How to choose a motherboard

[Kaliman]

i am completely new to this whole thing and am going to be building a computer of my own. I have found the hardest desision in the world to be choosing a motherboard as i have spent over a week trying to decide which one is best because everyone seems to have a different opinion. I am looking for an AMD DDR board that is fast, stable, and has longevity (including overclocking in the future if i wanted to). So far i have come up with 3 of the top boards that people have recommended, i was wondering which of these three you would choose or if you would recommend any others. Asus A7M266 (only has two dimms which i don't like) Abit KG7 RAID (I need the computer for college in september and this board isn't out yet) Gigabyte GA-7DXR (i don't know much about this one) So please tell me what you think i really have to make this decision because i have to start looking at the other components. thanks

 

[Boondock_Saint]

Well, if you are completely new to building a new computer, I don't think it's ability to overclock should be a concern of yours at all. As for mainboards, the A7M266 by Asus is hard to beat. Best DDR preformance out there. 2 dimms is no problem, unless you plan on putting in 2 gigabytes of memory in there. I have one with 1 gig and it suits my needs perfectly.

 

[o1die]

If you have little or no knowledge about computer building and no friends to help you, I would suggest you start with a computer kit from pricewatch. That way you will know the motherboard is tested and burned in, and you can still add the rest of the components yourself. Scan through the first few pages under pc kits, until you find the motherboard you like. I suggest a 1.2 or 1.33 kit with Epox 8K7A if you plan on overclocking.

 

[Guest]

I recommend the epox 8K7A+ (remember that plus!) It has lots of features, and I think it has more than two dimm slots. Also it has a TON of features which is awesome, but you'll spend a little more. (hey, I know that tax rebate check is burning a hole in your pocket!)

Aklein

It's July. O the Joy of Summer!

 

[aster]

before buying a board you may want to check out a review at:
www.motherboards.org

 

[rcf84]

Well Aopen boards are good.

Nice Intel and AMD users get a Cookie.... Yummy