New Motherboard

[Ronnyboy]

Well, finding out that my PC can't run dual graphics cards, and I slowly want to upgrade it. I need some help in finding a new motherboard for my computer. It needs to fit into my case, but if need be I can buy a new one that is relatively cheap. I need a motherboard that can run my current set-up, but will allow me to replace all parts in the future. Here are my Specs:

 

CPU: AMD Anthlon XP 2800+

RAM - 1.5 GB DDR1

OS - Microsoft Windows XP

GFX Card - NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200

Motherboard- Asus A7V8X-LA (Kamet2)

Case- Standard Compaq Presario Desktop Case

Optical Drives- 1 Hitachi DVD Reader and Re-writer, 1 Sony CD-RW drive.

Power Source- 250 Watts

 

I want to upgrade the RAM to 3 GB of DDR2, and I want to replace the current CPU, with a AMD Anthlon X2 5000+. Along with that I plan on getting a single 500 GB HDD, a new PSU, and Dual 8600 GT's as my graphics cards. Everything else (case, Optical drives) I want to try and keep with the computer if possible. Instead of a fan, I want to go water cooling, but this will mean I might need a new case, but if you can find a compact one, that will do just as fine.

 

If any of you know a motherboard that can allow me to do all those requests with it, I will forever adore you as my true GTAF role model, and make a shrine of you.

Edited August 20, 2008 by Ronnyboy

[Fozzy Fozborne]

Not possible. The socket 462 your motherboard/CPU are severely limits your upgrade possibilities. The very least you will need to upgrade to any of that is a new mobo, CPU, and RAM along with a new power supply.

 

Also FORGET about dual 8600GT's. These are pathetic graphics cards and two in SLI are considerably less powerful than one (considerably cheaper) 9600GT. Look at the 8800GT which is only around $130. This is still cheaper than the 8600's, but MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH [...] more powerful.

 

As for motherboards: to be honest, AMD's selection of SLI motherboards is pathetic. Most of them are still rockin 5X0 series Nvidia chipsets. I normally recommend Gigabyte boards, but the only modern SLI board they have has horrible reviews. I'm going to throw out the fact that the Asus M3N72-D AM2+ has gotten a lot of really good reviews from several sites. I'm not sure that I would risk buying a modern Asus board, though as their quality has gone down greatly.

Edited August 20, 2008 by Fozzy Fozborne

[Ronnyboy]

Not possible. The socket 462 your motherboard/CPU are severely limits your upgrade possibilities. The very least you will need to upgrade to any of that is a new mobo, CPU, and RAM along with a new power supply.

 

Also FORGET about dual 8600GT's. These are pathetic graphics cards and two in SLI are considerably less powerful than one (considerably cheaper) 9600GT. Look at the 8800GT which is only around $130. This is still cheaper than the 8600's, but MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH [...] more powerful.

Alright, I wanted to follow my friends set-up, but I guess an 8800 GT will work.

 

I was afraid you were going to say that they wouldn't support each other. Which means that I have to slowly build up, while using this hunk of sh*t they call a computer. This probably means I am going to need a new case. Well, can anyone recommend me a good, strong, motherboard with a case that matches and allows water cooling. Seeing as I have to start from scratch now, and that means, OS, optical drives, Hard Drives and all.

[leik oh em jeez!]

saying satndard compaq presario case tells me nothing, there are 100 different presario cases. we need PC model#, or the number of expansion slots you have.

[Fozzy Fozborne]

For motherboards, look at my previous post at the end. As for cases: do you want something flashy or something that will simply get the job done well? If it's just a basic case you're looking for check out the Raidmax Elite for a bit over $20 or the Rosewill R222-P for around the same price. If you want flash, well there's the Thermaltake Soprano for $120, the Raidmax Aztec for $35, the Antec Twelve Hundred for $200, or the NZXT Guardian which actually was designed with liquid cooling in mind for $100.

 

Practically speaking, any ATX case will work. My suggestion is to start Here and look through some of the cases until you find something you like that you can afford. Any ATX mid-tower or full-tower should do the trick. Avoid the mini and micro atx cases because your motherboard will not fit in them.

