HELP!! Trying to buy a motherboard for AM2

[Nutchos]

I'm trying to setup a new system. Basically it will have my bros old X2 3800+ cpu in it. Heres my planned setup:

AMD X2 3800+
2x500gb WD HDD's in Raid 0
2x1gb Corsair XMS2 6400c4
Coolermaster Cosmos Case
Coolermaster 650w SLI PSU
Zalman 9500 Cpu cooler
x700 pro vid card (my old vid card, just plan on sticking this in for now)

The problem I keep running into though is how to get the best deal for one which will last me for atleast the next 2 years or so. I'd like to be able to upgrade this cpu down the line for a faster alternative (probably this time next year). Heres what I'm looking at for now:

ASUS M2N32 SLI DELUXE (NFORCE 590)- This is the current gen board I'm looking at, i'd like the mobo to have some good over clocking potential so thats why I'm trying to stay away from the M2N-SLI DELUXE.

ASUS M3A32 - The new 790FX board coming out this month. The problem here is although I'm sure it'll have the best longevity its really expensive. Also it uses AMD's chipset as opposed to the NFORCE (as far as i can tell the nforce boards are better?).

NFORCE 7 line of mobos from Nvidia. Problem here is theres absolutely no information on when these will be releasing.

I'd also like the option of SLI or Xfire down the line (depending on which mobo I end up going with).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. What I really want to know is whether the M2N mobos will price drop when the M3A ones come out (anyone have any historical trends with these mobo launches?) so maybe it'd be worthwhile to get the M2N board at the lower cost? Also, should I be considering other Brand mobos besides Asus? I'd like to keep the price around $150 preferably.

 

[akhilles]

If he can splurge on the Cosmos case, he might as well get a better quality psu in tier 1 or 2:

http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiered+PSU+Listings?t=anon

These ASUS boards will be AM2+ upgradable through bios updates. It seems to me that ASUS would rather waste more money on complicating their already complicated download site than upgrading their servers which slow to crawl in rush hours:

http://usa.asus.com/news_show.aspx?id=8435
http://www.asus.com.tw/news_show.aspx?id=8825

How do you know the unreleased 780a will beat out 790FX? You have a crystal ball or you're on some weed?

 

[sprucebr1]

Yeah, there are more options than ASUS (good brand). You may want to check out Gigabyte www.giga-byte.com and Abit http://www.uabit.com/. I'm not great with AMD chipsets, but I would think the nforce chipsets are the way to go. good luck with your search.

 

[utaka95]

Biostar's Tforce line have been really good boards for the last couple of years - and I've always had better luck with a comparable Abit nForce board to the same thing in an Asus.

 

[Nutchos]

If he can splurge on the Cosmos case, he might as well get a better quality psu in tier 1 or 2:

http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiered+PSU+Listings?t=anon

How do you know the unreleased 780a will beat out 790FX? You have a crystal ball or you're on some weed?

Well the reviews I've been reading of the PSU have been pretty positive. Plus I got the unit for $30 so if it gives me any problems down the line I can dump it NP. And yea the cosmos case was a bit over the edge but the main reason I'm building this setup is because my current P4 prescott setup sounds like a vaccuum cleaner. Even when just surfing the net, and it really drives me crazy sometimes.

About the Asus boards... so does that mean that the M2N32 supports the new features of AM2+ (HT3 etc) or does it mean it'll just run it.

Also I'm not saying the 780a will beat out the 790fx. Just wondering which of these I should wait for.

 

[Primus462]

I am using the M2N32 and am very happy with it. I had a 4200+ that I OC'd to 2.7Ghz very easily. Now I am running a 5000+BE that I am getting ready to OC. It is easily modified through the BIOS or through Windows via the application provided (forget the name). I recommend it!

 

[Nutchos]

I am using the M2N32 and am very happy with it. I had a 4200+ that I OC'd to 2.7Ghz very easily. Now I am running a 5000+BE that I am getting ready to OC. It is easily modified through the BIOS or through Windows via the application provided (forget the name). I recommend it!

Thx for the input. I see you're using the same ram as the one I bought (from your sig). Have you tried OC'ing it any?

Anyone know if this board will price drop once the M3A32 comes out?

 

[ira176]

Just another option. MSI K9A Platinum. This board supports hi def audio, crossfire, AM2 compatible CPU's, SATA 300g/s. It's not the newest, or most powerful board out there, but I believe it can be found at a price which is inline with what you're looking for. The board is also stable.

 

[akhilles]

The new 790FX boards have been out. Check out ncix.com. The Asus one is not for sale yet. Should be out next week. I don't think the AM2 boards will drop in prices cuz the AM2+ boards are in the sub-$300 price range. Won't compete with old boards in the sub-$200.

The listed ASUS boards & most AM2 boards will run AM2+ CPUs if there are bios updates, but they won't have the features of AM2+ & 790FX.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM2%2B
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_700_chipset_series

You should care if you're an extreme overclocker. Otherwise, don't waste your money on 790FX. I would get the 770 board with 1 PCI-E for much less. It's not even listed anywhere:

http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en-us/t-series/content.php?S_ID=310#

 

[jwlangs]

Just another option. MSI K9A Platinum. This board supports hi def audio, crossfire, AM2 compatible CPU's, SATA 300g/s. It's not the newest, or most powerful board out there, but I believe it can be found at a price which is inline with what you're looking for. The board is also stable.

The new AM2+/790FX version of this MSI board, the K9A2 platinum should be available next week, and it can be preordered right this second for as little as $162. Considering the price and the layout of all 4 PCIe slots (it's the only 790FX board I've seen that has all 4 slots spaced far enough apart to hold 4 dual slot cards) as well as the fact that this chipset should OC like a champ, I might pick this little gem up. In fact, I will be!