From: rfdjr1 on
I'm about to have a new computer built, using an i7 920 Intel processor. My
current computer is six years old and has an ASUS board which I've been very
happy with. The only thing I've ever had to do to it is replace the onboard
battery last year, and that was pre-emptive as the battery wasn't even failing
yet. Does anyone have any suggestions for an ASUS model for an i7 chip? I can
never figure out what the differences are between the various boards. I'd like
to stay under $200 if possible, but it's not absolutely necessary. And I'd like
at least 8 USB ports and good onboard sound, as this will be the first time I'm
going without a sound card in 18 years, at least for now. And lastly, I don't
know how the RAM is configured, but I'd like to start with 8Gb and be able to
expand when I can.Thanks.
From: KCB on

<rfdjr1(a)optonline.net> wrote in message
news:cbo7q5946iusm430nqtak7lou7fr2bshlg(a)4ax.com...
> I'm about to have a new computer built, using an i7 920 Intel processor.
> My
> current computer is six years old and has an ASUS board which I've been
> very
> happy with. The only thing I've ever had to do to it is replace the
> onboard
> battery last year, and that was pre-emptive as the battery wasn't even
> failing
> yet. Does anyone have any suggestions for an ASUS model for an i7 chip? I
> can
> never figure out what the differences are between the various boards. I'd
> like
> to stay under $200 if possible, but it's not absolutely necessary. And I'd
> like
> at least 8 USB ports and good onboard sound, as this will be the first
> time I'm
> going without a sound card in 18 years, at least for now. And lastly, I
> don't
> know how the RAM is configured, but I'd like to start with 8Gb and be able
> to
> expand when I can.Thanks.

Just after Christmas I built a new system with the Asus P6X58D, using an i7
920. Windows 7 64-bit is the OS, with 6GB RAM (soon upgrading to 12GB). It
has USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB ports, and supports intel's upcoming 6-Core chips
(future-proof). The board is awesome, I can't recommend it highly enough.
The sound is Realtek HD 7.1, dual gigabit LAN ports, etc... Check it out
here: http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=wurRaDZ8lo4Ckukj

From: rfdjr1 on
On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:59:48 -0400, "KCB" <bcgc_qc(a)hootmail.com> wrote:

>
><rfdjr1(a)optonline.net> wrote in message
>news:cbo7q5946iusm430nqtak7lou7fr2bshlg(a)4ax.com...
>> I'm about to have a new computer built, using an i7 920 Intel processor.
>> My
>> current computer is six years old and has an ASUS board which I've been
>> very
>> happy with. The only thing I've ever had to do to it is replace the
>> onboard
>> battery last year, and that was pre-emptive as the battery wasn't even
>> failing
>> yet. Does anyone have any suggestions for an ASUS model for an i7 chip? I
>> can
>> never figure out what the differences are between the various boards. I'd
>> like
>> to stay under $200 if possible, but it's not absolutely necessary. And I'd
>> like
>> at least 8 USB ports and good onboard sound, as this will be the first
>> time I'm
>> going without a sound card in 18 years, at least for now. And lastly, I
>> don't
>> know how the RAM is configured, but I'd like to start with 8Gb and be able
>> to
>> expand when I can.Thanks.
>
>Just after Christmas I built a new system with the Asus P6X58D, using an i7
>920. Windows 7 64-bit is the OS, with 6GB RAM (soon upgrading to 12GB). It
>has USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB ports, and supports intel's upcoming 6-Core chips
>(future-proof). The board is awesome, I can't recommend it highly enough.
>The sound is Realtek HD 7.1, dual gigabit LAN ports, etc... Check it out
>here: http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=wurRaDZ8lo4Ckukj


Thanks. I checked it out. Looks like a great board but it's over $300 which is
over my budget right now. I'll have to shop around some.
From: KCB on
> Thanks. I checked it out. Looks like a great board but it's over $300
> which is
> over my budget right now. I'll have to shop around some.

Yea, I knew it was a little pricey, but it's definitely worth it. Sometimes
vendors have it cheaper on returns/open box.

From: Paul on
rfdjr1(a)optonline.net wrote:
> On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:59:48 -0400, "KCB" <bcgc_qc(a)hootmail.com> wrote:
>
>> <rfdjr1(a)optonline.net> wrote in message
>> news:cbo7q5946iusm430nqtak7lou7fr2bshlg(a)4ax.com...
>>> I'm about to have a new computer built, using an i7 920 Intel processor.
>>> My
>>> current computer is six years old and has an ASUS board which I've been
>>> very
>>> happy with. The only thing I've ever had to do to it is replace the
>>> onboard
>>> battery last year, and that was pre-emptive as the battery wasn't even
>>> failing
>>> yet. Does anyone have any suggestions for an ASUS model for an i7 chip? I
>>> can
>>> never figure out what the differences are between the various boards. I'd
>>> like
>>> to stay under $200 if possible, but it's not absolutely necessary. And I'd
>>> like
>>> at least 8 USB ports and good onboard sound, as this will be the first
>>> time I'm
>>> going without a sound card in 18 years, at least for now. And lastly, I
>>> don't
>>> know how the RAM is configured, but I'd like to start with 8Gb and be able
>>> to
>>> expand when I can.Thanks.
>> Just after Christmas I built a new system with the Asus P6X58D, using an i7
>> 920. Windows 7 64-bit is the OS, with 6GB RAM (soon upgrading to 12GB). It
>> has USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB ports, and supports intel's upcoming 6-Core chips
>> (future-proof). The board is awesome, I can't recommend it highly enough.
>> The sound is Realtek HD 7.1, dual gigabit LAN ports, etc... Check it out
>> here: http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=wurRaDZ8lo4Ckukj
>
>
> Thanks. I checked it out. Looks like a great board but it's over $300 which is
> over my budget right now. I'll have to shop around some.

Sort the Newegg listing by price, and find something that way ?

MSI X58 Pro-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130226

Asrock make some that are even cheaper, but I don't know if
I trust Asrock to release a good BIOS. That is what ruined my
last Asrock board, is the quality of the BIOS design. The
board worked, as long as you didn't try to change anything
in the BIOS.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813157163

Also, when you see a reviewer mention "one of my DIMM slots didn't work",
that may not be a problem with the DIMM connector itself. That
could be a contact problem where the CPU meets the CPU socket. That
is because the memory interfaces on i7, are on the CPU itself, so when
a DIMM goes missing, it could just as easily be some channel
pin on the memory interface that is not making contact.

Similar contact problems were noted on LGA1156. I'm not aware of
a web page for LGA1366, and I don't know if it has been
documented other than being a suggestion in some of the
enthusiast forums as a possible root cause of the DIMM problem.

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3661

Paul