time for a new build - AMD 780 or 790?

[systempat]

I have a PC that is getting obsolete. Running a single-core Athlon 64 CPU. Other parts equally old. The motherboard has no SATA ports and I don't want to just upgrade in the old case. SO, I can start over. Budget is around 500 or 600 for a new system, no monitor needed. Have not yet decided what OS to install but probably be Win XP until next year.
I tend to go with AMD machines, so that is my preferred option. The Athlon II and Phenom II both look like good candidates for decent performance - and not much power draw. I like to keep the system to a quiet hum if I can.
It looks like the AMD 780 and AMD 790 are the likely chipsets for the motherboard. So I wanted to ask the sytem builders here which chipset you liked better and why. And also which brand.
I may just go with the integrated graphics on these boards as I'm not into heavy gaming. If that is not adequate then a mid-range graphics in the $60-80 area would take care of it.

Pat

[Masaki 7-11]

Regarding motherboards for AMD platform, I usually use Asus or Gigabyte and sometimes MSI (mostly when I build computers for myself or close family members). If not using integrated graphics the 770 chipset works pretty well and has performance comparable to the 78x series chipsets with pretty low cost, the 790X (which doesn't have integrated graphics) and 790GX (which has integrated graphics) chipsets provides more performance at a reasonable price, however you may be more interested in the 785G chipset which has a very good integrated graphics card, good performance and supports all AM2, AM2+ and AM3 processors to date. If you are going to game on the computer and plan on playing modern games at medium settings or higher, you will be better off getting a good mid-range card like the HD4650. Below are two build lists for your budget of $500-$600, the first with integrated graphics, the second with a graphics card:

Integrated Graphics Build:

LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS422-08 LightScribe Support - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106280
$30.99

Antec Three Hundred + BP430 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129065
$99.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136320
$59.99

ASUS M4A785TD-M EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131406
$94.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-4GBHK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231180
$77.99

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor Model HDZ720WFGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103649
$119.00

Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116511
$89.99

Subtotal: $572.94

Discrete Graphics Build:

LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS422-08 LightScribe Support - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106280
$30.99

Antec Three Hundred + BP430 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129065
$99.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136320
$59.99

ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131381
$79.99

HIS H465FS512P Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161262
$54.99

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184
$51.99

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor Model HDZ720WFGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103649
$119.00

Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116511
$89.99

Subtotal: $586.93

[systempat]

Thanks for the reply and the build suggestions. These are very similar to what I would be likely to do. A hard drive in the 500 to 750 GB area, 4 gig of memory, a CD/DVD burner.
The AMD 785, is that a new chipset? I'll have to look that up.
I agree on ASUS or Gigabyte. My more current system uses a Gigabyte board for an Athlon x2 5200 and I've been very happy with it.
Any opinion on ASrock boards?

[Masaki 7-11]

I've used a few ASrock boards for budget builds, but I wasn't very happy with the performance or stability. Last time I used them was a few years ago though, so things may have changed.

[glc]

Asrock is owned by Asus, but the boards are made by ECS. I'd still stay away from them. The only cheap boards I even half trust are Biostar - but when a genuine Asus is not that much more expensive, that becomes a no-brainer.

[systempat]

I ordered parts on Saturday. It's very similar to what Masaki gave for the Int. graphics build. But made a few choices to save some money - since I had to get it for cheap in order to get it by the boss.
It's the Gigabyte version of the AMD 785 motherboard mATX version - GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H. All parts are from Newegg by the way. The CPU is the Phenom II 550 instead of the triple-core chip. There was a motherboard - CPU combo deal that saved 30 bucks. The case is a Thermaltake case sized for mATX. And the power is a 400W Corsair which should be enough for this rig even if I add a moderate video card later. And 4 GB of Patriot Viper ddr2-1066 memory. Plus a WD 500 gb hard drive and a DVD burner. It got me out the door for close to 450. And there is a 20 rebate on one item.
Looking forward to putting this together in a few days. Should be an easy build, I think. The trickiest part on these modern all-in-one motherboards is getting the front panel connectors to the little pins and getting the front audio and USB ports hooked to the right places.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by systempat I ordered parts on Saturday. It's very similar to what Masaki gave for the Int. graphics build. But made a few choices to save some money - since I had to get it for cheap in order to get it by the boss. It's the Gigabyte version of the AMD 785 motherboard mATX version - GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H. All parts are from Newegg by the way. The CPU is the Phenom II 550 instead of the triple-core chip. There was a motherboard - CPU combo deal that saved 30 bucks. The case is a Thermaltake case sized for mATX. And the power is a 400W Corsair which should be enough for this rig even if I add a moderate video card later. And 4 GB of Patriot Viper ddr2-1066 memory. Plus a WD 500 gb hard drive and a DVD burner. It got me out the door for close to 450. And there is a 20 rebate on one item. Looking forward to putting this together in a few days. Should be an easy build, I think. The trickiest part on these modern all-in-one motherboards is getting the front panel connectors to the little pins and getting the front audio and USB ports hooked to the right places.

Sounds good, hope everything goes well. I recommend doing an out of case build first to make sure everything is working properly before you put everything in the case. I usually place the motherboard and power supply over its own box when doing an out of case build.