Windows 7 - replacing my xfx nforce sli 750i mobo: Advices

Hey how r you doing,!?!
I want to take this oppotunity to tell everyone to please stay away from XFX nforce 750i sli mobo.

But actually this thread is for you people to help me choose a replacement mobo so I can keep and use my CPU, GPU, PSU, RAM, HDD's, fans, case, etc. Also I need this mobo to be upgradable in case i need it and at least one FW port.

I will start with some simple questions:

-This mobo is Nvidia chipset, could I get one with Intel chipset?

-My GPU and RAM and Mobo are SLI ready, could I get a non-SLI mobo without loosing performance?

-Do I need SLI?

-My RAM is DDR2 and my CPU supports socket LGA 775, is any mobo with these specs going to work for me? Like this:
Tyan Toledo q35T Motherboard - Socket 775, SATA, PCI-Express, Intel Q35 Chipset, (2) Gbit LAN, USB 2.0, DDR2 667/800 MHz at TigerDirect.com

Thanks a lot.... I know these are simple questions, but I just want to narrow my google search to expert advices like yours.

PS: I decided to replace my current mobo because for a year I was having too many booting problems, after lots of troubleshooting I decided it's my mobo's fault.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Sandra is here:

Processor
Model : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9400 @ 2.66GHz
Speed : 2.67GHz
Cores per Processor : 4 Unit(s)
Threads per Core : 1 Unit(s)
Type : Quad-Core
Integrated Data Cache : 4x 32kB, Synchronous, Write-Thru, 8-way, 64 byte line size
L2 On-board Cache : 2x 3MB, ECC, Synchronous, ATC, 12-way, 64 byte line size, 2 threads sharing

Computer
Mainboard : XFX MB-750I-72P9
BIOS : AMI V1.4B1 02/04/2009
Bus(es) : ISA X-Bus PCI PCIe IMB USB FireWire/1394 i2c/SMBus
Multi-Processor (MP) Support : No
Multi-Processor Advanced PIC (APIC) : Yes
Total Memory : 8GB DIMM SDRAM

Chipset
Model : nVidia C55 Host Bridge
Front Side Bus Speed : 4x 333MHz (1.33GHz)
Total Memory : 8GB DIMM SDRAM

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : OCZ OCZ2N800SR2G 2GB DIMM DDR2 PC2-6400U DDR2-800 (5-6-6-18 3-24-6-3)
Memory Module : OCZ OCZ2N800SR2G 2GB DIMM DDR2 PC2-6400U DDR2-800 (5-6-6-18 3-24-6-3)
Memory Module : OCZ OCZ2N800SR2G 2GB DIMM DDR2 PC2-6400U DDR2-800 (5-6-6-18 3-24-6-3)
Memory Module : OCZ OCZ2N800SR2G 2GB DIMM DDR2 PC2-6400U DDR2-800 (5-6-6-18 3-24-6-3)

Video System
Video Adapter : NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT (16 SM4.0 1.35GHz, 1GB DDR2 2x400MHz, PCIe 2.00 x16)

Graphics Processor
Adapter : NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT (16SP 2C 1.35GHz, 1005.6MB 2x400MHz)
Adapter : NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT (16SP 2C 1.35GHz, 1005.6MB 2x400MHz)
Adapter : NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT (16SP 1.35GHz, 1005.6MB 2x400MHz)

Storage Devices
Hitachi HDP725050GLA360 (500.1GB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 15MB Cache) : 466GB (C:) (D:)
WDC WD5000AAKS-00A7B2 (500.1GB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 16MB Cache) : 466GB (F:)
JetFlashTranscend 4GB 4GB (USB) : 4GB (G:)
Maxtor OneTouch 1TB (FireWire/1394, NCQ) : 932GB (D:) (E:) (F:) (G:)
HP DVD Writer 1160d (SATA150, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache) : 287MB (E:)

Logical Storage Devices
Hard Disk (C:) : 157GB (NTFS) @ Hitachi HDP725050GLA360 (500.1GB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 15MB Cache)
GRABADO (F:) : 466GB (NTFS) @ WDC WD5000AAKS-00A7B2 (500.1GB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 16MB Cache)
Removable Drive (G:) : 4GB (FAT32) @ JetFlashTranscend 4GB 4GB (USB)
back me up (D:) : 309GB (NTFS) @ Hitachi HDP725050GLA360 (500.1GB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 15MB Cache)
Audio CD (E:) : 0bytes (CDFS) @ HP DVD Writer 1160d (SATA150, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller 1 : MSI MCP51 LPC Bridge
LPC Legacy Controller 1 : Fintek F71882FG/F71883FG
Audio Device : MSI MCP51 High Definition Audio
Audio Codec : Realtek Semiconductor 888 High Definition Audio
Serial Port(s) : 1
Disk Controller : MSI MCP51 Parallel ATA Controller
Disk Controller : MSI MCP51 Serial ATA Controller
Disk Controller : MSI MCP51 Serial ATA Controller
Disk Controller : MSI JMB36X PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller
USB Controller 1 : MSI MCP51 USB Controller
USB Controller 2 : MSI MCP51 USB Controller
FireWire/1394 Controller 1 : MSI VT6306 VIA Fire II IEEE-1394 OHCI Link Layer Controller
SMBus/i2c Controller 1 : nVidia MCP5+ SMBus 1
SMBus/i2c Controller 2 : nVidia MCP5+ SMBus 2

Peripherals
Media Player : JetFlash Transcend 4GB (3.73GB)

Network Services
Network Adapter : NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller (Ethernet, 100Mbps)

Power Management
Mains (AC) Line Status : On-Line

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows 7 Business 6.01.7600
Platform Compliance : x64

The Nvidia 750i is a pretty decent board but the bios voltage settings need to be set correctly in order for this board to be stable.

