- Joined
- Apr 7, 2011
- Messages
- 175
- Motherboard
- Asrock Z370 Extreme4
- CPU
- i7-8770k
- Graphics
- GTX 960
- Mac
- Classic Mac
- Mobile Phone
My old X58A-UD3R crapped out. I'm RMAing it, but have decided to go ahead and sell some old components to finance a board. I mostly use this computer for research, but also do some web development on the side. I've decided on LGA 2011 for a number of reasons: 1) I can get an i7 3820 for $230 at the local Micro Center (wow!); and 2) It's future-proof -- I can upgrade to 64GB of memory if necessary and the 3930K or as-yet unreleased Ivy Bridge-E processors in the future.
The conventional wisdom seems to be that the 3770K is a better value at the moment, particularly for gamers. But I don't game. The most CPU-intensive work I do is statistical modeling, which sometimes can take quite a bit of resources and time. So LGA 2011 seems smart if I ever want to upgrade my CPU or take advantage of extra memory. However, if you can convince me to go LGA 1155 -- I'm listening.
I tri-boot OS X, Windows, and Linux. 90% of my time is in OS X. I use Windows for apps like ArcGIS that don't run on the Mac, and I keep Linux around mostly for tinkering -- but sometimes some research stuff runs on it.
I've already got the following components on-hard or ordered:
* i7 3820. Really cheap at Micro Center. I will cool it with an NH-D14.
* 5 hard drives: 128GB SSD for OS X, 120GB SSD for Windows, 320GB HDD for Linux, 1TB drive for files, and 2TB drive for backup.
* 16 GB G.Skill Rip Jaws PC 1600 DDR3. (I already have 8GB of this in another machine, ordered another 8GB. Going to transfer memory from old X58 build to the other machine. I know I can run memory at higher clock speeds on LGA 2011, but 1) the performance seems almost negligible; and 2) it looks like overclocking the memory is an option. I'll probalby upgrade to 32gb of PC2133 or whatever in the future. I like the option of upgrading later.
* EVGA GT 640 2GB video card -- got this for $75 after rebate at NewEgg. Right now there is a special on the GTX 650, but still opted for the 640 because its a little cheaper and doesn't need extra power. I don't need anything fancy, so quiet + low power = better deal for me at the moment.
* Custom Airport WiFi card
* 650W power supply (Corsair)
What I'm debating is the motherboard. I want the cheapest, most stable board possible, with the following specs:
At least 2 6GBPS Sata ports
At least 4 3GBPS Sata ports
8 memory slots
I'd prefer it to have an onboard Firewire because I use it to ground the power in my G5 Mod. But I can easily rewire it, so that's only an issue if two boards are otherwise equal.
I am currently a little hesitant to buy another Gigabyte board given my last one was unreliable. Also, the X79 boards from Gigabyte seem really hit or miss on the NewEgg reviews. That leaves Asus and ASRock as contender. I prefer Asus.
The Sabertooth X79 looks like the one with the most history on Tonymac. The P9X79 Pro also looks good -- even better than the X79, but I'm hesitant because fewer people have put OS X on it. Plus, there's some reliability issues on NewEgg reported.
What do you all think?
The conventional wisdom seems to be that the 3770K is a better value at the moment, particularly for gamers. But I don't game. The most CPU-intensive work I do is statistical modeling, which sometimes can take quite a bit of resources and time. So LGA 2011 seems smart if I ever want to upgrade my CPU or take advantage of extra memory. However, if you can convince me to go LGA 1155 -- I'm listening.
I tri-boot OS X, Windows, and Linux. 90% of my time is in OS X. I use Windows for apps like ArcGIS that don't run on the Mac, and I keep Linux around mostly for tinkering -- but sometimes some research stuff runs on it.
I've already got the following components on-hard or ordered:
* i7 3820. Really cheap at Micro Center. I will cool it with an NH-D14.
* 5 hard drives: 128GB SSD for OS X, 120GB SSD for Windows, 320GB HDD for Linux, 1TB drive for files, and 2TB drive for backup.
* 16 GB G.Skill Rip Jaws PC 1600 DDR3. (I already have 8GB of this in another machine, ordered another 8GB. Going to transfer memory from old X58 build to the other machine. I know I can run memory at higher clock speeds on LGA 2011, but 1) the performance seems almost negligible; and 2) it looks like overclocking the memory is an option. I'll probalby upgrade to 32gb of PC2133 or whatever in the future. I like the option of upgrading later.
* EVGA GT 640 2GB video card -- got this for $75 after rebate at NewEgg. Right now there is a special on the GTX 650, but still opted for the 640 because its a little cheaper and doesn't need extra power. I don't need anything fancy, so quiet + low power = better deal for me at the moment.
* Custom Airport WiFi card
* 650W power supply (Corsair)
What I'm debating is the motherboard. I want the cheapest, most stable board possible, with the following specs:
At least 2 6GBPS Sata ports
At least 4 3GBPS Sata ports
8 memory slots
I'd prefer it to have an onboard Firewire because I use it to ground the power in my G5 Mod. But I can easily rewire it, so that's only an issue if two boards are otherwise equal.
I am currently a little hesitant to buy another Gigabyte board given my last one was unreliable. Also, the X79 boards from Gigabyte seem really hit or miss on the NewEgg reviews. That leaves Asus and ASRock as contender. I prefer Asus.
The Sabertooth X79 looks like the one with the most history on Tonymac. The P9X79 Pro also looks good -- even better than the X79, but I'm hesitant because fewer people have put OS X on it. Plus, there's some reliability issues on NewEgg reported.
What do you all think?
