MB recommendation

R

Rayn

I'm currently looking at Asus commando as my primary choice.
Reason being I need a MB that has 3xPCI, 2xPCIeX (SLI), raid0, SATA,
passive cooling, and ofc, support for core2duo, quad, and extreme. I
recently found that this is not as rare as I first thought. So.. any
similarty priced MB's out there that you would reccomend over this one?
Becase, AFAIK, this MB is mostly popular because of it's great OC-ing
potential, which I don't really need that much (not that I wouldn't
overclock if I could, just not my primary purpose when choosing a MB).

Also, does anyone know if commando has analog outputs (the typical,
usually colored, headphone/speaker plugs) for the audio? I know it has
integrated sound, but from the pics i saw on the net I couldn't see if
it has anything besides digital out.

The MB is planned to work with:
core2duo E6850, GF8800 GT 512MB, 2x1GB ddr2 800, 2xsata disks (raid0),
and will be primarily used as and audio workstation (audio
editing/production).


Thanks in advance.
 
P

Paul

Rayn said:
I'm currently looking at Asus commando as my primary choice.
Reason being I need a MB that has 3xPCI, 2xPCIeX (SLI), raid0, SATA,
passive cooling, and ofc, support for core2duo, quad, and extreme. I
recently found that this is not as rare as I first thought. So.. any
similarty priced MB's out there that you would reccomend over this one?
Becase, AFAIK, this MB is mostly popular because of it's great OC-ing
potential, which I don't really need that much (not that I wouldn't
overclock if I could, just not my primary purpose when choosing a MB).

Also, does anyone know if commando has analog outputs (the typical,
usually colored, headphone/speaker plugs) for the audio? I know it has
integrated sound, but from the pics i saw on the net I couldn't see if
it has anything besides digital out.

The MB is planned to work with:
core2duo E6850, GF8800 GT 512MB, 2x1GB ddr2 800, 2xsata disks (raid0),
and will be primarily used as and audio workstation (audio
editing/production).


Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I have a suspicion you are mixing up your technologies here. SLI is
something a gamer would use. If you instead, seek to build a
multiple monitor setup, that is not SLI or Crossfire. That
simply uses more than one video card. There are fewer restrictions
on multiple monitor setups.

Video cards typically support two monitors (dual head). Two
video cards will support four monitors in total. You can even
do more monitors than that.

SLI uses two video cards. It combines the power of two GPU
chips, to increase 3D performance. Only one monitor connector
works on the two cards, when running them in SLI. I believe
Crossfire (the name of a similar scheme from ATI) also restricts
the number of monitor outputs that work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalable_Link_Interface
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATI_CrossFire

For gaming, the two companies have decided to restrict operation
to particular chipsets. SLI works on Nvidia chipsets. Crossfire
works on ATI chipsets and Intel chipsets. The restriction is at
the driver level. So SLI won't work on the Commando, not because
of a hardware reason, but because of driver restrictions.
(Also, the Commando slots are wired x16 and x4, so the slots
don't even have the same bandwidth.)

On the other hand, there are no restrictions on multi-monitor
usage. You can plug an Nvidia card into an ATI motherboard, or
vice versa. And add as many dual head cards as are needed
(up to the limit that the OS supports). And for 2D work, there
is no perceptible difference between x16 and x4 slots. Only
3D has so much traffic, that the slot bandwidth matters.
(Some multiple monitor users, have used PCI cards, and
the slot bandwidth there is limited to 133MB/sec.)

If you really are building an audio workstation, I suspect
there are a lot of motherboards that would meet the requirement.
Chances are you only need one video slot, to control two
monitors.

For PCI slots, you probably know the exact minimum number of
slots required. So knowing that number, will help predict how
many motherboard solutions there are. You can use the
Advanced search menu here, to more quickly select something
to fit the application. (Click Advanced, then select the
number of PCI slots. Set the socket to LGA775 etc.)

