New MOBO & Vid Card advice

[GoinAllTheWay]

I've been nursing my current gaming rig along for the past 3 yrs and it's time to start fresh. I've gotten a little bit behind on current technology during that time and as hoping to get some advice on the two mentioned components.

Starting with the MOBO, I would like to future proof this without totally breaking the bank. Something geared towards gaming, full size and room to expand for future upgrades. My brother has an nVidia board of sorts and seems to be treating him well. Thoughts?

Vid Card - My current card is an 512 Mg 8800 GTS. I would consider sticking with this card if it still kinda current, willing to spend some money to ugrade if it seems worthwhile.

My plan is to convert my current gaming rig into a server so using my current vid card in it would be major overkill so if it can still be used, I would do do, especially if I could buy a 2nd card that would SLI with it well without the newer card being dumbed down to much. Any chance anyone has a 8800 GTS not being used they would be wiling to part with?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[photon]

Should be able to find a used 8800GTS for cheap, try the usual online suspects, and redflagdeals.

Motherboard, if you are going to SLI nvidia I think you have to get an nvidia board (except the most expensive intel one I think can support both SLI and Crossfire), and I have an intel board right now so can't help you much there.

[Vulcan]

I'm not a gamer, so I'm treading into not familiar territory here, but you may be able to use your 8800GTS as a physics card with a newer video card. I think it works with a Crossfire or SLI board.

In multi-GPU mode, one GPU handles all graphics duties, while the second card is solely responsible for tackling all physics commands. Under this mode end users can mix and match different cards. For instance, someone who purchased a GeForce 8800 GT last year can run this card for physics, and then pick up a brand new GeForce GTX 280 to run as the primary graphics card for gaming. An SLI motherboard isn’t required for this mode either, both SLI and non-SLI motherboards are supported.

Not sure how well it works but it looks interesting.

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/...ance/page2.asp

[GoinAllTheWay]

/\/\/\

Hmm, that's not a bad idea, thanks for that!

[Esoteric]

What kind of price range are you looking at for the video card? Are you looking at upgrading any other pieces of hardware with the mobo? What is your current PSU? Total price willing to spend?

[GoinAllTheWay]

Well I just did a quote through Memory Express and much to my surprise, it only came in at $1500. I'm trying to keep it around that area. The 8800 GTS is still a pretty good card so not in a rush to replace it, I could do that down the road.

One question, when doing the quote at ME, I started with the MOBO as their website will remove any non compatiable parts, namely processors. The only processor the MOBO I selected (eVGA X58 SLI w/Triple DDR3) will take is a Intel Core i7 processor. Never heard of it before, how does it compare to the quad core and is it any good?

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by photon

Should be able to find a used 8800GTS for cheap, try the usual online suspects, and redflagdeals.

What are the usual suspects? I don't do a ton of online shopping.

[Cliche]

Core I7 is currently tops of the range. 920 is about to be phased out. i7 series also has hyperthreading as well, which isn't enabled on the lga775 processors.

the core2 duo's/quad's are being phased out right now in favor of the i5/i3 series http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=3585

[GoinAllTheWay]

So it's a superior processor to quads, then? Nice.

Any thoughts on that MOBO?

[Esoteric]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

So it's a superior processor to quads, then? Nice.

Any thoughts on that MOBO?

I have an i7 rig. Love it, it's blazing fast. I use a Asus P6T X58 Mobo and that works fine; a friend just built a rig with your potential mobo and has had no problems, so I'd say it's good as well.

Definitely get 6 GB DDR3 to take advantage of the i7 build.

You're card still can run most games pretty well, but if you're looking to upgrade (and futureproof) the GTX 285 is a good choice. I splurged and bought the 295 and love what it can do.

[photon]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

What are the usual suspects? I don't do a ton of online shopping.

Sorry, eBay, craigslist, kijiji, and redflagdeals.com

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Esoteric

I have an i7 rig. Love it, it's blazing fast. I use a Asus P6T X58 Mobo and that works fine; a friend just built a rig with your potential mobo and has had no problems, so I'd say it's good as well.

Definitely get 6 GB DDR3 to take advantage of the i7 build.

You're card still can run most games pretty well, but if you're looking to upgrade (and futureproof) the GTX 285 is a good choice. I splurged and bought the 295 and love what it can do.

6GB, eh? Wow, well with the price of RAM these days, that's easily done.

I'll take a look at the GTX 295, thanks for the tips!

[Esoteric]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

6GB, eh? Wow, well with the price of RAM these days, that's easily done.

I'll take a look at the GTX 295, thanks for the tips!

Check out http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...deon,2326.html

It's got a good list of graphics card and how they perform on certain games. You can check performance and see if the price is worth it.

The 295 is very pricey right now (I paid $600), and the GTX 285 is $200-$250 cheaper, so that may be a better alternative.

[photon]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

6GB, eh? Wow, well with the price of RAM these days, that's easily done.

For the i7 it's tri-channel memory, so you have to buy them in 3's to get the maximum performance, hence the 6GB (3x2GB sticks).

[GoinAllTheWay]

nm