Motherboard advice- Please help- Frustrated!

[jcm076]

Hi gang,

I'm looking for a good fit Motherboard and compatible RAM.

I've read the boards here for a long time but never posted. I've searched through 100's of reviews, forum posts, and websites looking for the right Motherboard....After reading positive reviews from sites and then negatives from feedback on Newegg and such...It has just made things worse.


*What I'll be using the system for*

Heavy Gaming
Doubt I will OC anything
Not interested in an SLI set up
Need to find Compatible memory
No Raid set up
Combo that works out of the box- no bio changes if possible(not a strength of mine)

I've looked at the P5B's, Gigabytes DS3, and most of the 680i's. I dont necessarily mind spending money for the 680i but for what I intend to use it for, I'm not sure I will need it. I prefer to spend wisely and not just get the latest because its there.

Any sincere opinions/suggestions or personal experiences with a mobo/memory combo would be appreciated!


Thank you very much.


This will be my build...

E6600
8800GTX
2 gig Corsair 4-4-4-12 (willing to hear other options if mobo isn't compatible)
Raptor HD (not sur on size yet)
OCZ GameXstream 700w
Tuniq Cooler
Gigabyte Aurora or CM Stacker case

 

[BUFF]

I don't often do this but if you are absolutely sure that those are your needs & that they won't change a Foxconn P965 or MSI 965 Platinum should do you fine. In fact a Biostar 965PT (or Gigabyte 965P-S3) would do you - with the Biostar you don't have the problematic JMicron controller to deal with.

I've just received my abit AB9 QuadGT today which will outperform those but it needs a BIOS update out of the box to fix a few niggles.
Easily done though & at least the BIOS support is there.

 

[jcm076]

After reading Buff's response I wanted to clarify something for anyone willing to give me some advice...

If BIOS need adjusting on a particular mobo, I know how to go in and perform the steps, but I can't trouble shoot. So if someone tells me go in and change the voltage on your ram settings- i can do that.

However, if it requires me figuring out what to change- I'm screwed.

Secondly- he mentioned the abit he got will outperform those suggested...Do you mean outperform based on a side by side with what I'm using it for, or based on features it has available but I wont need.

I want high performance..I'm spending 600 on a video card- I dont want to skimp on a motherboard if I'm going to notice a performance increase with one a bit more expensive.

Again, thanks for your time and any advice you can help with.

 

[g-paw]

The best way to ensure the RAM is compatible is to choose your mobo and then go the Corsair website. Most memory mfg sites let you find your mobo and then they will tell you what memory is compatible with that mobo. As for the mobo itself, first decide what features you want, e.g., onboard firewire if you have a digital camera, 2 or 3 PCI slots, I don't think any of the mobo for that CPU series have more than one PATA controller, meaning you will only be able to use 2 PATA drives. The drive with the OS almost has to be SATA given this limitation. The ASUS P5B-E LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard has gotten good reviews and has all the features you should need but a bit pricey at $150. Then I'd suggest you go to newegg and do a power search for the mobos. My understanding is that if you're not overclocking, there is not really a lot of performance differences from one board to another. I also always go to the mfg website and check out the manual and support section. I'm using both MSI and ASUS boards. What I like about MSI is that the manual gives you a bit more information about the BIOS settings and a big color chart that makes it easy to find things on the MOBO. But if ASUS has the board you want, their install instructions are good. As for updating the BIOS, you'll likely have to do this regardless of what you get and both MSI and ASUS makes this very easy. MSI does have a program that will not only check for the latest BIOS, which ASUS has as well, but will also let you know if there are any new drivers for you onboard stuff.

 

[jcm076]

Thank you for the responses so far- anyone else have some input for me? I'm looking to place my order this weekend.

Thanks in advance.

 

[BUFF]

Secondly- he mentioned the abit he got will outperform those suggested...Do you mean outperform based on a side by side with what I'm using it for, or based on features it has available but I wont need.

at stock settings it's extremely unlikely that you will be able to notice any performance difference between any mobo based upon the same chipset.

Where that particular abit scores is that most 965s switch to the 1333 strap when overclocking ~400fsb but it can run the tighter 1067 strap all the way past 500fsb - but you aren't going to overclock & only need basic features.
If I were you I would probably go with the Biostar 965PT as the cheapest decent option plus it avoids the JMicron issues.

As you won't be oc you also might want to look at getting some tighter latency RAM e.g. if you were looking at 6400 4-4-4 look at 53/5400 3-3-3