Need help getting a motherboard

[Thorgrim]

Here is what I have:

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor - Retail

Newegg.com - XFX GeForce 7900GT PVT71GUQL3 Video Card - Retail

Newegg.com - CORSAIR 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE 120GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Now I need a cheap, reliable motherboard that will handle those items

Everything I see seems to have DDR2 weird problem(unknown whether it will take DDR2 533), or BIOS problems, or is so unclear from the review I have no idea what works with what

[JaJae]

If they take DDR800 it should run slower memory no problem.

As for a motherboad. I think the Intel 965 chipset is the best bang for the buck right now for core 2 duo. But I'm not 100% sure. Look into Asus and Intel brand motherboards.

[Thorgrim]

Newegg.com - Intel BOXDP965LTCK ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

would that work?

[WickedLou9]

Asus P5NSLI NVIDIA Socket 775 ATX Motherboard Audio PCI Express SLI Ready Gigabit LAN SPDIF USB 2.0 Serial ATA RAID at TigerDirect.com

Asus P5NSLI NVIDIA Socket 775 ATX Motherboard

[JaJae]

Yes Thorgrim that will work. Lou linked to this board:

Newegg.com - ASUS P5NSLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

It's based on the nVidia 570 chipset which is a steal if you're looking to ever run SLI. If not I recommend an Intel chipset personally.

[Thorgrim]

I didn't see the need to run SLI considering another vcard will always be 150 at the lowest, and the improvements are not much compared to upgrading to a 8800 in the future

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

I didn't see the need to run SLI considering another vcard will always be 150 at the lowest, and the improvements are not much compared to upgrading to a 8800 in the future

If you upgrade your video card once a year you'll most likely get more performance from just buying a new card in the future.

The 8xxx series will be worth upgrading to though, it's the first series that allows for DirectX 10. Getting SLI for anything DX9 makes no sense right now. And even then just buying one card and replacing when it's obsolete is the cheaper and more effective way to get decent graphics. Your frame rates will be about the same, but you'll get the updated shaders, DirectX support, etc which will make your games look better. I'm pretty sure the 570 chipset only runs the two cards at 8x anyway. It's not "true" SLI, but it is SLI.

[Thorgrim]

so considering
A) I'm never gonna SLI
B) I'm never going to overclock anything (im too cautious of a person)

The Intel board i picked out is the best choice?

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

so considering
A) I'm never gonna SLI
B) I'm never going to overclock anything (im too cautious of a person)

The Intel board i picked out is the best choice?

If you're on a budget, it's a very solid choice. Intel makes the most reliable boards and the chipsets with the least "issues". An Intel board with an Intel chipset is the most reliable way to build an Intel CPU pc. Asus is not far behind at all and the nvidia chipsets are getting very good. The 570 chipset is a bit older and has some issues, the 590 was a huge improvement, but because of the SLI support, it comes at a higher price.

If you haven't already bought the harddrive, I recommend Seagate over WD. Corsair makes excellent memory (DDR2 800 would be better), and XFX makes quality video cards.. solid choices there.

Back to motherboard chipsets, the P965 is the best bang for the buck if you're not gonna run SLI. the G965 has on board video which you won't need. The 975 is a bit pricey and isn't for a people on a budget.

If you want to ditch the intel chipset and go with nvidia, the 570 is the best "bargain" if you're not going to be running SLI. The 590 and 600 series are a bit expensive again. For $100 you can't beat the board you selected as far as compatibility, performance and reliability are concerend. If you want more features over the basic board you selected, you'll have to pay more. The 975 chipset by intel has SLI support, but if you have no plans of running it, I don't see justifying how it's twice the price. It's not twice as good.

Just make sure your memory is compatible with the board you selected. Some Intel boards are finicky.

[Thorgrim]

That's a regular good port for my ethernet? i know some older MB didn't have network cards built-in to the MB

[JaJae]

Yes that would be your ethernet port.

[JaJae]

And the board will work with your memory:

This highly-adaptable board also delivers support for up to 8 GB dual-channel DDR2 800/667/533 memory with Fast Memory Access technology for greater platform response.

[Thorgrim]

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE 250GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

i was going to get that...

250gb, 3.0gbs SATA (which the intel mobo im getting supports)
At $70...its a steal...about Seagate .10, i saw reviews complaining about a lot of people having problems with the heat being insane

Should be great for gaming and porn storage

[JaJae]

Newegg reviews aren't reliable. Listening to newegg reviewers on computer parts is like taking advice from a liberal on the economy. It's not a very good idea.

Factor in the shipping/free shipping costs as well.

[Thorgrim]

I just ordered everything, 601 after rebate, not too bad

I should use SATA not IDE...?...its a gaming computer

[JaJae]

Always use SATA over IDE if you have the option.

[Thorgrim]

alright, well thanks, ill see how it comes together in a few weeks

[motivez]

I like Seagate as well. Best warranty out there. 5 years! On a hard drive, that's insane.

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by motivez

I like Seagate as well. Best warranty out there. 5 years! On a hard drive, that's insane.

5 years because they know they'll last.

[Diamond Cross]

All you have to do is tie your mother to a board.