cheap mainboard with VGA on board for E8400??

[dpcdpc11]

i've decided to buy the new intel E8400 and i'm kinda on a low budget here... so i need a mainboard with an on board VGA feature cause i don't have the money to buy a video card yet and i wanna use the PC right away...
so i was thinkig about these 2 options:

ASUS P5K-VM
or the
GIGABYTE GA-G33M-DS2R

both are mATX mainboards with the same chipset and the same VGA on board... and almost the same features and the same low price... just what i need!
but i was wodering which one would be more problems free??
and i know both mainboards need a bios update in order for the E8400 to work.. could i make the update, i mean will the PC start or should i ask the ppl from the store to make bios update??

thanks in advanced!

 

[KyleSTL]

Go with a nVidia 7100/7150 board (or the ultra-affordable 7050). They are cheaper than the [overpriced] Intel G33/G35 boards. The only downside is the single-channel ram (but it sounds like you just need a stop-gap solution).

Here are all the 7000 boards on Newegg (as low as $35 after MIR):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000200280+107172444&Configurator=&Subcategory=280&description=&Ntk=&srchInDesc=

You'll have to ensure the board you choose supports the 45nm Core 2s though.

Looks like the Gigabyte MBs support the E8400 with BIOS rev F1. Not bad for a $55 board.

 

[dpcdpc11]

i know the Gigabyte is a pretty good MB for its money... but would i be able to run the PC before updateing the bios? and the same goes for the asus model.. E8400 works only with the new bios update.

 

[KyleSTL]

More than likely. I believe Gigabyte's numbering scheme starts with F1 ... F2 ...etc. If anyone else out there knows differently, please let me know.

 

[firebird]

I would go Asus, but that's just because I've never had an issue with their boards, and I had tried a Gigajunk once and will never again. But that was a long time ago and Gigabyte has become pretty popular.

Why is it so important that you not have to flash the bios?

 

[BUFF]

abit's I-N73HD ($65 after rebate) is pretty good.

 

[KyleSTL]

I would go Asus, but that's just because I've never had an issue with their boards, and I had tried a Gigajunk once and will never again. But that was a long time ago and Gigabyte has become pretty popular.

Why is it so important that you not have to flash the bios?

Because it may not be able to boot without a proper BIOS with the E8400, and therefore you wouldn't be able to update the bios without buying, say, a Celeron 420.

 

[dpcdpc11]

if i won't find anyone who can flash the bios for these mainboards, either asus or the gigabyte needs that.. then i'll have no choice than to buy the Q6600... it seems that the new G0 stepping doesnt heat to much either...
the abit I-N73H seems pretty nice... but would this model really run the E8400?