which Intel mobo fits?

[ajmalik]

Hi

I'm a total noob at building comps

Out of these Intel boards - which will fit my case? (I'm guessing not Micro ATX)

Mobos:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010200280%2050001157%204017&bop=And&Order=PRICED&Pagesize=100

Case :

http://www.amazon.com/NZXT-TEMPEST-Enthusiast-Steel-Midtower-Retail/dp/B0016L3FDG/ref=cm_lmf_img_1

 

[aevm]

First of all, there are a bunch of important things to look at when you pick a motherboard: number of video cards supported, type (SLI, Crossfire, none), number of SATA ports, number of PCI ports, overclocking capabilities (if you're interested), other features (FireWire, eSata). Second, Asus and Gigabyte make some excellent motherboards, you don't have to pick one made by Intel just because your CPU is made by Intel.

Is this PC for gaming? What is your budget? What is your screen resolution? Have you bought any parts yet?

BTW, the NZXT Tempest is a very good case. It will fit lots and lots of motherboards, no worries. Just pick one marked ATX.

Look at the Asus P5Q Pro for example. I like it a lot because it offers Crossfire and lots of SATA ports and lots of other features and it's cheaper than most other boards with similar features. The GA-EP45-DS3R is very nice too.

 

[chunkymonster]

all of those intel mobos listed will fit into the tempest...although i would avoid micro-atx and mini-itx mobos...the de-facto desktop mobo size is ATX and that is typically the size mobo you want...micro-atx mobos are primarily used for small form factor computers and mini-itx mobos are typically used for ultra small/portable computers...

 

[ajmalik]

aevm

thanks for your concern and willingness to help..

I haven't bought anything yet > I actually was looking into the Asus P5Q it looked amazing - but I've read of it frying many times on NewEgg and other forums - and I like to minimize my risk as much as possible..

I've had an Intel board in my machine since 2000 and it has been excellent which is why I'm a beliver in Intel

I do prefer the Asus board because of the RAM capability and other details.. I need a few PCI slots obviously and I want to go with SATA HDD's so obviously a few ports for that. I also need 1 PATA (IDE) port for my old DVDR drive from my current PC..

It's not a gaming machine no although I'd like to be able to play some decent PC games like counterstrike source - which doesn't require much graphics.. but I also want to get a HD graphics card, so obviously enough RAM/CPU power to support a good card..

That's about it.

 

[aevm]

Sounds good. Let's see...

If it's a work machine (not strictly gaming) and you're the kind of person that keeps a PC for several years with only an occasional upgrade, then you should get a quad CPU.
I think the Q6600 would be best for you. If you have a very good budget, then Q9550.

Video card: HD 4850 is about $160, handles Counterstrike without any problems, and has HD support. Best bang for the buck these days. It can run a bit hot, but the NZXT Tempest can handle that easily. BTW, the RC-690 case is also very good at cooling, and cheaper. $77.24 with free shipping here: http://www.buy.com/prod/cooler-master-690-without-power-supply/q/loc/101/206177908.html

You definitely don't need a multi-GPU setup (i.e. SLI or Crossfire) for Counterstrike. That is, a MB with a single PCI-E x16 slot should be enough.
However, if it's a work machine you might want to use 3 or 4 monitors at some point. With 22" LCDs at $200 and falling, I think it's likely. Since a typical video card supports only two monitors, you'd need two video cards. The card used for monitors 3 and 4 can be a $30 HD 3450, it doesn't have to be a gaming card. I suggest you get a GA-EP45-DS3R if you don't trust Asus. You don't have to buy a second video card yet, of course, only when you buy the 3rd monitor (if ever).

No worries about IDE ports. Almost every modern MB comes with an IDE header that allows two IDE devices.

RAM/Windows - it really depends on what you're doing with the computer. Counterstrike would be OK with XP 32-bit and 2 GB of DDR2-800. Crysis would look nicer with Vista 64-bit/2x2GB DDR2-800. If you do certain types of work you may even want 4*2GB RAM. Either way, since you consider yourself a noob, I'll assume you won't overclock and that means DDR2-800 is fine, you don't need more expensive DDR2-1066 or more. If in doubt, get 2x2GB and see in Task Manager over the first month. If you are using over 3GB often, add 4 more.

PSU: if you go with Q6600/HD 4850 then something around 500W would already be acceptable. It's best to give yourself some upgrade room, so I'd pick a 550VX ($78) or even 650TX ($90).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=650TX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004&Tpk=550vx