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What motherboard to buy? hmmm

JPB

JPB

Diamond Member
Ok, Im in the market for a new motherboard. And I'm not sure what to get. I know what I need in one....and there are alot of choices. Just cannot decide on one. Im looking at either Abit, Asus, Gigabyte. The only thing I really need is pci-express and 939. Decided to post this here to see what you all think. I know what motherboards has, like I said...just cannot decide. So...from your experiences...what would you all buy?

Oh, and can you all recommend a cpu also. Im looking to spend around $200 U.S on one?
 
You can spend less then 200 for the top motherboards today. If you are into overclocking, then you should get DFI lanparty, if want stable board and good overclocking ABIT fatality, one that is also very good is MSI NEO4 PLATINUM. The msi one is alot cheaper then the first 2.
 
Actually it was $200 for a cpu. Not the motherboard. Doesnt matter what I pay for the mobo
 
I'd honestly save yourself some $ and go with the Asus A8N-E.. I have one at home and I absolutely love it so far.

Zero problems, very inexpensive... quite a good layout too! I am very, very happy with my choice on the A8N-E. Great board.

For $200, you'd be looking at used Venice/Winchester 3500's (MAYBE a 3700 if you are really lucky) or NEW Venice 3200's.
 
Seems like theres 1000 threads asking the same question every week, but...


:beer: Epox 9NPA+
:beer: ASUS A8N-E

Epox is the cheapest, on sale for $95 on newegg. Of course people are selling A8N-E's for $80 shipped here on forums as well so...
 
Go with EPoX or MSI, offer great stability, overclocking, and for the prices, you can't go wrong.

I wouldn't recommend that ECS, not a well known brand
 
epox or asus (i'm personally gonna buy the a8n-e because A: asus customer support, B: if i get a dual slot video card or put on a cooler, all 3 pcie slots are still there 🙂)

most boards are good, but those 2 seem to be very popular. the dfi too...
 
Originally posted by: vanvock
You didn't say what you wanted to do with it but I'd say the EPOX or MSI would suit you.
Click to expand...

Well, I just do about anything with the mobo...overclock. ( sometimes ) but mostly into heavy gaming...
 
What kind of RAM would you suggest? ANd what about my power supply? It's a Thermaltake 420 Purepower...is it enough? Or do I need more?
 
If you already have those components I wouldn't get a DFI. You're going to have problems with both.

That PSU is officially underpowered (so no DFI support) and it doesn't have a native 24-pin adapter.

Corsair value RAM is notoriously problematic on DFI boards.

Post a thread in the for sale/trade forums if you want to sell your chip!
 
Originally posted by: Fresh Daemon
If you already have those components I wouldn't get a DFI. You're going to have problems with both.

That PSU is officially underpowered (so no DFI support) and it doesn't have a native 24-pin adapter.

Corsair value RAM is notoriously problematic on DFI boards.

Post a thread in the for sale/trade forums if you want to sell your chip!
Click to expand...

I have the 24 pin adaptors here. 2 of them actually, my Abit AN8 has the 24 pin...so no problems there I guess. Running the 24 pin on my psu now ..
 
I have the 24 pin adaptors here.
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter. Native 24-pin PSU's have additional power cables to handle the extra amps. 20-24 adapters just fake the connectors for those extra cables without putting the cables themselves in place, so they really do nothing. In fact, their net effect is negative, although infinitesimally so, because they don't add any power, they just create more parasitic loss from extra length of cabling and connectors (unless your cables are superconductors bathed in liquid nitrogen, every millimeter of cable and every molex pin saps some power).

It's like a car with a big engine and a large exhaust pipe versus a car with a small engine and a big muffler. Externally, they appear the same, but one has the guts, and the other doesn't.
 
Yes, that one will be just great. I'm just not sure if you want to put the money into upgrading your PSU and RAM so you can run a DFI board, though. It is the best, but I don't think the difference between it and the Epox is enough to justify the extra cost!
 
unless you really like the modular, get the powerstream, not the modstream. of course there are other imo beter options but thats been discussed way too much.

as for the length or the heat of the 7800 or r520, if you do get the ultra-d you can always run the card in the second pci-e 16x slot so that its not directly over the chipset. it saved me ~5c on the chipset.

and get some decent ocz or mushkin for the dfi board, anything but corsair 😉
 
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