Which Motherboard should I get?

[EarthBoy]

I was wondering which motherboard I should get. There is the Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L:
http://canadacomputers.com/ind...&pid=018661&cid=MB.157

and theres the MSI P45 Neo-F:
http://canadacomputers.com/ind...&pid=018892&cid=MB.157

Im a casual user, so no extreme OC required. Which is better in terms of features and stablility?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Between the two, I'm not impressed with the documentation from Gigabyte and their customer service doesn't have a very good rep. I 'd have to do some more research on the the Intel board but the fact that it's out of stock might say something. I was a long time customer of ABIT until they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar and have since switched to ASUS.

I just built my wife a new machine. She mostly wanted it to game (she's a WoW freak) and to store pictures of our Grandson. I installed http://canadacomputers.com/ind...&pid=013075&cid=MB.526 since her box is a "micro" ATX. A lot depends on your other pieces parts and how nice they play together. Since she needs more graphics power I also installed the VGA ASUS EN8600GT Magic/HTP/512m RT. Not the latest or greatest (I'm just not into the "bleeding" edge. I like having the other folks spend the big bucks to beta test stuff) but sufficient for what she'll need. Have you purchased all your other bits??

 

[Sylvanas]

The Neo F. There is little reason to buy a P35 now that P45's have been released and are staying at a decent price, I have had good experiences with MSI's support and products over the years so they would get the nod from me.

 

[EarthBoy]

Is MSI a reliable brand though? As good as Gigabyte?

 

[tenax]

i've had very good luck with both gigabyte and msi..msi was never considered to be the "overclocking nuts" board..but were known for rock solid dependable boards. i've had 3 of them..2 of them have moved on (sold to upgrade to newer chipset and for no other reason), i still have one that i've had for 5 years and it's running rock solid.

i've been a gigabyte fan as well with a lot of luck with them, until, i bought a p35 ds4 last fall and my q9450 wasn't recognized so it sits in a drawer waiting for a rebuild with a dual core one day. i moved on to an abit ip35pro which has been a decent board but problematic for some and i have not been thrilled with the bios updates. i'm now moving onto an asus p5q with a p45 chipset. variety is the spice of life, but asus, gigabyte and msi have been my most frequently bought brands.

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: EarthBoy
Is MSI a reliable brand though? As good as Gigabyte?

Of course. MSI, Asus, Giga and Foxconn are the four biggest manufactures around and of my last 6 boards, 3 have been MSI- see my earlier comments. :thumbsup:

 

[plion]

nevermind, delete me pls = )

 

[toadeater]

The MSI is a pretty good deal at that price.