Need AMD motherboard Recommendation

[DuceXcreW]

I'm looking for a mobo, and I have no clue where to start really. I have one preference, that it be a AMD (Not sure why, never had one.) however if pentium is better for my needs, then whatever. Basically I need a good, fast, computer perfect for gaming. I am a game nerd. I don't have much free time, during that I want to play my favorite high end games on the best settings with no slow-downs.
(This means about 4 ram slots, AGP slot for something like a Radeon x800, and whatever else )

Even knowing what I need I just don't know where to start, and was wondering if someone could gimmie a kick in the right direction?

Every board I look at seems a bit funky, in that I'm not sure if it'll work right or even if it is just plain good. I read all the specs but for the most part I don't know what any of it means.

Some mobos I looked at had 2 processor slots and I was wondering if it would run with only 1 processor in it, so that I could get the second processor later.

I don't know what could be spent, but I'd be willing to part with about $450 or so. But I'd like to spend about $250.

Also, it must work with the Fortron Source 530w (As that is my favorite PSU to date )
<A HREF="http://www.motherboards.com/product_info.php?category_id=5&index_id=9&subcategory_id=223&products_id=26827&" target="_new">http://www.motherboards.com/product_info.php?category_id=5&index_id=9&subcategory_id=223&products_id=26827&</A>

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated, thanks~

 

[gothitbycar]

A dual processor set up wont help at all with any games except for a select few made for it. Adding to that a dual operton setup would be prohibitably expensive. The cost of a 2xx operton added to the cost of ECC registered ram (a requirement of the operton) would not give you a good price/performance ratio either.

Is that $250 for a motherboard or for both a motherboard and processor? If it's just for the motherboard then get a S939 board with 1 gig of good memory (2 sticks of 512mb) so you can run it in dual channel mode. More than 2 sticks of memory will not allow you to run in dual channel mode (a performance enchancing feature.) Anything more and just like the dual processors it won't help at all in games.

My advice is to go to the mainpage <A HREF="http://www.tomshardware.com" target="_new">here</A> and read the reviews of all the new AMD and Intel processors, decide what you can spend in total, come back here and post what you think you should get and then ask for peoples opinions. Working from scratch is hard if you yourself don't know where to start.

-----------------------
[mind went blank]

 

[DuceXcreW]

OK, so now it looks like I'll hunt for an Athlon 64 FX 939/940. But which is it? Is there a processor for each pin setting? Or is the Athlon 64 FX [939/940] useable in both the 939 and 940 pin mobos?

I got confused because I found the socket 939 motherboard, but I can't find a 939 AMD 64... So what's the story?

Incase I do need a 939 motherboard:
<A HREF="http://www.motherboards.com/product_info.php?category_id=4&index_id=7&subcategory_id=265&products_id=31998&" target="_new">http://www.motherboards.com/product_info.php?category_id=4&index_id=7&subcategory_id=265&products_id=31998&</A>
Incase I need a 940 motherboard:
<A HREF="http://www.motherboards.com/product_info.php?category_id=4&index_id=7&subcategory_id=235&products_id=27468&" target="_new">http://www.motherboards.com/product_info.php?category_id=4&index_id=7&subcategory_id=235&products_id=27468&</A>
And here is the AMD Athlon 64 FX that I found:
<A HREF="http://www.motherboards.com/product_info.php?category_id=5&index_id=9&subcategory_id=243&products_id=31295&" target="_new">http://www.motherboards.com/product_info.php?category_id=5&index_id=9&subcategory_id=243&products_id=31295&</A>


Also which would you all say is better, amd athlon 64 fx [940/939]
Or the AMD Athlon 64 3700 754 pin?
Thanks~

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by DuceXcreW on 07/06/04 08:15 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[TheRod]

Socket939 and 940 are INCOMPATIBLE.

Socket939 is more future-proof. Socket754 will be mostly use for low/mid-range system by 2005. AMD don't plan to launch faster Athlon 64 CPU on this platform.

