Opinions for Mobo selection

[Karnevil9]

I think it is about time to build a new PC with the newer technology. I have been reading through the threads to get some ideas. Basically I want to put together a fairly inexpensive computer while getting the best bang for my buck on the parts. I don't use the computer for gaming at all other than solitaire.

So far my thoughts are on the Intel Core 2 duo E6550, 2 Gbs of Corsair XMS DDR2 800 ram. The Seagate Sata 400Gig hard drive since it is only ten dollars more than 320 gig.A Lite On DVD burner and probably the Antec Sonata III case so I don't pay extra for a PSU. I'ved used Antec cases before and really like them.

I am stuck on the Mobo selection. Since I don't game I was thinking that a MB with onboard graphics would be fine for my purpose. What would be the best choice for an Asus mobo with onboard graphics. Since all the mobo's I've looked at are MicroATX, would I be better off getting a basic Mobo and using an inexpensive (below a hundred dollars) Video card so I have more expandability?

Also any opinions on the parts I've listed so far are welcomed.

[Dark Nova]

Id rather take some "less expensive" ram instead of top of the line ddr2, and buy a video card.
Also tell me how does the SonataIII goes, I prefer the SonataII, but i wanna know if the 3rd is quieter

[ArtBest]

Since you're not gaming, and presumably not overclocking, how about an Intel DG33BU? It has the 1333FSB, has onboard Intel graphics, but also a PCIe x16 slot if you later wanted to add a GPU, and has everything else you are looking for, all for $107 at Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813121304

Oh, and while I like your processor choice, right now the faster E6750 is only about $20 more, and may be worth that marginal increase.

[doubledragon5]

Here is a good ASUS board.. It has on board sound and video, you also have a pcie slot in case you decide to upgrade to a video card later.. You also wanto to consider using Corsair value select rather than the xms...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...813131043#spec

[Karnevil9]

Nice board Art thanks, I'll keep it in mind. Are the intel boards as reliable as the Asus?
And no, I don't plan to overclock.

I have been looking at the E6750, because of the slight price difference.

Dark Nova, What Graphics card would you recommend with what board? I am not opposed to a graphics card, I just don't think I would need it. But what would be a good choice of card for someone who isn't gaming? My S/O does do a little photo editing. As an example, my present PC has an MSI MX440 and that card has been fine for everything we do.

[Karnevil9]

Thanks DD5. As I was reading some of the other BYOPC threads it seemed many recommendations were to try and get the newer chipsets on the Mobo. I was also trying to match the 1333 FSB of the CPU with the Mobo.

I was eyeballing this one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131187

Support for 8 gigs of ram and 6 USB 2 ports. Plus it has the pcie x16 slot if I wanted to add a card later.
I also was thinking about this one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131189

But I would have to buy the graphics card for it.

Would this be a better choice for the ram.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145098

[shadowpr]

Either one of those will do good.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Karnevil9 Are the intel boards as reliable as the Asus?

Yes.

Cricket

[Petef56]

I'm asking, what about a very basic Mobo with no onboard grqphics or sound but with
many PCI slots. Reason being, if you keep the mobo a long time and want to upgrade
to a new OS but the mobo manufacturer does not release new drivers for the new
OS, you can always upgrade the PCI cards to keep it running. I'm assuming that the
new OS would, at minimum, get the USB ports working. Is this a good approach?

---pete---

[doubledragon5]

That ram is a good choice, especially since your not looking to overclock or do any gaming. And the price is real decent.. The board you linked to doesn't need a video card, it has on board video.. I would suggest a video card if you plan on doing any intense graphics or gaming later on...

[Karnevil9]

Thanks for you responses.

Pete. Usually what drives the USB ports and PCI slots and everything else on the Mobo are the Mobo drivers that come from the manufacturer, not the OS. If you don't install the drivers from the mobo maker after you install the operating system, you may have some limited operation but some other items may not work or may not work to their full potential. The PCI cards give you the ability to expand your PC by adding on new devices like a wifi card if it is built in to the mobo or improving what you already have like a better sound card if you really need it. Fortunately most of these items are also available in USB. That is why the six USB ports built into the mobo were important to me, to help make up for the lost PCI slots.

From my limited experience thus far, with windows systems at least, by the time a new OS is released there have been so many improvements it is just about time to get a new computer system.

I wouldn't be able to run Vista on my present PC without making about three hundred dollars in upgrades. I think it would not have been very efficient to run windows XP on my old PII, 64mbs SDRAM, 6GB hard drive that had windows 98 on it.

[glc]

Gents, if you want to use a 1333 FSB processor with onboard video and have maximum flexibility, you want a P5K-V. This is a full size board.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131184

I highly recommend the Sonata 3. The best ram match is Corsair DDR2-800 CAS 5 1.9 volt.

[Petef56]

Originally Posted by Karnevil9 Thanks for you responses. Pete. Usually what drives the USB ports and PCI slots and everything else on the Mobo are the Mobo drivers that come from the manufacturer, not the OS.

Yes I agree, but I've also done many reinstalls of Windows XP and often XP alone
installs some drivers that get the USB ports working, sometimes only leaving me to have
to search for drivers for the onboard sound and ethernet. Linux does even better
sometimes by installing drivers for onboard sound, ethernet, and video too.
All in all, I think if longevity is a key goal for your new build, it might be more
beneficial to go with a very basic Mobo with plenty of PCI slots as opposed to
all the onboard ports and just a couple of PCI slots.

---pete---

[Karnevil9]

Thanks GLC. I didn't see that board at all when I was first searching, but that is exactly what I was looking for, a full size board with onboard video.

Pete, Sorry I must have been confused. I thought you were asking a question within my question, so that is how I framed my answer. I recently removed my mobo drivers from my PC and was finding errors in hardware manager until I reinstalled them. Everything worked for the most part but somethings like my onboard LAN as an example couldn't be found by XP.