Anyone have any suggestions on any particular ASUS motherboards? My dad just gave me $200 for work that I did for him a while ago & I wanna use the $$ to get a better motherboard. Also right now I have a p4 cpu but may upgrade to core 2 duo unless anyone has any other suggestions on a certain AM2 cpu. Ill admit that ive never had an AMD cpu & motherboard for that matter (but my dad does on his notebook which i dont mind). Anyways, any & all comments & suggestions are welcome so I would really like to hear what everyone has to say.
Discussion on motherboards
- Thread starter pillar
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Well I don't think upgrading your motherboard is the most cost effective solution in most situations. I think a new motherboard is only good for new interfaces (like new CPU socket, PCIe-2.0, etc) and things like getting more memory, a better graphics card, is probably better, considering you only have 200$ (in the world of hardware, $200 is not much)
Anyways, could you tell me what you're current system stats are and what you're trying to accomplish?
Anyways, could you tell me what you're current system stats are and what you're trying to accomplish?
Well im glad you asked. The reason im asking for both information is because im looking to give my current motherboard & cpu 2 a friend of mine so that 1 of my gamer friends & i can get her into playing guild wars. So therefore, i would need a new cpu & mobo. Right now, I have a p4 3.2 ghz (no overclocking) & an asus p5g motherboard.
I suggest the ASUS P5N-D. Its a new nvidia 750i chipset mobo so that means it will work with the latest intel 45nm, and it also has PCI-E 2.0 tech as well as SLI. For about 180 bucks how can you go wrong?
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=627&l4=0&model=2033&modelmenu=1
(For another cheap, good SLI rig mobo, the P5N-E SLI is a nice low cost mobo based off the older nvidia 650i chipset)
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=627&l4=0&model=2033&modelmenu=1
(For another cheap, good SLI rig mobo, the P5N-E SLI is a nice low cost mobo based off the older nvidia 650i chipset)
hey mr q, not quite sure if i said this before, but im gonna give my current mobo & cpu to 1 of my friends so that we can get her into playin guild wars. besides im due for an upgrade in the cpu area as it is. also i got an email from a local computer store telling me that theyre sellin refurb machine from $199. the cpu's werent bad, but the memory is last gen so id rather give my friend current gen memory. also just a lil fyi, the $200 will only go towards the mobo, not the cpu. ill be waiting for my income tax return to get the cpu.
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Depending on your other parts, specifically RAM and Video Card, you might run into some problems upgrading just your mobo and CPU. I currently have a similar problem where one of the mobo's on an older p4 machine has died. The memory for that mobo is DDR and the video card is AGP. I'm having a hell of a time locating a vendor who sells 478socket motherboards with DDR and AGP. They just don't make them anymore.
Basically, the P4 3.2 is a prescott correct? You'll likely need to overhaul your entire system if you buy a new mobo. Again, without your complete setup, this is an assumption. Good luck.
Basically, the P4 3.2 is a prescott correct? You'll likely need to overhaul your entire system if you buy a new mobo. Again, without your complete setup, this is an assumption. Good luck.
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I used to be a hardcore ASUS fan, but their boards have been plagued with problems the last few years. Before you buy any, dig around online and see how easily you can find issues in regard to it. If you find a glut of issues with relative ease, it's probably not a safe bet.
My last few systems have been built on MSI and I've been very happy.
But I digress.
As Tiddy said, there are a lot more concerns than just the processor. Is your current RAM compatible? Does the new motherboard have the correct slots for all your peripherals and are they arranged in such a way that all your peripherals will fit? Does it have the correct hard drive support? These are all questions you have to ask.
Encountered a motherboard just this month with only a single IDE channel, if you have more than 2 IDE devices that motherboard wouldn't work for you.
My last few systems have been built on MSI and I've been very happy.
But I digress.
As Tiddy said, there are a lot more concerns than just the processor. Is your current RAM compatible? Does the new motherboard have the correct slots for all your peripherals and are they arranged in such a way that all your peripherals will fit? Does it have the correct hard drive support? These are all questions you have to ask.
Encountered a motherboard just this month with only a single IDE channel, if you have more than 2 IDE devices that motherboard wouldn't work for you.
Ok, heres some more information for you guys. My current config has the p4 3.2 ghz cpu. I dont care bout the cpu anymore. I am going to go dual-core so lets stop talking bout that please. Also when it comes to the motherboards, I did some research on this one motherboard that was recommended on newegg & found that it only had 4 eggs based on like 700+ comments so i checked it out. They were all talking bout issues w/ overclocking (which I plan to do with my future dual-core). Also when it comes to memory, my current memory is ddr2 (which is current). The reason i talked about ddr is because a local store had a decent machine for sale & its memory was ddr. Anyways if you have a suggestion on a better motherboard im all ears for it.
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DDR2 is not specific enough to pick out a motherboard. What speed is it?
How many IDE channels do you need? How many SATA channels?
How many PCI do you need? How many PCI-E x16 do you need?
Do you need AGP? Do you need ISA? *waxes nostalgic for his old ISA sound card*
How big is your case? Can it handle a full board or do you need a mini?
