Im asking for some experienced advice

[nametaken]

Im in need of a good motherboard-not the most expensive-I game some(STALKER-FEAR-BIOSHOCK 2)and watch BluRays. Here is the hardware I have leftover after my last m/b failed , some of it is new.
AMD Phenom II X4 955 , G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL DDR3-1333 4GBx2, PNY GTX275 ,NZXT M-59 case,CORSAIR TX850WATT PSU,WIN 7 Pro 64 bit. I had an MSI K9N2 Diamond. Its gone and Im looking for a change.I'd like to add 4 to 8 more GB of the same G.Skill RAM as its has been reduced in price starting 2-24-11. I also have a new SSD bootdrive I'd like to try.
(Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) )
I hope Im not asking too much of a noob question-I've built a few riggs so far and they are all still running(except mine) but I would just like some tips from builders more experienced than myself. I've used AS Rock and MSI , and ASUS, they all worked fine.I appreciate any and all suggestions.
Thanks,
nametaken

 

[davcon]

Buy an 880 mobo if you don't plan on using more then one gpu.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007625%2050001944%20600007943%20600008419&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=22%7C13%2D131%2D647%5E13%2D131%2D647%2DTS%2C13%2D131%2D646%5E13%2D131%2D646%2DTS%2C13%2D131%2D651%5E13%2D131%2D651%2DTS%2C13%2D128%2D444%5E13%2D128%2D444%2DTS

 

[tecmo34]

880G chipsets are nice but the ASRock 870 Extreme3 is the best AM3 motherboard for price to performance. It is basically an 890GX at $50 less. Granted you don't need dual slots for cards, but at it's price range... I say why not??

 

[nametaken]

Could I use my GTX275 vid card on this board-I do like this choice better....but it all depends on how much of my currently owned hardware I will be able to use with this or any other motherboard. Just trying to keep my costs low so I can afford more perks when its up and running.
Thanks so much for all your time ,
nametaken

 

[nametaken]

I ended up with an ASUS M4A87TD EVO m/b,AM3 Phenom II X4 955 BE , 16GB RIPJAWS DDR3 1333mhz , ASUS HD6950 2GB . Crucial 64GB C300 SSD bootdrive and a WD 1.5 TB 7200rpm hdd. . Still waiting to pick out a good PSU. I want at least an 850 to 1000WATT Modular-all this fits in an NZXT M59 case. Also...advice on this...do I absolutely need a fan controller ? I have two 140mm on top, 1 120 or 140 in the clear door and a 120mm in front and the 120 rear top.. Top fans all are exhaust with the lower fans intake. 5 fans not counting CPU cooler and PSU fan , so , Controller necessary ? Thanks for all the help !
nametaken

 

[Eagle Eye_54]

I ended up with an ASUS M4A87TD EVO m/b,AM3 Phenom II X4 955 BE , 16GB RIPJAWS DDR3 1333mhz , ASUS HD6950 2GB . Crucial 64GB C300 SSD bootdrive and a WD 1.5 TB 7200rpm hdd. . Still waiting to pick out a good PSU. I want at least an 850 to 1000WATT Modular-all this fits in an NZXT M59 case. Also...advice on this...do I absolutely need a fan controller ? I have two 140mm on top, 1 120 or 140 in the clear door and a 120mm in front and the 120 rear top.. Top fans all are exhaust with the lower fans intake. 5 fans not counting CPU cooler and PSU fan , so , Controller necessary ? Thanks for all the help !
nametaken

Take a look at top tier PSU's, like Corsair AX series, Silverstone, Enermax, Thermaltake, Antec, Cooler Master and other better quality units. I'd stick with the 80+ rated PSU's, preferably the gold rated ones. Good ones have great cooling as well. I have a Corsair AX-850 and it is so quiet I wonder sometimes if it is working. A good PSU might extend the life of your board/cpu and will last a long time, thanks to its' quality parts. A cheap PSU is just that. Use the PSU wizards on various PSU maker sites to determine the minimum size you need for your setup. The sweet spot these days is 750 watts. I got a bigger one to future proof it some in case I go with two GPU's.

As for fans, you do not need a controller, but it can make the job easier. I don't use one. I run 7 fans (including CPU & PSU) in my case and some are connected to power via the mobo fan connections and some via molex 12v connections. It depends where the fans are, how loud they are, how big they are, how the thermals are in your case, etc as to what you should do. Experiment with different setups and see what does the job best. Even try turning some off and see the results. You may not need as many. Also, I would suggest you use the front fan as an intake and all the others as exhaust. That creates a negative pressure inside the case and draws the heat out fast and effectively. I have found the fans do not need to running full out....700 rpm on a 140mm 1000 rpm fan does the job without sounding like a plane taking off. I connect my back and top big fans to the board and let the boards' thermal control adjust the speeds. Of course always run the CPU fan from the CPU connector and adjust the speed via the BIOS power settings. You can download a trial version of "Hardware Monitor Pro" off the web and watch your thermals and adjust your fans accordingly. It will also show you the rpm of the fans connected to the board.

All the best.

 

[nametaken]

Thanks so much for your advice ! I really appreciate the help I've recieved from this forum. Like I've mentioned before , I have built 3 riggs from scratch and upgraded many more but its very reassuring to get advice from experienced builders . I try to learn something from each project , but its seems that the most important lesson is there is always room for improvement ! Its real hard to stay ahead of the curve when the tech goes obsolete about every six months !
Thanks again for your help. I will post an image of my final result when this is finished. I need about one week....maybe just 5 days....just hope my thread doesnt get locked before I post the pix.
nametaken

 

[nametaken]

Best answer selected by nametaken.

 

[nametaken]

Im good ! Its been running smooth as butter since my Win 7 Pro 64bit install. I opted for an 850Watt NZXT 80 Plus Gold Rated Modular PSU(same brand as my case). My previous PC was in a ThermalTake SHARK case and it was louder than my NZXT case.The SHARK case had 3 case fans and the PSU & CPU fan. This NZXT case has 5 case fans plus the PSU fan and the CPU fan and it can barely be heard ! I appreciate all the help from everyone ! Thanks !
nametaken