Mobo for an E8400

[fatdragondzc]

I was just confused as in what board I should get. I read and heard bits and pieces of info about it and it just got me more confused. People have told me that some boards don't support the new 45nm cpus out of the box. Since I don't know how to flash BIOS I'd rather get a board that works out of the box.

My setup is going to be:
C2D E8400
G. Skill 4GB(2x2GB) DDR2 800 (will switch if the mobo needs something other than this)
Seagate 750GB 16MB buffer SATA
9800GTX(might get a 8800GTS instead if it goes over budget)

Any suggestions are appreciated. Modifications of any sort is also aprreciated .

 

[Winterpool]

Any P35 board that sustains high sales velocity (eg the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L or the fondly remembered Abit IP35-E) should probably come with a new enough BIOS that you'll at least be able to POST your Wolfdale and flash to a more recent BIOS for optimal performance (you can flash with a USB Flash drive these days, which makes the whole thing about 1000x more tolerable to my mind). If you buy from a high sales volume retailer (eg Newegg) almost certainly you'll get a BIOS not more than one or two versions old.

In a worst-case scenario, you can take the board to a local computer shop, who will flash the BIOS for you (no, it's likely not a free service, unless they're buddies of yours).

Or you could simply wait for P45 boards.

Note: very few punters find the 9800 GTX worthwhile at current prices. 8800 GTS or a very discounted 8800 GT is the sweet spot. If you wait until the summer, who knows... If you want general advice on your build, create a thread in 'General Hardware' and follow the guidelines in the sticky.

 

[ra990]

If you don't want to overclock, then I recommend the Intel DP35DP board. I just built a PC with an E8400 paired with it, and it is very good so far. No complaints.

RA

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Yes, you can flash your mobo bios using a flash drive on an Asus mobo these days. It's called EZ Flash. Install the USB flash drive, boot up, press F2 during boot, and the program should take you through the rest. Don't forget to put the .ROM file on the bios

I despise floppy drives as I have had trouble with them 99% of the time I try-n-use one. I've always built my own pc's and never kept a floppy drive installed.

 

[fatdragondzc]

Originally posted by: BTRY B 529th FA BN
Yes, you can flash your mobo bios using a flash drive on an Asus mobo these days. It's called EZ Flash. Install the USB flash drive, boot up, press F2 during boot, and the program should take you through the rest. Don't forget to put the .ROM file on the bios

I despise floppy drives as I have had trouble with them 99% of the time I try-n-use one. I've always built my own pc's and never kept a floppy drive installed.

I have'nt installed a floppy drive since my 2nd rig, this would be my 5th I think. I might have to read up on this flashing thing.

 

[fatdragondzc]

P45 mobos
After reading this im just going to wait for the new P45 chipset mobos. =P

 

[Winterpool]

Heh, be ready to spend $200+!