Legit Reviews

Hello all.. this is my 1st trip into Intel-Land in some time. I have decided to build an i7 1366 based gaming / everything system , for the performance benefits I've been hearing about for so long which stem from the i7s.

The basic Idea here is to start with an adequate system that will allow me to game very well, with the potential to be upgraded and become a beast of a gaming rig.

The only components that I have settled on are:
i7 930
XFX 5770 1GB

I am looking for suggestions on the best x58 1366 socket mobo. Price is a concern but i am willing to spend a little more with the idea of future proofing as much as possible. ideally I'd like to stay @ or under the 200-300 range. I need Sata 3 & USB 3.0 compatibility ( There's usually about a 4 year gap in my base system upgrade hence the sata3 & USB 3.0 need).. I've heard that AMD's 800 series is the only chip-set that supports sata3 natively with the usb 3.0 being handled by a secondary chip. I do not know how valid that is...

I'm gonna eventually be putting 2 xfx-5770 1gb in there for crossfire, however right now I only have the one.
I will be gaming @ 1920 x 1080 on a 37" LCD, and would like to be able to run modern games @ that resolution with maxed settings save for AA.

I'd also like suggestions on the RAM as this is my 1st foray into the ddr3 party as well.

UPGRADABILITY:

I've heard that the i9's will support the 1366 socket & the x58 chipset, and I want that possibility to upgrade. The six core intels are an upgrade option as well. I will be most likely making the jump to Windows 7 on this build.

Most of my performance boards have been of the ASUS flavor, but I've heard very good things about Gigabyte's stuff too. I am completely open to all suggestions whether is a sub 200 board or the Rampage 3 Extreme that should be coming out soon...

Please please help me you guys thanks!

I've pounded on the ASUS P6X58D Premium motherboard as one of the test systems here on LR for the past 4 months or so with zero issues... I've used it for all my USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0GB/s testing. I give it the thumbs up if it is in your price range - $299 shipped at Newegg and TigerDirect.

Apoptosis wrote:I've pounded on the ASUS P6X58D Premium motherboard as one of the test systems here on LR for the past 4 months or so with zero issues... I've used it for all my USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0GB/s testing. I give it the thumbs up if it is in your price range - $299 shipped at Newegg and TigerDirect.

Are there any potential bottlenecks for the Sata 3 & USB 3.0 compatibility on this board... I've read a few articles sighting the PCIe lane sharing with the south bridge and such... or something along those lines.. not exactly sure but I heard this won't be an issue with the x58 chipset... are there any known issues in that regard?

& thanks for the response!

I use that board for USB 3.0 and SATA 3 6Gbps testing since it uses the X58 chipset, which has more PCIe lanes than P55 boards. I've had zero issues on it and run half a dozen USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gbps drives on it.

To my knowledge the lane issues are only on the P55 boards and Gigabyte doesn't use a bridge chip and ASUS does... ASUS has better performance on the benchmarks as a result. That said I also use the Gigabyte X58A-UD5 motherboard for CPU testing and it is solid as well. You can get it for $259 after rebate right now.

Apoptosis wrote:I use that board for USB 3.0 and SATA 3 6Gbps testing since it uses the X58 chipset, which has more PCIe lanes than P55 boards. I've had zero issues on it and run half a dozen USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gbps drives on it.

To my knowledge the lane issues are only on the P55 boards and Gigabyte doesn't use a bridge chip and ASUS does... ASUS has better performance on the benchmarks as a result. That said I also use the Gigabyte X58A-UD5 motherboard for CPU testing and it is solid as well. You can get it for $259 after rebate right now.

Ok kool, so IYO which is the better board? Sounds like you're leaning towards the Asus...

also what about these?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

thanks again!

Ok what the Hell... I don't know if this is true or not but I just read an article that states that Intel plans to release 2 new chips and sockets in late Q4 2010 early Q1 2011.

The LGA1155 to replace the current 1156.
and the LGA2011 & x68 chip-set to replace the 1366 I'm getting ready to upgrade to...

now obviously I can't verify the validity of this but.. this is what I am scared of in reference to upgrading with Intel.... I'm feeling like I am gonna get screwed here... I mean I'm really feeling like sticking with my original plan of going with the AM3 and waiting for the 890FX's to launch.. isn't that supposed to happen in the next few days?

Really.. I'm all for technology advancement but gheesh Intel.. WTH?

Can anybody comment on this... I'm stuck here.. and not sure how to proceed with my build... future proofing is most important to me... I know you can never hold onto your hardware indefinitely.. but really less than a year a new "more improved" idk..

comments please...

From what I've read, they are only changing from LGA1366 to the new socket for the high-end.
This is to allow for quad channel ram and 12+ core cpu's.
LGA1156 is going to stay, at least until Q2 next year.

kenc51 wrote:From what I've read, they are only changing from LGA1366 to the new socket for the high-end.
This is to allow for quad channel ram and 12+ core cpu's.
LGA1156 is going to stay, at least until Q2 next year.

Hey Ken, good to read ya again, so are you saying it's a non issue for me.. I mean i want the most performance I can get.. and I'm feeling that the 1366's are gonna get phased out sooner rather than later... I'd like to get 4 years out of this setup... is that plausible? And will the i9's be using that 2011 socket or am I gonna be able to use them on the 1366 mobo? I'm leaning toward the ASUS P6X58D Premium asus guarantees 32nm compatibility on that board. Any idea on how close the Rampage 3 is to release and it's price point (I'm thinkin $350)? It's my understanding that the rampage is the Intel sibling to the AMD Crosshair 4 series of upcoming 890fx's.

