Help me find a new Motherboard Please!

Balter

Hey MMORPG

I need a new motherboard and processor.  I plan to put 4gb of RAM into it.

This is to upgrade my computer to put it more 'on par' with some of the gaming machines out there.

I am planning to buy an AM2 mobo with an AMD dual-core processor (However will consider Intel)

It needs to come from Tigerdirect.ca.... Here's what i've found so far:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3317106

This is a Mobo/Processor combo and i also plan to buy 4gb of this RAM for it:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2882686&CatId=2261

 

I find it almost crucial that the mother supports SLI.

 

What does mmorpg.com think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

xxthecorexx

what's your price range ?

 

and..

what kinda of psu do you have ?

what's the interface of your current graphics card ?

do you have an OS to install ?

why 4 gigs of ram ?

 

.. i guess that's it for now.

 

Balter

Originally posted by xxthecorexx


what's your price range ?
 
and..
what kinda of psu do you have ?
what's the interface of your current graphics card ?
do you have an OS to install ?
why 4 gigs of ram ?
 
.. i guess that's it for now.
 

Basically as cheap as possible for what i need

 

-I have a 450WATT PSU

-8600GT (PCIe)

-Running Vista ATM

-4 gigs of RAM because the 2gb's i have now seem to slow my vista down while gaming

Spathotan

1. A 450W power supply wont be good enough for SLi/Crossfire unless its a Corsair.

2. Are you using 32bit or 64bit Vista? If you are using 32bit, the OS can only read 3.0-3.3 GB of it.

3. If you are planning to go SLi with that 8600GT then you are preety much wasting time, as that card is not a gamers card what so ever.

And since you are considering AMD then I susgest you get a new CrossFireX board with PCIe 2.0 and get two HD 3850's to put in it, as two of these cards in CrossFireX will match an nvidia 8800GTX/Ultra. These boards are around $180 I think, AMD 790FX chipset I believe, and the HD 3850's are $180 a piece. As for the processor, you can get the new quad-core Phenom 9500 for $280, its not the best processor out there, but it is on the AMD side.

Balter

I know my video card is on the lower end, but i plan to upgrade for the sake of the next few years also.

 

I have a budget of less then $400 to buy a new motherboard, processor and RAM.

I am running Vista 32-bit.

I guess ill pass on SLI for now then.

 

Spathotan

That RAM you linked in your first post is $85 a pair. Its only $45 a pair unless you do the mail-in-rebate, which are bullshit from OCZ, youll never get it. While that processor/motherboard combo is preety decent for the price, your going to have to look elsewhere for RAM. And unfortunately TigerDirect is "ehhh" when it comes to prices.

CleffyII

Do you have a gift card or newegg cannot ship to Canada?  Cause ouch that sucks its gonna be pricey.  Tigersdirect sometimes has good prices for certain things, but typically its overpriced and the products are old.

So I am guessing you already own the 8600.  I really would not consider trying to put this card into SLi, waste of money and energy for a marginal performance increase.  You will actually spend less money and have better performance if you replace the 8600 with a 7900 or X1950.  Or you can get a drastic performance increase if you spend about $100 more at a later date on a HD3850-70, or 8800GT.

Unfortunetly, Tigersdirect currently has no AM2+ boards.  If you really want a good AMD based system you will need a good base, your motherboard.  An AM2 board might be cheap, and still supported passed 2009, but it does not come with all the bells and whistles that allows it to compete with Intel.  Like HyperTransport 3.0, and the AMD 790 chipset that allows for CrossfireX that outperforms SLi and allows for different cards to be crossfired rather then the same card.  With that in mind, I would go Intel. 

I searched tigersdirect for a good intel based board that supports SLi, comes with a processor, and is priced about the same as the AM2 board you already picked out.  I was descently surprised with this one, although the processor is an OEM and you will need to buy a seperate fan that I also linked to:

XFX GeForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard CPU Bundle $249.97

Masscool Socket 775 CPU Cooling Fan $36.99

OCZ Ultra 5+ Silver Thermal Compound $7.99

The memory you picked out is probably the best pick.  Its too bad you cannot get a combo deal on those, cause I got a pair of really high quality OCZ DDR2 memory from newegg that normally cost $150, but only cost me $50 cause of the combo.

Balter

Originally posted by CleffyII


Do you have a gift card or newegg cannot ship to Canada?  Cause ouch that sucks its gonna be pricey.  Tigersdirect sometimes has good prices for certain things, but typically its overpriced and the products are old.
So I am guessing you already own the 8600.  I really would not consider trying to put this card into SLi, waste of money and energy for a marginal performance increase.  You will actually spend less money and have better performance if you replace the 8600 with a 7900 or X1950.  Or you can get a drastic performance increase if you spend about $100 more at a later date on a HD3850-70, or 8800GT.
Unfortunetly, Tigersdirect currently has no AM2+ boards.  If you really want a good AMD based system you will need a good base, your motherboard.  An AM2 board might be cheap, and still supported passed 2009, but it does not come with all the bells and whistles that allows it to compete with Intel.  Like HyperTransport 3.0, and the AMD 790 chipset that allows for CrossfireX that outperforms SLi and allows for different cards to be crossfired rather then the same card.  With that in mind, I would go Intel. 
I searched tigersdirect for a good intel based board that supports SLi, comes with a processor, and is priced about the same as the AM2 board you already picked out.  I was descently surprised with this one, although the processor is an OEM and you will need to buy a seperate fan that I also linked to:
XFX GeForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard CPU Bundle $249.97
Masscool Socket 775 CPU Cooling Fan $36.99
OCZ Ultra 5+ Silver Thermal Compound $7.99
The memory you picked out is probably the best pick.  Its too bad you cannot get a combo deal on those, cause I got a pair of really high quality OCZ DDR2 memory from newegg that normally cost $150, but only cost me $50 cause of the combo.

BTW Cleffy, i appreciate your input, i think im going to order that mobo.

daelnor

That xfx mobo 680i sli was on the CA tigerdirect site last week for pretty cheap. It's a solid board too.

If you can afford It I'd put the 2.4 quad intel processor in, its like $260 bucks. Barring that any midgrade core duo would do well.

AMD processors kinda suck right now comparatively, but the 5000 black is a solid buy if you know how to overclock it.

D.

numatic

If you want to go cheap and decent, go with an AMD dual core CPU with an AM2 board. If you want the best you can get, you're gunna want to go with intels quad core CPU with an intel board. Even the new phenom by AMD doesnt compare. I've been to many sites and every intel Q6600 vs Phenom test done, the intel beat the crap out of the Phenom. By computer standards anyways.

If you want to wait, the phenom 9900 is expected out in January. Noone knows for sure yet, but its expected to surpass intels Q6600.

If you go with an 8800GTS you wont need to use SLI. If you do that you'd need to spend another 100-150 on water cooling.

If you're only workin with 400 you're not gunna get much. If you limit that to just your MB and CPU then you may get somethin pretty good. The MB, RAM, CPU, and Vid card are what make up about 80% of the cost of any gaming machine.