New pc, which mobo's support more than 8gb ram?

[rtayek]

hi, i am a java developer and need a new pc and i am on a limited budget (around $500 for a complete system). i have lots of internal and external hard drives and an external dvd, so i don't need any of those. i will probably have http://www.mwave.com or someone like that build and test it for me.

i do want a small solid state drive.

i do not need a fancy graphics card.

i currently have a 2.5 ghz x86 Family 6 Model 23 Stepping 6 GenuineIntel processor with 2 gb ram. this is more or less fast enough for me, but swap a lot. i run programs that want as much ram as they can get.

i need more ram (as much as i can get) and i want more cores/processors (as many as i can get).

other than the above, reliability is the most important factor.

can you recommend a mobo/processor combination for me?

thanks

 

[rtayek]

would this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097.html be a place to start? (if i toss the graphics card)

are there slower chips with more cores available?

 

[abekl]

Here's a suggested build for you. It relies on the built-in graphics (HD 3000) of the i3 2125 chip.

CPU: 150
Intel Core i3-2125 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I32125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115093

MB: 155
GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512

Memory: 45
Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT4G3D1609DS1S00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148544

Total: 350

 

[rtayek]

... relies on the built-in graphics (HD 3000) of the i3 2125 chip.

interesting. i could find/buy an old card perhaps, so that may not be necessary.

... GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ...

this looks interesting as it can have 32gb ram and mwave says a similar one: http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSearch.asp?scriteria=BZ00385&pagetitle=Gigabyte%20GA-Z68XP-UD3-ISSD%20LGA%201155%20Intel%20Z68%20Chipset%20A can take an i7.

could i put a slower i5 or i7 in there? (or do they not make them that slow)

is it reasonable to expect the chip prices to drop by 50% in a few years?

thanks

 

[abekl]

The board that I recommended can also take an i7 or i5. The board you selected is good, and includes an integrated 20 GB SSD drive. As to a slower chip, why would you want that? They do not make them much slower. No one knows what will happen with chip prices in the next year, let alone a few years from now.

 

[rtayek]

The board that I recommended can also take an i7 or i5.

good.

he board you selected is good, and includes an integrated 20 GB SSD drive.

i did not know about the ssd drive - that's just what i found at mwave.com.

As to a slower chip, why would you want that?

i do stuff that can take advantage of cores/threads and ram. my 2.5 ghz machine is usually fast enough for me except that it swaps a lot sometimes. i also fool around with programs that do this stuff http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Go#Monte-Carlo_methods, these really want to run on a cluster.

so i was thinking of perhaps starting with a slower chip (say a dual core running at 2.5 ghz or so) and 4gb of ram and then upgrading to an i7 and 8gb sticks of ram in a few years.

also, i want to run at least two monitors, so i will need to get a cheap graphics card if the builtin one does not support that.

thanks

 

[rtayek]

... The board you selected is good, and includes an integrated 20 GB SSD drive. ...

when i try to buy that board: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3-ISSD LGA 1155 Intel Z68 Chipset ATX Motherboard at mwave, they show stuff like CRUCIAL 8GB KIT DDR3 1333=(4GB x 2) for ram selection. the 1333 concerns me.

your recommendation has Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600.

does this mean that the buss that accesses the ram on the mobo with the ssd is slower than the one you recommended? (i.e. 1333 vs 1600)

thanks

 

[abekl]

The memory buss on that motherboard is multi-standard. It can accept a wide range of memory speeds. 1333MHz and 1600MHz are both memory speeds that are widely accepted and used in computers today. I chose the 1600MHz memory because it is faster and gives you a better user experience.

 

[rtayek]

Best answer selected by rtayek.

 

[nikorr]

This topic has been closed by Nikorr