Future-prepared motherboard

[xslimmiejimmiex]

Hello everyone, quick questions regarding motherboards. So far i've been researching and have found MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum to suit my needs, howeve r input on what comes next would be greatly appreciated. I'm lookin for a mobo that will prepare me for the future that's Socket 939. I'm not intending on overclocking, so I'm just looking for one that already has great features and is ready to withstand demanding applications/hardware. I'm skeptical on X2 and SLI since the games arent X2 compatible, SLI compatible and other applications as well (so I've heard). so if you could maybe inform me on what you think you'd recommend:
- SLI or no
- X2 or no
I would appreciate it. Things i like about the K8N Neo4 is that its Plug&Play ( no idea how to set up otherwise), many awards, however, i've heard there's quite a lot of complaints. Just let me know on what you recommend in terms of mobo, SLI, X2. [keep in mind i'm no overclocker]. Thanks everyone, take care.

check out my other posts:
-http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/HT-Mid-tower-ftopict168752.html =(HTPC vs. Mid-tower case)
-http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/19-quot-LCD-monitor-ftopict168754.html=(best 19+" LCD monitor)

 

[RichPLS]

Those questions vary depending on your usage...
But I vote no for SLI, yes for X2

 

[xslimmiejimmiex]

don't you need X2 compatible games to run them though? Im using the comp for:
-some gaming (but demanding games=FarCry, BF2,HL2)
-photo editing/video possibly
-recording/editing/listening to music
-DVD's
-web design
-online research

i've heard that with X2, you need to uprade BIOS, and you need X2 compatible software/games,etc to run it (or have people been exaggerating?). What's the deal with X2 and compatability. BTW, i was looking into the AMD X2 4400+ and the AMD Athlon 4000+ San Diego. With the X2, i was very interested because of:
- Multitasking (anti-virus/researching stuff for school or personal use/ and editing at same time)
However, i was stranded away because of:
- unsure about Compatibilty (with games, recording software, and all that stuff)
- low ratings for demanding games
--------------------
With the 4000+ San Diego, i was interested because it:
-had low voltage and less heat than most
-very close to FX-series in the THG CPU charts for games and such
-----
stranded away:
- its price is close to that of the X2
- not dual-core compatible

p.s. thanks for reply

 

[pat]

don't you need X2 compatible games to run them though? Im using the comp for:
-some gaming (but demanding games=FarCry, BF2,HL2)
-photo editing/video possibly
-recording/editing/listening to music
-DVD's
-web design
-online research

i've heard that with X2, you need to uprade BIOS, and you need X2 compatible software/games,etc to run it (or have people been exaggerating?). What's the deal with X2 and compatability. BTW, i was looking into the AMD X2 4400+ and the AMD Athlon 4000+ San Diego. With the X2, i was very interested because of:
- Multitasking (anti-virus/researching stuff for school or personal use/ and editing at same time)
However, i was stranded away because of:
- unsure about Compatibilty (with games, recording software, and all that stuff)
- low ratings for demanding games
--------------------
With the 4000+ San Diego, i was interested because it:
-had low voltage and less heat than most
-very close to FX-series in the THG CPU charts for games and such
-----
stranded away:
- its price is close to that of the X2
- not dual-core compatible

p.s. thanks for reply

An X2 will be adequate for what you want to do apart of games. And even for game, the X2 will do good.

As for a motherboard, well, even if I like nforce chipset, I hate their fan cooled chipset. While enthusiast may like that, chances are you may find it annoying while doing music, video or any other work.

ATI and ULI has chipset that run fanless. Board with ULI chipset are rather limited. AFAIK, only the Asrock 939 dual SATA is available. It's the board I just ordered because I wanted to try something else than nvidia. I heard good thing about it. For ATI chipset, I would have get the ECS KA1 MVP. But it was not yet available in canada, so I choose the Asrock.

VIA chipset are also fanless. I don't really like VIA, but I don't had any problems with the one that I've used/built