With your 8GB of memory you need to try using 1.5 volts for the SPP "north bridge" voltage and also make sure that all other memory settings are per manufacture specs. It's usually best to change over to the "Expert" mode memory settings in order to get those settings correct.

Yes it's safe, yes it works and yes I have helped many many people with this exact problem in the past.

OCZ is one of the worst possible choices for memory on that board because it's very picky about settings. Using DDR2-800 (5-6-6-18 2T with memory voltage to OCZ specs should get you up and running.

If you post your bios settings here I can help you more.

Clearing the cmos should fix any other problem you might be having with that board.

I have helped thousands of people set those boards up correctly over at the EVGA forum.

I used an XFX 750i mobo for nearly 2 years without a problem, but like chev said, voltages can be a problem. When I upgraded from an E8200 to a Q9550, the PC would keep hardlocking because the voltage needed to be set properly for the Q9550 in BIOS.

hey thanks a lot,
I'd always used "default settings in BIOS",
I do not know how to set memory timings and there's is no clear explanation in the manual about it.
I have never done any Overclocking to this mobo cause I have absolutely no idea.
I am really tired that I dont even want to tweak anymore.
I just want to be able to follow simple directions cause I am not a computer literate person.
THANKS

It sounds like you havn't done any tweaking at all yet so I'm wondering how you can be tired?

Who said anything about overclocking? These are basic settings that need adjustments, nothing difficult about it.

Default settings will not cut it on your particular board and most any enthusiast board that you build yourself will require some adjustments in bios to get it working correctly . You will need to access the bios settings by hitting the delate button on start up.

Your bios is a bit different than mine so giving exact directions on this isn't possible although it should be fairly easy to get to your memory settings and punch in the correct numbers which I have already mentioned. As I mentioned before the SPP voltage will also need an adjustment to work with 8GB of memory.

If you really want to get more precise directions for adjusting the bios then taking pictures and posting screen shots of your bios might be helpful.

Also update your BIOS if you haven't. The latest BIOS for the XFX 750i was more stable with quad cores with me.

You'll need to register your board at www.xfxforce.com if you haven't already, then in the support section, download the BIOS Update version 1.41. It should be an ISO file you burn to a disk, then boot from the disk and it will update.

Before you do any fiddling in the BIOS though for voltages, you need to set the overclock jumper pin on the motherboard. It should explain how to in the manual.

If I remember correctly, once you've changed the jumper on the motherboard, the voltage settings can be found by entering BIOS>Advanced BIOS features>Cell Menu>XFX J0C1 Overclock Function then there will be CPU Voltage, Memory Voltage etc.

If you go to the XFX site and register the board you can download the manual.
From what I've read it has a CMOS reset on the outside of the board as well as a jumper to set to overclock which opens up many more bios features.

I would suggest to download the PDF manual and read it, should help you with some questions, it also doesn't hurt to join their forum to get answers direct form XFX either, you can actually put in a support ticket and explain your problem or ask about the right timings and voltages for your setup and the will provide them for you. At least they have done for me in the past.Usually within 24hrs
.
As far as a replacement board I have an ASUS P5N-D 750i board. It's very stable and easy to setup especially if you only want to use the default settings. it's also inexpensive Newegg.com - ASUS P5N-D LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

Also I would like to suggest which ever board you decide to go with you should aways look on the manufacturers site for their compatible Ram list. This will be very helpful when purchasing the correct Ram for your board. Fabe
Seems like I'm a little late with most of my post.

Not late at all Fabe, thanks for the input. I didn't know about the bios overclocking jumper on the XFX boards. I just hate seeing a perfectly good board bashed and tossed aside for no good reason. I'd be willing to bet there isn't anything wrong with his board, it just needs an adjustment or two is all.

Well I can certainly say I never had any problems with it for the year and a half I used it, before moving on to my 790i. It is a good board, but just like you mentioned, the voltages do need tweaking to get it running properly. Especially with quad cores.

OP, suggested you post in the Hardware forum so you could get just this kind of specific advice. Please do not give up yet. Work through each of the steps given, asking back how to perform those that you are unsure about.

It seems your mobo may not be the problem suspected, perhaps only a few settings.

Perhaps it would help if you recount the repair and install failures you feel are caused by hardware so the experts here can factor those in.

I believe you tried this in previous thread, but if not: Clear CMOS - 3 Ways to Clear the CMOS - Reset BIOS.URL