Good Motherboard?

Hey guys, this is a really helpful community so I figured I'd ask you all. I was looking to piece a comp piece by piece and was looking to purchase a nice expandable motherboard. My idea is to have a comp I can rip movies onto pretty quickly and convert to DivX for streaming at home but also be able to game. Any suggestions?

 

Depends on the processor because different processor manufacturers use different CPU sockets. There is Intel's 775 and 1366 sockets and the 1156 socket is coming, AMD has AM2+ and AM3 sockets.

 

Sorry don't know much about that except that processors are expensive themselves lol what's a pretty good one that would be possible to safely oc up to the speed of a comparable one?

 

It's usually pretty easy and safe to overclock a processor to the level of a more expensive CPU.

 

Intel motherboards:

Cheap core 2 duo/pentium dual core: Gigabyte EP31 or EP41
Midrange core 2 duo/Core 2 Quad (no overclocks): Gigabyte EP43-DS3L/UD3L
High-end Core 2 Quad w/overclocking: Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
High-end Core 2 Quad w/dual graphics: Biostar TPower I45

Core i7: Gigabyte EX58-UD4P
Core i7 w/dual graphics: Biostar X58

Midrange AMD system: Gigabyte MA770
High-end AMD system: Gigabyte MA790FX

 

Whats the difference between the processors you listed, the pros and cons?

 

Well, if you want ultra-cheap, go for an AMD. if you're willing to spend a small amount more for better overclocking potential, better energy efficiency and less heat, buy an Intel. As for the models, if you want a high-end gaming PC ($800+) a quad core is advisable. If you're building a low-end PC (<$500) then a dual core is what you want.

 

I'm willing to put down a bit more for quality especially if its energy efficient and doesn't get too hot. Would the processor effect how fast something is ripped from dvds or is that that vid card?

 

That is almost entirely the work of the CPU.

 

What's a good cpu that'll do that work for me quickly? I already have a saphire card I'll be using on this mobo so I won't be buying that. Just mobo, processor and case how much will this usually run?

 

Well, you're keeping your graphics card, but is it any good for gaming? The graphics card is the most important aspect of a computer to determine games performance.
CPU board and case will run as much as you're willing to spend. The more you pay, the faster the PC is.

 

Yes the cards pretty recent and plays everything I throw at it at max settings.

 

What card is it, for reference?

 

Hope this works sorry on a phone

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/...irect=true&ref_=ox_ya_oh_product&a=B001FXO2AA

If it doesn't its a sapphire radeon hd4670

 

Not a great card, it's alright for gaming on a small screen and for older games, but there's much more powerful stuff out there designed to run new games well at high detail.

 

When is says "Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo" what's it mean? Is a Core 2 still a quad core cpu or not?

How are these 3 mobo's?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128368

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131335

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157138

Any other suggestions?

 

Core 2 Quad is quad core and Core 2 Duo is dual core. Extreme is quad core, allthought there might be a dual core extreme i'm not aware of.

 

There have been extreme dual cores in the past, but they're all out of production now as far as I'm aware.
Of those three boards I would definitely take the Gigabyte. Asus' cheaper boards have questionable reliability, and all ASRock boards are built pretty badly.

 

Sammorris, noticed you have a cooler master case, do they really help to keep things running cool or is it just the name?

 

Most coolermaster cases are pretty average for cooling despite the name. However, The HAF932 I bought is one of the best value large cases that can cool components without excessive noise. There are much better cooled cases this size, but few as cheap.