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=280&name=Intel-Motherboards

Paul
 
B

Bill

I'm currently looking at Asus commando as my primary choice.
Reason being I need a MB that has 3xPCI, 2xPCIeX (SLI), raid0, SATA,
passive cooling, and ofc, support for core2duo, quad, and extreme. I
recently found that this is not as rare as I first thought. So.. any
similarty priced MB's out there that you would reccomend over this one?
Becase, AFAIK, this MB is mostly popular because of it's great OC-ing
potential, which I don't really need that much (not that I wouldn't
overclock if I could, just not my primary purpose when choosing a MB).

Also, does anyone know if commando has analog outputs (the typical,
usually colored, headphone/speaker plugs) for the audio?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?Image=13-131-149-02.jpg%
2c13-131-149-03.jpg%2c13-131-149-04.jpg%2c13-131-149-05.jpg%2c13-131-
149-06.jpg%2c13-131-149-07.jpg%2c13-131-149-08.jpg%2c13-131-149-
09.jpg%2c13-131-149-10.jpg%2c13-131-149-11.jpg&S7ImageFlag=0&Depa=0
&Description=ASUS+Commando+ATX+Intel+Motherboard

http://tinyurl.com/ypom47

I know it has
integrated sound, but from the pics i saw on the net I couldn't see if
it has anything besides digital out.

The MB is planned to work with:
core2duo E6850, GF8800 GT 512MB, 2x1GB ddr2 800, 2xsata disks (raid0),
and will be primarily used as and audio workstation (audio
editing/production).
Click to expand...

If you're not gaming, why do you need SLI? A board that doesn't
support SLI may be cheaper.

Run your specs through:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/PowerSearch.aspx?N=2000200280
&SubCategory=280&GASearch=3

http://tinyurl.com/ythjf2

and see what you come up with.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Bill
 
R

RobV

Rayn said:
I'm currently looking at Asus commando as my primary choice.
Reason being I need a MB that has 3xPCI, 2xPCIeX (SLI), raid0, SATA,
passive cooling, and ofc, support for core2duo, quad, and extreme. I
recently found that this is not as rare as I first thought. So.. any
similarty priced MB's out there that you would reccomend over this
one? Becase, AFAIK, this MB is mostly popular because of it's great
OC-ing potential, which I don't really need that much (not that I
wouldn't overclock if I could, just not my primary purpose when
choosing a MB).
Also, does anyone know if commando has analog outputs (the typical,
usually colored, headphone/speaker plugs) for the audio? I know it has
integrated sound, but from the pics i saw on the net I couldn't see if
it has anything besides digital out.

The MB is planned to work with:
core2duo E6850, GF8800 GT 512MB, 2x1GB ddr2 800, 2xsata disks (raid0),
and will be primarily used as and audio workstation (audio
editing/production).


Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Ryan, will you also be gaming on this PC? Just occasional, or high spec
games? The Commando will work, but why get something with lots of
features that won't be used.

You might want to go with something with the P35 chipset. If you are
planning to use the onboard audio for music editing, etc., I would
advise against it. Consumer audio devices have high latency and would
be difficult to work with, especially with live recording, or mixing
different instruments together. A separate audio card designed to be
used for recording/playback with low latency would be a much better
choice. Most are PCI and start at $100 and go from there.

My DAW/general purpose (no gaming) system has a Asus P5B-Plus MB. It
has features and options that are perfect for a DAW.

If I were building another one, I would use the Asus P5K MB. It has all
the features you listed and uses the newer P35 Intel chipset. It's very
upgradable.
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=534&l4=0&model=1637&modelmenu=2

I use Cakewalk Sonar Home Studio 6 for my audio software. You may want
to get some more suggestions by going over to cakewalk.audio. Many of
the regulars there build their own systems and can give you further
advice regarding what kind of hardware makes a good DAW.
 
