Please help me choose a motherboard for my new quiet system. I've listed my just-purchased components for this system below and the mobo specs I think I need in parentheses. My old system is about 5 years old and I can't see re-using any of the parts in my new build (except my HP 6L old faithful parallel printer).
To narrow the scope of recommendations I am going for H67 boards because that is the whole attraction (to me) of the Sandy Bridge platform. So I don't need expansion slots for discrete GPU(s) and I also don't need any OC capabilities. I don't think I need ATI/Crossfire support nor firewire ports. I do, however, need two DVI/D-Sub ports for my dual monitor setup. I think I will need 3 SATA-2 connectors for my SSD, HDD and DVD.
Maybe I am being premature but both Gigabyte and Asus have their specs listed and the sense I get is that both these manufacturers make decent boards.
Comparison of Gigabyte H67 Boards with D-Sub/DVI
ASUS H67 Boards (couldn't get a URL of the comparison chart)
New parts
RAM: G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL Ripjaws 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1333 (2 slots)
HDD0: OCZ Vertex 2 Sandforce 120GB 2.5in SATA2 SSD (SATA 2 slot)
HDD1: WD Green 1TB (64MB Cache) (SATA 2 slot)
HSF: Noctua NH-U12P (cpu fan header)
Monitors: 2 x Samsung E2220X 21.5in LCDs (1 D-SUB + 1 DVI)
Mouse: Logitech M510 (USB 2.0/1.1)
KB: Logitech K120 (USB 2.0/1.1)
Case: Antec Solo (ATX vs mATX ?)
PSU: Seasonic X-460FL (8pin vs 4pin ?)
To buy
MOBO: 1155 H67 (on board graphics, support above)
CPU: i5 2400 (possibly 2500 but not K,S or T models)
DVD: TBD (SATA 2 slot)
Expansion card for old parallel HP6L printer?
So, this is about as far as I can take the buying decision and I would appreciate your advice in narrowing down the options.
Thanks
MOD EDIT: We have a forum specifically for motherboards for a reason. - Zap
To narrow the scope of recommendations I am going for H67 boards because that is the whole attraction (to me) of the Sandy Bridge platform. So I don't need expansion slots for discrete GPU(s) and I also don't need any OC capabilities. I don't think I need ATI/Crossfire support nor firewire ports. I do, however, need two DVI/D-Sub ports for my dual monitor setup. I think I will need 3 SATA-2 connectors for my SSD, HDD and DVD.
Maybe I am being premature but both Gigabyte and Asus have their specs listed and the sense I get is that both these manufacturers make decent boards.
Comparison of Gigabyte H67 Boards with D-Sub/DVI
ASUS H67 Boards (couldn't get a URL of the comparison chart)
New parts
RAM: G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL Ripjaws 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1333 (2 slots)
HDD0: OCZ Vertex 2 Sandforce 120GB 2.5in SATA2 SSD (SATA 2 slot)
HDD1: WD Green 1TB (64MB Cache) (SATA 2 slot)
HSF: Noctua NH-U12P (cpu fan header)
Monitors: 2 x Samsung E2220X 21.5in LCDs (1 D-SUB + 1 DVI)
Mouse: Logitech M510 (USB 2.0/1.1)
KB: Logitech K120 (USB 2.0/1.1)
Case: Antec Solo (ATX vs mATX ?)
PSU: Seasonic X-460FL (8pin vs 4pin ?)
To buy
MOBO: 1155 H67 (on board graphics, support above)
CPU: i5 2400 (possibly 2500 but not K,S or T models)
DVD: TBD (SATA 2 slot)
Expansion card for old parallel HP6L printer?
So, this is about as far as I can take the buying decision and I would appreciate your advice in narrowing down the options.
Thanks
MOD EDIT: We have a forum specifically for motherboards for a reason. - Zap
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