Reliable P55 Motherboard

[manbearpig91]

Im not looking for a motherboard with out any special features, I'm not looking to overclock, and I'd like a p55 motherboard that is reliable. Ill put an Nvidia card in it, and I might upgrade to an ATI down the road. I dont have experience in the area, and theres a lot of motherboards to choose from. Im just looking for a p55 motherboard that wont break on me. Around the 150 dollars or less range, with 1-2 PCI 2.0 slots. I dont need more than that. Id like on board audio too, dont know if im going to put a sound card in yet. Thanks, theres a lot to choose from.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131620

 

[ekoostik]

If you're not going to CF/SLI, aren't going to be pushing high OCs, and don't need a lot of expansion room - if you're looking for a good motherboard that is cheap - try the GA-P55M-UD2 for $105: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128405

 

[manbearpig91]

If you're not going to CF/SLI, aren't going to be pushing high OCs, and don't need a lot of expansion room - if you're looking for a good motherboard that is cheap - try the GA-P55M-UD2 for $105: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128405

How well will that Micro ATX hold a decent (medium not one of those massive ones) cooler? Is it any less durable than a standard ATX?

 

[ekoostik]

I have one of the larger coolers (CM Hyper 212+) on my GA-P55M-UD2. Didn't notice any durability issues, looks solid, no bending of the board if thats what you mean. Seems perfectly stable screwed into the case with the board vertical and the cooler horizontal.

 

[manbearpig91]

sounds like i might just get a micro ATX motherboard then, if thats what looks good. It might be a while, so i still have time to decide.

 

[ekoostik]

If you want to do some reading on the micro's, here's a review from last October of the Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 and an ASRock mATX: http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3652

And Tom's recently did one on those two mATX's plus an MSI and a Foxconn: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/microatx-p55-motherboard,2524.html