Advice for a budget gaming motherboard

[bosing]

Hello, I'm looking to pair up a motherboard with either an i3 or Phenom ii x4 960t for some moderate gaming.

What's usually coming up is the Z68 chip, or the 970A chip for AMD, but I've found out that as long as the socket is correct (1155 or AM3+) the processors will fit. These chips are quite pricey in comparison to their previous models, and I'm wondering if I'll loose considerable performance by dropping to the H61/P67 or standard AM3+ boards?

It's worth noting that I have very little knowledge in computer building, and I've a friend to assemble this for me.

A Radeon HD 6850 is to slot into the selected motherboard, as well as a 8GB Vengeance RAM kit. I'm struggling to get out of the £80 bracket with P68/970A (which converts to $126.00), but I'd rather be closer to the £50 bracket (which converts to $80.00).

Any help, would be much appreciated.

 

[techjay]

Im running the Asus Crosshair Formula 990fx.. packed with tons of features and an AWESOME bios.. it supports am3 / am3+... Super ez overclocking for max component performance.. id recomend this board.. little more expensive than some but the technology will live long... 220 $ on newegg

 

[bosing]

Im running the Asus Crosshair Formula 990fx.. packed with tons of features and an AWESOME bios.. it supports am3 / am3+... Super ez overclocking for max component performance.. id recomend this board.. little more expensive than some but the technology will live long... 220 $ on newegg

Ah, thanks for your suggestion. However for me, the price tag seems fairly steep. I'm no enthusiast, so I won't be looking to overclock; contrary, I'll be looking for everything to run out of the box.

 

[bosing]

OK, so I'm stuck between these two: Gigabyte GA-Z68AP and ASUS M5A97 AMD 970A

Is there no way I could go cheaper? Remember I have no interest in overclocking.

 

[three0duster]

If you are not going to use the built on GPU of the intel you can get a P67 series chipset or since you are not overlclocking you can use the H67. Those were at one time a bit cheaper in price. The chipset in most of the current boards does not effect performance enough to justify the expenditure. What you are gaining from the price increase is extra features. AMD is about the same when it comes to chipsets. They all are about the same in terms of performance.

 

[bosing]

If you are not going to use the built on GPU of the intel you can get a P67 series chipset or since you are not overlclocking you can use the H67. Those were at one time a bit cheaper in price. The chipset in most of the current boards does not effect performance enough to justify the expenditure. What you are gaining from the price increase is extra features. AMD is about the same when it comes to chipsets. They all are about the same in terms of performance.

That's music to my ears. Thanks for your help.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to nab a P67 motherboard from my preferred buyer. Would something like this see me through? Gigabyte GA-H61MA

 

[bosing]

That's music to my ears. Thanks for your help.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to nab a P67 motherboard from my preferred buyer. Would something like this see me through? Gigabyte GA-H61MA

Never mind, the Q&A on Aria helped me out, and it looks like this should be sufficient.

Thanks again.

 

[three0duster]

Glad to help.

 

[techjay]

you cant go wrong with asus.... try and get a motherboard with the 990fx chipset... even the cheapest 990 is nice