View Full Version : 790i - Once bitten, twice shy?
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQ3Niw3LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==
That seems to be the sentiment everyone is having about this board. The boatload of problems we were lumped with from the 680i taught us to eye nForces with caution, looking out for nGremlins. It didn't help that they cost the earth. But nVidia is all "yeah, we've fixed it right up for ya, guv", and we can't help but get a sense of déjà vu.
[H] wasn't about to let this 790i off lightly. No, they rammed the ****er.
110 hours of loaded stability. QX9770 fully loaded across all four cores, paging into 1.7GB of DDR3 1333MHz RAM, with Real-Time HDR IBL running as well. With RTHDRIBL and Orthos set to the “Blend” test you quickly run into a situation where the system runs out of memory and begins to thrash the hard drives heavily.
Then he went and covered up the top half of the motherboard in a freaking cardboard box, basically letting the thing cook itself. It never broke a sweat. So, overall, the board got tortured, stretched on a rack, iron maiden'ed, and thumbscrewed. Seems solid to me, but anyone planning on SLI had better wait a month or so, see how widespread the stability is, or if we end up seeing the boards drop like flies.
AKHandyman
03-19-08, 12:32 PM
After reading further into the article and the subsequent link to the interview with Drew Henry, it would seem that they (nVidia) would have had plenty of time to work out the bugs with the timing issues ... but because of all the hoopla surrounding this glitch, and overall disappointment with the nVidia chipset, it's no wonder that many stay away from the board ... I mean, are there that many people who use SLI? I don't think so ... ;)
Avid6eek
03-19-08, 01:11 PM
The motherboards look great, except for the price. They have an MSRP of $350-$400 and that is mainly because of the record prices nVidia charges for their chipsets. For that kind of money they can simply kiss my ass.
Well, all i can say is, i would rather wait and see stability reports that came from public........ rather than reviewers. We know that some reviewers could be paid to give positive reviews, so yeah :p
Owh, i do need a new mobo, so if this chipset was given positive feedback by users, i'm going to make the jump :eek:
What problems do people usually have with Nvidia motherboards?
Avid6eek
03-21-08, 09:39 AM
What problems do people usually have with Nvidia motherboards?
On nVidia's Intel boards...
1.) Data corruption
2.) Poor overclocking
3.) Overclocked boards die quickly
nVidia still makes great AMD chipsets.
phill9800
03-21-08, 01:16 PM
I've made my choice and by god I'm glad I didnt wait cos for the money they are wanting for a 790i board, they can whistle!! No way am I paying £280 for a motherboard!! :p
We'll see what Wednesday brings ;)
AKHandyman
03-21-08, 02:18 PM
Come on Phill, what's in the bag? ... :D
Avid6eek
03-21-08, 02:27 PM
Come on Phill, what's in the bag? ... :DYeah...let us know what you're up to! ;)
phill9800
03-21-08, 03:33 PM
You'll soon all see :)
Although I am quite tempted to buy two new graphics cards but I have to claim my spending down as things are moving about a bit quick for me at the moment!! Talks of me moving in with the fiance!! :eek:
Oh Avid, in answer to your sig...
45nm, 780i, DDR2, 32mb cache, SLI :)
Reason for this:
I wouldnt buy 'older' technology as its slower.
The price for the 790i is a joke.
The price for DDR3 is far to expensive for what it is and the cost of DDR2.
10k hard drives (Raptors) are a waste of money when the newer 500Gb drives are as fast and cost so much less and hold 10x the storage (so to speak)
GX2 seems over priced as you can pick up two EVGA 8800GTS's (G92) for less than £200 so for £420 or more for a GX2, its not worth the cash..
You'll soon see my choices and the reasons for my upgrade paths I'm sure :)
Enough messing around - i'm just going to order a Q9450, Asus Striker 2 formula 780i mobo and 2 9800 GX2 's and own the lot of ya :p
AKHandyman
03-21-08, 08:24 PM
Pics, or it ain't so ... :p
Avid6eek
03-21-08, 08:39 PM
Enough messing around - i'm just going to order a Q9450, Asus Striker 2 formula 780i mobo and 2 9800 GX2 's and own the lot of ya :pI surrender. My pockets aren't that deep.
