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What motherboard should I get?

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I'm on a fairly limited budget, and wondering which motherboard I should get for my new PC.

Case: Rosewill Challenger
PSU: Rosewill Green 630w (I know Rosewill PSUs aren't always the best, but this one got good reviews from hardwaresecrets and overclock.net)
CPU: Phenom II x4 945 (I *might* bite the bullet and get a 955, not sure)
GPU: Galaxy GeForce GTX 465 (comes with a good cooler, so the excess heat from the 465 design shouldn't be an issue)
RAM: G. Skill 8Gb Ripjaws DDR3-1333

The Motherboards I'm considering now are the following:
*BioStar A770E3
*ASRock M3A770DE
*MSI 870-G45

I'm also open to other suggestions, but please keep them in that price range (i.e. $70 or less).

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I'm guessing this is a budget gaming rig....

First off, bump the RAM down to 4GB, any more will go unused while gaming.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

That gives you room to go for the 955BE. Pair that with the ASRock M3A770DE and buy an aftermarket CPU cooler if you plan to overclock. The CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ is around $30.

As for graphics, the GTX 550 Ti is a decent bet in the $130 range. It's a current generation card and should fair well, espeecially on a tight budget.

DataSnake said:
How does the Hyper 212+ compare to the Corsair A50? The A50 has a nice combo deal and a rebate on newegg, so I'd rather not shell out the extra cash for the 212 unless it's better.


What are you combo-ing it with? The rebate will be nice if you get it.

This Tweaktown article has the A50 performing better than the 212+.
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3549/corsair_air_serie...

Tom's reports on the A50:

Quote:
AMD users will unfortunately find that the clip only installs front-to-back, making this an updraft cooler on most motherboards. The preferred cross flow orientation is limited to Intel motherboards and those few AMD boards that have the mounting bracket turned sideways.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cooler-heatsink...
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The combo is with a Phenom II x4 965. If I order before the 24th, the promo code will actually make it cheaper than the 955.
Regarding the orientation problem, I have 2 questions:
1. How much difference would this make in a case with a bottom mounted PSU and 140mm top fan?
2. Would it be possible to mount it sideways if I used the backplate that comes with the A50 instead of the one that comes with the mobo?

DataSnake said:
The combo is with a Phenom II x4 965. If I order before the 24th, the promo code will actually make it cheaper than the 955.
Regarding the orientation problem, I have 2 questions:
1. How much difference would this make in a case with a bottom mounted PSU and 140mm top fan?
2. Would it be possible to mount it sideways if I used the backplate that comes with the A50 instead of the one that comes with the mobo?


The orientation doesn't have anything to do with the included backplate. It's how the socket is aligned on the motherboard. It shouldn't cause any heat problems because you have a bottom-mounted PSU and a top exhaust fan. The only issues it might cause is with RAM clearance. Do a dry install (no thermal grease, DO NO power on) first and a) determine if your memory will fit underneath it, and b) if you can install/remove the memory after the A50 is secured.
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