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Hello All!
I've gone through a lot of posts and could not really find an answer for my mATX build, maybe someone could help me decide. This is a budget build so I'd like to keep the mobo price under $90 bucks. Should I get one of the XFX Nvidia GeForce 7150's, the Asus P5N-EM, or go for a Gigabyte G41MF-S2H boards. I would get the one of the Nvidia boards but they don't support Dual Channel for the ram. I have ordered some of the parts for it. The cpu, is a E5200, ram is GSkill 800 mhz dual channel kit, and a 500 watt psu to go into an old Emachine mATX box that died. This is just for a internet surfer and media pc. I would apreciate any input you might have, and thank you in advance.

Sorry Guys, the question is the Nvidia IGP better than the X4500 IGP and not worry about the ram? Sorry I left out my question.

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I have a Zotac 7100 Supreme motherboard for my HTPC, and other than the very sparse options in BIOS, I have no complaints about my purchase.

SPCR usually covers more mATX motherboards than anyone else:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/

I think the 7100-series is the way to go since they are very inexpensive, but quite capable. The one thing they are lacking is the ability to decode HD video on the GPU. Intel G41/43/45 and nVidia 9300 are the way to go if you want to avoiding using a discrete for video decoding. Although for the price of the 9300 motherboards you could buy a 7100 series and add in an HD 4650 or something for less.

Anything should be good for "internet surfer and media pc". Don't spend a ton thinking you need more power. Don't worry about the lack of dual channel ram, your usage will not be affected by the difference.

Of those choices the Gigabyte board would be best as far as reliability. Looks like the other two are 630i/610i based boards which have their problems. As a concern of graphcs the nVidia boards are many times better and the Intel chip sets still do not properly accelerate the decoding of HD media such as Blu Ray. I suppose a nVidia 9300 /9400 based board would be out of your price range. For that budget I'd recommend you to have gone AMD with a 780G based chipset, but you've already ordered your intel CPU.
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megamanx00 said:
Looks like the other two are 630i/610i based boards which have their problems..

Like what? (links)
megamanx00 said:
Intel chip sets still do not properly accelerate the decoding of HD media such as Blu Ray.

That was fixed a month or so ago, all the reviews I've seen since then say that it's working just fine.

Hi Proximon!
Thanks for the quick response, I apreciate it. I want to get this going. I wasn't sure which would work better because there are so many different points of view. I was thinking about a G31 or G33 because they are cheaper, but they are older now? Does the G41 sound good to you, or would you have another suggestion? It's going to be a lot like a HTCP build I guess, as I don't overclock. Thanks man!!

As was mentioned before, there are some AMD chipsets that would have served you well. AMD CPUs and motherboards are actually quite useful in this price range, for non-gamers.

I do feel that you'll get the best value out of a G41 or G43 board. The older G31s might work if money was very tight, but you'll get better performance from the newer boards.

Hi Shadow703793
I have an old Emachine that croaked and I am going to use that box for my build. I'm doing this for the fun and accomplishment of it and I am on a budget...wish I wasn't believe me. Ha Ha.
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