The (new) Official PC building thread!

My personal experience with Gigabyte

GA-965P-DS3(E6400 OCed to 3.52Ghz, no problems)
GA-P35-DS3R(E6750 OCed to 4Ghz but running at 3.6daily, and Q6600 OCed to 3.6Ghz but running at 3.2Ghz daily, no problems)
GA-P35-DS3L(E2160 Oced to 3.2Ghz, no problems)
GA-EP35-DS3L(setting up today)

 

I merely said "the mobo is the heart of the system". go with a high end mobo, especially if intending on OC'ing. IMO and most other OC gurus, asus makes some of the best high end mobos. I'm yet to have any problems with a high end asus mobo.

other manufactures make high end too, DFI, Abit, EVGA, and yes even Gigabyte but if going high end, I'll take Asus hands down, if for no other reason than their bios.

 

In the £120+ bracket Asus boards probably are better than Gigabyte boards, and I've said that all along, but to say that Gigabyte boards don't overclock or don't work is ludicrous as Deadrum is essentially the only guy who's had issue with one - Cincyrob's board should probably be absolved from blame due to RAM issues.
We all have our personal preferences - professional overclockers like yourself, NuckNFuts and BigDK have every right to go with top end Asus boards because ultimately they're the best for overclocking. For the average joe that wants a great overclock but doesn't want the hassle or the expense, I'm a Gigabyte out-and-out for that sector, and everybody else here is as well it seems.

I have no objections to you preferring Asus equipment, but you've got to open your eyes that not everyone wants to spend an extra 70 quid on a top end board just to get those last few mhz, and if you don't spend that extra 70 quid but still buy Asus, god help you.

 

last word from me on the topic then I'll say no more. rob is on what, his 3rd or 4th RMA? it all wasn't due to memory. there was a problem with the cpu socket. only time will tell if it is resolved now. he has a lot more patience than I. deadrum and russ are both having problems too.

my asus P4P800 ($100) was trouble free. my asus P5W DH Deluxe ($225) is trouble free. my asus rampage formula has been stellar ($300). my gigabyte socket 478 (forgot the model) junk from day 1.

nobody listens to me anyway so I don't expect them to start now. all I can say is it is a good thing gigabyte has excellent customer service, cause there's a pretty good chance you will need it.

almost sorry I opened this can of worms but it was fun.

 

Hey I listen you you! I bought that Monitor within 10 mins of you recommending it. But after having three motherboards with no problems and the fourth on getting put together right now I personally think Gigabyte has excellent quality.

 

no cotradicting or bashing but I thought you were going to try a P5E?

 

sam.....take a peek at the circutry of the ASUS boards. the superb selection of using ferret chokes, the 2/3 phase power...JUST for the DIMM slots.

its beautifully put together, and the reliabitiy at such clocks are the reason the top 3dMarkers use Asus boards.

take a look at their bios vs GB Bios and you will be left breathless.

hell Expressgate for Ocers is one reason it should be gotten. with the ability to quick boot into a linux OS, and start some Stress testing tools withign a few seconds....

its built for the OCer.

hell if you are not willing to clock, you wont even need to spend £30 on a mobo.

its not jsut an Extra £70 for nothing.

hell remember int he P35 ROG boards they made the 16/4 Xfire to 16/8

now MSI are doing it.

and id say £100 over, Asus are the way to go.

 

Yeah I was, and I probably will. I said I like Asus motherboards, but I think Gigabyte motherboards are pretty solid too. Lets put it this way:
If I had to choose in the 100-200 price range I would get a Gigabyte, but when it's higher than that then I would get an Asus.

Hopefully I can get that P5E. I'm not sure, I might putting off building a new computer and by then the P5E replacement might be out and I will probably end up buying that instead.

 

xD

he was, but the pricing got out of his grasp.

for any high end chipset, aka 780/790 or X3/48 and even P45, Asus are ruling in the OC/Stability.

look around at the benches. they speak for themselves.

esp the new P5Q3 Deluxe.

 

As I stare at the pair of dead Asus motherboards on my shelf and wonder how long the third will last given its quirky BIOS that only accepts up, down and enter on the keyboard (despite printing various different keyboard shortcuts at the bottom that do nothing) I can't help but think about the chain of Gigabyte boards that are passing through our LAN. My friend has just retired a 965P-DS3 in full working order to shortly move to someone else's PC and has taken on my P35C-DS3R also in full working order. My X38-DS4? Also working fine. Three dodgy Asus boards, three perfect gigabyte boards. That's more than enough proof for me.

 

and now move to p35/x38/x48/p45 and speak again about bios


anyway

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ati-radeon-4800,5375.html


:O

 

well i'll chime in for a second.

