The cheapest and best motherboards? 6

[irishz]

It's been about 4 years now since I purchased a motherboard, now I'm so confused as where to start looking to see what motherboard and cpu to buy. Any suggestions?

My computer is now getting old and I would like a better one.

 

[paparazi]

I agree with the sentiment but not the reality.
939 was a very popular platform whilst it lasted. There are tens of thousands of 939 systems out there and as such there will be tens of thousands of used 939 spares including CPU's on the market, when and if irishz wants to one.
As for an upgrade path, well X2 4800/FX61? aren't bad options on a $69 bundle.
Martin

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[kmcferrin]

But how much does a 939 X2 4800 cost today compared to an AM2 X2 4800? What about 6 months from now when AM2+ is the hot thing. What about a year and a half from now when he finally decides to upgrade? At some point it will be cheaper to buy an entirely new platform.

The market is dry enough as it is, unless you're sourcing parts from ebay or something. Personally, I've never been a fan of that since you never know what you're getting (i.e., is the chip working, has it been overclocked/overvolted in the past and appears to work but has intermittent problems, etc).

 

[paparazi]

I totally agree but the point is at that price, $69, he is unlikely to be looking at a CPU upgrade down the line, the probability is he will be looking at an entirely new patform but with little lost for 18 or so months use.
I think if we were talking several hundred dollars then my opinion would be the same as yours.

Martin

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[irishz]

Newegg has a couple other combo deals, so now i'm trying to figure out which combo is the best.

Foxconn 6150BK8MC-KRSHN2 Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
AMD Athlon 64 3400+ Venice 2.2GHz Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3400DAA4BY - OEM
Crucial 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Desktop Memory Model CT6464Z40B - OEM

OR

Foxconn 6150BK8MC-KRSHN2 Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
AMD Athlon 64 3400+ Venice 2.2GHz Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3400DAA4BY - OEM

 

[kmcferrin]

Unless you made a cut-and-paste error, they look the same except one includes 512 MB of RAM. If they're priced the same, get the one with the memory. Just keep in mind that on 939 platforms you add memory in pairs, so you will need another module to go with it.

And you're right, $69 is a steal for 12-18 months of use. I just hate the idea of spending money on something that I know will limit my choices later down the road.

 

[irishz]

I see there are a number of intel socket 775 motherboards.

Here is one and I'm wondering how do i know this board will take DDR Memory? It says Four (4) 240-pin DDR2 DIMM slots. I also don't see if the graphics is intergrated.

Intel D925XBC Socket 775 mATX MB w/Gigabit LAN & Hi-Def Snd

 

[paparazi]

240-pin DDR2 is a givaway that this motherboard uses later DDR2 memory type.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[kmcferrin]

If you're using NewEgg, they have a really good search tool on the left side of the page. Once you get down to Intel (or AMD) motherboards, you can select what kind of specs you're looking for. For example, you can say show me all of the socket 775 boards that take 184 pin DDR. Or all of the 775 boards that take 184 pin DDR and 240 pin DDR2. Or all of the socket 939 boards that support AGP. Or whatever you're looking for.

 

[irishz]

You guys have been Great!! Thanks for everything