Im looking for a budget motherboard

[wardoc22]

I have these 2 options

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280 asrock 970 extreme3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130590 msi 870s

which would be the better buy? I ordered the msi one, cancelled it, reordered it, canceled again simply because im no sue on which on to buy. I want to make my 3rd decision final and have a peace of mind that i ordered the right one. Whcih one would you guys recommend?

The reason why im upgrading is to crossfire 2 hd 5770. I currently have 1 so far so..

My pc config

mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128529
power supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817190028
os windows 7 home p
cpu amd phenom ii x6 1055

is there anything else you guys need to know? I dont think so but feel free to ask. I dont play at an insane resolution 1366x768 max or 1280x720p min. The single 5770 just inst cutting it for me anymore. I cant play at anything less than 60 fps and everything just seen so choppy below 50..

 

[swifty_morgan]

first question is do you have room in your case for an ATX board. The one you have now is micro atx...

Personally, I would get a better graphics card instead of buying a motherboard and then getting another low end card to cross fire. In reality, the benchmark numbers are just that, numbers. Actual performance will be better with a better card upgrade.

How much can you invest ?

edit: what do you have for ram and is the opsys 64bit or 32bit ?

 

[nordlead]

The MSI AMD boards were known to have VRM issues (they'd overheat and explode) especially if you overclocked the CPU. The AM3 boards were particularly bad. There is a list of motherboards on overclock.net, and that board isn't on it, so I don't know if that one had frequent problems, or if it was one of the few properly made boards.

Personally, I'd stick with the ASRock. Not only will it now blow up on you, it is AM3+ so if you ever decide to get a bulldozer chip, you can without having to replace the motherboard.

 

[wardoc22]

im pretty sure i do, i have a solid 1 foot of space in both direction. u want me to take a picture to justify it? Im not acussing or anything, i just want to make sure

 

[swifty_morgan]

I don't understand your reply. Try answering the question I posted above so I can help give you a decent plan of execution.

 

[wardoc22]

I don't understand your reply. Try answering the question I posted above so I can help give you a decent plan of execution.

first question is do you have room in your case for an ATX board. The one you have now is micro atx...

yes, i do. I have 1= foot of space going vertically and horizontally

Personally, I would get a better graphics card instead of buying a motherboard and then getting another low end card to cross fire. In reality, the benchmark numbers are just that, numbers. Actual performance will be better with a better card upgrade.

Im buying a new mobo that supports crossfire so i wont have to upgrade the mobo in the future. I also want to crossfire my current 5770

How much can you invest ?

Anything less than 85 bucks

edit: what do you have for ram and is the opsys 64bit or 32bit ?

64bit

 

[swifty_morgan]

I wouldn't choose either on of those boards. The second PCI-e slot is 4x, not 16x or 8x. Not something I would want to try and cross fire on. Seeing how you have "limited funds" I'd hang on to the money and drop hints for Christmas presents. Either show your parents/aunts-uncles a list of hardware you want or make suggestions for money. Surely you could wait a couple of month's to see how it pans out.Waiting would also give you some time to think your upgrades over a little bit and make better choices.

 

[wardoc22]

I wouldn't choose either on of those boards. The second PCI-e slot is 4x, not 16x or 8x. Not something I would want to try and cross fire on. Seeing how you have "limited funds" I'd hang on to the money and drop hints for Christmas presents. Either show your parents/aunts-uncles a list of hardware you want or make suggestions for money. Surely you could wait a couple of month's to see how it pans out.Waiting would also give you some time to think your upgrades over a little bit and make better choices.

Ive read some benchmarks that says unless you are gaming at an intense resolution, a x4 pcie 2.0 slot shouldnt decrese your performance by much. remember? I play at 1366x768 or 1280x720?

 

[nordlead]

If you can swing a few more $, this board would be x8, x8 so no loss of performance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157272

Are you getting this second 5770 for dirt cheap (or free)? As pointed out above, you could just get a single GPU to possibly fill your need. You can buy a 6870 for $150 after rebate, and a 6850 for ~$130.

 

[wardoc22]

If you can swing a few more $, this board would be x8, x8 so no loss of performance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157272

Are you getting this second 5770 for dirt cheap (or free)? As pointed out above, you could just get a single GPU to possibly fill your need. You can buy a 6870 for $150 after rebate, and a 6850 for ~$130.

Im getting another 5770 dirt cheap. Ill also consider your suggestion above. Thing is, i have a prepaid amex card that has 94 dollars in it. If i buy tht one, i wont have enough money, seriously, im off by like 2 or 3 dollars. Damm shipping

 

[nordlead]

check other sites like Amazon, superbiiz, tigerdirect, and ncix (the US site) and you may find cheaper prices, or free shipping (or maybe both).

 

[wardoc22]

Best answer selected by wardoc22.