Got the motherboard -- now what?

[tmathews]

I picked up a new ECS G33T-M2 v1.0 motherboard for $20 so now of course I need a CPU, RAM, and OS to go with it (I've already got a power supply (Antec), case, and disk). Projected use is general-purpose: web-surfing, document creation, maybe CD/DVD ripping, and a little light gaming (games for which the integrated video is good enough). I'd rather not spend more than $400 but I'm a little flexible if there's good reason.

Which CPU should I get? I'm leaning towards the E7300 as the best bang-for-buck. The E8400 would make full use of the 1333 MHz FSB capability of the motherboard. A Q6600 would give me a quad-core machine for little more than the dual-cores. And the E1200 sounds like a reasonable choice for a $20 motherboard and it would still be a big step up from the kids' Celeron-466.

How much memory? I can get Corsair XMS2 for $15 (after rebate) for 2x1GB or $25 (after rebate) for 2x2GB. The motherboard has 4 slots so I'm figuring one pair now, one later. Max capacity is 8GB so 2x2GB would get me halfway to maxed out.

Which OS? I'm inclined towards Vista Home Premium 64-bit: I don't have old peripherals to find device drivers for, but I do worry a little about application compatibility. Vista Home Premium 32-bit is the same price and sounds more compatible but then I'm capped at less than 4GB of RAM. XP Pro 32-bit is probably cheapest and most stable but also bumps into the 4GB limit. And should I go with OEM, upgrade, or retail? I know ECS isn't the best manufacturer so I'm a little worried about installing an OEM version then having the motherboard die and having to buy a new OS when I "replace" my hardware.

Which should I choose?

Thanks for the help.

[Alaron]

For those uses, I wouldn't overdo it on the hardware. The E7300 is a good choice, the 8400 and 6600 are clearly overkill. Same with the RAM, 2GB is plenty, but go ahead and buy 4 since it is so inexpensive.

[tmathews]

Thanks for the input. What about the OS? I'm mostly trying to decide OEM vs. upgrade. I poked around Microsoft's site but wasn't able to find the licensing terms for the upgrade edition. Given my ancient Celeron-466 running XP Pro, can I use that as the basis for an upgrade to Vista Home Premium 64-bit on new hardware? Assuming this is allowed, can I do other major hardware upgrades later or do the licensing terms prohibit this?

[Khalil]

Any chance I could convince you to send the ECS back and get an Asus or an Abit maybe!

[Rev_pizzaguy]

Hahaha, somebody bit the Fry's special a couple weeks ago! That board isn't that bad, ECS finally used solid capacitor's on the power and good Japanese capacitors everywhere else. E7300 would be a good match, you should be able to overclock to the 1333FSB no problem (ECS doesn't give you cpu voltage control, so, i wouldn't expect to go very high).

[Khalil]

The board might be ok but the company sucks. You will get the worst Customer Support from ECS and PCChips

[tmathews]

Yep, it's from Fry's and I've heard the bad things about ECS but in the worst case I'm out $20. Or $120, if I go with an OEM OS and the motherboard dies and Microsoft won't let me replace it. Will the upgrade edition allow me to replace the motherboard without Microsoft giving me grief about it? Is Microsoft reasonable about allowing you to replace a broken motherboard if you have an OEM OS?

[Khalil]

You will have to make the phone call to microsoft to reactivate your windows. Should be no problem.

[Rev_pizzaguy]

Yep, those calls are easy "Ding! If this is correct, say correct. Otherwise, if this is not correct, say go back". I've done that plenty.

[tmathews]

Thanks for all the input. Sounds like the consensus is E7300, 4GB, and Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM. (Oh, and don't be seduced by ECS' low prices...)

I probably won't order for a few days yet so if you have any other input it's not too late.

[Rev_pizzaguy]

Hah, I'm still running an ECS board in my pc, though I won't admit it to some of the more senior members here (glc :P). I'll probably get an Asus next year for my build at that time so I can play with vcore voltages.