Motherboards, what to look for in one?

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bobkolb

Reputable
Jun 12, 2014
38
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hey everyone. I'm new to pc building and I'm looking for a somewhat inexpensive pc to play games and watch videos on. This is my build so far, but i just kind of picked a motherboard. How is this motherboard compared to others? Do you have any suggestions about any changes?
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bYBLdC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bYBLdC/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($73.95 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card ($164.80 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro LED 148.7 CFM 200mm Fan ($18.45 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro LED 148.7 CFM 200mm Fan ($18.45 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Gigabyte GK-FORCE K7 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($24.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $757.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-11 23:33 EDT-0400
 
Solution
C
a few things on top of my head:
-vrm heat sinks, it's good to have this if you will oc and to keep things cool (they look nice also)
-more phases, the better it is for oc'ing at least in theory, but dont go for overkills, as they are usually expensive
-check the spaces between expansion slots, esp if you have say a sound card, it might sit too close to the gpu which will not help the cooling
-board layout (sorry too long to explain here)
-reset, power buttons in the board, this are only useful to some, but also for convenience (i use it)
-location of the 24pin, 8pin (part of laoyout) it should be accessible
-location and direction of sata ports (big gpu's may cover them, 90deg is helpful here at the edge of the board

of course, read...
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Cons29

Splendid
Feb 10, 2010
5,456
1
26,960
a few things on top of my head:
-vrm heat sinks, it's good to have this if you will oc and to keep things cool (they look nice also)
-more phases, the better it is for oc'ing at least in theory, but dont go for overkills, as they are usually expensive
-check the spaces between expansion slots, esp if you have say a sound card, it might sit too close to the gpu which will not help the cooling
-board layout (sorry too long to explain here)
-reset, power buttons in the board, this are only useful to some, but also for convenience (i use it)
-location of the 24pin, 8pin (part of laoyout) it should be accessible
-location and direction of sata ports (big gpu's may cover them, 90deg is helpful here at the edge of the board

of course, read reviews, visit forums, some boards have issues, so do your part
 
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truegenius

truegenius

Distinguished
BANNED
Oct 22, 2011
2,733
5
21,165
motherboard selection depends on cpu and how you want to use it
if you want to overclock then you will need board with heatsink on vrms and atleast 4+ phase ( 6+ recommended )

though if you are not a fan of amd cpus then i will suggest this rig under 800$ as it have better cpu and gpu

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($182.79 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($63.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($198.50 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 Orange ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Gigabyte GK-FORCE K7 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($24.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $784.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-12 05:48 EDT-0400
 
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