What is my chosen mobo capable of?

Lynx · Post by **Lynx** » 25 Mar 2008, 20:40

I've been wanting to buy an amazingly awesome PC for a long time and have spent several years saving up for it. I've sourced all of my components and should be getting my PC by June, but I have two questions I have not yet found the answers to, the answers determine the future of my PC.

The questions I must ask are wether or not the motherboard I'm buying (the nForce 680a) is compatible with the Intel Quad Core Q9550 CPU and if it is capable of running three 8800GTX cards in triple SLI or not.

As far as I understand, I should be able to run two quad core CPU's and three 8800GTX GPU's on this motherboard. Could somebody please correct me if I'm mistaken and if so, please could you give me some info on a mobo capable of such a feat.

Thanks...

WiK1d · Post by **WiK1d** » 25 Mar 2008, 20:49

Two CPU's are only available on Skulltrail, which as fair as I know isn't released yet (Or is it?)

WAJeff · Post by **WAJeff** » 25 Mar 2008, 20:50

How much are you spending on that rig?

As far as Im concerned, SLI, or even Tri SLI for that matter is a waste of time. It only improves benchies by a few points (talking under corection btw)

So unless you want serious bragging value, get that rig. Otherwise get a high end PC for R25k or something and spend the rest on beer

pienkie · Post by **pienkie** » 25 Mar 2008, 20:54

g0ldback wrote:How much are you spending on that rig?

As far as Im concerned, SLI, or even Tri SLI for that matter is a waste of time. It only improves benchies by a few points (talking under corection btw)

So unless you want serious bragging value, get that rig. Otherwise get a high end PC for R25k or something and spend the rest on beer

QFT.

Lynx · Post by **Lynx** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:13

I've recently got some info from a friend of mine that has opened up a few other options. Thanks for the info so far.

So far I'll be getting:

Either the nForce 680i or 780i mobo
3x 8800GTX cards
4Gb DDR2 Patriot Extreme PC9200 RAM or 4Gb DDR3 Corsair Dominator PC1800
1x Intel Quad Core Q9550
AGEIA Physx card
Creative X-Fi Sound card
400Gb SATA Seagate Barracuda Hard drive

My cooling, power supply and case are not known at the moment.

It will cost about 23 to 25k, just so you know, G0ldback

Any advice on components, I've mainly been worried about the multiple CPU's, now that I know what's possible, I'd be happy to know if you guys have any suggestions...

WAJeff · Post by **WAJeff** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:19

Can you be a little more specific on model of mobo?
Links or something

Heres what I think:

Will you really use 3 GFX Cards?
If you gonna be gaming, consider more HDD space (since you say you want it to be this super mad rig)
Are you gonna be using a 64-bit OS?

atomwissenschaft · Post by **atomwissenschaft** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:25

Lynx wrote:I've recently got some info from a friend of mine that has opened up a few other options. Thanks for the info so far.

So far I'll be getting:

Either the nForce 680i or 780i mobo
3x 8800GTX cards
4Gb DDR2 Patriot Extreme PC9200 RAM or 4Gb DDR3 Corsair Dominator PC1800
1x Intel Quad Core Q9550
AGEIA Physx card
Creative X-Fi Sound card
400Gb SATA Seagate Barracuda Hard drive

My cooling, power supply and case are not known at the moment.

It will cost about 23 to 25k, just so you know, G0ldback

Any advice on components, I've mainly been worried about the multiple CPU's, now that I know what's possible, I'd be happy to know if you guys have any suggestions...

Why would you want that Physx card anyways...Spend it on more HDD space!

Lynx · Post by **Lynx** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:26

Yup, I'll be using Windows XP 64bit edition, and the reason for the monstrous amount of graphical power is not necessarily because I'm going to use it now, but because I won't be able to upgrade for a very long time, and so I provide for the future...

As for the Hard Drive space, I think 400Gb will be sufficient, as I don't play tonnes of games, just a few really good ones. Also, I use up very little space in regards to music and pics and stuff...

To find out more about the mobo, simply visit the nVidia website, it's got all the info you need, I was just misinformed about the multiple CPU's

Lynx · Post by **Lynx** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:29

PS: If I take long to reply, it's because I can't read your messages without refreshing the page...

