Recommend me a mobo and memory

[munga]

The forums were very helpful to me a year ago when I built my first rig. Now I'm back building for a friend and would like some mobo recommendations. Here's what I have so far:

USES: This will be a home computer, running XP home, doing basic Office stuff, and playing the latest games, but not at ultra high settings. Moderate CD and DVD burning, some song and picture storage, but not a ton. It will be connected to the internet via cable modem. There will be no overclocking or RAID. Performance and stability at a good price point is probably the biggest concern from the parts as I don't want to do a lot of service.

PARTS SO FAR:
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.2Ghz) (probably socket 939)
MSI nVidia GeForce 6600GT (probably PCIe)
WD Raptor 36GB hard drive
WD 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive
Sony Internal 16X DVD+/-RW / Double Layer Drive Black, Model DW-D22A-B2, OEM
Antec Sonata w/power supply (350W I think)

Okay, so my mobo questions are 1) socket 939 for the processor is more future proof, right (leaning that way already); 2) PCIe for the vid card (ditto); 3) does the mobo determine single channel vs dual channel memory usage; and 4) I should match the memory to the mobo mfg recommendations, or just go with corsair value ram (or is that crucial; I get them confused)?

I'm looking at the MSI K8T Neo FSR (K8T800) recommended for the sharkeyextreme value gaming rig and GIGABYTE "GA-K8NS-939" I found on a build guide here. Am I doing ok or shooting myself in the foot somewhere?

 

[Jotho]

For hard drives, I'm pretty sure this comp would be better suited having a 120-160GB 7,200 RPM SATA drive instead of the mini-Raptor and WD 80GB. Also, the Sonata comes with a Antec TruePower 380w

 

[Crescent13]

Make sure that is 90nm 3200+.
Get a 6800GT, you will be much happier.
The 36gb raptor is about the same speed as a good 7200 rpm SATA drive, if you want more speed, get the 74gb raptor, even though it still won't make much of a difference except in PCMARK.
Good DVD burner.
Nice case and PSU.

You can overclock pretty good with the corsair value ram. Get socket 939. Want to save money, try this mobo. Theese are just my suggestions, get a few more opinions before you buy.

Edit: Sorry, didn't see the "no overclocking". Value select is still good ram.

 

[Crescent13]

Sorry, hit quote instead of edit.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

How about a DFI ultra-D and skipping the raptor in favor of spending the cash on upgrading from a 6600gt to a radeon X800XL?

If you get a 754 processor and motherboard, you get single channel. 939 gets you dual channel capability.
939 and PCI-e is the more future proof solution.
Corsair value ram is a good choice in most cases, just make sure the motherboard you choose isn't picky about having valueram.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

The two motherboards you listed are AGP. There's nothing wrong with that, but if you want the most options for upgradability, then PCI-e is the way to go.
You'll still be able to get another generation of AGP cards though probably.

Some budget 939 boards with PCI-e are:
MSI radeon chipset
Chaintech NF4 ultra

 

[munga]

Originally posted by: Jotho
For hard drives, I'm pretty sure this comp would be better suited having a 120-160GB 7,200 RPM SATA drive instead of the mini-Raptor and WD 80GB. Also, the Sonata comes with a Antec TruePower 380w

Thanks for the response.

My thoughts on the HD setup is to partition the raptor for OS and heavy use programs (read: games) and use the IDE drive for general storage, similar to what I did a year ago. Are you suggesting the single SATA is more cost effective and provides similar performance? I do like the idea of separating the OS from user data for brute force problem fixes, but cost is certainly a factor.

 

[munga]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
The two motherboards you listed are AGP. There's nothing wrong with that, but if you want the most options for upgradability, then PCI-e is the way to go.
You'll still be able to get another generation of AGP cards though probably.

Some budget 939 boards with PCI-e are:
MSI radeon chipset
Chaintech NF4 ultra

Excellent! Thank you.