a simple question?

[Bokranator]

which of these motherboards is better and why?

GA-P35-DS4 (rev. 2.1) or GA-P35-DS3R (rev. 2.1)

[Reloadron]

The DS4 suffix.

1. Supports DDR2 1066*/800/667 memory
2. Dual Channel architecture supports up to 8GB by 4 DIMM slots

The DS3R suffix.

1. 4 x 1.8V DDR2 DIMM sockets supporting up to 8 GB of system memory
2. Dual channel memory architecture
3. Support for DDR2 1200 (O.C.)/1066/800/667 MHz memory modules

That is one difference. Overall looking at the specifications for both boards the DS3R suffix seems to be a higher end board.

GIGABYTE - Product - Motherboard - Specification - GA-P35-DS4 (rev. 2.0)

GIGABYTE - Product - Motherboard - Specification - GA-P35-DS3R (rev. 2.1)

Really depends on your intended application as to which is the better board.

Ron

[simple_inhibition]

it appears to me that the DS4 is the higher end board as it supports crossfire and has firewire where as the DS3R only has one Pci-E 16x slot and lacks firewire. also the cooling for the northbridge seems better on the DS4.

[Reloadron]

Originally Posted by simple_inhibition

it appears to me that the DS4 is the higher end board as it supports crossfire and has firewire where as the DS3R only has one Pci-E 16x slot and lacks firewire. also the cooling for the northbridge seems better on the DS4.

I should have read more!

Ron

[RangerXLT8]

Originally Posted by simple_inhibition

it appears to me that the DS4 is the higher end board as it supports crossfire and has firewire where as the DS3R only has one Pci-E 16x slot and lacks firewire. also the cooling for the northbridge seems better on the DS4.

Yes the DS4 is a higher-end board because it does have 2 PCIE slots, more cooling on the NB and CPU Power area.

Now I own a P35-DS3R and love it. OCs like a champ, and has 8 SATA ports, 6 of which are on the Intel ICH9R SB. It's the perfect MB for my dad because it does exactly what he needs and more. I OCed the snot out of a E6550 and the onlything holding me back is the stock cooler. It could clock to like 3.6 I bet on a good HSF but my dad won't buy one lol.

To put it into perspective he says he gets annoyed at the computers at work because they are so slow... Yanno I got him set up with RAID 0 Raptors and a RAID0 array for all of our family pictures etc. But the DS3R I highly recommend, it has a mature bios, VDIMM capabilities are a bit weak though, only allowing like 2.3-2.4v max...

[simple_inhibition]

Originally Posted by Reloadron

I should have read more!

Ron

no worries its the fine print, gets me too sometimes

[Bokranator]

so your saying i should be guided towards which? lol because i wonder if the ds4 has native 1066 support and how mature is the dsr3 bios? i wont be doing much oc'ing if not none really so id like the best at set value.

[Tech Geek Deluxe]

DS-4 ... newer ... better ... better specs ... far better reviews.

It is what I landed on for my 64 bit server.

Very nice Mobo ... except I don't like the lack of easy on-board fan control.
[A Gigabyte bios issue]

[RangerXLT8]

The DS4 is the better board, it's just a higher-end board.

I can however say the DS3R has a great bios, released a few weeks ago, and the board supports 8 SATA devices. IT also OCs like a champ.

[Bokranator]

btw hoq do i go about the lack of support for the e8400 (which i just purchased YAY) which the mobo bios has str8 out of the box? and how would i know if it has the updated bios/new revision from looking at the box?