HELP ME PICK A MOBO

spazticdeath · Sep 4, 2007

I'm upgrading my entire system, and got most of it all picked out except for motherboard......It would be nice to find a mobo that had little issues as possible, but so far i've read alot of issues with the newer p35 boards out there.

I had planed on getting a DUO 2 CORE cpu, runing G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800.

It would be nice if I was somehow able to keep the use of my 3 old ide hard drives and still use the newer board.

SLI is not important to me at all...from what I've seen unless your runing a top end vid cards your realy not gaining much IMO.

My friend says get a P35 mobo, but theres so much out there....any suggestions?

Also, please nothing over say like 200.....some of the board prices out there are realy outrageously crazy exp.

Maziar · Sep 4, 2007

ASUS P5K , ASUS P5K-E , GIGABYTE P35 DS3R , thats if u want to have a board that supports only DDR2 both OCs very nicely

ASUS P5KC , GIGABYTE P35C DS3R , thats if u want a board that supports both DDR2 and DDR3 (although DDR3 is limited to 4GB) ,these board dont OC well as the first 3

spazticdeath · Sep 4, 2007

I've noticed that alot of SLI boards are made well enough, like this one.
I know I said I was looking at the lower range of 200 max, but hell if its gonna be a semi good system, 250 is ok I guess...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130081
MSI P6N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

I think this board is not a P35 or is it? How bad of a step back is it if its not a P35 based board?

is this a good enough board or is there issues with this one? I like this one because of the 2 ide ports....besides the passive built in heatsinks for the south and north chipsets. I've also read an artical that stated the new bios has fixed most major issues with this board.

Again your comments much appreciated, as its been a long time since I upgraded my old comp...this is a major overhaul of my entire system..frankly almost a completely new build...man has it got expensive to build a decent gaming rig....grrr...

spazticdeath · Sep 4, 2007

One more question....I see that most of the newer boards only support ATA 100...if my hard drives are ATA 133 what does this mean? Will they be recognized? Will they run way slower? What? A friend suggested getting a pci card to run my hard drives, is this a viable solution? IF yes, what do you suggest?

Onus · Sep 4, 2007

The newer mobos may only have one PATA (IDE) connector. If you have three IDE hard drives (and possibly an IDE optical drive), you'll only be able to attach two of them unless you get a PCI card. Another alternative is to get an external USB enclosure for one or more of them. If you get a big enough SATA drive, you could attach your IDE drives one at a time in an external case to copy the data you need to your new drive, then leave the biggest one connected as a backup drive.

BUFF · Sep 4, 2007

abit IP35 Pro is a very good mobo & can be had as low as $162 I believe.
Gigabyte P35-DS3P is another good board roughly around the same price - slightly cheaper but in some ways not as highly featured.

IDE/PATA is on it's last legs - iirc WD or 1 of the others has already said that they will stop making them before Xmas.
Opticals are going the same way.

aevm · Sep 4, 2007

spazticdeath :

No, the 650i in the name means it's based on the 650i chipset, not P35

I've got a GA-P35C-DS3R, very happy with it. It only supports two IDE devices. I'm not even taking advantage of that. Too much trouble with those large IDE cables blocking airflow. With 500 GB SATA drives at $100 I decided not to bother reusing my old 250GB IDE drive.

The ATA133 disks should work with ATA100. Slower, but not "way slower". You're better off with new SATA disks either way.

=== "the new bios has fixed most major issues with this board." === as in, it still has some major issues not fixed yet, but you're interested anyway?

spazticdeath · Sep 4, 2007

aevm :

Well the only issuesas the article said, just some minor anoyances of finagling some oc'ing with the memory that can be done with a bit of paitence.

aevm · Sep 4, 2007

Well, I could live with that.

Still, P35 is a better choice. It's guaranteed to allow upgrading to Penryn CPUs (i.e. the new 45 nm versions to be released in 2008).
Also, I'd rather trust Gigabyte or Abit than MSI. Nothing personal, just based on reviews I've read recently, it looks like MSI is less reliable.

