looking for a posible alternitve for a MB

[jormm]

well my original budget was about 1,100 usd but that has changed when updating my old wishlist and im hovering around 1,500ish usd so i was looking for a possible upgrade from the abit p35 pro board i dont wanna spend much more around 30-60$ more thin wut the abit board cost's. im using the pc for pc gamming and music and a lil bit of watching movies on. here is wut i got so far and its wut ill be buying pretty much unless there is a reason for a nother board. oh and i was also wondering if some one can question the ram i picked i like the price after mir and thats really all i know about it and ill be buying 2 sets for a totle of 4gigs over time but ill be getting 2gigs for now.

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply - Retail

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail

SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T - Retail

ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM

total: $1,557.91 befor MIR

mainly need your input for the MB and ram but any insite is helpfull thanks.

 

[HamRadio]

CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX - Retail
Cas Latency: 4
Heat Spreader: Yes
Timing: 4-4-4-12
Voltage: 2.1V
Model #: TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX
Item #: N82E16820145194
$99

More memory is better than fast memory and this is both more and fast with 4-4-4-12 timings. It does not use micron memory chips which would be nice (the old corsair dominators did) but for the price it is worth looking at. see what everyone else thinks too. I thought 4 GB would be nicer than 2 GB since your OS can handle it (and with vista you are better off with 4 GB).

 

[HamRadio]

ABIT IP35 Pro seems like a perfectly good mobo and it does not get criticized in the forum. It is a good choice if you are going to do RAID since it supports that.

Another stable highly rated mobo that OCs well and is often suggested in the forum is the GA-P35-DS3L ($89). It is less expensive than the ABIT, probably because it does not support two graphics cards nor RAID (which the majority of builders don't usually do anyway so you are not missing anything). There is a $149 version, the GA-P35-DS3R, that does RAID.

 

[akhilles]

Well, he can't raid with one drive.

Drop the zalman if you don't overclock. The stock one is ok. The psu is a bit overkill. 500w is plenty for a stock pc of similar config.

 

[Serj]

I agree, drop the Zalman if you're not OCing.

You're not encoding, so an E8400 would kick more ass in a gaming rig anyway, and consume less energy.

the IP35 Pro is an excellent choice. I'd only venture to say one of the well-equipped Gigabyte P35 boards is likely to do as well.

Personal Preference, but I'd get either a Seagate or WD drive. you can get the WD 500 SE16 for just a hair over $100, or if you need the reassurance of a warranty(i do) then the RE2 version of the same drive has a much longer warranty.

As for Vista; either get the 32bit version (less likely to have driver issues) or get ALOT more RAM. like 4+GB. If you're only doing DDR2-800, you can get some Crucial Ballistix for cheap, or I really like Mushkin. No point in only getting 2gb on a 64bit OS, and no point in getting a 64bit OS if you're not gonna load up on ram.

 

[geofelt]

Some good advice from previous posters.

E8400 is cheaper, and will perform better in most games than the Q6600. Runs cooler too.

Lots of good <$100 mobo's available. With the same cpu, they all perform about the same. Get one with only the features you need, no more.

I do like an oem cooler if you want quiet. Almost any will do. Look for one with a large slow (<1200 rpm) 120mm fan that directs the hot air out the back of the case.

Vista loves memory. Get a matched 4gb(2x2gb) set of ddr2-800. It should cost <$80. A 2x2gb configuration is usually cheaper than 4x1gb and preserves your option to go to 8gb.

Do you need some feature of ultimate? There are not many that home premium does not give you. There are limits to support and mobo transportability with an OEM version. Consider the merits of home premium upgrade version, which is retail, and send in $10 for the 64 bit cd. If you are a student, Vista has some good academic pricing available.

---good luck---