1st im on my second RMA for my mobo.
2nd i was able to get 4.05ghz out of it when the memory wasnt doing funky stuff. it ran about a day @ 4.05ghz. then ran for almost a week at 3.7ghz withoug issues. once again the mem started acting up and crashed. at the end before i sent it back this last time it wouldnt even post cause of the mem. i actually just talked to the gigabyte tech taht worked on my board. he said there was issues with my northbridge chip. he didnt say what other than that was the problem.if my memory serves me correct isnt the NB incharge of the mem controller?i honestly dont know other than what i have heard you guys talk about in here. TBH i know i dont know a ounce of stuff that you all do. and im the laughing stock of the thread, but when it was running it ran like a bat out of hell.

if i would have went with my first instinct i would have looked at the memory from day 1 with this problem. and i honestly beleive if i had gotten the corsair mem instead of crucial i wouldnt have had any problems. we will soon see. my mobo is on it way back now.brand new one. my mem should be here some time late next week i think. seeing that its only the DDR2 800 i dont know if i can hit 4.0ghz any way.and i dont think i will even try. 3.6ghz is as far as i will go.

GM
actually my dad like my 690(as do i)but i like that red nzxt lexa. pretty sweet.so there is a switch off to start..lol but in all reality i think im gonna have about $800 to work with for him.

Mort
that P5E you linked to does look pretty nice. i read alot of the reviews on it. not many flaws at all....did ya happen to pay any attentionto the CPU everyone was sticking on it???lol

 

Thanks for the link Shaff, an interesting read. Looks like we're closer to the real deal than I thought. Here's hoping the 4870 is also a single 6-pin part. Who knows, if it's as good as they say it is I might hold off on my silencing heatsinks for the cards and just swap them out for a single card - that'll cut my heat production and power consumption again, and by the looks of it give me similar performance to what I get in crossfire but for every game - tasty tasty. I'd have the option to be a cheeky beggar and use crossfire again with the 4870s, but to be honest, I think I'll give that a miss!

 

id be amazed if they can get the 4870s to Xfire with the 3870

 

i do like the new GTX280 name

 

ok, so I lied. this will be my last, last word on the subject. for those that haven't had the privelidge to see and use the bios of a high-top end asus mobo they don't know what they are missing and if they are content and happy with what they have, then all is well and good. I've been spoiled and refuse to lower my standards even if I have to pay on one for several months.

I'm not speaking for GM but he has both a gigabyte mobo (trouble free) and an asus mobo (also trouble free) and we have all heard him say his next build will be with a top end DFI mobo or most likely top end asus mobo. hmm. please set me straight GM if I am incorrect.

 

I've seen the insides of a DFI BIOS and it's incredibly comprehensive, but I'm not really convinced all those options are really necessary... I'm sure they all have a functional purpose though.

 

Rob you sell yourself to short!! Sometimes the solution isn't that easy to see and you have to go thru the steps to solve the problem.... Unfortunately you had a "difficult" issue to deal with and even with the "tests" that you ran on your RAM it (the problem) wasn't clearly evident...

LIAR. LIAR. Pants on fire.... heheehe.

The only issue(s) that I've had with my GB PC is installing M$ XP and NOT getting to 4.0GHz.... Which NONE of those were due to the GB mobo....

On the ASUS Striker... The only issue I have with it is the fact that I don't have another frikkin GPU to stick on/in the mobo to make it work. Other than that little "issue" that mobo is frikkin awesome!!! I would rather have the Intel chipset (P35/X38/X48) but hey the nVidia 680i does just fine...

On the GPU... I just got word (yesterday i think) that PNY is taking care of my 8800GTS, that is sending me a new video card FoC!!! Oh I'm so stoked I don't have to buy another video card I might just buy another HDD, 500GB or 750GB is the next decision... hehehe. btw who knows what I paid for that video card?? >>>PNY XLR8 8800GTS 320MB<<<

....gm

 

Mort81,
Lets be a bit more fair here, OK? In the socket 478 motherboard days, yes! GigaByte made junk! It took them from almost being bought out by Foxconn, Merged with Asus and almost going under to put the Bit between their teeth. They decided that were going to be a "Force" in the motherboard market or go under trying! The result turned out to be a legend! The GA-965P-DS3! It put GigaByte in the game for real. Sure there were early teething problems with the early boards and chipset's bios. but from Rev. 1.33 on it's ranked as one of the best 965P Motherboards ever! Hell of a way to take a bold step! I had one and it is the best motherboard I ever owned! Easiest overclock of my life! No Blue Screens, nothing! It just worked!

Now I see Motherboards out like the GA-EX38-DS4, with a greatly improved bios that allows a lot of the finer adjustments missing before now, and at around $200 to $227, I offers features that some higher priced motherboards don't. I want one!

So let's see now, after about 2 years of serious effort buy GigaByte, and we've had 2 legendary motherboards! The GA-P35-DS3R is the other one, and maybe even another one in the making with the new EX38-DS4, I would say that GigaByte has made quite an impact on the present Motherboard Market! They've turned their fortunes around, and I don't see any signs of them slowing their efforts. I think their goal is Asus! Only this time it won't be some deal pieced together by some Gov't Official that neither company could live with! I fully expect to see something happen between GigaByte and Asus within a year at the most! Asus needs cash! They have assets, but nothing that's easily turned to cash, and you can't develop new technologies without lots of cash!! GigaByte has tons of cash! All made for the most part, from their 965P and P35 model Sales! In the mean time, Asus can see GigaByte in their rear-view mirror! LOL!! Just my opinion of course, but it makes perfect sense!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

is this what everyone is talking about now?

TRU

what ya need a fan on the front and back? push and pull as to say.

GM do we got enough room in the 690 for that?