opinions

[rhinoviper3]

Originally Posted by Capper

Based on price, I'd consider these boards....in this order:

GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard

DFI LANPARTY DK X48-T2RS LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard

Ok I'm back, I have a few questions. (I know I'm a pain..****..)

1.I really haven't read a whole lot about the ram and the speeds on the mobos/// so on the gigabyte board specs... Memory Standard DDR2 1200, I think I if have read enough to know that I could use ddr2 1066? And would that apply to the dfi ddr2 800, I could run 1066?

2.And a question for capper (if you don't mind,) why did you pick the gigabyte over the dfi?
thanks in advance who all reply.

[Capper]

Yes that DDR2-1066 would work fine. It means it support memory up to that speed (and possibly higher with an OC). for you, it would mean that you have some good overclocking headroom for that DDR2-1066 kit.

As to Gigabyte vs DFI Vs ASUS, etc.....it comes down to a variety of reasons...quality of components used, BIOS support, customer support, bundle, motherboard features, and price.

I'd rate the top motherboard makers in this order:

ASUS (Great bundle and features, good prices, decent support)
Gigabyte (Good bundle and features, good prices, good support)
Foxconn (Good bundle and features, good prices, good support)
eVGA (Good bundle and features, decent prices, decent support)
MSI (Good bundle and features, decent prices, decent support)
DFI (Decent bundle and features, decent prices, decent support)
ASRock (Decent bundle and features, good prices, decent support)
Abit (Decent bundle and features, decent prices, decent support)
ECS (basic bundle, decent features, good prices, decent support)

[rhinoviper3]

So after some research and reviews on the 3 boards, I had it down to 2 and then couldn't decide. The dfi and gigabyte both had some cons...I'm kind of leaning toward the dfi, but I just want to make sure, on the dfi board I can run 1066 in it? And another thing for me is which board do you think is more beginner friendly?

Thanks.

[Capper]

The Gigabyte is definitely the most beginner friendly, DFI has a reputation for being geared strictly toward the extreme enthusiast with its BIOS settings.

[rhinoviper3]

Thanks for all your help, I'm going to go with the gigabyte.

[Tech Geek Deluxe]

Yeah ... the Gigabyte board is really the better choice of platform to build on.

[Hitman]

Gigabytes are damn good motherboards. Pretty hard to beat on value as well.