Motherboard and case advice

[xxsk8er101xx]

Hey there,

I was wondering if anyone can offer some advice for a motherboard and case.

The purpose of this computer is that it's going to be used for VMWare using vsphere lite, It needs at least 2 onboard NICS (preferably 3 but I have one I can use). I have a core 2 duo and 8gigs of DDR2 800 RAM.

This is not a gaming machine. This computer is to simulate 2 sites connected via t1 line. I have 2 cisco routers to help with that.

I don't need anything great just seems to be hard to find mobos for core 2 duos now a days.

Any advice is appreciated,
Thanks in advanced

 

[photonboy]

It comes down to price really.

I'd start with NCIX which has good prices and a large selection. Make sure:
1) the motherboard is compatible with your CPU and RAM
2) the motherboard supports 8GB of RAM (probably 4 slots supporting 2GB each)
3) the slots are what you want (all PCIe or a mix of PCIe and PCI)
4) Onboard graphics?

Also:
- you can ADD NICS if you need to
- MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte are good brands

As for a computer CASE, it depends if you get uATX or ATX? My advice is to keep it simple. For ATX, the Antec 300 is pretty nice.

You should WRITE DOWN everything you Need/Want on paper.

*If you want this to be quiet, consider a $40 heatsink/fan for your CPU, use low-speed/noise case fans, fanless graphics, and a PSU with fan control. In fact, READ REVIEWS on the exact PSU you purchase because it's very important. You can get away with spending $40 only but don't go TOO cheap and get a noisy PSU that can wreck your system.

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

Cheaper and smaller the better.

That's really the problem is finding a motherboard with the right combo that I need. It looks like server mobos are the way to go but they're expensive.

onboard graphics preferred,
2 NICs preferred
8GB MIN support
Core 2 duo support
PCI-e 1x and 4x slots

I'll look at the antec 300 - i'm not looking for anything fantastic either. This will be sitting in a corner where no one will be looking at it.

It comes down to price really.

I'd start with NCIX which has good prices and a large selection. Make sure:
1) the motherboard is compatible with your CPU and RAM
2) the motherboard supports 8GB of RAM (probably 4 slots supporting 2GB each)
3) the slots are what you want (all PCIe or a mix of PCIe and PCI)
4) Onboard graphics?

Also:
- you can ADD NICS if you need to
- MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte are good brands

As for a computer CASE, it depends if you get uATX or ATX? My advice is to keep it simple. For ATX, the Antec 300 is pretty nice.

You should WRITE DOWN everything you Need/Want on paper.

*If you want this to be quiet, consider a $40 heatsink/fan for your CPU, use low-speed/noise case fans, fanless graphics, and a PSU with fan control. In fact, READ REVIEWS on the exact PSU you purchase because it's very important. You can get away with spending $40 only but don't go TOO cheap and get a noisy PSU that can wreck your system.