Abit vs Asus vs MSI

[Toss3]

Need advice on which of the following mobos I should get:
1. Abit IP35 Pro(great reviews but no sli)
2. Asus P5K Premium
3. MSI P7N Platinum
4. Other(please post your suggestions)

Managed to kill my mobo when installing my new watercooling setup(damaged the core of the chipset, so one tip - never install anything when you're in a rush ).

I'm looking for a board with maximum oc potential on a quad core(sli could be important with the upcoming gt200). Value for the money is also important.

Appreciate every bit of help I can get!

[stevemedes]

i'd go with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136037

but out of your list, i'd probably choose the abit. asus's p35 boards arent as good as their X38/X48 boards, the sata connector placement on them is terrible. i'm not a fan of MSI, so I wouldn't choose them. have you looked into gigabyte's boards?

[evox]

Originally Posted by stevemedes

i'd go with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136037

but out of your list, i'd probably choose the abit. asus's p35 boards arent as good as their X38/X48 boards, the sata connector placement on them is terrible. i'm not a fan of MSI, so I wouldn't choose them. have you looked into gigabyte's boards?

I disagree. Unless you have dozens of SATA devices, the port placement panel isn't much trouble.

For it's time, P5K Deluxe was an amazing board. But yeah, right now, he's better off going with X38/X48 boards because they offer better VFM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131227

Go with ASUS Maximus Formula.

Don't go MSI, their boards are sub-par. (compared to offerings from ASUS anyway)

[Dazz]

Had problems with MSI stability while overclocking, ABIT's RMA service si pretty much esistent still have a faulty IN9 X32 board and NO ONE TO CONTACT sending back to komplett for a ASUS X48 board due to the problems i have had with ABIT will not touch them even if they PAID ME!!!!!!!!! ASUS on the other hand a little slow in responce in that they will meet their 3 working day email turn around down to the last second but overall are good and helpful. Not tried MSI's as i have only had 4 of their boards the best board i have had was the MSI K7N Delta, amazing board i might say but their BIOS stability/quaility has dropped since then. Thats my oppinion so i voted ASUS, If i was you i would stay as far away from ABIT's products!

I have never used gigabyte's boards so i my feelings for them is nuteral.

[Toss3]

Thanks guys for all the input! Really appreciate it!

The reason why I'm even considering the msi board is because msi boards have always served me well in the past and I'm sure this one woudn't be an exception.

I'm currrently leaning towards the abit p35 pro because of all the positive feedback its been getting around the net.

I hadn't really considered gigabyte until stevemedes mentioned it, so do they offer anything over the current boards I'm considering?

I don't think the asus maximus formula is for me since I don' feel like it offers anything of interest for the 50? premium.

Keep the suggestions coming!
And thanks again for all the help!

[stevemedes]

gigabyte boards typically feature all solid capacitors which means the mobo will last a long time.

this gigabyte mobo looks pretty sweet:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128087

i dont really like the color scheme, but it has alot of features. also people like the DS3L as a lower priced option if you dont need all the features.

[SH64]

I'd go with the Abit P35 unless you insist on SLI.

[evox]

If you're keen on SLI, you can go with 780i based motherboards.

eVGA, MSI, ASUS all have offerings. You can opt for XFX, too.

MSI P7N Diamond ($250): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130158
ASUS Striker II Formula ($299) :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131255

Though do you really need SLI? Aside from Crysis, all other games can be maxed out on a single 9800GTX/8800Ultra at 1920x1200 and lower resolution.

[crainger]

Abit FTW

ASUS FTL

[Zapablast05]

I like my MSI P7N Platinum. All you need is a BIOS update and you're set.

[styles-T]

Gigabyte..!!!

[Toss3]

Thanks again for all the suggestions! Gigabyte looks like a no-no to me - you just don't get enough for the money, at least when compared to the abit ip35-pro.

What do you think about the DFI LANPARTY DK P35-T2RS(or DFI LanParty UT P35-T2R - 50€ difference) ? Seems like a very nice board as well! And it's about 10€ more.

I'm looking for a board with the best cooling solution on the nb/sb in order to keep unnecessary
heat off of the cpu.

The P45 is also just around the corner, so does it offer anything other than more sata ports?