If you have gotten to the point of reading this, thanks in advance
Basically, i have an aging p4 3.2GHz prescott and one of the gainward 7800GS+ (the 7900gt) for agp8x. I'm not really sure if there any motherboards with agp8x and the cpu i want; but if there aren't can anyone llet me know of a good alternative (i'm thinking amd x2)? I'm mainly posting in case I've missed anything obvious (I'm famous for it)
Cpu I'd like: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU, 2.40 GHz, FSB 1066MHz, 4MB L2 Cache, Socket LGA775
http://www.pricepoint.com.au/shop/product_info.php?cPath=61_63&products_id=3424
You never said what the old motherboard was, or what type of memory you have, but I still think you will be covered with this motherboard already suggested by 1Tanker, the ASRock 775Dual-VSTA. Good is that it covers all your bases and is cheap. Bad is that it does not OC that well and there are only 2 memory slots per ram type. It would be hard to recommend any other board that does AGP, because they are sadly more limited in options. This is a great transition board, and should keep you have for another 2 years or more. The price is not painful, so it makes it easier to buy such a nice CPU like the E6600. You choice of the E6600 is a very good one, because the larger 4 megs of cache largely makes up for the deficiancies of the chipset and ram to the point that they are close to nil.
There are C2D boards that have AGP but since your doing the build why limit yourself with AGP? You should go all the way with PCI-e. The CPU and motherboard will be good for the next couple of years while the video card will quickly become out dated. Soon DX10 compatible video cards will be dominating the market and all games will require them. Now you may still be able to find the few hybrid boards that where made. They had both AGP and PCI-e.
I would say because a new motherboard, cpu, video card, and ram cost a bloody fortune. Plus, by the time all those new DX10 games come out, there will be better hardware at a much cheaper price. A bit retarded to blow a wad on something that really not all that much better than what lord fabs currently has right now, is it?
Here is what ya need.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131029
ASUS P5PE-VM
Intel 865G Chipset
Core2Duo
AGP 8x
DDR so ya can keep the memory ya have.
I originally got this board, and I do say I liked it. But sadly it does not have SATA RAID so I decided to return it. Other little things like it was mATX, had no DDR2 or PCIe option, and the useless onboard video made me decide on the better featured ASRock 775Dual-VSTA. If can live with the limitations of the P5PE-VM, it seemed to be a nice board though.
You also mentioned a the possibility of using an X2 processor, please read your original post.
There are no good, modern AGP chipsets for intel processors: The "modern" AGP-Intel chipsets are junk, and the "good" ones are old.
What cheek of your ass did you get this pearl of wisdom? I would love you to explain why these lesser chipsets are inferior, at least compared to high end AMD kit. They are not the best out there, but they are damn good considering the price of the gear. It amazes me that this technology is about 2 to 4 years old and it is still only about 5% slower than the "best"! I think that it more goes to show how crappy and overpriced the new stuff is. I am no VIA fanboy (got screwed royally with the KT133A motherboards), but I still bought a ASRock 775Dual-VSTA because of it's features and price. I simply have had better luck with the "lesser" boards than with expensive boards with "quality" chipsets. What I learned is all you pay for on the expensive boards are features that can usually be added cheaper with a PCI card. You certainly do not get better quality or support, at least not with Asus. I think $56 ASRock 775Dual-VSTA is a good bet, I would have to go through 3 of these motherboards before it becomes a bad bet. Even for the overclocker with a budget, I think they would be better off getting a E6600 and a ASRock 775Dual-VSTA than a E6300 and a expensive board. A new motherboard is cheaper than a new cpu. Motherboard prices depreciate quicker also.
I do not see the logic in recommending an x2 to lord_fabs. It means he has to buy more hardware, and inferior hardware at that. At least with a ASRock 775Dual-VSTA he can use his old hardware, and slowly upgrade to a much better core2duo setup. Hell the ASRock 775Dual-VSTA even supports a quad! And you have the nerve to call the ASRock 775Dual-VSTA and it's like crap! That is like calling a minivan crap because it cannot do 150 mph!
It is only crap if you have to go that speed, most do not!
1Tanker is dead wrong about the board you'll want. You'll want this:
ASRock 939Dual-VSTA: $67
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157097
You see, the board he suggested is SO bad that you're really better off with a worse-performing X2 processor and a board that really supports your hardware.
Advantages:
1. Supports AGP8x and PCI-Express x16, Tanker's suggestion doesn't support either interface at full performance.
2. Supports both card interfaces simultaneously, great for later upgrades.
Disadvantages:
1. Supports only DDR2.
Of course the real winning suggestion could be that of AdmiralSCL...
But anyway, 1Tanker's suggestion is junk.
I can only shake my head dude! Why would you even suggest such an obsolete, slower and more expensive platform? ULI does not even exist anymore, socket 939 is dead, and the AMD chips are vastly inferior than the the core2duo offerings. It is not even cheaper! I take it you jest, but in any event, you are only adding to the confusion.
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