Buying a Mobo and proc

[iamkain]

thx for checking out my other post, and i relized that getting a mobo compatible with socket 939 proc, is kinda pointless, so i just decided to get a new mobo and proc.

heres what i want

i have a limit of $250
PCI-E compatible
im not sure about dual or quad because most games/programs i play/use, dont really need quad core
i have a wired internet card, so its ok if it dosent have a built in one, but if there is would it be possible to bridge the two connections?
i hav 2 HD's neither of them are SATA(can someone also tell me what the other kind of connection is called?).
i have 4 sticks of ram each 1 gig each, they are DDR2, so preferably the Mobo is DDR2 compatible, but if not then i will need to take some of the 250 dollars i have to buy new ram.
i plan on running windows xp home edition, and possibly vista.
the games i mainly play are Counter Strike: Source(steam name: CSkain), Garry's Mod, and many other Half-Life 2 mods(they arnt that complex), and Fallout 3(i dont really care if i dont play it with all the settings on high, ive been playing them all on low, so anything better than that is good)

thanks for reading, and if u need any other information about what i need, or what u need to select a mobo and proc. please ask because i will be glad to help

 

[o1die]

Look for a 710 or 750 southbridge chipset if you go with amd. The new propus 620 quad core is out for around $99. For a bargain, the gigabyte GA-MA785GM with regor 245 combo is only $125.99 at newegg.

 

[Onus]

The other type of hard drive connection is called PATA, or sometimes IDE. Most motherboards today have only one header for a PATA cable, which means two devices. If your optical drive is also IDE/PATA, you'll only be able to use one of your hard drives in your rig; the other may be placed in an external USB enclosure. Instead, you may find that this would be a good time to migrate to a SATA drive.
Here's a suggestion:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.254105
Combo of AMD Phenom II X2 545 Callisto 3.0GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDX545WFGIBOX and GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - $152. It will use your existing DDR2-800 RAM.
Then add this SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive for $50:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
Even with shipping, you'll be under budget, and will have a nice jump up from what you have now. If you want to spend closer to your max, you can get a faster processor like the 720BE and/or a bigger hard drive, but considering you are moving up from an old S939 system, even a lesser CPU would be an improvement.
Edit: ...like the Regor combo o1die described.

 

[iamkain]

thanks, few more questions.
i have a couple external terabit HDs and my IDE HDs i plan on useing arnt that big, so right now i dont think i need a 500gig one because i only have 100 gigs worth of games, and i put most of my other data on my externals, and that leads me to my next ??.

i have a pata cable with 2 connectors, one master and a slave, do u think it(using my 2 HD) would work if i just used that cable?

btw i forgot to mention, im not moving up from a socket 939, i gave my old 3.0 gig ghz HTed computer to my little brother, and i got this from my older brother, who was going to have it sit in his room. so i just took it and decided to use the case. and scrap the mobo and proc.

and o1die would you have a link that you could post? if not ill go look for it
thanks

edit
for got to mention this buy my 450W PS have a 20 prong connector, and a 4 prong, i noticed that that motherboard has 24 for the board and 8 for the CPU

 

[o1die]

With a regor dual core, the 4 pin 12v ps connector will work on the 8 pin plug. For a tri or quad core, you might want to replace the ps. Newegg has a rosewill 600w with gaming case for $59.99 in this morning's email promos, but you have to register for the promos to work. It only takes a few minutes. My links never work, been building systems for 17 years and haven't learned to post a link. You should be able to use one pata cable on 2 hardrives. I had my pata optical drive paired with an old ide drive and had no problems. For the combos, they're usually listed on both the cpu and motherboard sections; I use the motherboard section.

 

[iamkain]

ha, ok and yeah i cant post links on forums either unless i copy and paste them, and then they dont always work.
i already have a case, and i really dont want to get a new PS, i only want to buy a mobo and proc, so i think im gonna stick with dual core jtt said, but i would also like to have a few more choices so i can compare them.

 

[Onus]

You NEED to replace your ancient PSU. The main connectors on PSUs have had 24 pins (or 20+4) for years now. The old one you have will not have the limited capacity it does have allocated to the various rails that a modern PC requires. Furthermore, it is probably very overrated, and can't provide its full labeled capacity anyway. If you try to use it, the results you are likely to get are shown here: http://www.corsair.com/cinema/movie.aspx?id=622747
You can get a reasonable, modern, high-quality (80+ certified, active PFC) PSU for about $50. I would recommend an Antec Earthwatts 430W PSU, which right now is the same price as the 380W model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006

 

[iamkain]

i have a newer power supply, its just not as powerfull as my 450W so if anything im going to get a 450W+ PS other wise i should use my old one.
next thing, after talking to some other comp. geeks, and forums ive decided that i dont really want a micro board. so if there is one that isnt a micro i will be more willing to get it

 

[Onus]

But that's the point, your old PSU is not capable of 450 Watts, and the wattage it CAN produce won't be distributed in the manner needed by a modern PC (i.e. with most of its amperage on the +12V rails).

Next, unless you're going for a very high overclock, there is NOTHING wrong with a micro board. Without enough in your budget for a gaming graphics card, your only real hope of strong enough video for games is the HD4200 or HD3300 on an AMD micro board. Come up with another $80 or so, and you can get a HD4670; $100 will get you a HD4850. Even the "little" Antec Earthwatts 380W PSU is capable of powering it.

 

[o1die]

The 4670 would work fine; it was $59.99 the other day, and is listed at $64.99 in today's promos. This one is made by HIS.

 

[Onus]

Ah, another price drop. Nice.

 

[iamkain]

well i already have a graphic card, and its quite large, so i dont have a need for another one. and i really dont want to get a micro board mainly because: ive had bad expeicences with them, and i dont have the smallest hands, so i would have to take some stuff out to access it. i also dont need the 5 sata ports. i noticed that this board only have one pci-e express, and i would like mine to have two. and if i had that board i would have extra to spend, and i would like to use all 250 dollars.

 

[iamkain]

this is the one i was looking at getting
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.249431

and also this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259898

sorry for double post