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What's a good Core 2 Duo/Quad motherboard for $180?

K

ktchong

Member
I've expanded my search to ALL top manufacturers and not just Asus. I've also increased my budget to around $180.

I really like Asus P5K, but I just want to look at if I can get a significantly better mobo with a different brand and an additional $30. If not, then I'll go for the P5K.

Here are my criteria:

- The motherboard should support Intel Core 2 Duo (65nm and 45nm,) to be upgraded to Core 2 Quad or better later.

- DDR2 memory slots.

- No ATI component. I have had too many bad expriences with ATI RADEON graphic cards in the past.

- More slots, ports and outlets are nice, but not essential. At minimum, the motherboard should support two or three hard drives, a DVD burner, a graphic card, a sound card, a network card, i.e., the basis devices.

- ATX form factor -- it's for a home desktop.

The purposes of this system:

- I will be using Windows XP. It's extremely unlikely that I'll upgrade to Vista, so you should leave Vista out of consideration.

- I will use it mainly for surfing the net, watching torrent movies, and playing games (primarily the upcoming RPGs including Fallout 3, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect trilogy.)

* I will NOT be doing any overclocking.
* I will NOT be playing FPS or any shooter.
* I will NOT be doing any multimedia works.
* I will NOT be doing any complex calculations.

So, this motherboard is for general computing tasks and general gaming. I want it to last, five years or so. I plan to upgrade and swap the components (including the CPU) over the system's lifespan, but the motherboard will stay.
 
Someone from another forum recommended ASUS P5W DH Deluxe because it's a Core 2 Duo board, and it's only a little above my budget of $150.

How does P5W compared to P5K?

Remember: I'm not going to overclock. So any extra going to the benefits of overclocking is just a waste of money in my case.
 
I've expanded my search to ALL top manufacturers and not just Asus. I've also increased my budget to around $180.

I really like Asus P5K, but I just want to look at if I can get a significantly better mobo with a different brand and an additional $30. If not, then I'll go for the P5K.

Please see first post for details.
 
Originally posted by: Eric62
How about this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128059

The money you save could be put towards buying a quad core now, rather than later. The Q6600 is on sale at Fry's.com for $179.
Click to expand...

I would like to buy a better mobo because if I want upgrade to a better CPU, I can always easily replace the CPU. However, if I want to upgrade to a better mobo, that means I will have to replace the whole system and reinstall the whole OS. I'm not even sure if I will be able to buy or reinstall Windows XP again after Microsoft stops supporting it on June 30.

However, I will look into Q6600 because it fits into my CPU budget! (I haven't even started looking into CPU yet.)
 
Originally posted by: ktchong
I've expanded my search to ALL top manufacturers and not just Asus. I've also increased my budget to around $180.

- More slots, ports and outlets are nice, but not essential. At minimum, the motherboard should support two or three hard drives, a DVD burner, a graphic card, a sound card, a network card, i.e., the basis devices.
Click to expand...

Every motherboard fits your needs, as these have all become standard features. You don't have to spend nearly this much money.

I want it to last, five years or so. I plan to upgrade and swap the components (including the CPU) over the system's lifespan, but the motherboard will stay.
Click to expand...

No motherboard "lasts" 5 years. The current round of 45nm C2Quads is the end of the line for every and any motherboard currently on the market.
 
Originally posted by: Foxery
No motherboard "lasts" 5 years. The current round of 45nm C2Quads is the end of the line for every and any motherboard currently on the market.
Click to expand...

I meant reliability and durability. I want the mobo to be reliable and durable. I've never used anything other than original Intel mobos, so I don't know if Asus or Gigabytes makes durable mobos.

I don't want the system/mobo to die on me in three or four years, or give me all sorts of headaches like Xbox 360. 😛
 
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