On 2008-01-09, ElJerid <s.vanderhaeghen@pandora.be> wrote:
>
> You can easily make some deductions about target pricing and performance
> from the proposed hardware in the original post. If the Gigabyte DQ6 becomes
> difficult to find, it' s probably because a refocusing of Gigabyte
> marketing, where the DS4 offers a better value (see other post).
Of course, products go off the market all the time. However, this
one has caused a few raised eyebrows, not least because it was
still a best seller and not exactly at the bottom end of the market.
There's nothing concrete I've heard but I've heard several commentators
mumbling about it and the reasons for it.
>> For my money, I see no real reason to spend the money on X38. P35
>> may not be leading edge but it certainly isn't that far behind.
>> I wouldn't be tempted by the greater upgrade potential of X38 unless
>> you are sure that you will use it and know exactly when that will
>> be. If you leave it a couple of years before a processor upgrade,
>> you'll probably be able to replace a P35 board with another budget
>> board again around the £60 mark. That would likely be a board more
>> capable than an X38 and you've saved yourself £40 even though you've
>> had two boards instead of one.
>
> So, you agree with my conclusion?
IMHO you didn't make a conclusion. I pointed out what I would buy
but I don't consider myself a high performance chap. I tend to
prefer value and (most importantly) reliability over sheer performance.
This is why I don't overclock. If you want the highest perfomance
possible then the equation is obviously different. Me, I'm happy
to let someone suffer the teething troubles that arise with the
latest technologies. In the end it depends upon the task in hand
and so generalised recommendations are pretty much pointless.
> The MSI is indeed an excellent all-purpose board, but is missing advanced
> cooling (and oc possibilities, if interested). But I've doubts that one day,
> a user will upgrade from DD2 to DDR3, keeping the same motherboard, as the
> performance benefit will probably only be visible in benchmarks!
> The Asus has been my preferred board up to now, but for the P35 chipset, it'
> s outperformed by the Gigabytes (less power requirements, higher oc'
> ability).
The MSI certainly isn't high end. That's the whole point. I have
a range of known, trusted components that span the price/perfomance
range and can recommend a particular board for the task in hand.
Pretty much any machine nowadays has all the performance needed
for the average business user: it is the entertainment and gaming
sector that drives the market. When was the last time you saw a
business system with 5.1 audio for instance? If all a machine is
going to do all day is run Microsoft Office and some vertical market
app than any money spent over the minimum consistent with the
required quality and reliability is money wasted.
I actually do consider the dual memory standard support useful,
particularly for upgrades (it's slightly but not entirely different
for new systems). It allows the existing memory to be reused.
When the time comes to upgrade that memory in favour of higher
capacity (not simply swapping technology) the switch can be made
then so that the memory can be used in the next system.
Re: P35 or X38? 
Linear Mode
