mainboard question

[VJ]

Hello,

Quick opinion: I was about to order all the components for a new system, including the Asus P6t Deluxe when I noticed this mainboard: Asus P6t Deluxe V2. Only visible difference in the specs is that the V2 version lacks the Marvell SAS controller (2 ports).

But I find it odd for a manufacturer to release a revision approx. 2 months after releasing a mainboard, esp. if they remove features.
I don't know when the V2 will become available here, nor whether I should change to another model (I also like the P6t6 WS Revolution - even though it lacks firewire and is 100 euro more expensive). The Rampage II Extreme has just too many bells and whistles I don't care about and costs as much as the P6t6 WS Revolution.

What would you do?
(I'm tempted to wait for the P6t Deluxe V2)
Why would a manufacturer do this?
(my guesses are: issues with first version or production cost saving: costs off the marvell)



Thanks!


Jörg

[Fat Tone]

How about Option 5: Wait a little until the P6 range falls to a more sensible price. The P6T Deluxe is £230 here. A decent Core 2 board is half that. Heck, I probably would be running an i7 920 right now if the mobos were a sensible price.

Edit: How often have you seen a motherboard cost as much as a high-spec processor?

[VJ]

You have a point...

But I have been waiting for months now...
There will always be one piece of hardware or another worth waiting for (in a few months time, this may be new videocard models; after that, maybe disks; ....). Regardless, I'll have to wait till the end of this month, as I know the case I'm interested in is not in stock at the suppliers until early next month. So I'm hoping prices will drop a little in the next 4 or so weeks...


Jörg

[Fat Tone]

So what is the rest of your spec?

[VJ]

Asus P6t Deluxe V2 (most likely)
Intel Core i7 920
6 GB (3x 2 GB, still looking for best performance/price)
Asus GTX260 896 MB (but apparently there are availability problems here)
...

Jörg

[Fat Tone]

With XP-64 and the 920 @ 960 speeds no-doubt? That should make short work of feeding the roses!

[VJ]

I have no intention of overclocking...

But it seems I might have to wait: case will be available in Februari, video card is hard not on stock with the different suppliers, other hardware I choose seems not to be available here, ....
So by the time that clears up, no doubt the Deluxe V2 will be here as well (should be lower priced than the original version - that much I found).

[Fat Tone]

I've just been reading reviews of the new Phenom II. Could be a much cheaper option overall?

[VJ]

I'm more in the Intel camp... (had a bad experience with AMD years ago, incompatibility with drivers) I'm pretty sure other people prefer AMD, I feel it is a matter of taste.

The videocard thing puzzles me, and ASUS has no email address for pre-sales questions...

Jörg

[Fat Tone]

We all have our favourites. I've generally been an AMD man for home use as they gave much more bang for the buck. It's all been Core 2 Quads since the 6600 though, but maybe I'll go back to AMD next. I like the idea of supporting the 'little guy' too.

I've almost always been ATI too, since Matrox of course!

[VJ]

Yes,we all have our favorites... In all honesty, I haven't had a bad experience with Intel (unless you count them announcing the MMX version of the Pentium literally days after I got mine, and seeing it come to market just weeks later a bad experience)

Funny, I seem to tend to nVidia...


Rats... The V2 mainboard is 28 euro more expensive...
(available in 2 weeks)

I'm looking at cpu coolers, the planned case has a maximum clearance of 130mm for the CPU cooler. The stock cooler might suffice, but I'm expecting a more massive heatsink to allow for less noise; so I'm leaning toward the Noctua NH-C12P or the Scythe Zipang.
I tend to prefer the Noctua, as (1) it seems to have a better mounting (through the mainboard rather than push-pins) - though I doubt it'll make much difference in a desktop model case, (2) because I'm 100% sure it fits (is in the compatibility list + combination has been used in reviews) and (3) appears the more silent of the two.

This quest for a system has already thought me a lot, but now I'm tired of waiting and planning. The store's website will be updated today or tomorrow (new prices?) and after that I'll place my order (finally ).

[Evildead666]

The ThermalRight SI-128SE is pretty sweet, and not too tall.
It also blows air onto the mainboard...

http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00071247.html

link just for info

[VJ]

It is a bit harder to come by, and seems to be louder than the other two (according to reviews I found)...

Still, same concept overall (the ones I posted also blow air down).

[Adis]

What about Gigabyte?

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2957

[VJ]

Interesting, but not yet available here...
(I do tend prefer the slot layout of the Asus: I most likely won't use PCI cards, and in the Asus this would mean that the slot right next to the videocard is empty, which might improve the cooling of it - nitpicking, I know)

Still, I'm wondering whether there is now such a big difference between mainboards: even more than before they all use the same chipsets... The main difference I see is in the supplied tools to optimize the power and noise...