New Build GA-EP45-DS3 + Q9550

[NimrodAUS]

It is just me but I like to keep DDR2 @ 1.8v and I already have 4gb of the Corsair in my Sig system and it works fine at 1.8. Is there realllllllllllllllly that much difference in 800 to 1066?????? Is it reaaaaallly worth the extra $$, Volts & Heat??

Also Is it going to be the end of the world if I only use a 4 Pin CPU power Connector with the Q9550?

[Chike]

Originally Posted by NimrodAUS

It is just me but I like to keep DDR2 @ 1.8v

Youe are not alone, I like my DDR2-800 at 1.8 too :-)

Originally Posted by NimrodAUS

I already have 4gb of the Corsair in my Sig system and it works fine at 1.8.

Just fine or perfect? If those are the same as in the link you posted their voltage should be 1.9v according to their spec.

Originally Posted by NimrodAUS

Is there realllllllllllllllly that much difference in 800 to 1066??????

There could be about 500MB/sec difference @333Mhz FSB, and a few nano-seconds in latency.
As for all the stability/burn tests, they might show a slight diffenece if any at all.

Originally Posted by NimrodAUS

Is it reaaaaallly worth the extra $$, Volts & Heat??

It is only a 5 bucks difference.
I have 2x1G Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 and 2x1G of GSkill DDR2-1066(PI), the GSkill modules @2.1v feels cooler than the Corsair @1.8v. The PK modules with twice capacity and lower HS may be different, I don't know.
And Psycho101 also pointed the GSkill modules work well in 8GB config and that thay are more flexible if you intend to overclock.

But in the end it's all up to you to decide of course. After all, you are the one who is going to use it.

[Psycho101]

The amount of heat DDR2 puts out is negligable, be it DDR=800 @ 1.8V or 1066 at up to 2.3V, there's not really much difference, maybe half a degree case temp if that.

If you are planing on overclocking past 3.4GHz, you're not guaranteed to be successful with DDR-800, as anything over 400 FSB is pure luck. With those GSkill you're good in theory up to 533 FSB. They're only an extra $5. And to definitely not be limited by your RAM is well worth the small extra cost IMO. With DDR-800 youd not be certain to get above 3.4GHz, on a chip that could do north of 4GHz.

To clarify, there are quiter a few versions of those sticks. The early ones are rated to 1.9V DDR-800, but both versions I obtained (two different matched pairs) are 1.8V @ 5-5-5-18. Strange how Corsair seem to swap things around at random.

[NimrodAUS]

Yeah I noticed that about those chips but the Corsair I have deffinatly have 1.8v on the sticker and they work "Perfect" at it. Now ok as for the Gskill really I was only conceren about the heat and what not as this GA-EP45-DS3 mobo isnt super enthusist or anything and has very little heat sinking on it. I wont be overclocking this chip very high Just mild. As for $5 difference, maybe on newegg but in Australia its more like $25 which is still Frak all but its not the money really. But Im getting swayed to 1066 GSKIll now.

[NimrodAUS]

OK G Skill is officially in my Shopping Cart and it also saved me the difference in Price on Fright as its now only 2 shipments not 3. So maybe its a sign. Im damm tempted to get 8Gbs though. tell me how hard would it really be. And also Please Is everything going to be ok with only a 4 pin CPU Power connector instead of 8? And is this motherboard going to be any good for just everyday mild overclock use? I may swap it with the X48-DS5 and run the E8500 on this DS3?????????????? Ahhh to many options

[Psycho101]

I've run my UD3P with my Quad core at 3.2 (not its 3.4Ghz max) with a P4 connector, just fine. You may want to purchase an adapter though. Don't buy the ones that just take the P4 as an input and double the connections from it. The only safe one to use will have an input socket for the P4 connector and two molex (one 12V and 1 ground are taken from each molex plug). These molex sockets should ideally be filled with molex plugs from different leads on the PSU, ie don't use plug 1 and plug 2 from wire 1, use plug 1 from wire 1 and plug 1 from wire 2.

The photo I just took shows the only real safe way to have it hooked up. It's just as good as having a P8 connector when done this way. However as half the |CPU power will be taken from the same rail as the HDD's, make sure you don't have a lot of hard drives, all spinning up at once and maxing the rail. 5 HDD's or less on a 16-24A rail along with half the p8 should be OK, depending on PSU quality.

As for 8GB, I won't promise you it'll work, as each board is different, but they do work well in a UD3P at 8GB, and I believe the board is a little picky (as are most boards actually) about what 8GB configs it's happy with. I'd be 80% sure you'd get them working. I must confess, I've been trying to get a hold of some in the UK, but good DDR2 is like rocking horse sh1t over here now, as everyone seems to be running their stocks down and shifting to DDR3.

If it were me, as you suggested, I'd put the Core 2 Duo in the DS3 and see what you can get from the Quad with your X48. Once you confirm it's indeed an E0 in CPUz, you should be able to set 3.6GHz on stock VID and move up and up from there. I bet you top out at over 4GHz if you tweak it right. Should be on a low ish Vcore too, and nice 'n' cool.

[NimrodAUS]

Yeah Im really getting more and more keen On the Idea of Using the X48. Just a question if im only using 1 PCI-E slot do both boards give the same proformance from it.

[Psycho101]

Yes, in single GFX card mode, performance of the PCIe bus is identical.

As you know, your X48 is double 16x PCIe 2.0 enabled, which is great if you plan on running two 4700 X2's in CrossfireX, as they both need the bandwidth.

Your DS3 will have 16x PCIe when one slot is used (must be the primary slot to get 16x) and two 8x slots when Crossfireing. This is the same with virtually all P45's. I believe there were one or two P35's that came with dual 16x, but they were the exception. 8x lanes are perfectly good for two single GPU cards eg 2 4890's, 4850's or 4770's. I plan on crossfiring when my finances are better and expect to get perfect performance from my 8x/8x bus.

[NimrodAUS]

Yeah thats what I though, I will not be using cross fire as Im happy with a single GPU setup at the moment. Do you think the EP45-DS3 will be happy running E8500 @ 400 X 9.5 with DDR2 800? As I already have that corsair ram in my sig system. There is just no heat sinks on the Mosfets or anything really

[Psycho101]

I reckon it should be more than happy to do that. It's got the QX9770 in its CPU compatibility list, which is a 400 FSB CPU, so it should go without a hitch. There will likely be less options for overclocking, but it shouldn't really handicap you as you have a good solid CPU that won't need much coaxing to get that clock out of it.

Mosfet heat shouldn't be a problem either, especially with such a modest Vcore. If you are a little worried though, there are after market mini individual sinks you can buy. Ldsmeasap linked to some in a post that recently got resurected, and they look impressively solid, and are made of copper. Enzotech MOS-C1 Forged Copper Mosfet Heatsinks - Multi-Pack (10 pcs)

You're going to enjoy tinkering with this CPU, I guarantee it. A 4GHz quad means no more compromise between more cores and more MHz. A Q9550/Q9650 would be my weapon of choice if I had the money, second only to a complete i7 D0 stepping overhaul.