Which motherboard and PSU

[Freakboy]

Hi guys,

I'm waiting for an insurance claim to pay out for my pc that was stuck by lightning. I’m going to get a 9800GTX+ or 4850, but the question is what MB and PSU. My budget is up to R3000 for both, maybe little more. I would like to run a triple head setup, so I need a motherboard that has 2 x PCI-E slots. Most reviews that I have read say that when you use 2 cards the PCI-E slots go down to 8x speeds. Would this make any difference to the 9800GTX+ or 4850 capabilities, or do they have to run at 16x to get the full capability? The second card is probably going to be a 7300 for the 3rd screen.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Keeper]

I'm getting an X38, X48 or X58 Mobo for my PC soon, as it has true 16X + 16X Slots in SLI/Crossfire - but a lot of guys here say it doesn't really make a difference...

so i'm not sure... but anyhow R3000 is a little short for a X38, X48 or X58 Mobo, so i guess you'll need to go with 8X + 8X anyway...

EDIT: So, basically go for a mobo with SLI/XFire support, that can do the job and spend the rest you can on a DECENT PSU.

3 Cards are gonna need some juice.

 

[QX6700RULZ]

I think if you are not sli'ing or cf'ing then the 8 by 8 or 16 by 16 will not make a difference.

Even with sli or cf the 8 by 8 will not affect performance especially not with those cards

 

[Freakboy]

Ok, I’ve narrowed it down to the following boards:

Asus P5Q WS IP45
MSI P45 Neo2-2FR IP45
Asus P5Q Deluxe IP45
MSI P45 Platinum IP45

So far the Asus P5Q Deluxe or MSI P45 Neo2-2FR looks like the best options.

For PSU:

Cooler Master Real Power M520
Cooler Master Real Power Pro RS-550
Cooler Master Real Power RS-550
Cooler Master Real Power M620
Or if I really want to blow the budget: Cooler Master Real Power Pro 850w, for future SLI 9800GTX+.

My choices are either the M520 or M620.

Any advice on these components?