Budget Core 2 Motherboards?

[prestermatt]

I posted in the General Forums a while back (Quiet, Low-Budget Gaming) about building a new computer to replace an archaic Dell. While I ended up squeezing a bit more life out of it, I couldn't pass up the $50 Antec SOLO deal at Fry's, and now I've got a case needing components.

All this time I've been planning for a single-core AM2 system, but now -- particularly after saving a lot of money on my case -- I'm considering dual-core, which brings up the possibility of an e6300. I've got a case, I know my PSU (Seasonic S12-380), I've got a HD, optical, and floppy, and even a cheap video card that will tide me over until I decide to get a new one. All I need to do is find a processor and motherboard, and then some RAM to go with them.

I like the idea of going Core 2, but not if it's going to cost a whole lot. So I'm looking for an inexpensive motherboard that will be stable and relatively trouble-free. I'm probably not going to overclock much, if at all, though it would be nice to have some OC capabilities if it doesn't cost much more. I'd also like firewire, but I can always add a cheap PCI card without any problems. Oh, and passive cooling, since I want this to be quiet. And I can't ever see myself needing SLI or Crossfire, so that's not an issue.

I was thinking about this Newegg combo deal: ECS P965T-A. After the $10 combo with the e6300 and the $15 rebate, it's definitely in my price range.

Do you think that would work for me? Any other motherboard suggestions (at relatively comparable prices)? I'd like it to be as cheap as possible, though I could go up to $100-115 if there were really good reasons.

Thanks!

Matt

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

It would probably be better to spend the extra money for an overclocking board. If you can't afford that, I'd reconsider your AM2 options.

 

[yhr707]

Consider this board if you're on a budget.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138037

Supposed to be pretty good from this site's review

 

[prestermatt]

Hmm... after taking into account the rebate and the combo, the Biostar would be about $40 more than the ECS. If I were going to overclock, how much would I need to spend on RAM? I was planning to get Corsair or some similarly-priced value ram.

The reason I'm considering the e6300 (as opposed to a single-core) is so that I can just build this computer and not have to worry about upgrading for several years. While the idea of tinkering with components is appealing, I don't really have the time or the mental energy to do it all the time -- I should be focusing on my graduate studies instead of spending my time reading through tech forums, as interesting as they are. I'll be writing my disseration over the next few years, and I don't want to have to think about upgrading. The benefit of overclocking would be that I could extend the useful life of the chip even further: if I could overclock my Dell even just a little bit, I might not need to upgrade right now (other than the fact that it's irritatingly noisy). Do you think it would be worth it to pay a little extra now in order to have those capabilities later?

 

[prestermatt]

Okay, for a little bump, here are my options so far, with thanks to hurtstotalktoyou and yhr707 for helping:

1. Get a board like the Biostar reviewed by AnandTech, some decent RAM, and an e6300 and attempt to overclock it sometime down the road.

2. Not bother with overclocking, get a decent but cheap Core 2 board (like the ECS I mentioned? something else?) and an e6300 and enjoy having a dual-core processor that will eventually last me longer in the multi-core gaming world than an A64 3500+.

3. Just stick with the cheaper, single core Athlon which no doubt be fine for now but will soon be obsolete as more multi-threaded games come out. There is a fairly solid and easy upgrade path, however.

As I think about it, option 1 may be a bad idea, since I know little about overclocking. I'm sure I could get the hang of it just fine, but like I said, I get obsessed with this stuff and am too easily distracted from the work I'm supposed to be doing. I'd probably be better off avoiding the temptation...

The price difference between options 2 and 3, assuming I got a cheap board like the ECS, would be about $60-65. It seems to me that the Core 2 would be worth it. If I went with option 2, without overclocking, would the ECS work okay, or would I still need a board like the Biostar?

Any more opinions? Thanks!

 

[Heidfirst]

abit's SG-95 is even cheaper ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127012

 

[prestermatt]

True, but it's MicroATX and seems pretty limited. Thanks for the suggestion, though! I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Toro 45]

Sounds like you have access to a local Fry's store, why don't you pick up one of the $169.00 E6300 and the ECS mobo deals they have from time to time. For that price the board is pretty much free but still capable (I'm typing on this combo now). You can always upgrade your mobo later if you feel the need.

 

[whoismg]

the ecs boards at fry's are 80% of the time refurb---don't waste the time.

the msi p965-f isn't bad at like $97+, also asrock core 2 boards are something to check out.

 

[prestermatt]

No, there's no Fry's here unfortunately, I just ordered online. I've been looking at the ASROCK ConRoe Cross-Fire eSATA or whatever it's called, which may be an option, especially since it has firewire built-in. I may just end up paying for a reputable motherboard like the Biostar or Gigabyte Anandtech reviewed, some basic DDR2-800 and keep option 1 open...

 

[prestermatt]

Any objections to using an ASRock ConRoeXFire-eSATAII for a budget e6300 system without any overclocking? There are a few threads that mention it, and it seems like it would be a good match for me. I could build a cheap Core 2 system for only $90 more than a 3500+. Newegg reviews report a lot of DOA boards, but I know Newegg reviews are not the most reliable sources of information.

 

[OSX]

The Intel DP965LT is pretty good, though it's a bitch to get working on Linux. It's a great value for the price.

 

[Xvys]

Not sure if that ECS m/b had dual-channel memory, if not, a considerable handicap compared to the $45 AsRock 775i65G or $65 775Dual-Vsta mb. All of which can take DDR ram and AGP video from your old computer, if you have them. Another option is to wait until the end of January for the E4300 cpu which should overclock to 2.7Ghz instead of 2.1Ghz (E6300) with these boards...and save $30.

If you are buying new, I would buy 1 gig DDR2-800 ram and a X-800gto PCI-E video, for instance, with a proper i965 mb, like the Gigabyte P965-DS3 ($140) and you have a smokin' machine pretty cheap.

 

[prestermatt]

My current computer is old enough that it's still using PC100, and it doesn't even have an AGP slot! All I can carry over is a hard drive and a noisy old optical drive. The e4300 sounds nice, but I'm not sure how much longer I can wait, given that my shiny new SOLO is sitting on my desk just waiting for something to put in it. I've got all kinds of options, I just need to figure out how much I can and should spend. The problem is that there are a lot of "but only $20 more can get me this!" kind of situations that can add up to pretty hefty bill in the end. Ah well...