Looking for a new motherboard

[Actinic]

I'm waiting to see if I have indeed fried my motherboard, but in case I do need a replacement I'd like to start looking in to the options I have. I have no experience in this at all so I don't even know where to start looking.


I'd like to stick with Intel unless I see a strong reason to go with AMD, but I've always used Intel and would like to avoid any incompatibility between any of my other hardware if that's at all applicable.

I use a lot of photoshop and I game quite a bit as well. I'm worried about budget too much, but nothing over $450. I will most likely be upgrading my processors as well with the new motherboard. I do not plan on overclocking at all, not that much of an enthusiast.

What would be the best setup with the most upgradable longevity that the community suggests?

[mlee49]

I'd suggest going socket 1156/1155 for your Intel choice. Socket 1366 is a bit more money but the entry level cpu(i7 920) is amazingly fast.

I'd suggest an i5 760($200) and mainboard/ram combo that would get you 4-8GB 1600MHz ram with 2-3 PCIE slots. Something like an Asus H55 or Gigabyte H55 setup would be about $100-$150 and then an 8GB kit of 1600MHz ram would be the other $125.

Any objections?

[Actinic]

If I did opt for the Socket 1366, do you have any recommendations on a Gigabyte motherboard, one that will accommodate for a larger video card without obstructing other components?

After looking into other processors, I think I'm going to opt for the i7-920. I'm willing to spend the extra dollars so I can keep up with the tech race and avoid upgrading again for a while.

Also, for the record I'm only on windows XP pro right now, so ram isn't a big deal for me until I upgrade later into the year to a new version of windows.

[lilhasselhoffer]

1136 is a functionally dead socket. Intel will officially introduce the 2011 at the end of this month (Computex), and it will be the enthusiast level product going forward.

1155 is a nice compromise. It will generally get you 4 ram slots (up to 16GB ram using 4GB sticks), should reasonably support either Crossfire or SLI, and have some longevity as far as upgrades. At the 450 price range you really can't go wrong with sandy bridge (get a quad core cpu that supports hyper threading and it will likely destroy the performance of a 920 in raw processing). 450 doesn't buy much though.

~50 psu
~80 8GB ram
~120 Mobo
~200 processor
-Assumes you already have an OS, video card, hard drive, and case. Given the lack of overclock, the stock heat sink is something I assume you will be using. I cite 8 GB of ram (2 4GB sticks) because you will be upgrading in the future (current OS likely only recognizes ~3 GB), so you don't have to buy new ram to replace older 2 GB sticks.

Using 1366 you will be able to get more ram, but that simply isn't in your current budget. I personally like 1366 a lot more than 1155, but can't recommend it unless you're a power user who needs a boat load of ram to play with in a 64 bit operating system.


Edit: Yes, the minimum price for a decent Gigabyte mobo in 1366 is about $200 (in the USA). Unless you have everything but a processor and mobo you won't be able to meet your budget without some serious compromises in the 1366 market. It is designed for enthusiasts (read: hardcore computer nerds), and Intel charges a premium to "cater" to our desires...

[OneMoar]

am3+ boards are CHEEEAPPP
unless you have money to burn go amd

[lilhasselhoffer]

A potential $450 computer in an intel sandybridge (arguably the best performance per dollar currently on the market):



If the image link is not working:
http://imageshack.us/f/852/shoppinglist.png/

[ckoons1]

Originally Posted by Actinic

I'm waiting to see if I have indeed fried my motherboard, but in case I do need a replacement I'd like to start looking in to the options I have. I have no experience in this at all so I don't even know where to start looking.


I'd like to stick with Intel unless I see a strong reason to go with AMD, but I've always used Intel and would like to avoid any incompatibility between any of my other hardware if that's at all applicable.

I use a lot of photoshop and I game quite a bit as well. I'm worried about budget too much, but nothing over $450. I will most likely be upgrading my processors as well with the new motherboard. I do not plan on overclocking at all, not that much of an enthusiast.

What would be the best setup with the most upgradable longevity that the community suggests?

P67 motherboard and 2500k cpu. runs cool and can do 4.8 easily. hard to top that. and can get for fair price

[(FIH) The Don]

Originally Posted by ckoons1

P67 motherboard and 2500k cpu. runs cool and can do 4.8 easily. hard to top that. and can get for fair price

this ^^^^

[Actinic]

After doing a lot of searching and based on the advice from the posts above I am going to opt for the
GA-P67X-UD3R-B3 (rev1.0)
i5-2500K

Thanks everyone for the help, I appreciate it.