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Please help me build my new computer, DC!
40hz:
On a more serious note, Extremetech just did a review of the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P mobo.
It costs $150, and it offers exceptional value. (Newegg has it for $137. Check out the 170 reviews posted too!)
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2335930,00.asp
For a $150 motherboard, the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P packs a lot of value. With one of the most comprehensive rear-panel I/O risers available, incredibly inclusive overclocking controls, and the new Ultra Durable 3 system for added piece of mind, it's quite a bit of mobo for the money.
It might lack some of the bells and whistles that those $400 and $500 boards offer, such as three X16 slots and audio hardware, but this LGA775 based beast is nonetheless a killer board for a midlevel or even an enthusiast computer system.
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Most interesting is the conclusion. Extremetech never gives anything a perfect score. They did this board.
Best Board in Years
We rarely give perfect scores. A product has to blow our socks off to get a perfect score.
The EP45-UD3P is simply a stunning, solid board full of features that comes at a fantastic price. It's a motherboard to seriously consider if you can't quite afford an X58-based board and a Core i7 CPU.
In fact, it might even be safe to say it's the only board to consider. We know what's going into our next build.
Product: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Motherboard
Company: Gigabyte
Price: $150 street (Check prices)
Pros: Near-perfection in hitting the sweet spot between price and performance; lots of features for the price; incredibly reliable stability; tons of external I/O connectors; and lots more stuff to brag about.
Cons: What cons?
Summary: If you're not quite ready for DDR3 or Core i7, this is the motherboard. Simply amazing in every way.
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I downloaded the U.S. manual, and now I'm even more impressed 8):
http://america.giga-byte.com/FileList/Manual/motherboard_manual_ga-ep45-ud3p_e.pdf
superboyac:
Hey 40hz! Where'd you get that drawing from?! That's really cool!
On a more serious note, Extremetech just did a review of the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P mobo.
It costs $150, and it offers exceptional value. (Newegg has it for $137. Check out the 170 reviews posted too!)
-40hz (December 17, 2008, 10:41 PM)
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That sounds like a great board. Thanks for the suggestion! I'm putting it in my list (first post in the thread). This is very helpful. For me, choosing the motherboard is one of the more difficult components because I know so little about them.
The only thing that concerns me is few posts on newegg saying something about problems booting and slow booting, etc. Not enough to turn me away at this point. Hopefully, mine works fine.
[Click here to return to first post and see updated system components & price]
city_zen:
Power Supply question:
How much watts do I need? I know I'm an electrical engineer, but I have no idea how much I need. I currently have a PSU from PC Power & Supply, who make elite-quality units. I want to get another one from them.
-superboyac (December 16, 2008, 07:06 PM)
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I have found this PSU calculator to be very handy for that. Make sure you check it out, especially with the amount of different components you're already considering.
40hz:
Hey 40hz! Where'd you get that drawing from?! That's really cool!
-superboyac (December 18, 2008, 12:16 AM)
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Glad you liked it. If I had more time I would have done it up as an animated GIF. :)
The dirigible was adapted from a piece of clipart I had in my library.
(As you might have noticed from some of my other posts, I'm a big fan of Jules Verne and Steampunk. 8))
The tower PC was drawn and "antiqued" by me in Paint.NET along with the attaching diagonal cables to the dirigible.
The "Superboyac Aero" logo was also done in PaintNET. The typeface is called Magneto, and is available from The Font Bureau, Inc.
Total time was about 10 minutes - 5 to locate the clipart, and another 5 to do the rest. Which was just enough time for BSD to finish installing on my test machine! ;D
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Re:Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P
Yeah, it packs a lot of punch for the money. I'm as much impressed by what it doesn't include as I am by what it does. I'd actually have liked it even more if they didn't include the audio components.
Looks like they hit the sweet spot with this board. It's definitely on my shopping list for my next build. :Thmbsup:
superboyac:
Dude, you are pretty talented. When I'm done building my pc, I'm going to write an article for it on my website, and I'm using that picture. Thanks!
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