i was wondering what would be a good first time builder motherboard that would be easy to set up. i was thinking at first i don't want to OC or mess with anything i just want something that will run when i hook everything up but maybe later on change some of the BIOS settings to get a little more performance out of it. i was looking at this Intel motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813121035 but Intel boards don't overclock very well so i don't know if i want to go with this or not. the main reason i wanted Intel is that i thought there would be good documentation and customer support if anything went wrong with setting it up. can anyone else help me with a good board around this price range with the same features as this board has. i thought that more people would respond to my other post about the other parts that i was considering. the motherboard is the main part of the computer i don't wanna mess up and get a crappy one. :\ i would appreciate any comments about what board would be good to start out with since im just starting out here ....
Everyone has their own opinions when it comes to MB's. I prefer asus and MSI. Both brands have good boards. The best I can suggest is research it till your eyes bleed from reading. If this is your first build I can suggest a processor for you. A core 2 duo would be good lowest price I have seen is 139 at the egg. Read the reviews there but I will suggest http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131030. Just remember do lots of research and go with your gut on what you want. good luck
yea im for sure getting at least a e6400 core 2 duo i prolly should have posted that in the main post i sure hope that they really are going town in price i might even get the e6600 if they do drop alot like ive heard they are on April 22nd. i basically want a motherboard that is core 2 duo compatible and will be really stable and do some OCing later on after i get it running. i don't need a super gaming motherboard with SLI and all that top end stuff. im looking for a good stable slightly OC capable mainly just the CPU for right around 100 dollars.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130051 also going with the MSI on this one. I just built my first system a few months ago, and although the first time can be a bit stressful it worked out great. The only real part i found confusing were where i had to put the (do not remember the technical name) little metal pieces into the case to match the motherboard so you can screw it into the case. My case was not marked well, but some are and tell you exactly where they go for an ATX motherboard. The other tricky part was the wiring that comes from the front of the case with your USB, headphone input, mic, power, reset and so on. That was just a mess on small wires in that. Most other wiring is easy as it has it's own spot where only that plug fits. the specs on the system i build are below in my sig if you want other ideas. And also that mother board is Quad-Core compatible so when those get popular and drop in price you can just get one and upgrade rather then building a whole new system.
hmmmm doesn't seem to bad but there are alot of mixed reviews and its a bit more then what i was thinking of spending for a motherboard. it does sound like it has most of the specs i was looking for. good suggestion thanks to the people that have posted their opinions so far.
does this seem like a good board http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128012 i dont know if gigabyte is a good brand or not but it has some pretty good reviews and seems like it OCs fairly easy if i want to after a while. i wish some people would post what they think is a good board. i just want to know what the top brand names are so i don't get something thats not going to work on me.
If you want an intel system then go for these: You will be able to use ATI graphics cards, just not in Crossfire. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130082 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130081 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142 or any other NVidia 650i or 680i chipset.
whats the biggest difference about NVidia chipsets are they better then the intel chipsets or doesnt it really matter????
I have always preferd Intel They are very stable and have all the features the other motherboards have. so i'd say intel. With intel I think the Intel I965 Chipset motherboard runs the Core 2 Duo.
i have the Intel chipset on mine , running a core2duo E6400 chip. Has worked like a charm for me. North bridge : Intel 975X South bridge: Intel ICH7 DH Lan chipset: Intel 82573
Okay Hrjustin IMO I would not go with this board due to the amount of problems I have heard about with it's bios. How mad would you be if you bought it and later tried OC'ing and had trouble. Just too many troubles that is the reason I did not choose this board and I have been building them for 10 years plus now. AXT suggest 3 boards this 2 made my list including this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130082 but I didn't choose it because it did not have everything I wanted. Actually the asus p5w dh deluxe won out over the msi p6n sli platinum board. Good brands I have used are asus, msi, gigabyte, abit. I hear dfi is also good. Keep in mind you will also need a good power supply to run this setup. Minimum 450+ watts, dual rail 18 amp each rail. The new setups require good power supplies. Here is what I am building with upgrading later in mind. From newegg: P5W DH Deluxe $209 Sapphire x1650 pro 256mb gddr3 $109 has rebate Crucial ddr2 667 2x512=1gb $70 Intel E4300 C2D $138 Bought elsewhere Antec TP3-650 650watt tri-rail psu $109 (129@egg b4 rebate) total $635 usd total after rebates $595 usd
Yeah, the MSI board looks about the same as the 975X i have. Except it is SLI and mine is crossfire. Almost everything else looks the same though. So far i am loving mine, and the MSI Live Update program makes updation all your Bios and drivers for your motherboard very easy.
thanks for everyones posts about boards but i think im still leaning twards the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813121035 ive never built a computer and im just feeling more comfortable with getting an intel board for the intel processor. it seems to me that Intel would have the least amount of problems since they built the motherboard to work with their own processors. i dunno but im still looking at different ones so i dunno what im going to be getting yet. there are so many to pick from and so many different companies. which company is the most reputable and has the best support if i end up getting a doa board or need to update it???
ive been looking at this msi motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130082 i was wondering it says that it has an 8 pin cpu power connector what does that mean?? can i use just a regular 4 pin and not use the other one or what? i cant wait till the prices drop on the intel processors i might get the e6420 with the bigger cache. i hope that newegg gets it then.
ive been looking at this msi motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130082 i was wondering it says that it has an 8 pin cpu power connector what does that mean?? can i use just a regular 4 pin and not use the other one or what? i cant wait till the prices drop on the intel processors i might get the e6420 with the bigger cache. i hope that newegg gets it then.
8 pins just means you need a power supply with a 4+4-pin CPU power connector for a total of 8 pins. Don't get the E6420, get the E6600 for $235 dollars instead.
