[Solved] Motherboard comparisons

What video card do you have and what RAM.

I have the Nividia Geforce 6800GT 256MB ram overclocked.
Physical ram on mobo is 2GB

Depends on the price of the board and cpu combined. Which do you prefer: amd or Intel? Some of the newer onboard video chipsets are pretty good. So you have ddr or ddr2 right now? If ddr2, go with the amd board and find a used cpu. I found an am2 4200 listed just two days ago on my local craigslist for only $15, and it even came with a heatsink.

Using agp versus pci-e will hold you back more than the ht limitations on some boards that use amd cpus. The agp chipset boards are a bit slower but that's also true of the other board that uses socket 775. Both boards compromise to use the slower technology of agp cards. Check the ddr2 specs of both boards carefully to be sure your ram will work, then the price of an amd versus intel core2 duo cpu; don't go with any pentium 4 based cpu; it runs hotter and slower. Even the celeron 420 single core will match some old p4's for performance.

If I decide the intel board, the bst CPU I can find at Newegg is the Intel Core 2 Duo E7600 Wolfdale 3.06GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115059). The FSB is 1066. Again, there are also CPU's that are FSB1333 but not sure how it may work with a 1066 board.

The AMD board, the best I can probably do is AMD Phenom II X4 920 2.8GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103472)

Intel CPU - core Duo CPU within specs
AMD CPU - Quad core based on socket specs. Again the AMD board is also AM3 ready.
Purchasing ddr2 isn't a big deal as memory is very cheap these days

I guess my other concern is, could the Geforce 6800GT I have be a huge bottleneck with either processors?

By the way, in your opinion, whats better - Geforce 6800Gt vs HIS IceQ H467QS1GHA Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 AGP 4X/8X HDCP ($124.00)

I wouldn't spend another dime on an agp video card. If you're so concerned about your old ide hardrives, why not add an ide control card which will give you more ide connections for any new board. They typically use a pci slot. If you have that much money to throw into a system, don't buy either board. The separate ide cards are a much better option and will work with most newer boards. Microbarn has a generic ata 133 ide controller card for only $13.99 shipped. I've done business with them; the card is listed on pricewatch under "controller cards". Then go with any 785 chipset board listed at newegg that can use your ddr2 ram; some sell for only $59.99 shipped at newegg. Better ones have 4 ram slots, and an hdmi port. Even biostar makes some good boards for am2/am3. The newer the board chipset, the less likely you will have to flash the bios for a newer phenom II cpu, another important consideration. Newegg surely also carries the ide controller cards; so a search on their website.

Oldie and Mosox - Thanks alot. You guys have been great help. I will abandon the AGP option for now and move into PCI-E technology. It seems the best option over the long run.....Happy Holidays

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey