouldn't crash on my crappy temporary 2GB RAM right now lol.
 
Oh, I should have asked this earlier.

If your RAM stick fried, can you not get a free replacement via RMA to the retailer or manufacturer? Most RAM kits come with lifetime warranty.
 
cmndr_andi said:
Oh, I should have asked this earlier.

If your RAM stick fried, can you not get a free replacement via RMA to the retailer or manufacturer? Most RAM kits come with lifetime warranty.
Click to expand...

If I was to say the the stick of RAM was in a bin what would you say....lol. But I am not sure I would have got it replaced anyway, PC was a pre built although I have changed the Case, GPU, CPU Cooler and the Power supply since getting it. Might have got it but o well, guess life is all about learning from mistakes lol.
 
Ok found a new Asus P5QC P45 motherboard on ebay, it is £30 more than the £50 I wanted to spend, is this motherboard a good one that will allow some overclocking on the CPU?
 
If you are buying a new motherboard and new RAM, wouldn't it make sense to upgrade to a new platform? Sell your current mobo and CPU and start again, it'll be cheaper in the long run.
 
I don't think i could afford it, maybe though, I would have £100 and could stretch to £150 cash towards it.

So would need RAM, new motherboard and an i5 2500k for that plus the money I get for the Q8300 and 1 2GB DDR2 RAM, would try to sell the FOXCONN G31MX-K but I think I would have to pay someone to take my motherboard. Dont think with that in mind that I could afford it, what do you think?
 
A 2500k would be fantastic, but any 1155 chip would blow your Q8300 out of the water. If you can't do it now I'd recommend getting some second hand DDR2 to tide you over rather than dropping lots of money on 775.
 
Depends on the game :)

Your GPU has a much bigger effect on your framerates for most things. Upgrading to DDR3 will give you pretty much no improvement though.
 
Ok then, got some serious thinking to do lol. I cant see me getting an i5 yet though just because of money. If I could overclock my current CPU past 3GHZ I think everything would be great but my current motherboard refuses to allow it which is why I was looking at the Asus P5QC motherboard because it may allow the overclocking I want, but I dont know if it does.
 
Yea, it is worth considering - especially if you are planning to buy a new board and RAM anyway.

If you sell on your Q8300 - I would expect to get ~£60 back. The i5 2500K costs £150 for the OEM version, add on this cooler, this RAM and a P67 board that is £226 after selling the Q8300. This is a fair amount more than the ~£110 you would be looking to spend for a decent s775 board + 4GB DDR3 - but this setup would be MUCH faster and more upgradable.
 
Ok, mind is made up, just going for 1 2GB DDR2 RAM atm. Over next few months see how my money is and try to save up for the i5 and the rest of the stuff. Forgot I have my old GPU which I could maybe scavenge a little money from as well.
 
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