[Ronnyboy]

 

saying satndard compaq presario case tells me nothing, there are 100 different presario cases. we need PC model#, or the number of expansion slots you have.

System simply calls it a Standard Compaq Presario case. The model is a: Compaq Persario S6300NX. Hope that helps

 

@Fozzy, I am liking the one for $100, the NZXT Guardian, has a nice look, and it is built for water cooling in mind. I also like the ASUS motherboard you posted, I heard alot about the failings, but I trust ASUS with that motherboard.

Edited August 20, 2008 by Ronnyboy

[Fozzy Fozborne]

I agree with you. I have a similar case (NZXT Apollo) and it's amazing. Great build quality with plenty of room inside. The only issue I've had with it was that I had to get creative to fit my lower 9600GT's power cord in (through the hard drive cage). I also had the previous version of that Asus motherboard (M2N-SLI Deluxe) and it's been amazing as well giving me no problems.

[Ronnyboy]

 

I agree with you. I have a similar case (NZXT Apollo) and it's amazing. Great build quality with plenty of room inside. The only issue I've had with it was that I had to get creative to fit my lower 9600GT's power cord in (through the hard drive cage). I also had the previous version of that Asus motherboard (M2N-SLI Deluxe) and it's been amazing as well giving me no problems.

Thanks for the help with the motherboard Fozzy, sure I can't bring over my old computer parts, but I guess that can wait. The CPU, PSU, HDD, Optical Drives, RAM, and Water Cooling should be easy to get, if I have any questions, I know I can count on your fountain of computer knowledge to help me out.

[Fozzy Fozborne]

You're very welcome, always happy to help. Now it seems that you've already got everything else under control. I'd just like to suggest this Corsair 750 watt power supply. The reasons I've picked this as one of the best are mainly that it has 60 amps on a single rail rather than split into two rail (better since you don't have to worry about overloading one rail while the other is underutilized) and that it will provide you the ability to upgrade in the future without a power supply upgrade as well. Add in the fact that it comes with a FIVE year warranty (most come with a year, a few three years) and you can rest assured that you've got a very good unit.

 

Now, I know like most people you'll look at other powersupplies that are 750 watts and are $50 and think to yourself why would I spend twice as much on this one? Well, that's simple, cheap power supplies are... well cheaply made. I read an article where a "500 watt" powersupply burned out at a demand of slightly over 250 watts after only one minute. Also the power coming from it was very poorly regulated which could mean that your components get damaged.

 

It would also be worth investigating if you'd be interested in a Phenom processor instead of the aging Athlon line.

Edited August 20, 2008 by Fozzy Fozborne

[Ronnyboy]

I was actually the one I was looking at just a second ago on newegg. But the reason I am going with Anthlon is because everyone I know has an Anthlon, and they all have had a good run with them. I know I should be looking into something a bit more better, like the Phenom, but I will only get that if I get enough money, which I will barely have when I get the motherboard, case, PSU, graphics card, etc.

[Fozzy Fozborne]

Alright, if you're set with an Athlon there really is no other choice than the Athlon 5400+ X2 Black Edition. The thing that's so great about it is that it has an unlocked multiplier. This means that you can simply tell your BIOS to run it at 3.0 GHz and beyond without doing anything by changing the multipler. This is considerably easier and safer than changing the reference speed which also overclocks your RAM, Hypertransport bus, and other things.

 

So what you effectively get is a 6000 x2+ for $26 cheaper. Now, the only consideration with this is that the Black Edition Athlons don't come with a heatsink/fan. Since you're going to be running liquid cooling, this won't effect you unless you were interested in adding liquid cooling later when you can afford it. Pretty much you'll have to build the CPU and liquid cooling at once. Either that, or you can spend $9 on a cheap CPU cooler to tide you over until you can afford the liquid cooling system.

[Ronnyboy]

I thought about the 5000+ Black Edition, but that is much better. But yeah, when I get all the parts I will either get my neighbor to help me put it together, or I will take it to my local computer shop and they will build it for $25, which ain't bad at all. They will assemble it all, and I get to take it home and configure the rest from there. In fact, the same shop sells 1GB DDR2 RAM sticks at $10 a piece. I may go there for that and the HDD, as he had good deals on used Hard Drives that are formatted and are pretty new.

[Fozzy Fozborne]

$25 for a full system build? That's a steal. $10 for a gig of RAM is pretty good, but what speed and brand is the RAM? If it's budget RAM you'd be substantially slowing the performance of your system. This is because RAM is critical to Athlon-based PC's performance. Also, I worry about the environment in which used products were in. This is especially true with delicate things (like hard drives). Who's to say that the previous owner didn't drop it and then trade it in while it was working or it didn't overheat?

[Ronnyboy]

$25 for a full system build? That's a steal. $10 for a gig of RAM is pretty good, but what speed and brand is the RAM? If it's budget RAM you'd be substantially slowing the performance of your system. This is because RAM is critical to Athlon-based PC's performance. Also, I worry about the environment in which used products were in. This is especially true with delicate things (like hard drives). Who's to say that the previous owner didn't drop it and then trade it in while it was working or it didn't overheat?

I am not sure on the RAM brand, but I could find out. He has alot of different types and brands, and he still sells DDR1 for $35 aswell. About the hard drives, he tests them all and doesn't sell them unless they are working perfectly. I have sold him a Hard Drive from my old computer, and he would format it, test it, and then sell it, right in front of you!

[Picolini]

 

Also FORGET about dual 8600GT's. These are pathetic graphics cards and two in SLI are considerably less powerful than one (considerably cheaper) 9600GT. Look at the 8800GT which is only around $130. This is still cheaper than the 8600's, but MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH [...] more powerful.

Maybe pathetic up against an 9800GTX, GTX280, or HD4870. But as for an 8800GT, while it is still a bit behind, it's not terrible. I'm able to run most games with out a hitch on medium settings, plenty of games on high even.

 

As for two in SLI... well I did it and the increase wasn't huge. Forgot my exact scores but I think it only went up like 2G's on 3dMark06. Definitely not worth it when you can just get an 9600GT for less, or an 8800GT for the same.

Bottom line: 8600GT good for a budget card, bad for great performance, even in SLI.

[Fozzy Fozborne]

I'm just saying that it's pathetic that it's slower than the 7600GT which it was supposed to replace, yet it cost about twice as much.

 

Practically speaking, the money you'd save by going 8600GT is nowhere near the amount of performance you'd have to give up.

[Slamman]

Kind of hard to format a HDD outside a computer it will reside in, using XP or Vista. Piracy concerns pushed Microsoft to tie the actual OS to the mobo and you of course, are expected to register it with them as well, then all upgrade tie in an authentication program looking for validity.

 

Lovely! haha

Anyway, I think nVidia has more product planned for release, they have to play hardball now, with ATI seemingly swinging in the ring.

[Ronnyboy]

Yeah, I would go ATI, but I have always had an NVIDIA (alog with AMD processors, and ASUS mobo's), and I have always been a fan of there products. The only thing I have bought so far is the sound card, and two new optical drives. The larger (expensive) parts will either come late this year, or early next year as I am also in the process of getting a 6200 graphics card for my current rig, and I am also getting a 360.

 

Also Slammman, I should re-elaborate. I was seeling my old PC for parts, and the store does that, where they will take it apart and you get what the parts are worth. He will format all the hard drives, then sell them dirt cheap, and if anything else (case, optical drives, RAM, etc.) can be saved, he will sell it, and you get what it's worth.

[Abel.]

Not possible. The socket 462 your motherboard/CPU are severely limits your upgrade possibilities. The very least you will need to upgrade to any of that is a new mobo, CPU, and RAM along with a new power supply.

