Looking For Help

I'm looking to get a new motherboard and am not exactly a pro when it comes to things like this. I was wondering if I could get some suggestions/comments on what I should and shouldn’t be looking for.

What I want is a decent/good gaming motherboard and will spend as much as 300$ (Canadian) but not much over that. I'm not sure if I should worry about my power supply (if I will need to buy a new one) because of the new piece, and if a CPU comes with or without the part. I am completely over my head when it comes to any specifications of the motherboard also. Although I have read up on the topic, I am still in the dark on most of the subject.

Basically, I would like to know all I can and have a good idea going into a shop what it is I am looking for and what I should avoid. Any information would help

 

Hi and welcome to MajorGeeks.

AMD,

For motherboard, I would recommend an ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe.

It's a great gaming board with plenty of features and you have the option of running 2 video cards.

MSI also do a very good board, MSI K8N Diamond.

They are both similar, so check the features and see which one better suits your needs.


Intel,

Giagbyte GA-81955X Royal, ASUS P5WD2 or ABIT AL8.

I think AMD is the better choice at the moment, but that's up to you.

As far as your power supply is concerned, it's hard to say without knowing what you currently have.

 

And to further clarify, CPU's do not come with the above boards.

You can buy packages where they are included, but it's better to select your own.


If you are still unsure or have further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

There are plenty of knowledgeable people here.

 

Hmm, I think I am going to go with an ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe (hopefully I will be able to find one in town). Should I worry about the size of the piece and whether or not it will fit properly into my tower, or are all/most motherboards compatible with all towers?

Should I be looking into getting any other parts besides the motherboard/cpu that it would need to run properly (in general)? The whole computer itself is near 5 years old (except for the video card, which I updated last year). Something small like a fan or something that I may have overlooked? I'm sure I would find out in time, but I would prefer to find out before I destroy something...

If needed, or wanted, I can post my system specs as best as I can as I really don’t know a whole lot when it comes to hardware. Also, if you could think of any other possible compatibly issues, please feel free to list them.

 

Most motherboards and towers conform to ATX standards, so size isn't an issue.

As far as the ASUS is concerned, see if you can get the Premium version of the board.

They are harder to come by, but worth the trouble. (ASUS A8N SLI Premium)


If you have good case ventilation, go for the Premium. It uses a heatpipe to cool the chipset, whereas the Deluxe uses a fan.

Obviously the Deluxe is noisier, but it's better for towers that don't have good ventilation.

Again without seeing what you have, I cannot recommend one over the other.

Feature wise they are almost identical. The Premium has SLI enabled in the Bios, which is better, whereas the Deluxe uses a fiddly switch on the board itself.

Not a big deal as it's only rarely used anyway.


You will also have to factor in the cost of other components like RAM.

If your current computer is 5 Years old, then the existing RAM won't be compatible with the new unit.

Also. although your current hard drive will work with the new board, it will be a lot slower and bottleneck the system.

You should really try to factor in a new hard drive, as well as memory.

As far as the PSU is concerned, again you are better off with a new model, however it's impossible to say without seeing the current one. (If it's 5 years old, I'd get a new one)

It's a lot of money and a bit of work, but unfortunately that's how it is if you want a decent system.

 

To further add, I noticed you will be using an existing video card?

If that's the case, it's almost certainly AGP, whereas most new boards are PCI Xpress.

You will have to find an AGP motherboard, or get a new PCI Xpress video card.

 

Ok, new RAM is no problem. I had been planning to get some anyway. Are there certain types I should keep an eye out for, or would that depend on the motherboard?

The video card is AGP, so would I have to ditch the ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe/Premium unless I look into a newer video card?

As for the PSU, I hear that they are quite pricey, but worth it to get an expensive one...I also recall coming across a PSU estimate somewhere that lets me know with the parts I input what I should be looking for, so that’s not a huge deal.

Hard drives as far as I know are cheap, correct?

Besides the motherboard/CPU, PSU, Hard drives, and possibly a video card, is there anything else I should be looking into?

 

That would depend on the motherboard. Decide on the CPU and motherboard first, then choosing RAM won't be a problem.

Yes, it's a PCI XPress board. Most decent boards released are now PCI XPress, so either get a new video card, or go for an AGP motherboard.

Personally, I would sell your AGP card and buy a PCI XPress one, otherwise you are building the entire system based on AGP, which isn't ideal.

They aren't that pricey, no more than a decent motherboard usually.

The worst thing you can do is get quality new parts and use a crappy power supply.

Yes, they aren't very expensive. I would go for serial ATA if you are getting a new motherboard.

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 with 16 MB cache are very fast and quiet.

You can either run just one, or go for a RAID setup. It's up to you how far you want to go.

Apart from RAM which we mentioned, just make sure you have a decent ATX case that has adequate ventilation and fans.

 

Sounds great. So basically I guess I should just keep this PC as a spare, or sell what I can, and just build a whole new one. Concerning the motherboard though, when you purchase one, does it come with it's BIOS or would I have to get those separately? Also, is it that big a deal to get them into the system?

As for what I would need:
-Motherboard/CPU
-RAM
-Video Card
-Hard Drive(s)
-Sound Card (any recommendations here?)
-Mouse/Keyboard/Monitor/Speakers
-PSU
-Tower

Am I missing anything there?

Finally, anything else I should be aware of going into building this machine without predicting its components and whatnot (just, if anything, in general)?

 

Yes, building a complete new one is the best way.

Bios is already included with the motherboard.

It is a software program stored on a chip on the motherboard.

As far as sound is concerned, a lot of motherboards come with onboard sound, or sound built-in.

The quality is excellent, and unless really need a dedicated sound card, it's more than good enough.

If this is your first PC you are building, I would suggest you buy from a local store in case something goes wrong or you need to return parts.

Buying from online is the cheapest option, but it's a hassle if you have to return something.