WAJeff · Post by **WAJeff** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:30

Lynx wrote:Yup, I'll be using Windows XP 64bit edition, and the reason for the monstrous amount of graphical power is not necessarily because I'm going to use it now, but because I won't be able to upgrade for a very long time, and so I provide for the future...

As for the Hard Drive space, I think 400Gb will be sufficient, as I don't play tonnes of games, just a few really good ones. Also, I use up very little space in regards to music and pics and stuff...

To find out more about the mobo, simply visit the nVidia website, it's got all the info you need, I was just misinformed about the multiple CPU's

So what are you gonna be using this PC for then? To play Minesweeper or something?
Seems like a bit of a waste. Why do with two CPU's when Quad Core CPU's are still finding their feet in the market?

Lynx · Post by **Lynx** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:32

Why would you want that Physx card anyways...Spend it on more HDD space!

I predict that future games will use real physics and I have prepared for the future, meaning that I won't need to upgrade until years from now.

I'm not going with two CPU's I just had a mad impulsive urge to see if I could have two.

I suppose I might really have gone with two, but it was unlikely to begin with...

Oh, and about the uses of my PC, it's mainly going to be extreme gaming (all the latest and greatest games) and a Graphics intensive tasks, maybe even some CAD design, I want to start Graphics design... That's why my specs are as they are. Smile

Trust me, I won't be wasting anything...

WAJeff · Post by **WAJeff** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:38

Lynx wrote:
Why would you want that Physx card anyways...Spend it on more HDD space!
I predict that future games will use real physics and I have prepared for the future, meaning that I won't need to upgrade until years from now.

And what if it doesnt go the way you plan it?
Then way?

Dude, people that upgrade to Quad Core are safe for a while. Upgrade like that. You cant upgrade and expect it to last to 2015

Lynx wrote:I'm not going with two CPU's I just had a mad impulsive urge to see if I could have two.

I suppose I might really have gone with two, but it was unlikely to begin with...

You contradict yourself in your posts.....
Point being here, you DONT need such a huge rig. If you so hell bent on blowing cash, why not just buy a Intel Xeon server and run a desktop OS on it?

wizardofid · Post by **wizardofid** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:41

AGEIA Physx card

What a waste.Nvidia has taken over AGEIA it would not take long for nvidia to intergrate PPU on to the GFX card.

We might see it as soon as the nvidia 10 series.

atomwissenschaft · Post by **atomwissenschaft** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:47

If you have such a huge budget now (about 25k) I say blow 15k now for a rig...Then in a few years time save up another 5k and blow 15k again...

Just my 2c...

Lynx · Post by **Lynx** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:50

And what if it doesnt go the way you plan it?
Then way?

Then there's nothing I can do... I've said already, I CAN'T upgrade for the next few years, so I'm doing the best I can now.

Oh and if I contradict myself, I apologize, I struggle to keep track of what I've said, but to answer your question;

If you so hell bent on blowing cash, why not just buy a Intel Xeon server and run a desktop OS on it?

I do have a limit to my budget, and so what if I don't entirely* NEED such a huge rig, I'll still put it to excellent use and it'll keep me going for a looooong time. Besides, I might as well go all out if I can.

*I will be needing a lot of power and speed, so the specs of my PC, whilst a little over the top, are both what I want and need for my own means.

Thanks for all the info.

Got to go now, thanks for everything, as some last minute info, in answer to all of your suggestions about upgrading later etc. and waiting for integrated physics, I have reviewed it, and my purchase is a now or never deal, so I will go ahead as planned, but perhaps I will try to downscale a bit. (no promises though

)

I know I sound cryptic and all but I can only consider options for June this year, thanks again though, I had an interesting conversation...

PsyCLown · Post by **PsyCLown** » 26 Mar 2008, 01:29

So you will be purchasing in June or around there....

HmmZ, I think your going to be wasting A LOT of money on a righ like that and it wont even last you very long. Tri SLI is a waste right now and im sure once nVidia release their cards with new built in Ageix PhysX or what ever they will be doing now that they can use PhysX the non PhysX cards will become rather useless or a lot slower for certain things.

Also why you wanna go with the Q9550 when you can get a Q9450 and OC it beyond the stock speed of the Q9550...