So, if you get an Athlon 64 3700+ today, you will probably not be able to upgrade to a faster CPU on a Socket754 motherboard in the future. On the other and, if you get an Athlon 3500+ (939), you will be able to upgrade to a faster CPU in the future.

To choose your motherboard refer to Tom's Hardware reviews and/or other site reviews. I personnaly like <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com" target="_new">http://www.anandtech.com</A> reviews.

If you don't plan to overclock, both VIA and nForce3 250 based motherboards will work well for you. If you want to do some overclocking, get an nForce3 250 based MB.

--
It's tricky to use words like <b><font color=green>AMD</font color=green></b> or <b><font color=blue>Intel</font color=blue></b> in a signature some users could think your are biased.

 

[o1die]

I recommend socket 754, as it costs about half of what socket 939 goes for. The motherboards are also much cheaper. Socket 754 has about the same performance as 939. By the time you upgrade again, you'll probably want a newer motherboard anyway. If you overclock, many recommend the athlon 64 3200 with 1 meg cache. The nforce3 250 chipset is your best choice. You can go with a no frills chaintech vnf3-250 ($88 newegg.com) or the msi k8n neo platinum ($127).

 

[DuceXcreW]

Let me add that total cost is not an immediate factor in this machine, I just want it to work right and well. Now I found a pretty processor. I am set on the 939 pin AMD 64 FX. It is very pretty IMO, if I am wrong please correct me for I am still the village idiot.

Now I'm just looking for a board, and I found this
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-128-254&depa=1" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-128-254&depa=1</A>
This also looks pretty to me, but I could use some feedback because as stated above, I am the idiot. My question here is providing that this would work, this mobo says "Supports amd 64 939 pin" whatever, is there a difference, compatibility wise, between AMD 64 and AMD 64 FX? Or are they basically the same to the motherboard?

Also will it work with the Fortron 530 watt?

I know what the best idea is though, I think the best idea is for you guys to pick out the best mobo you can that is made for AMD 64 FX 939 and will run with the Fortron 530watt. Yeah.

 

[Linxor]

Athlon64: 754 pin, Chips: 3700+, 3400+, 3200+, 3000+, 2800+
Athlon64 FX: 939 pin, Chips: 3800+, 3500+


 
~ Digital Cowboy Extraordinaire ~

 

[o1die]

I was looking for an nforce chipset board in pricewatch, and none are listed for socket 939. The only ones available are with via chipsets. Nforce4 boards should be out in a month or two, if you can wait.

 

[eagle8635]

You also might want to consider waiting for PCI-Express, as PCI-Express graphics cards will be faster (important if you are a gamer).

-----
The two most common elements in the univers are hydrogen and stupidity.

 

[DuceXcreW]

Waiting is no big deal, I need time to get the money anyway, about PCI express though...

I gather from the title that it will be better than the current PCI setup, however will it be more expensive? And by about how much? Also, about how long is this wait expected to be... I don't mind waiting too long, but I don't want to put off building my computer for 4-5 months, the point is I'm building one because it is cheaper & what I want, but in 4-5 months I'd have enough to buy an overpriced computer but with no hassle.

And in response to the mentioning of Nforce4, can anyone give me a bried rundown of what that is? And wether or not it is better than my current idea of getting the Athlon 3800+? (Bigger numbers are better >)
(<A HREF="http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=2895127" target="_new">http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=2895127</A>)

Also with PCI express, I was planning on just getting a AGP slot for ati radeon 9800xt (<A HREF="http://www.motherboards.com/product_info.php?category_id=9&index_id=17&subcategory_id=60&products_id=27542&" target="_new">http://www.motherboards.com/product_info.php?category_id=9&index_id=17&subcategory_id=60&products_id=27542&</A>)

When PCI express comes out, will there be better cards immediately available for purchasing?

Also while I'm at it, here is current mobo
(<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-128-254&depa=1" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-128-254&depa=1</A>)
Everything looking pretty so far?

Thanks for helping