I'm Sure you guys get a lot of these questions here. Been scrounging Newegg for the last 3 days on a proper motherboard, but I'm about as indecisive as a quantum qubit here. Building a new rig, and I've got several parts already ordered, and several more in the queue.
Here's what I know I'll build my rig with:
- Intel Q9550 Quad Core2.
- 4GB Corsair Dominator DDR2-1066 (2x 2GB, to start. End goal is 16GB in a few years).
- Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 Video card. (Not much of a gamer; don't like the heating issues reported on the 4xxx).
- 3ware 9650-SE 4LPML Sata RAID.
- Auzentech 7.1 Sound
Undecided on:
- Motherboard.
- PSU.
- Case.
- CPU Cooling.
Since this is the motherboard forum, I'll focus on that here (but suggestions on Case & PSU welcome!)
Not looking for much, but If I had to list them, the perfect motherboard for me would be something like:
- LGA 775 (for the Q9550)
- <=$150 Price (this is negotiable, though).
- Supports 16GB memory (4x 4GB modules).
- Solid state capacitors.
- Stays cool (I hear the P45 can get warm).
- Basic OC capabilities (for future-proofing, I won't use it right away).
- Connectors, mainly the ATX power, is on the edge (and not in the middle of the board).
- Don't need SLI/Crossfire capabilities (the extra PCIe slot is nice), but PCIe 1x slots should be spaced away from the primary GFX PCIe x16 slot.
- Doesn't need a dozen+ BIOS updates out of the box just to POST or boot an OS.
- Stable.
- Doesn't need a lot of onboard gadgets (but if they're included, won't bother me. I'll just disable'em in BIOS).
Some of the boards I've been pointed at include the Asus P5Q Premium and P5Q Deluxe. The P5Q Pro also looks nice, but they stuck the ATX power connector right above the GFX board, which is pretty dumb, IMHO.
A friend highly recommended the MSI P45 Platinum, which is over $150 a little, but not too much (plus there's a small rebate from Newegg on it). However, that funky NB heatsink the thing has looks too close for comfort for a large CPU cooler solution. For that, I'm leaning towards an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7, but the pictures on Newegg's site suggest this may be too large and bump up against the protruded copper heatsinks on the MSI P45 Platinum. I couldn't find any Google results on someone combining this cooler and board that would've shed light on whether it fits, so I'm hesitant to get it. That's what led me back to looking at motherboards again (i.e., the indecisiveness).
Any thoughts? Mostly looking to build a system to last 3+ years. I know Nehalim's coming out, and if I felt secure waiting AND spending that kind of cash, I'd go for it. But I want some re-coup time on my expenses before Christmas shopping begins, so I figure it's better to grab something good now, and look at Nehalim or something 2 years down the road (by then, we'll probably all be running 16 cores, heh). My current rig is a dual opteron 250, and it's a power hog (but my SGI Octane system beats it by 4W). Time to go a little green and save some energy I figured. That way, I don't feel so bad for running an Octane next to it.
Worth mentioning the other parts, I 'spose:
PSU considerations:
- Modular.
- 750W-850W.
- Won't blow a capacitor when first turned on.
*** Current contender: Antec TPQ-850 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16817371009)
Case considerations:
- 4x 5.25" bays.
- Black.
- No front plate/door/cover.
- Power switch mounted high.
- Mid tower.
- Rolled edges inside (I don't mind shedding blood to build a system, but hey, safety first!).
- Tough (I have a temper, and computers tend to incur my wrath).
*** Current contender: Antec NSK6580B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16811129045)
*** Secondary contender: Rosewill R5605-BK (http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16811147083)
*** Tertiary contender: Rosewill R6AR6-BK (http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16811147044)
Thanks!
Here's what I know I'll build my rig with:
- Intel Q9550 Quad Core2.
- 4GB Corsair Dominator DDR2-1066 (2x 2GB, to start. End goal is 16GB in a few years).
- Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 Video card. (Not much of a gamer; don't like the heating issues reported on the 4xxx).
- 3ware 9650-SE 4LPML Sata RAID.
- Auzentech 7.1 Sound
Undecided on:
- Motherboard.
- PSU.
- Case.
- CPU Cooling.
Since this is the motherboard forum, I'll focus on that here (but suggestions on Case & PSU welcome!)
Not looking for much, but If I had to list them, the perfect motherboard for me would be something like:
- LGA 775 (for the Q9550)
- <=$150 Price (this is negotiable, though).
- Supports 16GB memory (4x 4GB modules).
- Solid state capacitors.
- Stays cool (I hear the P45 can get warm).
- Basic OC capabilities (for future-proofing, I won't use it right away).
- Connectors, mainly the ATX power, is on the edge (and not in the middle of the board).
- Don't need SLI/Crossfire capabilities (the extra PCIe slot is nice), but PCIe 1x slots should be spaced away from the primary GFX PCIe x16 slot.
- Doesn't need a dozen+ BIOS updates out of the box just to POST or boot an OS.
- Stable.
- Doesn't need a lot of onboard gadgets (but if they're included, won't bother me. I'll just disable'em in BIOS).
Some of the boards I've been pointed at include the Asus P5Q Premium and P5Q Deluxe. The P5Q Pro also looks nice, but they stuck the ATX power connector right above the GFX board, which is pretty dumb, IMHO.
A friend highly recommended the MSI P45 Platinum, which is over $150 a little, but not too much (plus there's a small rebate from Newegg on it). However, that funky NB heatsink the thing has looks too close for comfort for a large CPU cooler solution. For that, I'm leaning towards an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7, but the pictures on Newegg's site suggest this may be too large and bump up against the protruded copper heatsinks on the MSI P45 Platinum. I couldn't find any Google results on someone combining this cooler and board that would've shed light on whether it fits, so I'm hesitant to get it. That's what led me back to looking at motherboards again (i.e., the indecisiveness).
Any thoughts? Mostly looking to build a system to last 3+ years. I know Nehalim's coming out, and if I felt secure waiting AND spending that kind of cash, I'd go for it. But I want some re-coup time on my expenses before Christmas shopping begins, so I figure it's better to grab something good now, and look at Nehalim or something 2 years down the road (by then, we'll probably all be running 16 cores, heh). My current rig is a dual opteron 250, and it's a power hog (but my SGI Octane system beats it by 4W). Time to go a little green and save some energy I figured. That way, I don't feel so bad for running an Octane next to it.
Worth mentioning the other parts, I 'spose:
PSU considerations:
- Modular.
- 750W-850W.
- Won't blow a capacitor when first turned on.
*** Current contender: Antec TPQ-850 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16817371009)
Case considerations:
- 4x 5.25" bays.
- Black.
- No front plate/door/cover.
- Power switch mounted high.
- Mid tower.
- Rolled edges inside (I don't mind shedding blood to build a system, but hey, safety first!).
- Tough (I have a temper, and computers tend to incur my wrath).
*** Current contender: Antec NSK6580B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16811129045)
*** Secondary contender: Rosewill R5605-BK (http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16811147083)
*** Tertiary contender: Rosewill R6AR6-BK (http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16811147044)
Thanks!
Facebook
Twitter