X48 vs X38

backtothefuture

backtothefuture

backtothefuture

Associate
Joined
14 Nov 2003
Posts
544
going for a new build... would like it to be as future proof as possible..

as far as I can see main difference between the above is that X48 uses DDR3 memory only..

would that be a noticeable improvement over X38 (i.e. DDR 2 memory)?

I guess there is no point in holding out for an i7 since I intend to use the PC mainly for gaming and vid-editing...

thinking of pairing one of the above mobos with a dual core E8500, OC it, and then switch to a Quad core chip when applications make more use of Quad core..

so X48 or X38?

cheers!
 
I would go with a P45 chipset board and not bother with the x series as you get the same if not better performance and they tend to be cheaper why pay more then you need to. Of the two if P45 isn't an option go with x48 as that seems to be the better performing chipset though not a lot in it in most things.
 
OK... whatever it is needs to last at least 4 years since thats how long I've had my current mobo...

I think the P45 supports all current core 2 duo and Quad core chips, and also is S775 like the X48...

any recommendations for a good OCin'g mobo?
 
p45 are only 8x speed if you go xfire anytime in the future.

Although not much difference with current cards, who knows what graphics cards you will have within the next 4 years so safer to go x38 or x48.

Not much in it and some boards like mine can even be flashed with the x48 bios.
 
Greebo said:
p45 are only 8x speed if you go xfire anytime in the future.

Although not much difference with current cards, who knows what graphics cards you will have within the next 4 years so safer to go x38 or x48.

Not much in it and some boards like mine can even be flashed with the x48 bios.
Click to expand...

Well I don't see this as making too much of an impact. If you are buying newer cards, these are PCIe 2.0. PCIe 2.0 doubled the bandwidth of the PCI-express bus. Effectively, what are 8x lanes are actually 16x lanes on PCIe 1.0 so there is a lot less impact than you might think. I certainly haven't seen any evidence that dual x16 has crippled any graphics power. Maybe in 4 years time it will start to flag a little however this is obvious given the pace of change these days.
 
Dual GPU cards such as the 4870x2 will be slightly affected by 8xPCIe in crossfire configuration but not enough that I would be worried about it.

P45 based chipsets seem to overclock better than their X48 stable mates so your decision should really come down to whether you intend to utilise crossfire or not. Crossfire still performs very well in P45 boards but as you are wanting futureproofing then, as stated above, going for dual 16x PCIe slots makes more sense.

This however is a moot point as if you are wanting the newest tech (which should in theory last you longer) then you should be looking towards i7 which brings a new socket format all together.
 
smids said:
Well I don't see this as making too much of an impact. If you are buying newer cards, these are PCIe 2.0. PCIe 2.0 doubled the bandwidth of the PCI-express bus. Effectively, what are 8x lanes are actually 16x lanes on PCIe 1.0 so there is a lot less impact than you might think. I certainly haven't seen any evidence that dual x16 has crippled any graphics power. Maybe in 4 years time it will start to flag a little however this is obvious given the pace of change these days.
Click to expand...

That's my point though. No effect now but he want the mobo to last 4 years. He doesn;t want to be buying a p45 now, only to have to change it again later.

Who knows how the 5870x2 and 6870x2 might be throttled by it?

So for the little bit of extra cost, i'd go x38 or x48 now.

Just on another note isn't pci-e 3 out next year doubling the bandwidth again?
 
I think PCIe 3.0 is 2010 onwards, plus we have to wait for manufacturers to implement. Controllers/chipsets will slowly roll onto the market in 2010 but I wouldn't expect to see it until 2011 realistically for mainstream.

I doubt we will see cards being throttled until the very end of the lifespan. Currently, we are getting transfers of 8GB/s through a x16 PCIe 2.0 slot which is a LOT of data throughput.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pci-express-2-0,1915.html

Interesting article on it. It seems that maybe the top end (SLi on a card) cards may be slightly affected...
 
No mobo will last 4 years without going out of date though :(

X48 with DDR3 is probably as future proofing as it can be without going i7.

There isn't much difference between X38/X48 AFAIK.
 
Last edited:
I bought an x48 ddr2, wish i had bought a p45. My x48 overclocks good (DFI mobo), but ive tried crossfire and didnt reallly like it that much. Anyway i know for next time!

Still if crossfire gets better (its not perfect atm) at least i have the option to use it.
 
The OP made no mention of going xfire from what i can see and if he is the sort of user who upgrades only every 4 years he is unlikely to do so IMO so i would recommend a p45, perhaps the Asus P5Q PRO or Deluxe.
 
Yeah i didn't see OP mention xfire thats why i mentioned P45 in the first place as if your not xfiring then P45 has everything you need.
 
RizlaKing said:
Yeah i didn't see OP mention xfire thats why i mentioned P45 in the first place as if your not xfiring then P45 has everything you need.
Click to expand...

But he did mention he wanted it to last four years at least so why limit yourself with a p45 board which might restrict his future choices of graphics cards?

I made that mistake when I bought my p35 board. Never thought I would entertain the idea of going xfire but looking at adding a 2nd 4870 now so have now swapped to a x38 board. Okay
not that much cost to do it but the hassle of rebuilding my pc etc was annoying.

To me the x38 is the win all the way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom