Best socket 939 Mobo? Nvidia Chipset?

[natebo]

Hey guys,

Need advice on the best mobos going today... I like asus and abit, and really liked my nvidia chipset... Are there any budget type mobos with socket 939?

I'm building this for a cheap Vista Box so im gonna run a low end AMD, cheap mobo, minimal ram, but would still like some expandability... What's out there?

TIA - Nate

[moodyblues100]

What is the budget for this build. That would help with recommendations. Also, what components are needed? Will you be reusing older parts or is it all new?

[natebo]

What is the budget for this build. That would help with recommendations. Also, what components are needed? Will you be reusing older parts or is it all new?

My budget is about 200 bucks for processor and mobo... I'll be using old components for the rest, including DDR 333 or 400 for ram...

[danielson]

I think you're alot better off going with the AM2 platform over the 939. The 939 is being phased out and will be obsolete very soon. That leaves you on the short end of the stick when it comes to future upgrading and expanding. There are plenty of nice mobo's to choose from. If you're not an overclocker and just want something stable out of the box that's easy to set up then look at the ASUS M2N-E ATX AM2 Nforce 570 Ultra. It's got alittle bit of everything, and very good onboard sound. It's around $100. Another board that's rock solid out of the box is the Biostar Tforce 550. You can pair this with an inexpensive X2-3600+ cpu and have a great little system. It even overclocks to 2.5-2.75ghz with no problems. Personally,
I would choose one of those mobo's, you can buy cheaper but you get what you pay for. The Biostar is even cheaper than the Asus. Teamed up with a X2-3600+ and 1GB of Value Select Ram from Corsair and it will run you about $250.

Edit: after checking some prices, at newegg you can buy the Biostar Tforce 550 mobo and X2 3600+ cpu as a combo for $150. Add the 1GB for ram and it will cost you about $225. You can't beat that ;)

[newbuilder14]

Any Asus A8N series.

[Indyhiggie]

I am staying with socket 939 myself, for another year or two. I purchased 2G of PC3500 XMS RAM around nine months ago for $380.00, and I am not going to bail on it yet (led's are pretty to watch).

From everything I've read so far, Vista with less than 2G of RAM is not a good thing.

I am about to tackle a SFF 939 system, and just purchased an ASUS A8N-VM CSM MB. The reviews I found sounded good, the only challenge is, related to the phase out mentioned above of socket 939, finding one. I had to buy on-line to even find one. Retail stores have turned stock over to AM2.

I've seen some awesome deals online if your not looking high end for 939 cpu speed,

single core cpu:Asus A8S-X & Sempron 3000+ OEM, bundled for $105.00
dual core cpu:MachSpeed MSNV-939 & A64 X2 4400+ OEM, bundled for $200.00

Check it out :-)

[glc]

Danielson - please read the poster's wishes more carefully before recommending something. The poster WANTS a 939 and has DDR ram that he wishes to reuse. The ONLY other alternatives are 754 or an Intel setup. If the poster would like an Intel recommendation, I'd be happy to provide one - AFTER he asks.

200 bucks for a mobo and CPU?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131569 Asus A8N5X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103622 3700+ San Diego

You will have change out of your 200 bucks. Use DDR400, if you use 333 you will have a performance hit or possibly some instability unless you manually configure the HTT and ram divider.

[natebo]

Well, after looking further - the am2 is a better way to go... it's cheaper, i'll just have to buy a stick of ram....

BIOSTAR TFORCE 550 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 550 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - RetailAMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane 1.9GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADO3600IAA5DL - OEM

* BIOSTAR TFORCE 550 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 550 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
* AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane 1.9GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADO3600IAA5DL - OEM

* Original price: $173.99
* Discount: -$24.00
* Combo Price: $149.99

[DarkPacMan77]

If you choose to switch to am2 (not a problem at all) I'd just wait until you can afford the next highest processor. Good choices though, you will still be running a good system in either case.

[newbuilder14]

I highly recommend you go for an Asus M2N series motherboard such as the M2N-E. It uses the nForce 570 chipset rather than the nForce 550 chipset. Also, go for a retail processor box; you will get a warranty and it comes with a sufficient cooling device.

[natebo]

Guys appreciate the help on this one... This is the second build you guys have helped me on...

Here's what I built...

ASUS M2N-E
AMD 3800 AM2
1 GIG 800 mhz
NVIDIA 7300 GT
THERMALTAKE MATRIX CASE
PIONEER DVD BURNER
500 WATT PS

Currently running 64 bit Ultimate with no probs... Besides the fact that nothing is quite compatible with it...

I work at Geek Squad so the power supply and and dvd burner came super cheap... I have around $500 in the whole git up... Not bad!!! It's smokin fast, compared to my old Athalon 2800 xp... Here are pics of the machine and my geek area!!!

http://www.oldlines.com/images/stories/Vista%20Box/PICT0297_med.JPG

http://www.oldlines.com/images/stories/Vista%20Box/PICT0298_med.JPG

http://www.oldlines.com/images/stories/Vista%20Box/PICT0299_med.JPG

Thanks again..
Nate

[glc]

Please do not post large inline images. We need to keep the forums dialup friendly and screen real estate friendly. Thank you. I converted yours to links.

[natebo]

Ooops, thanks man...