Which of these LGA 1155 H61 mobo should I get?

[opqpop]

MSI:
MSI H61M-P21 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
MSI H61M-P23 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
MSI PH61A-P35 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Intel:
Intel BOXDH61SA LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel BOXDH61WWB3 LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Can someone help me decide on a mobo for either of these CPU's
Intel Celeron G530 Sandy Bridge 2.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G530
Intel Pentium G620 Sandy Bridge 2.6GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G620

Video card: ASUS EAH6670/DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 6670 GDDR5 1 GB Video Card?

I am only using 1 harddrive, it has SATA 6.0 but I don't really care if it gets hooked up to SATA 3.0.

This is my first build and I'm not sure if my thought process is right:

MSI P23 is same as MSI P21 except it has 10/100/1000Mbs LAN Speed instead of 10/100Mbs. I never transfer files between computers, as I only have 1 anyways, so I guess I don't need the P23.

MSI P35 has SATA 6 and USB 3.0 for $10 more

All of them except Intel SA has 1 PCIe 2.0 x16 slot. What is this PCIe 2.0 x16 used for?
MSI P23 and P21 have 3 PCIe x1 slots, P35 has 2, and the Intel ones have 1. What is PCIe x1 used for?
MSI P35 has 3 PCI slots and Intel ones have 1. MSI P21 and P23 don't have any. What is PCI used for?

Is Intel a good mobo manufacturer?

 

[inzone]

The pci-e 2.0 x16 slot is used for the video card.
Pci-e x1 slots are used for addon cards like a lan card , sound card, tv card , usb ports card , there are a lot of specialty addon cards that use the x1 slot on the motherboard.
The pci slots are used for older legacy cards that some people still have and there are some that are still sold. There are video cards and sound cards that use the pci slots.
Intel does make good basic motherboards , nothing fancy.

ASRock Z68M/USB3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
$84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157270

I'm thinking that you are on a low budget judging by the motherboards and cpu that you have selected and this MB might be out of your budget range but it is the cheapest Z-68 chipset MB I could find and with the Sandy Bridge I think that the Z-68 chipset is a good match and the features on the MB are good as well. If you could post your budget amount that would give us a feel for what you are looking at for spending on the computer as a whole and the components could be selected accoringly.

 

[opqpop]

Great thanks. Based on your answers, I need to decide between the MSI P21 or MSI P35.

I've also decided to go with a SATA 3gb/s harddrive, so I guess the extra $10 for the P35 would just be for USB 3.0, or are there other features in the P35 that I should take into consideration?

My budget is extremely tight. I'm not looking to overclock so I thought the H61 chipset would be fine. I'm also not looking to upgrade unless a part gets broken. No crossfire. Here's a preliminary build I have to give you an idea of the budget:

CPU: Intel Celeron G530 Sandy Bridge 2.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G530 - $45

CPU Fan: fan that comes w/ CPU

Motherboard: not sure yet

Video:ASUS EAH6670/DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 6670 GDDR5 1 GB Video Card - $80 after rebate.

RAM: Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C7D3K2/4GX - $20 after rebate
2 x 2GB, 240-pin DDR3 1333 7-7-7-21 1.65V

Harddrive: Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.C 500GB SATA2 Hard Drive 7200RPM 16MB Cache 3.5IN OEM - $60 by 2/1/12
3 year limited warranty

Case: AZZA Triton 401 Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $30 after rebate + $10 shipping
120mm fan on front and rear

Case fan:COOLER MASTER R4-C2R-20AC-GP 120mm Case Fan
in case one of the fans is too loud or front fan LED is annoying

Power: OCZ ZT Series 550W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom - $75 after rebate - 10% of $90 off promo - $15 gift card = $51
540W from 12V, 550W total, PFC, modular, 140mm double ball-bearing fan, 5 year warranty

Optical: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM - $19
no blu-ray

My full thread is here if you were interested: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/334829-31-need-building-system-diablo

 

[inzone]

The difference between the two boards is that the P35 has 3 pci slots which you most likely don't need and it has sata 3 ports which you said you weren't going to use because you were going with the sata 2 Hard drive.
So at this point it looks like the choice should be the P21 but keep in mind that you will not have sata 3 ports if you change your mind later on and want a sata 3 HDD.
Fortunatly you have an option for just that circumstance by getting this ;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815318001

This would add sata 3 ports to your MB in the event that you wanted to go with sata 3 HDD's

 

[geekapproved]

I recommend Asrock H61M-VS or the MSI P21.

Oh and a 550w psu would be major overkill. A 380w would be more than sufficient even with a 6870.

Power: OCZ ZT Series 550W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom - $75 after rebate - 10% of $90 off promo - $15 gift card = $51
540W from 12V, 550W total, PFC, modular, 140mm double ball-bearing fan, 5 year warranty

Check your math, it's $66, not $51.

If you feel you need 550w, I'd go with this unit for $55. Built by Seasonic, bronze, 5yr warranty.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

Even this one is more than you need for $40.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034 Built by Seasonic, bronze, 3yr warranty

 

[inzone]

I would go with the XFX and though the Antec Earthwatts is cheaper it doesn't come with a power cord , so unless you have one you would have to buy one or find one somewhere.

 

[geekapproved]

OMG who doesn't have a power cord? LOL

If you have a pc now, you have a power cord. If not you can pick one up at your local mom and pop shop for a dollar.

 

[inzone]

You also might have to look at some different ram because with Sandy Bridge cpu's you want to use 1.5v ram.

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9S-4GBRL
$21.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231310

 

[inzone]

OMG who doesn't have a power cord? LOL

If you have a pc now, you have a power cord. If not you can pick one up at your local mom and pop shop for a dollar.

I only say that because this is his first build.

 

[geekapproved]

You also might have to look at some different ram because with Sandy Bridge cpu's you want to use 1.5v ram.

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9S-4GBRL
$21.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231310

Nice catch. I can't believe they are even still selling 1.65v.

 

[opqpop]

Best answer selected by opqpop.

 

[nikorr]

This topic has been closed by Nikorr