I surrender. My pockets aren't that deep.
... WHAT THE FU-
phill9800
03-22-08, 08:18 AM
Enough messing around - i'm just going to order a Q9450, Asus Striker 2 formula 780i mobo and 2 9800 GX2 's and own the lot of ya :p
I wouldnt recommend two of the GX2's because I dont think they are worth the money especially because they arent as fast as two GTS's for a start!! But go with whatever you want obiviously...
If one of the items arent in stock by the end of April, I'm going to have to do something stupid!! :p
I wouldnt recommend two of the GX2's because I dont think they are worth the money especially because they arent as fast as two GTS's for a start!! But go with whatever you want obiviously...
If one of the items arent in stock by the end of April, I'm going to have to do something stupid!! :p
Lies. A GX2 is in a dead tie with two G92 GTS chips.
yahooadam
03-22-08, 10:59 AM
Theres no point getting 2x9800GX2 atm as they havent got quad SLI drivers that work
phill9800
03-22-08, 11:51 AM
Lies. A GX2 is in a dead tie with two G92 GTS chips.
From what I was reading, the GX2's have been under clocked and arent as fast as the newer G92 GTS's... I thought Avid said the same thing too??
Avid6eek
03-22-08, 11:51 AM
Theres no point getting 2x9800GX2 atm as they havent got quad SLI drivers that workQuad SLI/Crossfire drivers sorta work, but the return on your investment after 2 GPU's falls off pretty fast.
yahooadam
03-22-08, 12:41 PM
Quad SLI/Crossfire drivers sorta work, but the return on your investment after 2 GPU's falls off pretty fast.
hmm, from what i read Nvidia are working on quad SLI drivers, but you cant get hold of them atm
Enough messing around - i'm just going to order a Q9450, Asus Striker 2 formula 780i mobo and 2 9800 GX2 's and own the lot of ya :p
Dude, stop disturbing the hornet's nest. Seriously.
Avid's on the process of buying a house, now you dont want to make him change his mind, wouldn't you? :eek:
And if you do, Skorp and phill9800 will pay you a little visit and the next thing you know you'd be part of the British mugged victim consensus. :D
From what I was reading, the GX2's have been under clocked and arent as fast as the newer G92 GTS's... I thought Avid said the same thing too??
True, but GX2 is the only way for you to get Quad-SLi. Either that or buying those quad-SLi mobo (pretty much defective, lol)
Avid6eek
03-24-08, 07:42 AM
I'm still buying my house :p.
I ordered some new hardware, but nothing as extravagant as what own would like.
There are several reasons why I like the option of two 8800GTS 512 cards over a single 9800GX2. The first is price. Two seperate cards are cheaper, though not by much. I can get the EVGA 9800GX2 for $545 through a distributor. That's not a bad deal given the cards performance.
The second reason is water cooling. Waterblocks don't exist for the GX2 and probably won't for at least another month. When they do come to market, they'll be just as expensive as two individual 8800GTS waterblocks.
One downside of the SLI argument is that you have to go with an nVidia motherboard for SLI. The 680i and 780i aren't even an option due to a long list of issues people have had with the board. The 790i Ultra appears to be the most advanced chipset out there at the moment, but the price is far too high for most.
One thing I really do like about the 790i is how well it seems to overclock 45nm quads. The 790 boards seem to manage the highest FSB speeds. For early adoptors of 45nm processors, this could mean saving $250 by purchasing a Q9450 vs a Q9550 if you can't manage a high FSB. $100 of that savings will go towards the 790i motherboard price, and the other $150 will go towards the DDR3 investment.
phill9800
03-24-08, 07:58 AM
Dude, stop disturbing the hornet's nest. Seriously.
Avid's on the process of buying a house, now you dont want to make him change his mind, wouldn't you? :eek:
And if you do, Skorp and phill9800 will pay you a little visit and the next thing you know you'd be part of the British mugged victim consensus. :D
I'd only do that if he scored higher than I did!! :p :lol:
True, but GX2 is the only way for you to get Quad-SLi. Either that or buying those quad-SLi mobo (pretty much defective, lol)
Why not go with Tri SLI then as it would still be cheaper than buying two of the GX2's?? ;)
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