I'd like i9 compatibility.

Thanks in advance!

Intel X58 boards came out in 2008, so for Intel to come out with a new socket in 2011 doesn't seem too far fetched as this is their flagship socket and new CPU designs are in the works that are pretty spectacular as things are shrinking, cores are being added and technologies that we don't even know about yet are being used.

Three year support isn't the best, but LGA 1366 processors are still coming out as by the end of the year 6-cores will be out in force. Can't really say Intel isn't supporting the socket designs when they are dropping in 6-core processors into a socket from 2 years ago.

Just a heads up... You don't buy something today worried about what will be coming out in a year... If you do that you'll never buy a car, tv, cell phone, computer or anything... Something new and better is always in the works.

Apoptosis wrote:Intel X58 boards came out in 2008, so for Intel to come out with a new socket in 2011 doesn't seem too far fetched...

Three year support isn't the best, but LGA 1366 processors are still coming out as by the end of the year 6-cores will be out in force. Can't really say Intel isn't supporting the socket designs when they are dropping in 6-core processors into a socket from 2 years ago.

Just a heads up... You don't buy something today worried about what will be coming out in a year... If you do that you'll never buy a car, tv, cell phone, computer or anything... Something new and better is always in the works.

OK i stand corrected... shame on me for thinking my adoption of a socket is the birth of the socket.. but in that regard wouldn't it make more sense for me to hold off on upgrading until the LGA2011's launch? If I'm looking for latest thing?

Call it cold feet, but here's a link to the other thread I'm using to make my descision on this. I'd like you guy's input on it as well but it is in the AMD Mobo section so i figured I link to it here --> http://forums.legitreviews.com/about26567.html

Just take a look at my specs. Change what you what to for example a larger power supply and faster graphic cards. I still can't overclock it but hey that's me. The cpu temps are lower than my intel i7 860 for some reason. It's just waiting to be overclocked. Buy stuff that you what to use now and that you can afford. Plain and simple.

Some rumors on the new sockets can be found here

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2 ... next-gen/1

kenc51 wrote:Some rumors on the new sockets can be found here

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2 ... next-gen/1

Hey Ken, that's the article I read which prompted my cold feet. But I've pretty much decided that the ASUS P6X58D Premium is gonna be it... I'm thinkin about the ROG Rampage III but that price tag is 100 bucks more...

System:

CPU: i7 930
Mobo: ASUS P6X58D Premium
Ram: OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

Think I'll be pretty good for a few years with that setup, gaming or otherwise... and when I feel the lag kickin in I'll get one of those 6 core beasts or one of the extreme edition cpu's that are like 900+ right now... and a graphics card upgrade.

Any thoughts on if the Rampage 3 is worth the extra doe... over the P6X58D Premium?

Thanks!

The only real advantage the Rampage 3 has over the P6X58D is for extreme overclocking, which is pointless for 24/7 use anyhow.

It looks like a sweet setup!
I wish I could afford to upgrade, but alas I'm still chugging along on a P35 chipset.

kenc51 wrote:The only real advantage the Rampage 3 has over the P6X58D is for extreme overclocking, which is pointless for 24/7 use anyhow.

It looks like a sweet setup!
I wish I could afford to upgrade, but alas I'm still chugging along on a P35 chipset.

Hey I need some clarification on the benefits of RAM for my rig.. I'm going with the 1600, but that's only because of what I've read most x58 setups are coupled with. Is there a better choice that can be made?

Thx in advance!

Ok Guys, today it's Goin Down!

Rig:

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231335
Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 58a%20ud3r

Just ordered the Ram & Mobo from Newegg! Can't Wait... wish me luck.

I'll post build impression and benchmarks once I get it up and running.. I'm going Windows 7 Ultimate x64. This will be my 1st upgrade since XP SPK3, little nervous about Windows 7 but I've gotten nothing but rave reviews about it, unlike what I heard and experienced with Vista.

-BiGg RiE-

Windows 7 here on all the test systems, my personal system, my laptop, my netbook and so on... You won't look back and no worries on the move to Windows 7... Way better than XP and Vista.

Apoptosis wrote:Windows 7 here on all the test systems, my personal system, my laptop, my netbook and so on... You won't look back and no worries on the move to Windows 7... Way better than XP and Vista.

Thanks for the info, I'm actually really looking forward to this upgrade. I'm gonna be doing this build in the next day or so, busy busy weekend! But many thanks for your encouragement!

Build Done!!!

Build = 1 hour
Windows 7 ultimate x64 = 25minutes (from "Press any Key to Boot from CD" to clicking the start menu on the desktop)

Some benchmark Numbers thus far:

3DMark Vantage Entry = 30951 @ Stock
3DMark Vantage Performance = 11118 @ Stock
3DMark Vantage High = 6927 @ Stock

3DMark 06 Pro 1280 x 1024 = 16402 @ Stock
3DMark 06 Pro 1280 x 1024 = 17895 @ 3.1Ghz CPU | 960 / 1445 = XFX 5770 O/C

I must say that I'm pretty impressed with these numbers, especially seeing as how they are with stock clocks... and the intel HSF.

Can't wait to push this thing.

Will report back more when I have it! Thanks again guys for all the help and guidance! Oh and I gotta say I absolutely Love Windows 7 it's pretty freakin awesome so far

Lataz,

BiGg RiE

I've got a ASUS P6X58D Premium motherboard and it works excellent. Had great luck with it so far. Only downside it is doesn't have RAID support on the sata 6gb/s Marvell Controllers.