Rather get a Q9450, a single 8800GT for now, or even a 8800GTS 512MB (G92), or maybe a 9 series, like the 9800GT or GTX since you will be purchasing in June or around there.
Get a nice P35 or X38 board, stick with DDR2 RAM.

Get a nice big PSU so you wont need to worry about upgrading that anytime soon, a decent case and some nice air cooling.

Then with all the money you have left over, SAVE IT.

See how your PC runs, then keep on saving and adding to the ammount saved. Then later on if you really think, well KNOW actually, that you do need to upgrade, sell what you have, and then going on the specs compared to your old PC, some guidance from some becnmarks and all see how much of a performance increase you would get from certain components then try plan your upgrade a bit better.

Rather try getting an OK PC for now and then keep upgrading it and try keep it at the same level or slowly increase it than purchasing a really high end PC and then waiting untill its unusable and you wont get anything for it

Borat · Post by **Borat** » 26 Mar 2008, 08:47

If you really want a stable and fast os then buy xp(not xp 64 (unstable)).If you want dx10 and you want to use the full power of your expensive cpu then buy Vista ,the only downside is that vista is still unstable(buggy) and slow.If you want both then buy and install both onto one pc and switch between them (depending on what you wanna do)

Rayne · Post by **Rayne** » 26 Mar 2008, 09:00

What a waste.

psYChowIt · Post by **psYChowIt** » 26 Mar 2008, 11:19

Rayne wrote:What a waste.

agreed!!!!!!!! Dude you CAN'T future proof your rig. the best idea is to spend 10k, or in your case

15k to buy a PC. And upgrade more regularly. It's more exciting that way anyway haha.

Just my 2cents, whateva. Use it if you like. you probably won't though coz ur not really listening to anyone...

PsyCLown · Post by **PsyCLown** » 26 Mar 2008, 11:24

Borat wrote:If you really want a stable and fast os then buy xp(not xp 64 (unstable)).If you want dx10 and you want to use the full power of your expensive cpu then buy Vista ,the only downside is that vista is still unstable(buggy) and slow.If you want both then buy and install both onto one pc and switch between them (depending on what you wanna do)

I disagree with you there...Vista 64bit with SP1 ROCKS!!! Its extremely stable, and there arent bugs which iv found yet.
My PC runs 24/7 with at least 7 apps running all the time and my PC has NEVER crashed!!!

Its an awsome OS and id say if he is going to go with 4GB RAM that he should run Vista 64bit

viceroy · Post by **viceroy** » 26 Mar 2008, 11:27

Borat wrote:If you really want a stable and fast os then buy xp(not xp 64 (unstable)).If you want dx10 and you want to use the full power of your expensive cpu then buy Vista ,the only downside is that vista is still unstable(buggy) and slow.If you want both then buy and install both onto one pc and switch between them (depending on what you wanna do)

I disagree too. XP 64 is far more stable than any XP 32 installation I've ever had

Rayne · Post by **Rayne** » 26 Mar 2008, 11:31

Borat wrote:...unstable(buggy) and slow...

What bs.

Backup your statement.

Samaya · Post by **Samaya** » 26 Mar 2008, 12:16

Lynx wrote:
So far I'll be getting:

Either the nForce 680i or 780i mobo
3x 8800GTX cards
4Gb DDR2 Patriot Extreme PC9200 RAM or 4Gb DDR3 Corsair Dominator PC1800
1x Intel Quad Core Q9550
AGEIA Physx card
Creative X-Fi Sound card
400Gb SATA Seagate Barracuda Hard drive

If I were you I would FIRST do my homework regarding what is currently available in terms of hardware. 680i Mobo??? Why? the 780i is out and the 790 should be here very soon (as far as I know). The Intel X48 chipset is also very close to release, if not already. You should seriously consider watercooling as you would probably want to OC that rig in future to make it last even longer. Just wait for the 9800GTX cards to be released 1 April and you would probably have better graphics than what you would have gotten with the 8800's.

Rather go with the Q9450 as it is better value, AGEIA Physx card WTH???!!! You behind the times guy... Rather get yourself another 400Gb drive and put them in Raid 0. Then your PC will be even faster.

You forgot to mention your PSU, what did you have in mind?