Help with motherboard and Videocard...

[XOmegaX76]

Hey everyone...

First, I would like to say, that I read the "read before you post" thread, and I hope I have not violated any rules.

I am new to the whole "building your own computer" scene. I have been shopping on newegg and I have run into some questions I can't find the answers for. I would appreciate any help anyone could be willing to give... So, thanks in advance!!!!

Alright, my first issue is I have decided to build this computer as a solid online and nononline gaming computer. I don't need the FASTEST video card on the market, but something to keep up (see below for what I mean).

Next, I have decided to go with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Dual Core Processor. I have decided this because I want to use DDR2 RAM. I don't know if this is necessary, but like I said, I'm new to this. I suppose I could use the 939 chipset instead and use a less intensive RAM.

Now, I have to find a motherboard. I have found all kinds of ASUS motherboards that seem to be compliant. I found ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard. It has two PCI Express 16X slots, also. This board is only $139. Also, A HUGE THING I DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!!! It says on the chipset on the north bridge there is the NVidia nForce 570... does this mean the motherboard COMES with a video card? or is this the max supported card??? Can someone PLEASE help me with these issues about motherboards???

My last two questions are quick... If that is not the card on the board, can someone recommend a decent 256Mb card that would work well for around $100-$150? I was thinking the BFG - GeForce 7600 GT OC Graphics Card. It has 256Mb memory, and it is a PCI Express 16X card. Lastly, how big of a power supply should I be looking for? I have heard 650Watt is pretty good for just about all PCs.

Again, any help would be so appreciated... Thank you so much!!!
Omega

[blue60007]

The Northbridge chip isn't a video card...here's an explanation of what it does:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northbr...28computing%29

This is an SLI chip so you could run two nVidia cards...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalable_Link_Interface

You aren't limited to nVidia cards...you can use any PCI-Express card. However, if you are getting an SLI board it would make sense to get an nVidia card. You can't run two ATi cards together (I'm sure you could run them seperately, but that's getting off-track)...

Besides, any onboard video would not be good for gaming.

You might consider going with the M2N-E:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131022
Just has one PCI-E x16. I don't recommend SLI unless you have big $$ to burn and go with two top of the line cards. Otherwise, one powerful card is almost always better than two lower end cards.

Socket AM2 has been pretty picky about what RAM you use. I've heard some people having sucess with this RAM (with the ASUS M2N-E):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590

It's also on ASUS' QVL (qualified vendor list).

Here's a good power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104954

Good for a single video card system.

[spartan015]

650w psu is overkill... i mean it's not like you have 7900gtx's running, but yea, the psu blue mentioned is good.

[XOmegaX76]

Thanks for the input... I really appreciate it.

Now, one more question... is the dual channel RAM really worth the extra cash??? I mean, will I really notice a difference between the DDR (400) ram?

[glc]

Nope - and I'd build 939 just to stay away from the ram hassles the AM2 has. Either way, get a dual channel kit. With 939, timings are not important and relatively cheap Corsair value ram modules work just fine.

In 939, the entry level Asus A8N5X is an excellent board, the A8N-E is a bit more expensive but still a good deal. The Toledo core X2's in 939 have twice the cache of the Manchesters and the AM2 Windsors and are now quite affordable.