Advice on mobo specs

[Atwooooood]

so im working on my first build, and ive been doing research for weeks now, but there are still a few things im iffy on, so if anyone could help me answer a few questions, it would be much appreciated.

so after browsing on newegg for hours on end, trying to decide on a mobo, im still left with questions about compatability.

when newegg lists the FSB speed, for example 1333/1066, does that mean max/minimum? does the processor FSB speed have to match the Mobo's FSB speed, or could the processor FSB speed be 1066 and have a mobo that has 1333 speed.

also on some boards where it lists the memory standard, some will say 1200 (O.C)/1066. does the O.C refer to overclocking and that if i were to get ram, i would need to get 1066 if i didnt overclock?

these are really the only 2 main questions i have regarding the mobo. sorry if these sound like lame n00b questions, dont hate on me too hard, be gentle.

 

[Atwooooood]

Question about memory voltage

so after looking at mobo's for days on end, ive come to lean on 2 boards in particular.

the first bein the more expensive board:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131319

and the other one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

after reading the specifications for the Gigabyte board on Gigabytes website, it said that the memory voltage is 1.8v, but i downloaded the motherboards manual from the website and it said nothing about the memory voltage. the only reason i ask is cause after looking at ddr2 ram on newegg, there were only 2 products for 1.8v ram.

can this board support a higher voltage? or how does that work. i would like to get the board because it has everything i need and has the memory and FSB speed that im looking for, but i dont want the voltage to be an issue if i can only get 1.8v ram.

 

[kimsland]

In most cases you are best to download the Motherboard manual, to see further specifications
I believe before purchasing this would be your best option anyway.
Pretty sure the first one you mentioned is here: http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&model=P5Q-E
You can also contact Asus, for further help

Lining up the Ram to the Motherboard is always a concern

Edit:

I note the 2nd Motherboard is Gigabyte

 

[Cinders]

Both boards will allow you to punch up the voltage to at least 2.3 Volts with the ASUS board going all the way to 2.7 Volts. The ASUS board is very overclocking oriented while the Gigabyte board is more of a standard board. My standard Gigabyte board is similar to the board you're thinking about, and it'll boost the dram voltage all the way up to 2.5 Volts.

 

[Atwooooood]

so running 2 or 2.1v ram without upping the voltage on the board isnt possible? Im not too sure on how to do that, id like a board more user friendly, like i said, its my first build =/

i'd like to get the gigabyte board but would hate to pass it up over something small but also something im not too sure how to do.

 

[kimsland]

Well here's all the info on the Gigabyte board:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/Manual_Model.aspx?ProductID=2921
I suggest to read the manual on that one too

 

[Atwooooood]

yeah, thats the site i saw the specs for it, but didnt see anything mentioned in the manual, so thats why i was curious about it.

it seemed like a good up to date board, but with older default voltage for the memory.

theres many aspects of motherboards i still dont know too much about, and this is one of them. i just want to make sure the board i get is right.

 

[EXCellR8]

Basically, if you don't plan to overclock your processor, you would want to match the FSB speeds of both the CPU and the motherboard. Certain processors run (stock) at a fixed FSB thus requiring a motherboard capable of handling that speed. You can have a CPU with a 1066mhz FSB and a motherboard rated at 1333. The motherboard will just match the lower speed to compensate. What's really sweet is you could possibly overclock a 1066 chip to run at 1333mhz (the mobo's max FSB) and get a boost in performance.

As for RAM; the example you chose, memory modules rated at both 1066 and 1200mhz would work on that board, but I would shoot for the 1066mhz as the 1200 is an "overclocked" setting. I wouldn't go overclocking your RAM if you are new to this stuff, you could really get yourself in a world of frustration. Hell, I've been building computers for years and I still cringe when I hear all that timing/latency crap. Anyways, I hope that clears things up. Good luck.

 

[kimsland]

I thought I'd check the manual too:
http://asia.giga-byte.com/FileList/Manual/motherboard_manual_ga-ep45-ud3(r)_e.pdf

But it's presently downloading, slowly!



Memory 4 x 1.8V DDR2 DIMM sockets supporting up to 16 GB of system memory (Note 1)
Dual channel memory architecture
Support for DDR2 1366/1066/800/667 MHz memory modules
(Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest memory support list.)

I have combined both your threads into one

 

[Atwooooood]

in response to Excells response, which board is 1200mhz overclocked? I thought 1200 was the max for one and 1333 for the other..

and Kimsland, the only option for that board would be to increase the voltage on the mobo to suuport the higher voltage ram?

ahh my head is spinning!!!

 

[kimsland]

Well as the quote suggests (hmm, I forgot to put quote marks around it)

(Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest memory support list.)