Educate me about mobos

[Finrir]

alright here's the deal. i'm getting ready to build a new rig. i've settled on the 680i. but, which one do i need? there are like 8347346 different versions. now i know the 680i is an Nvidia chipset. then how come all these other companies like EVGA, XFX, BFG, ASUS, Gigabyte, OCZ....ect.
my other question is, what is the difference between all these boards? Nvidia has different variants of the same board. like the Nvidia Nforce 680i LT, and then there's just Nforce 680i. what's the difference?
my other question is when i look at these two boards for example EVGA 122-CK-NF63-TR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX intel motherboard. and the EVGA 122-CK-NF68-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX intel motherboard. what does all of that mean?

[KillingField]

The differance between the different 680i board vendors is basicly the feature set the board comes with. All the basics are the same, but some vendors add while others subtract features. You need to read the board specs very carefully to ensure the board comes with everything you need/want in the board. Companies like EVGA, XFX and BFG all sell the reff nvidia board built be FoxConn and are the exact same along with exactly the same bios and feature set, the only thing different between them is the company name on the board and the warranty. Pretty much all the others designed their own PCB's and bios and will have slightly differenty feature sets, again read carefully to ensure you get what you want.

As for the LT versions, they are just a cut down version fo the 680i, they have less features (fewer SATA, USB Ports) along with redused OC options in the Bios.

nForce 600 Series for Intel

[[Dr. V]]

Long story short, don't go with a 680i LT chipset - not worth it. Grab a fully loaded and robust 680i chipset.

The pretty much #1 680i board (at least here at HL) is the eVGA 680i solution. It's simply as close to perfect as you can get.

However, you can't forget the new chipsets coming out from Intel. The P35 X38 chipsets are very attractive - it all depends on opinion at this point. If you're an overcocker, nVidia chipsets have always and will probably continue to be the most desired chipsets. Although the newer ones by Intel have good OCing, nVidia will always reign. The Intel chipsets, though, are EXTREMELY stable and easy to work with, and have some overclocking advantages, but nothing compared to those of the nVidia chipests. It's all about your needs and what will fulfill them best.

[KillingField]

No real reason to stick all that money in a 680i board unless you plan on running a SLi setup. You can get just as good of OC results on a 650i board at less than half the cost. If you have money to burn, get a 680i board, if you're on a budget, get a 650i board.

[[Dr. V]]

Originally Posted by KillingField

No real reason to stick all that money in a 680i board unless you plan on running a SLi setup. You can get just as good of OC results on a 650i board at less than half the cost. If you have money to burn, get a 680i board, if you're on a budget, get a 650i board.

Good point. SLI is always the deciding factor. 680i is the best SLI chipset you can possibly get. 650i is pretty damn bad especially compared to 680i.

The thing with OCing is also an odd topic. Between 680i and 650i there isn't a world of difference, but there is a difference. It's up to the buyer to decide whether the difference is worth it or not. Personally I'd grab the 680i motherboard because not only will you be getting pretty much the BEST for OCing, but you're safe for SLI in the future. I'll be getting a 8800GTS soon enough, and I know I'll want to run a 2nd one in SLI eventually (after a monitor upgrade, for example).

This is why it's hard to 100% recommend something unless we 100% know what you need.

[KillingField]

Best at OC'ing is questionable IMHO, on several forums, my little ole 650i board and E4300 has beaten the crap out of everything else out there (except of phase change cooled systems). So all it really comes down to is if the need for 16 x 16 SLi is required or not. Most if not all the other features don't even come into question..................;)

[[Dr. V]]

Originally Posted by KillingField

Best at OC'ing is questionable IMHO, on several forums, my little ole 650i board and E4300 has beaten the crap out of everything else out there (except of phase change cooled systems). So all it really comes down to is if the need for 16 x 16 SLi is required or not. Most if not all the other features don't even come into question..................;)

Well said. OC results will ALWAYS vary, absolutely no way of telling anything with OCing. We can only estimate and go on what we've seen to make a good guess, but never anything solid.

BTW, are you guys looking for a new sig?

http://forums.hardwarelogic.com/f9/o...st-x-7836.html

[gvblake22]

eVGA's model numbering schemes are very confusing, you need some sort of special decoder ring to decipher the different products.
You are best off trying to use the comparison features of Newegg or the manufacturer's website to figure out what boards have what.

I do agree with Killingfield though, the 680i chipset boards are very expensive and not really worth the extra cost unless you are hell bent on having SLI. The nVidia 650i and Intel P965 and P35 chipsets offer great performance at (usually) lower prices.

[KillingField]

Originally Posted by ST!X

Well said. OC results will ALWAYS vary, absolutely no way of telling anything with OCing. We can only estimate and go on what we've seen to make a good guess, but never anything solid.

BTW, are you guys looking for a new sig?

http://forums.hardwarelogic.com/f9/o...st-x-7836.html

I could use a sig I guess, but I'm not here every day............. I'm only around a few days a week. Looks like you do pretty nice work, if you want to put one together, all my system specs are in my current sig I think.

[[Dr. V]]

Sounds good man. I gotta finalize one for one other member, and I'm making one for simple_inhibition. I'll most likely be able to get one together for ya this weekend. And thank you!

P.S. It's kinda funny how the original poster hasn't said anything yet! He's gonna have a plethora of info to read up on!