Mobo Compatibility

Wowdude · 17 Oct 2012

Hey peoples,

I just wanted to check with the people who actually know about matching hardware (i'm a novice comparatively) if the following pieces of hardware are compatible.

I want to buy a Gigabyte GA-B75-D3V Intel B75 Socket 1155 Motherboard (Gigabyte GA-B75-D3V Intel B75 Socket 1155 Motherboard - Scan.co.uk). Is it compatible with the following hardware?

Intel I5-2400
Corsair h60 cpu cooler
2x 4Gb Corsair DDR3 XMS3 (1333MHz & 9-9-9-24) RAM
2x ASUS ENGTX550 1Gb graphics cards in Dual Sli.

I'm going for this motherboard because I want to Sli my GPU's (yet to buy 2nd GPU), my old motherboard is being repaired so my computer is in bits (this is an upgrade anyway) and because I don't have a lot of cash to spend (student).

Is all of this compatible and will it require a re-install of my Windows 7? Should the mobo come with the Sli bridge?

Thanks
Wowdude

ignatzatsonic · 17 Oct 2012

Looks OK to me.

I didn't check on the motherboard's SLI capability or do a deep dive into the RAM specs.

If you install a new motherboard, CPU, and RAM, a clean install is much preferable. You might be able to boot without a clean reinstall, and may then have to troubleshoot. All you can do is try and see what happens.

Dwarf · 17 Oct 2012

You should be OK with that. The CPU is listed as compatible GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Socket 1155 - Intel B75 - GA-B75-D3V (rev. 1.1) and, although the memory isn't specifically listed, it should work (Gigabyte state that they can't verify every memory module on the market). The cooler should fit, if there is enough room in the case and it doesn't interfere with board components.

One thing I did notice is that it has 2 PCIe x16 slots, however one of these only runs at x4 speed. You might be better off looking for a board where they both run at x16 or x8.

Wowdude · 17 Oct 2012

Thank you both for the fast replies. All the components fit into my case as my previous mobo is being repaired and the mobo would be the only thing I upgrade.

Dwarf when you say runs at x4 do you mean the bandwidth of the expansion slots? Because if so I can't actually find a mobo on scan where they have 2 the same (with my required spec's). Even the one's with 3 PCle slots have 1 x16, 1 x16 (x4 bandwidth) and 1 x16 (x8 bandwidth). None of these are equal and at this point they are well above £150 (way outside of my price range atm).

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Wowdude

*correction there's one where they both run at x16 but it's £232 O.o "

CB · 17 Oct 2012

It doesn't have onboard HDMI port. But it should be fine for it seems available on your ASUS graphic card.

Wowdude · 17 Oct 2012

Thanks people. So would you say this is a sensible mobo to choose or would any of your suggest a different one?

Btw will a 750W PSU be able to cope with the Dual GPU as well as all the other hardware?

Thanks
Wowdude

DeaconFrost · 17 Oct 2012

If it's a quality PSU, then yes, should be plenty. The SLI bridges usually come with the graphics cards, so you should have one already, or you'll need to buy it separately.

Wowdude · 17 Oct 2012

No, my graphics card didn't come with an Sli bridge. Lets hope my 2nd one does as/when I buy it. My PSU is an Alpine one so I'm thinking I should be alright. Thanks for the advice peoples! :)

DeaconFrost · 17 Oct 2012

In that case, just pay attention to the details of the card. If it's a retail purchase...then it could very well come with one. If it was an OEM-type purchase for the bare card, then it wouldn't.

Wowdude · 17 Oct 2012

Thanks DeaconFrost. And Dwarf, I found an interesting article and youtube video on the bottlenecking limitations ofdual Sli'ing or Crossfire'ing cards in a x16 - x8, x16 - x4 and x8 - x4 GPU setup and there is little difference in performance between the different configurations. Obviously the highest will be 2 x16 slots but the lowest comparison of x16 - x4 is well within acceptable limits. So here's the question: Do I go for x16 - x8 (quite pricey) or x16 - x4 (easily within price range)?

Thanks,
Wowdude

Resources:
HARDOCP - GTX 480 SLI x16/x16 vs. x4/x4 - GTX 480 SLI PCIe Bandwidth Perf. - x16/x16 vs. x4/x4
Radeon HD 6990 Bandwidth Comparison Test 16x vs 8x vs 4x 3DMark 11 Linus Tech Tips - YouTube