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I didn't say ASUS or high end boards or crap... but how much of return value the provide. A striker board is $300 (old 780)~ $445... refer to message number 31 in this thread about performance difference.

Heres a diffierent quicky - CRYSIS. Same settings with an 8800GTX card in 1280x1024.

X48 @ 3.1Ghz CPU = 48fps
X48 @ 4.0Ghz CPU = 53fps
790i @ 4.0ghz CPU = 55fps
790i @ 4.0ghz CPU = 61fps with 3x 8800GTX cards.

In other games like UT3, frame rate is a lot better.

But in terms of mobo performance between P35, P45, X38 and X48... not much. Here is a quote from Anandtech: "We can estimate now based upon the progress made in the past few days that the overclocking potential of the X38 chipset with current processor families should slightly exceed the P35 once it matures, much in the same way the P35 has exceeded that of the P965 over the course of the summer. At stock settings, the X38 is not any different really than the P35/680i - and for that matter the 975X chipset it replaces. This is disappointing but understandable as the X38 Express chipset is based upon the P35 core and is still saddled with an onboard memory controller.

This memory controller design from all indications has just about reached its optimum level of performance after years of refinement by Intel. In the case of the X38, it appears that additional attention and emphasis was placed on DDR3 performance at the expense of DDR2. Several of the X38 equipped DDR2 boards have been delayed as the manufacturers have tried to bring performance up to par with the P35. While being at DDR2 performance parity with the P35 in considered a success by the suppliers, it might not be for the users. However, this has been the goal from the outset as you will start to see the DDR2 X38 designs supplement and then replace the higher-end P35 products in the $150~$250 market sector."

The only purpose of a $275~450 motherboard is the ability to run more than one video card... Otherwise, a $80 P35 is just about as fast.

So if someone 6 months ago blows $400 for a 790i board, spent lots of time tweaking it to stability, then spends $600 on a CPU, $800 for two video cards and perhaps an extra $200 for DDR3 4GB memory that is not compatible with new Core i7 CPUs. Total costs = $2100. Vs a $80 mobo, $190 CPU, $500 single 4870x2 card and 4GB of DDR2 memory = $870. The difference in frame rate? The cheaper 4870 is faster because it has the faster vide card. Put a single card in both systems, the difference in frame rate is still about 5~10%.

Either 100 vs 105fps or 50 vs 53fps. Depending on the game

This means either its powerful enough that it doesn't make a difference or its not powerful enough, it WON'T make a difference.

If we're comparing between a PentiumD CPU and a Core2Quad... then that difference is obvious... on the same hardware, the Pentium D would get (lets say) 30fps while the C2Q hits 100fps... and then on the HARD game, 15fps vs 53fps.

So... what is the extra $300 really going to buy you? 3~5fps of braggin rights.
 
The point was? Get a Gigabyte or such good brand P35 board and put high quality DDR2 800 or 1066 MHz RAM(Corsair XMS2/Dominator), Q6600 or Q9550, a good single, two-slot-cooled vid card(Radeon 4870x2/ GF GTX280??) in it, save yourself the 600 $ you would be using on CF/SLI and DDR3 RAM, spend it 12 months later to get a system way superior to the one it would buy you today. Right?
 
The thing we've gone over for 3 pages... its up to you what you want in the end. And... uh a $400 board is about 1~5% faster than a $80 board... depending on how much you play around with it. 300% price increase don't amount to 100%, 50% or 10% performance increase.

You're buying a single video card? Spend an extra $300~500 is up to you, if its worth the 3~10fps difference. There are some games (few) that hit or exceed 50% performance increase over a single card - but then again, a single ATI 4870X2 card IS TWO GPUs on a single card.
 
Well. Geforce GTX 280 is the best absolutely single(single single single. not two-chip(GPU)) graphics card. Still, Radeon 4870X2 would be the nominally best basically single card. And most of the newest games are taking the dual-chip/dual-card performance to full use, right? And it is the newest games that require all that power, right? Still... Umm. Conclusions... Absolute superiority order... No idea, atm..
 
The standard GTX 280 is not always the fastest. It was when it came out for a single GPU card... but still slower than two 9800GTX cards put together.

GTX 280 was a $650 card when it came out. When it LOST to the $300 ATI 4870 card in some games... it became a $450 card. (Current prices $425~650). Of course a 4870x2 card is easily faster for $500~$550.
 
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