im stuck between the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L and the GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L. the only thing i know is that the ep45 replaces one of the pci slots for a pci express x1 slot. what do people usually use pci express x1 cards for? also, does the ep45 have greater performances in OC in anyway? i also noticed that the ep35 has a COM and LPT connection thing on the back. what is that used for?
PCIe 1x is used for the same purposes as PCI, but offers higher bandwidth. TV cards, bus controller cards, sound cards etc. LPT is a parallel printer port, and I think COM is a serial port, the original sort. The EP45 board will probably have these, but as headers to use with an appropriate backplate, not provided on the rear of the board.
i dont think im going to use any of those ports since im using a printer via usb. so which board would you suggest i use? also, whats the best crossfire motherboard? right now, im only using a sapphite hd4850, but for future upgrades, like the far future, ill upgrade to 2x hd4870 with a new psu and such.
Don't look at a midrange chipset for crossfire, you want a high end board like the GA-X48-DS4. Yes, it's more expensive, but if you can afford dual graphics, you can afford it, and it will make using dual graphics a much better experience.
wow, that is really expensive compared to the single gpu slot motherboards. is there a good crossfire board that is around $150? i dont have enough money to purchase everything right now, since im going to crossfire in the FUTURE. thanks for your help also, if i some how do get that board, plus 2 hd4870's, what power supply do i get? like i know corsair is good, but how much watts would i need? im using a q6600 cpu and have a 650TX power supply now.
i edited it above message. but this is what i put also, if i some how do get that board, plus 2 hd4870's, what power supply do i get? like i know corsair is good, but how much watts would i need? im using a q6600 cpu and have a 650TX power supply now. so would you suggest i just wait to get more money and then purchase this board. or buy the EP35 as a temporary board till i get more money? either way im going to use a hd4850 right now. maybe ill crossfire with just 2 hd4850's. so i wont waste my hd4850. would there be a significant loss if i just hd4850's rather than 2 hd4870's? the 50's will be like around $330 while the 70's will be around $500.
Two 650s would run on a 650TX but you'd need two molex-PCIe adapters, which is a pain, and not recommended, you'd be best off getting a 750TX, or doing it the simple way, waiting until the HD4870X2 is released, buying of those and use your existing 650W PSU with a single slot motherboard.
so the 2xHD4870's that will be released will not need crossfire or anything? and the 650TX will handle it? wow. =] thats perfect. any news on when itll come on. but is a EP35 gigabyte board work good with a 2xhd4870? and if i do simply get the single slot gpu, then im still left with the question, EP45 or EP35?
Should be here next week, but around $500 RRP. Be advised though, it's noisy, runs hot, and is VERY large.
how would i decrease the heat from it? like would i need to get a separate fan and such for it? or do i just increase the speed of the fan thats already on it?
A or B would work. Neither are especially simple, If you do A stick to a proper brand like Thermalright, not Arctic Cooling, their S1 rev 2 is fine enough but can be dodgy to install. If you fancy B, which works fine but is noisy, then you need to edit the catalyst profile.
so something like this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118001 and would the process on installing this be similar to installing a heatsink to the cpu?
No, the VF900 isn't powerful enough to cool a card like that. It needs to be this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118037 or http://www.ncixus.com/products/27412/HR-03-GT/THERMALRIGHT/ http://www.ncixus.com/products/12828/92MM/Nexus Technology USA/
how does this go against the GTX280? or would we have to wait for the release and benchmarks? maybe i should just get that instead? would you think the GTX260 would be more bang for your bucks? and what should the temperatures be, idle and full load, for the gpu and cpu?
The HD4870 is better bang for your buck than the GTX260, and the HD4870X2 will be better bang for your buck than the GTX280, when it comes out.
i find it strange how we got from motherboards to video cards, but i decided to get the ep35, because the ep45 doesnt really offer anything i need. as for the hd4870, i usually get sapphire brand ones, but i cant find any. are the HIS ones good? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161236
Yeah HIS are another decent brand, I have no problem recommending them either, just don't get their Turbo overclocked versions.