 

Also FORGET about dual 8600GT's. These are pathetic graphics cards and two in SLI are considerably less powerful than one (considerably cheaper) 9600GT. Look at the 8800GT which is only around $130. This is still cheaper than the 8600's, but MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH [...] more powerful.

 

As for motherboards: to be honest, AMD's selection of SLI motherboards is pathetic. Most of them are still rockin 5X0 series Nvidia chipsets. I normally recommend Gigabyte boards, but the only modern SLI board they have has horrible reviews. I'm going to throw out the fact that the Asus M3N72-D AM2+ has gotten a lot of really good reviews from several sites. I'm not sure that I would risk buying a modern Asus board, though as their quality has gone down greatly.

The 8600GT is a good budget gaming card, but it's a total waste buying 2 and running them in SLI mode.

[Slamman]

Not possible. The socket 462 your motherboard/CPU are severely limits your upgrade possibilities. The very least you will need to upgrade to any of that is a new mobo, CPU, and RAM along with a new power supply.

 

Also FORGET about dual 8600GT's. These are pathetic graphics cards and two in SLI are considerably less powerful than one (considerably cheaper) 9600GT. Look at the 8800GT which is only around $130. This is still cheaper than the 8600's, but MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH [...] more powerful.

Alright, I wanted to follow my friends set-up, but I guess an 8800 GT will work.

 

I was afraid you were going to say that they wouldn't support each other. Which means that I have to slowly build up, while using this hunk of sh*t they call a computer. This probably means I am going to need a new case. Well, can anyone recommend me a good, strong, motherboard with a case that matches and allows water cooling. Seeing as I have to start from scratch now, and that means, OS, optical drives, Hard Drives and all.

My 939 socket is also outdated, though I can run dual core IIRC, the memory is tied to the controller on the CPU so the new convention for DDR RAM is needed. My CPU is the 3400+

I have only 512, but in DDR type, you want DDR400. I only have one stick of DDR400, so it automatically runs at the slower of two sticks.

 

AMD's support of SLI is not found because they are the competitor in many respects, with ATI and CrossFire dual boards.

 

What case? I bought a generic one that was $5 at the end of the day and acclimated my full size ATX board at a weight savings, which is a major plus to me.

[Ronnyboy]

Well, there is no need for it anymore. I bought the CPU yesterday after I got my pay from crushing cans, cutting grass, etc. I also thought about picking up the RAM, but I think I will buy it off newegg instead. Motherboard is next, followed by case, HDD's, optical drives, water cooling system, and then the graphics card. Should be done by next Christmas

[Slamman]

Again, as an aside, the drives being reformatted, they'd have to be formatted to a mobo or they are merely wiped. What spec were you able to get on your budget? You mention what appears to me as a wish list for upgrading and future proofing, and sad to say, there's no Future Proofing as far as computers go. I also got a 6200 Nvidia off eBay, good choice...but it is getting QUITE long in the tooth. Stores are offering it for PCI solutions to Vista upgraders, etc.

[Ronnyboy]

My budget, I don't really have one. I will just buy the parts slowly over time. Yeah, it is a bit of a wish list, except I am buying it all next year, after I get my money saved up. One of the more expensive things will be the OS and graphics card, which will come last.

 

I would like to get a new PCI card for my set-up at the moment, but I have to invest in the new computer, my new 360, and pay off the last $25 for my laptop. Not much money left afterwords for a graphics card.

[Slamman]

Well, OSes are cheaper by far then a top of the line CPU or GPU card, in fact. $150 or less in most cases.

 

Speaking of Cases, the watercooling should work in a generic case as well as some fancy Alienware. I think bigger is better only in some instances because I much favor SFF and small footprints. MiniATX size that holds a full ATX board are really nice.

 

You'll need the mount/riser screws to match whatever board you intend, that's important as well as how drives and PSU attach, give yourself some room for all the cabling. I have seen some from Compaq that are cramped like nobody's business! The worst one, an AMD at 900Mhz... it was a Slot 1 processor with the PSU mounted overhead, the drive's all push in on a front facia caddy! There was no left over space once assembled!

Edited August 25, 2008 by Slamman