And I mean no disrespect, but if you're planning on overclocking but are "not interested in the diff nvidia graphics chipsets" then I'd really suggest not overclocking at all. Frankly, overclocking without a decently firm grasp of the various components of your system is terribly dangerous. Overclocking is not throwing a switch and making it 'go faster'. It's a delicate balance of increasing the bus speed, tweaking the RAM timings, varying voltage to the CPU/RAM/Northbridge, and several other variables. Heck, given your displayed lack of understanding of computer components, you're probably better off buying from Dell or one of their competitors and never opening the case.
How many IDE channels do you need? How many SATA channels?
How many PCI do you need? How many PCI-E x16 do you need?
Do you need AGP? Do you need ISA? *waxes nostalgic for his old ISA sound card*
How big is your case? Can it handle a full board or do you need a mini?
And I mean no disrespect, but if you're planning on overclocking but are "not interested in the diff nvidia graphics chipsets" then I'd really suggest not overclocking at all. Frankly, overclocking without a decently firm grasp of the various components of your system is terribly dangerous. Overclocking is not throwing a switch and making it 'go faster'. It's a delicate balance of increasing the bus speed, tweaking the RAM timings, varying voltage to the CPU/RAM/Northbridge, and several other variables. Heck, given your displayed lack of understanding of computer components, you're probably better off buying from Dell or one of their competitors and never opening the case.
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Lafinass is right. Unless we know your complete system setup, we can't really recommend anything, or there might be a conflit.
Oh, and btw, tiddy, last year during spring cleaning, I found a complete prescott based intel system in someone's trash , DDR memory and AGP graphics and all
(it was complete including GeForce FX card and P4, except for a hard drive)
It's now my secondary rig. :0 I feel lucky
Oh, and btw, tiddy, last year during spring cleaning, I found a complete prescott based intel system in someone's trash , DDR memory and AGP graphics and all
(it was complete including GeForce FX card and P4, except for a hard drive)It's now my secondary rig. :0 I feel lucky
well ill admit that my knowledge of computer technology may be a little bit lacking, but right now my current motherboard has 1 pci-e x16 slot, i think like 4 pci slots, no isa slots, my current ddr2 memory is pc6400, 3 ide channels & 4 sata channels, both the case & the mobo is mATX, but have considered upgradin 2 full tower for better airflow or switch 2 a diff mATX case (my case doesnt provide the best amount of airflow since the hard drive area is twisted to have the hard drives facing towards me & creates an issue w/ cooling of the hard drive). also the difference between the 650i & 750i is not that much unless you can give me proof. also i plan to switch all of my current config to the newer mobo & cpu. just so ya no laugh, i know that overclocking isnt a matter of flippin the switch, i know that its a very delicate process & thats why ive been holding it off all this time til i could get nuff $$ to get a better mobo & cpu. also im gonna have my friend who is a business technology major @ uta that will help me with that stuff since he knows more bout the stuff than i do.
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well how many IDE channels do you need? because if you are looking at the 650/750i, then you must know that they both only have 1 ide channel for a total of 2 devices(drives). If you want, you can look at the AMD spyder setup, although it's not as powerful in terms of pure GHZ, the whole system is designed as a whole, and it allows you to software overclock it if you don't want to mess with the BIOS.
I agree. Unless you know the ends and outs of all your components, what their tolerances are and their speeds you cannot begin to overclock. I know I tried.
Like off the top of my head (Not looking) I know the heat tolerence for my CPU is 95C with normal loads being about 50C OCed at 3ghz and the vid about 1.3 volts (accounting for vdroop), that my ram modules work at 1.8 volts to get a 4-4-4-12 timings at 667mhz, and the GPU has a heat tolerence of about 80C and runs 16x on the PCI-E slot.
That's not showing off, that's just stuff you need to know. It took me a month to make my build, and even longer to know how to overclock it properly.
Also @hidden question my 650i chipset P5N-E SLI has two IDE headers allowing two devices apiece.
On top of all that if you really want to know more talk to the guys at overclock.net. They know what they are doing in regards to OCing your build.
Like off the top of my head (Not looking) I know the heat tolerence for my CPU is 95C with normal loads being about 50C OCed at 3ghz and the vid about 1.3 volts (accounting for vdroop), that my ram modules work at 1.8 volts to get a 4-4-4-12 timings at 667mhz, and the GPU has a heat tolerence of about 80C and runs 16x on the PCI-E slot.
That's not showing off, that's just stuff you need to know. It took me a month to make my build, and even longer to know how to overclock it properly.
Also @hidden question my 650i chipset P5N-E SLI has two IDE headers allowing two devices apiece.
On top of all that if you really want to know more talk to the guys at overclock.net. They know what they are doing in regards to OCing your build.
Well if you want to get a new motherboard, get the [link=hyperlink url]Evga 680i Motherboard[/link]. It is one of the best motherboards out there. It supports most of the cpu sockets today and it also has 2 pciex16 slots just in case you want to sli.