Yeah, moving to new drives can be painful. I copied 320 GB to an external hard drive, then tried to copy it over to the new PC. Guess what, the external hard drive died after about doing 10% of the job

It was brand new too...

If you like the GA-P35C-DS3R also look at GA-P35-DS3R (lose DDR3 support, save $30) or GA-P35-DS3P (get Firewire support, pay a bit more for it).

spazticdeath · Sep 4, 2007

Ok this is the setup I'm going with.....most parts have been bought already....as my bday is coming up, I made a list and got friends and family to pick from the list instead of getting me crap I dont need or want...ahem.

CPU
$125.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115014

CPU COOLER:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223

or this one

maybe the thermalake max orb?

CPU THERMAL COMPOUND:
$15.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100008

MEMORY:
$149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231065

VIDEO CARD:
$199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131055

CASE:
$109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129155

THIS CASE IS TEMP TILL I CAN AFFORD THIS CHOICE OF CASE/PSU:
CASE:
$129.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021&Tpk=Antec%2b900

CASE POWER SUPPLY:
$129.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151029

Will the cpu cooler fit on most of the boards you guys recommended, or will I have issues? I've read a few boards have issues with spacing and the north and south bridge built in coolers....

Again thanks for all the information.....

aevm · Sep 4, 2007

This x1950xt http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814241063 is a better video card for $10 less.

I'm not very impressed with Zalman coolers. The ones that do best for cooling and noise in most reviews are Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, Tuniq Tower or Scythe Ninja. They're all big though and may not fit in the Sonata. Check this one out:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887002
ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm $35

Why spend $150 on RAM when you can spend $67:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220144

Maybe with the cheaper RAM and cooler you can now spend $300 on the video card and get an 8800 GTS 320 MB.

bliq · Sep 5, 2007

I actually spent $59.99 after rebate last week on some OCZ Platinum CL4s, 2GB.

Shop around. Newegg is fantastic but they aren't the only game in town. I just built a new rig last week and bought RAM, PSU, and Case from ZipZoomFly since they had the best prices after free shipping.

The Mobo, and optical drives came from Newegg because even with shipping, they were cheaper than ZZF.

BUFF · Sep 5, 2007

unless you already have the Sonata II I can't really see the point in buying a $110 case+PSU as a temporary measure until you can buy a $110 case (after rebate) & a good PSU esp. when the Smart Power 2 450W is known to have a very high failure rate ...

if you don't need RAID, firewire etc. & a basic mobo would do then you can get something like an abit IP35-E as low as $70.
As far as keeping your 3 IDE drives then 650i mobos are certainly 1 option - imo the GA-N650SLI-DS4 is the best of them.

spazticdeath · Sep 6, 2007

Ok how about this..if you all had $800 to get the following, what would you pick? I'm been concentrating on intel, as my friend its the best...he has a duo core amd and is not happy with its preformance. THERE IS NO NEED TO BE COMPATABLE WITH THE IDE DRIVES OF MINE....I'VE ALREADY ADMITED DEFEAT AND KNOW I'LL JUST HAVE TO GET SATA AND TRANSFER THE DATA OVER TO ANOTHER SATA DRIVE LATTER ON...

LIST:

CPU
CPU COOLER
THERMAL COMPOUND
MOBO
MEMORY 2 GIGS
VID CARD
SATA HARD DRIVE
CASE AND PSU

THATS IT....SO WHAT YA THINK?
I'M HALFWAY TEMPTED TO TOSS ALL MY CASH INTO THE PARTS AND LEAVE THE CASE OUT OF IT, AND JUST GET THE PSU, AND RUN MY SYSTEM THE WAY I DID TO A FRIENDS WHEN HE HAD NO CASH FOR THE CASE HE WANTED...WE JUST BUILT A WOODEN CASE TILL HE COULD AFFORD THE ONE HE WANTED...LOL...IT WAS MORE LIKE SEVERAL TEIRED SHELFS....

