Need help on motherboard 1st build

[jaywarren]

Hello all, Need some help on picking a motherboard for my build.

So far I have picked out COOLER MASTER Elite 430 case and CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W psu. I am going to go with AMD FX-8120 Zambezi 3.1GHz Socket AM3+ 125W

But now I am stuck with what motherboard to go with. I will be using computer for home use. I want to play battlefield 3 and Diablo 3 with it once I build it.

I would like the computer to have room to upgrade as time goes on. And want a motherboard that will be able to handle upgrades.

The biggest thing is I want a board that is well made and reliable. I am just not sure what one that is. Any help would be great. Thanks!!

 

[jaywarren]

Here are two that I am looking at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131736

Any thoughts on the two? Thanks

 

[kelthic]

for gaming you should really look at an intel build. There are numerous forums and discussions and reviews on the net about how AMD dropped the ball in the gaming market. What is your total budget and what parts do you have already?

 

[Chaz21]

I'm not really a "AMD" guy but I would caution you to get a motherboard with some type of display output built in. We see a lot of problems on these boards that can't even be diagnosed because the builder doesn't have any way of displaying without his GPU which might in itself be the problem. Unless you have multiple GPU cards that you could use to troubleshoot a potential problem you'd be in a bind. If you're not going to go with Intel this was the best AM3+ board with a display port that I could find:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131733

 

[jaywarren]

Wow that's a good point about a GPU that never crossed my mind.

I guess I always thought AMD gave you more bang for the buck. I did not know that Intel was the better gaming chip. I guess I need to look at some. Can you tell be a good CPU and board combo?

I will spend about $800 with a OS. A bit more if needed. Thanks again for help!!

 

[kelthic]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 DVD/CD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227 Elite 430 case, don't forget the promo code EMCNFJN25 to save $10!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908 Radeon 6850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027 500W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157270 ASRock Z68 Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424 8GB Ram Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074 i5 2400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 Windows 7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 Hyper 212 +
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769 WD 500GB HDD

Total $797.20

If you've got the budget for it, consider an upgrade to a 6870 Twin Frozr and and/or i5 2500k.

 

[jaywarren]

Thank you for putting together a build, that is very helpful to me.

Let me ask you, if it was you and you had the cash would you drop a another $100 for the I7-2600K? I don't mind putting extra in a CPU if it is that much better.

 

[kelthic]

For this build, i would honestly drop the cash into the graphics card. You could put $100 and get http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604 which would give you a much more balanced system for gaming.

 

[Chaz21]

Thank you for putting together a build, that is very helpful to me.

Let me ask you, if it was you and you had the cash would you drop a another $100 for the I7-2600K? I don't mind putting extra in a CPU if it is that much better.

Just put a little extra and get:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
it'll do all that you want and probably the most recommended CPU on these boards.
a good motherboard choice that won't break the bank:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131781

 

[dummos]

the 2500k is arguably the best bang for your buck gaming chip out there. another good board for that sort of money is the
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
if you want to spend more money than that definitely drop it on your gpu. you could spend $1000 on gpu's and not bottleneck that processor

 

[jaywarren]

OK, thanks again guys for you help and time, Jared.

 

[jaywarren]

Best answer selected by jaywarren.