why $100 more for ASUS P6x58D?

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FalconSS

[H]ard|Gawd
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I've been shopping for a new build lately and have picked up my I7 920. When I started shopping for motherboards the first thing I wanted was USB 3.0 due to it usually being a long time before I upgrade. When researching boards I found the Asus P6x58D to be $100 or 50% more expensive then the Gigabyte UD3R.

Why would it be so much more expensive? What makes the asus board better? Please give me unbiased opinions on this because it has be stumped. They both have support for:

- 32nm Hexacores
- USB 3.0 and Sata 3 ( with the same chip actually)
- X58 NB
- ICH10R southbridge
- seemingly the same overclock ability
- triple channel memory
- Realtek ALC889

the only thing I really see is the UD3r has 1 less LAN controller which is fine for me anyway.

I do like the look of the asus board a lot more but its not worth paying $100 more when I could go from a 5830 -> 5850....

any help here as to why the ASUS is more expensive?
 
things like 16 phase power, better audio, better dual lan raise the price. Its little things like this that make some x58 boards cost $200 and others over $400..
 
I used a P6X58D in a build I did for a friend and it is a very slick piece of equipment.
The machine was literally a joy to build. Seriously, I caught myself smiling from time to time. :) The accessories it included were top notch and plentiful. Beautiful packaging and presentation. I could go on and on. Might have been the fact that I don't get to work with $300+ boards that often and it was her money, so maybe I'm a little drunk on the ether, but this thing reeked of class and sophistication. I cried a little when it went out the door. *sniff*

Lots of intangibles with this board. I could feel the mojo.
 
DrNick said:
things like 16 phase power, better audio, better dual lan raise the price. Its little things like this that make some x58 boards cost $200 and others over $400..
Click to expand...

I get it about the dua lan... but better audio??? look at the post above, its got the exact same audio chip. they both have 16 phase as well... so i'm paying $100 for 1 extra Lan port when I go go buy a gigibit lancard for $30? not counting the killer nic...lol
 
That $100 is also buying the piece of mind that you're getting a better quality product.

Same features alone do not make 2 boards equal. Quality of components used and service after the sale also factor in heavily.

There'a a reason why the P6X58D has 84% approval and the UD3R has a 67%.
 
Just do some reading on the Gigabyte UD3R. I was thinking of picking one up but changed my mind. It seems to be a little finicky when it comes to RAM. What threw me off was the reported coil whine it produces, which is supposed to be high pitched. Some say it depends on the PSU, some say it's gone with C1E set to OFF but I have also read reports that this just reduces the whine and it's still present. I haven't read any reports of strange noises with the ASUS P6x58D. There is also a EVGA board that is around 30-50 cheaper than the ASUS P6x58D, supposed to be solid. In the end I chose the ASUS P6x58D because I wanted usb 3.0 and SATA6Gb, I won't be upgrading for 2+ years most likely so why not go for the usb 3.0 & SATA6Gb? Well I might upgrade the CPU to a hexacore down the road but that's about it.
 
FalconSS said:
I get it about the dua lan... but better audio??? look at the post above, its got the exact same audio chip. they both have 16 phase as well... so i'm paying $100 for 1 extra Lan port when I go go buy a gigibit lancard for $30? not counting the killer nic...lol
Click to expand...

No they don't bud, the ud3r uses 8+2 power and the alc888. Also even though there is only one lan port it also a lower model controller. Many things factor in and its why there are so many price points. You are free to pay what you like;)
 
Limahl said:
There'a a reason why the P6X58D has 84% approval and the UD3R has a 67%.
Click to expand...

Where are these numbers from? I hope you're not using Newegg percentages.

DrNick said:
No they don't bud, the ud3r uses 8+2 power and the alc888. Also even though there is only one lan port it also a lower model controller. Many things factor in and its why there are so many price points. You are free to pay what you like;)
Click to expand...

It has not yet been conclusively shown that 16-phase power provides a significant improvement over 12+2+2 or 8+2 phase in terms of overclocking. That being said, even boards with 8+2 phase are cable of allowing a 4GHz and beyond. The potential of the particular CPU will become a factor before the motherboard ever becomes a bottleneck.
 
Never said it did bud. However it is one of the reasons one board costs more than the other. I have used neither so I cannot comment on which is the better choice;)
 
DrNick said:
Never said it did bud. However it is one of the reasons one board costs more than the other. I have used neither so I cannot comment on which is the better choice;)
Click to expand...

I know, you were just stating the facts about the two. I'm just pointing out someone that the OP may want to consider as well.
 
Id wait till i was ready to use sata 6 and usb 3.0 and add a controller card...none of the current crop of boards has a native 3.0/sata 6 chipset out yet..they all use additional chipsets to accomplish this...
so by adding a 25.00 controller card you have the same thing for less money...its going to be quite a while before the new standards become mainstreem and affordable to the average joe...some people will buy the newest stuff out even at a premium price but 95% of middle america will buy when its affordable..
from what ive read the intel x68 chipset has the new features built in natively...due out Q4 2010...for me a controller card will do just fine...asus has one out now for like 35 bucks.....
 
Sticking a controller card in does not give you the same thing. I've typically been a big fan of the $150 best bang for buck OC boards which recently have moved into the $200 arena. I went out all this build, mainly because of memory issues with many of the mid-range boards. People really aren't exaggerating when they say building with this board is almost a pleasure. My system is exceptionally smooth, fast, responsive, stable, all making me a very happy guy. Overall it was more than worth the extra $$$.
 
Can't comment on sata6, usb3 capabilities but I will say the P6X58D is very easy to work with. Granted I dont have a lot of experience building systems but I had absolutely no problems putting together a system with this board, getting into the bios, and oc'ing to 4 GHz (since backed off to 3.6 for everyday use). For me it was worth the extra $.
 
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