Need help with motherboard and cpu

[sneakerpimp1977]

I'm putting a computer together and haven't done it in a long time. So I'm here to ask for your recommendations. Thanks for any help that you can give me.

In terms of CPU, I'm thinking of buying the AMD 64 3400 or the 3200. The price difference between the two are about $100. Is that extra speed worth $100? I also saw there are two different types of the AMD64. There is the Socket939 and the 1600. Is there a difference? Does it matter and if so which is better? Also, do I need to buy a heatsink for the cpu? Can u recommend a heatsink?

Now for the motherboard. Can you guys recommend one for me base on the AMD64 cpu.
Addtional criterias:
-S ATA capalbe since i have a sata hd
-EIDE capable , i have a dvd rw that's eide
-pci express (optional)
-supports ddr2 dual channel 533mhz (optional)
-LAN/sound already on mobo


Thanks guys. I hope that's not too much to ask for.

 

[mechBgon]

You're not going to see any AMD motherboards using DDR2 for a while. I think the nForce4 boards will suit your purposes with DDR400 when they arrive, but it's not quite yet.

You wouldn't happen to be named Chris, by any chance? A guess based on your username...

 

[sneakerpimp1977]

hehe. Sorry but i'm not chris.

But i did change the specs. What about a motherboard without ddr2 support?

And is the PCI express worth it? i can't even find a geforce6800gt with a pci express.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: sneakerpimp1977
hehe. Sorry but i'm not chris.

But i did change the specs. What about a motherboard without ddr2 support?

And is the PCI express worth it? i can't even find a geforce6800gt with a pci express.

Since PCI Express is where stuff is going, it would give you an upgrade path past the 6800GT without changing motherboards, and that's the main attraction (along with the ability to do SLI if you want to pay the premium... my guess is those will settle around $200-225 after the initial "gotta-have-one-NOW" stampede settles down).

 

[stevty2889]

You won't find an AMD motherboard with DDR2 support, because AMD uses an on die memory controller. Until AMD decides ddr2 is worth it, which at this point it is not, you won't find an amd board that can support DDR2.

 

[Icepick]

Originally posted by: sneakerpimp1977
I'm putting a computer together and haven't done it in a long time. So I'm here to ask for your recommendations. Thanks for any help that you can give me.

Also, do I need to buy a heatsink for the cpu? Can u recommend a heatsink?

You don't need to buy a separate heatsink. The retail version of the CPU comes with a heatsink and fan.


Do yourself a favor and read this article. Anandtech already did the work for you.
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2282
Or this one for recommendations for a mid-range system.
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2250