I would like to upgrade my machine with a Micro ATX board and E4300.
I am having trouble deciding between one with the 945G or G965.
More specifically, a MSI 945GM3-F or G965M-FIR. I will NOT be using the onboard video as I will be reusing my nVidia card. Most websites I've seen say there is very little performance difference between the two. I will be attempting a simple overclock of the E4300, just going to a 266FSB to run it at 2.4GHz. Any board should be able to handle this I think, I don't mind if the BIOS doesn't make it easy - performing a pad mod is no problem to me. I will be using 2GB of DDR2-667.
Pros of 945G (specifically the MSI board) are:
- 3 PCI slots, I could really use all of them.
- Great reviews.
- Uses less power.
- $30 less.
Cons:
- Only supports up to DDR2-667, with RAM prices plummeting right now, I might want to upgrade to DDR2-800 when a deal comes along. A review on Newegg says it does support DDR2-800, but does it really run the RAM at 800MHz?
- 2GB Max. Fine for now, but I might want 4GB later, especially if prices drop any more. I have to wonder if 2GB DIMMs definitely don't work in it, or just not common enough to be tested? 945G boards with 4 DIMM slots can support 4GB.
Pros of 965G:
- Native support for DDR2-800.
- Up to 8GB RAM.
Cons:
- Stupid PCIEx1 slot that I can't use for anything so I have to leave out a card.
- Runs hotter, uses more power.
- Poor reviews, but both by people upset about being unable to boot IDE. I use SATA HDD and have an IDE to SATA adapter I can use for the optical drive so no biggie here.
- $30 more expensive.
I'm pretty set on the MSI board if I went 945G because if a 3 PCI version exists, that's what I want. If I go G965, then brand doesn't matter as long as it's mATX. Thoughts?
I am having trouble deciding between one with the 945G or G965.
More specifically, a MSI 945GM3-F or G965M-FIR. I will NOT be using the onboard video as I will be reusing my nVidia card. Most websites I've seen say there is very little performance difference between the two. I will be attempting a simple overclock of the E4300, just going to a 266FSB to run it at 2.4GHz. Any board should be able to handle this I think, I don't mind if the BIOS doesn't make it easy - performing a pad mod is no problem to me. I will be using 2GB of DDR2-667.
Pros of 945G (specifically the MSI board) are:
- 3 PCI slots, I could really use all of them.
- Great reviews.
- Uses less power.
- $30 less.
Cons:
- Only supports up to DDR2-667, with RAM prices plummeting right now, I might want to upgrade to DDR2-800 when a deal comes along. A review on Newegg says it does support DDR2-800, but does it really run the RAM at 800MHz?
- 2GB Max. Fine for now, but I might want 4GB later, especially if prices drop any more. I have to wonder if 2GB DIMMs definitely don't work in it, or just not common enough to be tested? 945G boards with 4 DIMM slots can support 4GB.
Pros of 965G:
- Native support for DDR2-800.
- Up to 8GB RAM.
Cons:
- Stupid PCIEx1 slot that I can't use for anything so I have to leave out a card.
- Runs hotter, uses more power.
- Poor reviews, but both by people upset about being unable to boot IDE. I use SATA HDD and have an IDE to SATA adapter I can use for the optical drive so no biggie here.
- $30 more expensive.
I'm pretty set on the MSI board if I went 945G because if a 3 PCI version exists, that's what I want. If I go G965, then brand doesn't matter as long as it's mATX. Thoughts?
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