Upgrade opinions w/ Core2 DUO

[xxsk8er101xx]

I'm looking to upgrade and was curious about other peoples opinions about what i have picked out so far.

I have no intentions for SLI, overclocking, or RAID. I need at least one firewire port. External Serial ATA would be a nice option. I don't need onboard audio. I want at least one or two pci-e 1x ports, at least One PCI port, and one pci-e 16x port. I need at least 4 SATA ports.

So far here's what I picked out when the processor comes out.

Here are three motherboards I feel are pretty decent. Abit AB9 pro so far is my favorite but the layout is weird. I think i'll have to buy a longer IDE cable. That's not an issue though.

ASUS P5B Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express

ABIT AB9 Pro Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express

I'm still confused about RAM. I guess the ddr2 800 is fast but is it needed? Can i just get something like this:

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 675 (PC2 5400)

I know before if you got a 533mhz fsb you needed PC2700.Anything slower and it'll be overclocking the memory. Is it the same deal here with DDR2 and do i need ddr2 800 for 1066 fsb? Will getting ddr2 675 be good enough or will it overclock that or try to as ddr2 800? If that makes sense ...

I'm pretty dead certain on getting this for my video card:
eVGA 256-P2-N584-AR Geforce 7900GT KO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

of course for cpu i wanna get the core2 duo 2.4ghz as i don't plan to upgrade again for another 3 years.

Does anyone know for 100% sure if a 1.5gb SATA 1 HDD will work with a 3.0gb SATA2 port? I would think it would be backwards compatible as its just a faster theorhetical speed. I'll have to google it.

You're opinions matter and i'm looking forward to reading what you think about what I have picked out. The reason I have not picked any 975x chipsets is because they are all 100 bucks more expensive. I refuse to buy a motherboard for over 200 dollars.

Thanks and looking forward to reading what you think. =)

 

[BaronMatrix]

WHat you got looks good. Most things don't need DDR2 800, not even AM2 as is the consensus - from people who have not tried CAS3 or CAS4 667.

I agree with you about the mobos. Over $200 is too much.

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

Out of those three motherboards which one would you pick ?

WHat you got looks good. Most things don't need DDR2 800, not even AM2 as is the consensus - from people who have not tried CAS3 or CAS4 667.

I agree with you about the mobos. Over $200 is too much.

 

[Caboose-1]

Either the Gigabyte or the Asus. I would go with Asus, I have had a few of their boards and they have a good history.

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

the only thing i don't like about the asus one is that it doesn't have a firewire port. I can improvise as my soundcard has a firewire port on it. Worst case is i'll just have to buy a firewire card later. The asus board is nicer and a better layout than the Abit one. I also have had good luck with asus boards compared to abit and gigabyte.

Either the Gigabyte or the Asus. I would go with Asus, I have had a few of their boards and they have a good history.

 

[chewbenator]

Somebody had a link to the Gigabyte board overclocking to something crazy with the new bios update. Changed my mind, hopefully they come around.

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

not interested in overclocking really. Just wanna get something that works and has what I want.

Somebody had a link to the Gigabyte board overclocking to something crazy with the new bios update. Changed my mind, hopefully they come around.

 

[Caboose-1]

In that case the Gigabyte would be a good choice for you. Before you decide, look around for some reviews on them so you don't make a mistake.

 

[someguyy]

I know before if you got a 533mhz fsb you needed PC2700.Anything slower and it'll be overclocking the memory. Is it the same deal here with DDR2 and do i need ddr2 800 for 1066 fsb? Will getting ddr2 675 be good enough or will it overclock that or try to as ddr2 800? If that makes sense


Does anyone know for 100% sure if a 1.5gb SATA 1 HDD will work with a 3.0gb SATA2 port? I would think it would be backwards compatible as its just a faster theorhetical speed. I'll have to google it.

Thanks and looking forward to reading what you think. =)

As far as the top half there is concered DDR2 667 will work fine.

And 1.5gb/s hard drives are work with 3gb/s ports.

 

[Vinny]

Somebody had a link to the Gigabyte board overclocking to something crazy with the new bios update. Changed my mind, hopefully they come around.

Visit This?

As far as the top half there is concered DDR2 667 will work fine.

And 1.5gb/s hard drives are work with 3gb/s ports.

Would one see a noticable jump in performance from using 4-4-4-12 DDR2 667 vs 5-5-5-15/12 DDR2 800?

 

[borandi]

Would one see a noticable jump in performance from using 4-4-4-12 DDR2 667 vs 5-5-5-15/12 DDR2 800?

I wouldnt think so.

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

i'm not stupid i know to look for reviews. If i wanted reviews i'd look there. I wanted peoples opinions.

In that case the Gigabyte would be a good choice for you. Before you decide, look around for some reviews on them so you don't make a mistake.