A decent G45/G47 chipset motherboard

[meloz]

Hello everyone!

I have been reading these forums and the websites for few days, joined today.

I am planning to build a new computer using the cheapest Intel Core2Duo processor E7200 (in 45nm). Since I do not play 'heavy' or modern games (just simple flash games sometimes), I was thinking that something with onboard video will be more affordable.

I was a little confused so used wikipedia list of Intel chipsets, and it seems to me that the G45 or G47 offer the best solution. The fact that they can playback HD video is a plus for me too.

However, when I check the manufacturer's websites, they do not list this particular chipset *at all*. You can see tens of motherboards based on 9xx chipsets, X48, P45, but not G45/G47.

Why is this? Has the product been discontinued? Do these type of chipsets not sell well? I think they should, because not everyone needs a dedicated video card. What alternative do I have to this particular chipset?

Also, do the motherboards with onboard videos overclock decently? I am planning to overclock the 2.53 GHz processor to somewhere ~3.4 GHz. Does the type of video chipset affect overclock ability?

Finally, what is a good brand of motherboard that overclocks well? Are ASRock products considered good? Essentially, I am looking to save on cost by getting the cheapest motherboard with required features.

Thank you!

 

[tomt4535]

The G45 is brand new. They havent showed up yet in the retail channels. If you want to overclock, especially that high, you probably dont want to go with a motherboard with onboard video. Get a nice P45 or P35 board and a cheapo video card. They can be found for $130-$150, and low end video cards are cheap. The cheapest motherboard isnt always the best. saving some money now most likley will cost you more money in the long run because you bought crap components.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: meloz
Finally, what is a good brand of motherboard that overclocks well? Are ASRock products considered good? Essentially, I am looking to save on cost by getting the cheapest motherboard with required features.

Then you'll want to avoid the premium that G45 will carry when it arrives. Rather than spend $150+ for G45, look to spend $80 ~ $100 for a board with equivalent features such as CPU, RAM, and storage support, then toss in a cheap $25.00 graphics card that offers superior graphics performance and video decoding than G45 will offer.

ASRock strikes a great balance between value and features. Nothing wrong with ASRock at all.