ALSO THIS IS NOT YELLING...IM TIRED, JUST GOT OFF OF WORK, AND MY EYES HURT...

LATTERS

ausch30 · Sep 6, 2007

Unless you build systems for a living you don't need the 12 gram syringe of AS5. Mine is 3.5 grams and it's lasted through several builds and there is still plenty in it.

Get a P35 board and if you want to use your old drives you can get something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815280002. I used a similar product to add SATA capability to and old PC I have, works great.

For some reason the link isn't working but this is the product, MASSCOOL PCI Card, 2 internal IDE Model XWT-RC020 $16.99

aevm · Sep 6, 2007

That part about the wooden shelves is dangerous, especially if you have kids or pets. I'd just buy a cheap but good case.

How much would this cost at newegg?
Centurion 534
Corsair 520HX
8800 GTS 320 MB
E6550 or E6750
Patriot DDR2-800 2x1GB
GA-P35-DS3L

spazticdeath · Sep 6, 2007

only pet I have is my girlfriend.....and two cats at are not allowed in the computer room...

aevm · Sep 6, 2007

You're kidding, right? A cat will go everywhere, eventually. What you allow or not is completely irrelevant to the cat. I have photos of my Siamese in the fridge, for example.

spazticdeath · Sep 6, 2007

hmmm possibly, but one is always hiding in the cabinets...very skitish and the other does not go near my computer desk....some voodoo on it?

the pic sounds interesting....we once found my sisters cat traped under the toilet lid seat...lol

rockyjohn · Sep 6, 2007

Here is a good board - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L for only $100.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059

It is the same as some more expensive Gigabyte boards but does not have SLI or RAID - which I assume you do not need - and only uses DDR2 memory - which should be more than fine. It will allow you to use two IDE devices and 4 SATA ones. With the lower price you should be able to upgrade one device to SATA and still be ahead. A DVD drive only costs about $20 and you can get a good DVDRW for under $40.

Here is the link to the MB's website.

http://www.gigabyte-usa.com/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=2560&ProductName=GA-P35-DS3L

Onus · Sep 6, 2007

If you forbid a cat to go anywhere, or if the cat is afraid to go there itself, it will instead send in its fur as an agent :fou:

. Being as warmth-seeking as its origin, it will seek entrance into your PC case by any means available. Since vacuum cleaners create static, add a can of pressurized air to your build :wahoo:

On to the subject, I like the Gigabyte -DSnR boards too.

aevm · Sep 6, 2007

Between DS3R and DS3L, the DS3R has a newer audio chip. It may matter since this build won't have a sound card, at least at first. I don't know if the difference is noticeable with normal speakers and ears. I'd go with the DS3R if possible ($30 more?) because I don't like the part about only 4 SATA devices. I've already got 5 now and I'm sure I'll have 8 some day.

spazticdeath · Sep 7, 2007

hmm duno, I've left my case cover off and never had the cat go near it...they are afraid of it on their own...as for the fur yes I totaly agree..im alergic to the hair of all things...good thing im a nice guy or my gal would be forced to choose between me and the kats...

As for sound, I'm runing a pci audigy....so I already got a sound card....wont give it up either...

spazticdeath · Sep 7, 2007

oK how about this for a setup? I'm still not sure about the memory or the cpu cooler....and yes I'm using all newegg.com, its easier for friends and family to get me my birthday present...which this will be...

ausch30 · Sep 7, 2007

I would suggest going with the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro instead of the Blue Orb, it's a better cooler, cheaper and you won't have the issue of it interfearing with the RAM slots. Also You might consider the E6750 rather than the E6550, it's currently priced at 199.99 so it would be an extra $24. I would be a little concerned about buying open box items like that video card, a lot or people out there might install it improperly or overclock too high and fry something then RMA to get a new card. Newegg doesn't check every product that is RMA'ed to make sure it works correctly and the return policy on Open Box items is different, just something to think about.

HELP ME PICK A MOBO

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