New motherboard recommendation

copracr

Distinguished
May 6, 2010
14
0
18,510
Hey guys, I'm a little confused by my motherboard choices since I havent kept up on new tech the last few years. I always preferred AMD but they lost me when they went to the "approximate speed" numbering system a few years back. In the meantime I built this system:

OC'ed E2140 @2Ghz
Asus P5NSLI mobo
8800GTS
2GB DDR2 533
SATA WD black 640gb

This system served me well enough for playing any game I've bought (NWN2, Dragon Age, Fallout 3, ME2) but the board is very buggy. I've had problems with the LAN a bunch of times, it overclocks fine at 20% but locks up on a 10% OC, the northbrigde overheats, vista took a while to get even remotely stable, and i'm sure there's more.

My question is, should I get a new 775 mobo and if so which one? Should I consider an AMD cpu/mobo combo? I want ROCK SOLID reliability as a priority. A budget setup for now with a mind towards future cpu/memory/OS upgrades

All the reviews of the p5nsli at the time were positive but it's been a lemon and want human feedback this time. I know this stuff isn't cutting edge, but I figure that if I use last generation tech I will have the benefit of your experience to guide me. Thanks.
 
Solution
Getting a used motherboard might give you more headaches with regards to stability. I assume that you'r not into high end games. Then consider this :

CPU - AMD Athlon II X3 425 $67
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103725

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128431

Memory - Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $56.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134790

The motherboard is an AM3 based; any future AM3 cpu replacements should require nothing more than a BIOS flash.

copracr

Distinguished
May 6, 2010
14
0
18,510


If its just a mobo, i'll pick up a used one, but for a whole new combo i'd like to keep it under 200. Cheaper is better but if i need to spend more i will
 

ksampanna

Distinguished
Apr 11, 2010
1,284
0
19,360
Getting a used motherboard might give you more headaches with regards to stability. I assume that you'r not into high end games. Then consider this :

CPU - AMD Athlon II X3 425 $67
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103725

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128431

Memory - Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $56.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134790

The motherboard is an AM3 based; any future AM3 cpu replacements should require nothing more than a BIOS flash.
 
Solution

copracr

Distinguished
May 6, 2010
14
0
18,510


Cool. May I ask 2 questions? Why did u choose that particular 770 board? Is one 2gb module somehow better over 2X 1gb dual channel modules?
 

ksampanna

Distinguished
Apr 11, 2010
1,284
0
19,360
[1] The main reason is that it's cheap. Other reason - its an AM3, so future AMD processors should be able to work with it (this may require a BIOS flash).
[2] This particular board specifically requires DDR3 RAM & DDR3 comes in a min 2 GB capacity. I could've recommended 2 X 2 GB but that would've overshot your budget. Btw, there is a negligible difference whether you use 2 X 1GB or 1 X 2GB
[3] Here's some good news for you though. After a bit of searching, I was able to find this motherboard - ASRock A785GXH $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157180
You can drop your existing RAM into this one, & use the AMD Athlon II X3 which I've listed above.
 

copracr

Distinguished
May 6, 2010
14
0
18,510


Great, thanks! I'm set to get this. The reviews on this cpu say i might be able to unlock the 4th core. Will I be able to do this and should I?
 

ksampanna

Distinguished
Apr 11, 2010
1,284
0
19,360



Core unlocking depends on 2 things - the potential of the cpu to have its cores unlocked, & the ability of the motherboard.
[1] There is less than a 50 % chance that whichever Athlon II X3 425 you get, it will have disabled cores which could be unlocked. Getting a CPU has has those disabled cores is a matter of luck.
[2] Core unlocking is also dependent on the motherboard. The motherboard manufacturers explicitly state on their motherboard specs whether it supports core unlocking or not. Like for eg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157191
Unfortunately, your board does not support this feature.