R

Rayn

Thank you all for tons of info and sorry for the mixup.. the thing is..
I know what SLI is and was planning on occasional gaming on the new PC. :D
I have no plans for using SLI anytime soon, but would like to have the
option of getting another GPU when/if needed.
Interesting to learn that commando won't work in SLI.. had no idea. Same
goes for the 4x pciEx slot. I thought those were the smaller ones.
Anyway, commando is out I guess. Also checked the motherboard search and
there seems to very few (none) MB's with 2 PCIeX 16x slots (SLI).
Any reccomendations for a MB with 2 pciex 16x? Or should I just skip the
SLI all together?


P.S. Thanks RobV, but I already have a good audio interace which I'll be
using with the PC (hence the many PCI slots: sound and DSP cards).
 
P

Paul

OK, by looking back at one of your previous postings, I see you *are* a
gamer.

To do SLI, you need a motherboard with Nvidia chipset. Examples are
the 650i chipset, 680i chipset, and 780i chipset.

The 650i chipset uses an SLI "paddle card" to set the operating mode
of the two PCI Express video card connectors. This is an example of
a motherboard with three PCI slots and the 650i. (The reviews for
this board, report a large number of dead "DOA" boards. I would not
buy this particular design, although it does have one of the
nicer configurations for add-in card slots for a 650i.)

MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813130082

(Motherboard picture)
http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-130-082-04.jpg

The 680i doesn't need the paddle card to handle the PCI Express slots.
But the slot configuration for 680i, includes three video card
slots of the x16 sized connector. Only two PCI slots are available.
The 680i is also more expensive. So the 680i doesn't have enough
PCI slots for your application.

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-127-020-04.jpg

The 780i also has three video card slots, and only two PCI slots.

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-131-255-06.jpg

In terms of processor compatibility, the new 45nm processors are a problem.
The 780i is compatible with quad core 45nm processors, but the 680i
is not. It is unclear to me, whether the dual core (Wolfdale) 45nm processors
work with 680i or not. Check to be sure, before buying.

The Q6600, a 65nm quad core, is more likely to work with any of those motherboards.

Always check the manufacturer's CPU compatibility chart, before you buy.
That is the best way to avoid problems.

So there is not an ideal board that I can see, that allows both an SLI
gamer machine and an audio workstation to be built in the same box.
You would have to accept fewer PCI slots, to do both functions at
the same time.

The Asus Commando has four PCI slots, but depending on the
dimensions of a single video card used, maybe only three of the
PCI slots are usable. Since this uses a P965 chipset, SLI drivers
won't run on it. So you can use one Nvidia video card or module if you
want. (Again, this is a driver issue. You can use two Nvidia video cards
in non-SLI mode - the drivers will allow that. But the drivers won't support
SLI mode, when an Intel chipset is detected.)

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-131-149-04.jpg

The Commando also supports both 65nm and 45nm processors. So at least
there, you are covered in terms of what processors will work.

http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/...?type=1&name=Commando&SLanguage=en-us&cache=1

I think the Commando will make a nice audio workstation - but you'll have
to be happy gaming with just one 8800GT.

Paul
 
P

Paul

There is also a way to make additional PCI slots. This is expensive, but
I want to mention this if you have the bank balance of Bill Gates.

http://www.magma.com/products/pci/7PCI/index.html

You can plug a PCI Express x1 card in the host computer, then there is a
cable that goes to the expansion chassis. Then your PCI cards go in
the Expansion chassis. The price for the solution is about $1600 USD.

http://www.magma.com/products/pci/7PCI/prices.html

By using the expansion chassis, you can buy a 780i motherboard if
you want, and have your gaming machine, as well as the audio workstation.

Paul
 
R

Rayn

Thanks a milion dude. I spent the last 3 days online searching for what
you guys explained in a couple of posts :)
I guess i'll stick to gaming on a single GPU. Prolly gona go with
commando then (i'm not bill gates...thank God).
 
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