My mobo just fried, and I'm trying to get a replacement for it. Sadly, NO ONE sells the xfx 680i LT I had. Not the best board, I know, but I was hoping not to have to format and just pop in a replacement and be right back where I was. I'm quickly realizing that won't be the case. I've found a couple of options I can afford, but I don't know which route to take. 1: I found a NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard, but I don't think it'd be on par with the XFX LT model I had, although I could be wrong. (Normally I would figure out myself, but honestly I don't know where to look at this point to tell) I also don't think the drivers from the XFX would mesh with it well. 2: I found an Intel D975XBX2 I can afford, but again, I don't know if it'd be an upgrade, or a downgrade. The rest of my setup involves a q9650 or a step up or down in 775, which is why I don't want to switch to 1155-56, aside from not having enough cash to do mobo and cpu and still be on par with what I had. I'm also running a GTX 470 Performance Edition, or another big honking card that I can't remember at the moment (Not home, so can't look at my parts). I know it takes 3 6-pins, and that it barely fits in my case, and I mean barely. I'm also running a Corsair 650w psu, single rail I believe. Sorry to ask you guys, but I'm in a spot right now where I'm not trusting my own judgement at the moment (in hospital, on painkillers), so I figured I'd ask. The 680i seems a solid choice, but I'm not sure. The intel strikes me as an upgrade, but only because I note that the base price for it seems higher. I'm a power user, when I'm not laid up here; Dual monitors, 24/7 usage, etc etc. I game a lot with it, but I use it for almost everything I do. Your thoughts, guys? I'd appreciate it. -CyrusD
if i were you m8 id look at secound hand off ebay you might get a good board pritty cheap and will will give you time to save up and think about next upgrade.
That's actually what I've done, I just can't decide between which, because believe it or not, there are almost NO WORKING XFX 680i LTs (Or otherwise) on there. Couldn't decide between these two. CyrusD
There are almost NO working 680i boards at all. They are terrible and are of terrible quality. They die frequently, run god-awful hot, suck ludicrous power, and the SATA controllers frequently fail and corrupt hard drives. I would replace it with a better chipset motherboard that isn't designed to die out of the factory. One of the worst chipsets ever made, the only one worse being its little brother the 650i. Have owned several of both XFX and Evga 680i boards and done lots of research. Why looking for something so old and obscure? I can't think of any reason anyone would have to buy an Nvidia chipset board, much less TRACK ONE DOWN after production. LOL Try for a newer chipset. P35/X38 are both exceptional as are P45 and X48 though those might be a bit rarer. Mid-range vs high-end doesn't make any real impact in speed and performance. The big difference is overclocking. Also, why so reluctant to reformat? You almost always need to when switching motherboards, you can't simply "avoid" it with a similar board, there will still always be problems. Not to mention switching motherboards, even to an identical one, usually invalidates Windows and forces you to re-authenticate. Not only that but reformatting is one of the single largest speed boosts you can give a PC. You should practice reformatting at least once every year or so, especially on a gaming/performance PC. It makes a huge difference. Just back up everything important and wipe that sucker clean.
the nforce board should slot in without having to format the intel you will have to format as all the driverswill be wrong
I've been searching for a 680I because honestly, my original, LT 680 has ran perfectly for almost 4 years, and never once given me a heat problem or anything. I also didn't have enough cash to work a new chipset, as I could barely afford a used one. Ended up getting the Intel nforce, without noticing it had issue with a 45nm. If I'd known how little luck everyone else had and that my 680 was such a rare one, that worked as well, I'd've waited for a larger upgrade. Still, I sit here with a board that gives a 18 error code, that doesn't look like it'll work with my q9650. I've heard some have had luck, so I hope I do. Also, I'd recently reformatted (and do frequently with my os part), but hadn't had the chance to img my drive, and am already reformatting as we speak. Just didn't want the hassle. Will post back with results.
