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The cheapest and best motherboards? 6
- Thread starter irishz
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Right now the Core 2 Duo (the "2" is important) is the CPU performance leader, AMD's AM2 is the price leader. If you go w/ Core 2 Duo, an Intel 945-based MB will be the cheapest, the 975X will be the best. The 965 is squarely in the middle. You need to assess your needs for expansion, 2 x16 PCI-E slots is nice, along with a couple x1 slots. I needed lots of both PCI and PCI-E slots, so I bought the Asus P5W-DH, there are many Core 2 Duo compatible MBs for less.
Tony
Tony
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Well wahnula is right on the money but I'm not sure I would classify Cor2 Duo as cheapest and best!
Best definately but far from the cheapest.
Obviously this all depends on budget bur if you are genuinely looking for the best bang for buck "low end" that still goes to AMD.
And by the way I run an Intel setup very similat to wahnula so I'm definately not AMD bias.
AMD's cheapest/best platform is probably the Nforce 500 chipset or if you want integrated graphics a motherboard with the Nvidia 6150 chipset fitted.
Both of these need to be socket AM2 940
AMD's dual core processors start with the X2 3800, single core full Athlon's (not Sempron's) start at the AMD64 3000.
Here is a good example of a cheap/functional AM2 motherboard
Martin
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Best definately but far from the cheapest.
Obviously this all depends on budget bur if you are genuinely looking for the best bang for buck "low end" that still goes to AMD.
And by the way I run an Intel setup very similat to wahnula so I'm definately not AMD bias.
AMD's cheapest/best platform is probably the Nforce 500 chipset or if you want integrated graphics a motherboard with the Nvidia 6150 chipset fitted.
Both of these need to be socket AM2 940
AMD's dual core processors start with the X2 3800, single core full Athlon's (not Sempron's) start at the AMD64 3000.
Here is a good example of a cheap/functional AM2 motherboard
Martin
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For AMD AM2? then a socket 940 AM2 processor, either an Athlon64 single core starting at the Athlon 3000 Or
Dual core X2 also socket AM2 (940) from 3800 upwards.
The entry level Dual Core CPU's run pretty cool and to be honest don't need anything special to cope with their heat output. Just about any suitable cooler from Thermatake/Coolermaster/Akasa etc will be fine.
Martin
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Dual core X2 also socket AM2 (940) from 3800 upwards.
The entry level Dual Core CPU's run pretty cool and to be honest don't need anything special to cope with their heat output. Just about any suitable cooler from Thermatake/Coolermaster/Akasa etc will be fine.
Martin
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If you settle on an AMD platform with AM2 socket 940 go for one of these top 5 brands:
Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Foxconn, Abit
Intel make motherboards for Intel CPU's only*
Martin
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Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Foxconn, Abit
Intel make motherboards for Intel CPU's only*
Martin
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I really like my new Thermaltake V1. It is quieter and cooler than Zalman's s9700, which is now going on eBay along with my ZeroTherm BTF fanless cooler (pretty but worthless for cooling). There's really nothing wrong with the stock cooler, if you're not going to overclock it should be fine. I am a silence freak, and the Thermaltake passes my "ears test"...the Zalman was a little too noisy for me.
If you utilize the "Cool and Quiet" features of these AM2 motherboards (by setting it up in the bios) the stock fan will only be running at a fraction of it's maximum speed and under some circumstances will stop spinning all together. Now that is quiet.
Like I say, the lower end X2 processors run extremely cool and so the heatsink and fan units rarely run more than 60% of design speed even under heavey load.
Martin
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Like I say, the lower end X2 processors run extremely cool and so the heatsink and fan units rarely run more than 60% of design speed even under heavey load.
Martin
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- #14
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Starting with your first question:
1)This cooler will not work with an old socket A (462) motherboard, this cooler is for later boards with sockets 754/939 or 940.
2) Is it any good? about average and about equal to the retail supplied fan that comes with Athlon64's
Should be good enough for low end X2's like the 3800/4200.
4) Bearing in mind budget then: Asus M2N-X, M2A-VM,
M2N4-SLI or M2A-VM HDMI depending on wether you want integrated graphics or not.
Abit: AN52, KN9S, AN-M2HD
3) If you want to keep your DDR ram then you will have to buy a slightly older socket 939 board and dual core 939 CPU, the best boards are based on the Nvidia Nforce4X/Ultra or SLI chipset.
This Foxconn board is still on sale and is very good value for an SLI capable mainboard plus you get to keep your memory. Obviously not the latest technology but feature packed for the price.
So in short: if you want to keep your DDR memory then you will have to go Socket 939 mainboard and CPU.
AM2 (940) is newer but will require DDRII memory
Martin
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1)This cooler will not work with an old socket A (462) motherboard, this cooler is for later boards with sockets 754/939 or 940.
2) Is it any good? about average and about equal to the retail supplied fan that comes with Athlon64's
Should be good enough for low end X2's like the 3800/4200.
4) Bearing in mind budget then: Asus M2N-X, M2A-VM,
M2N4-SLI or M2A-VM HDMI depending on wether you want integrated graphics or not.
Abit: AN52, KN9S, AN-M2HD
3) If you want to keep your DDR ram then you will have to buy a slightly older socket 939 board and dual core 939 CPU, the best boards are based on the Nvidia Nforce4X/Ultra or SLI chipset.
This Foxconn board is still on sale and is very good value for an SLI capable mainboard plus you get to keep your memory. Obviously not the latest technology but feature packed for the price.
So in short: if you want to keep your DDR memory then you will have to go Socket 939 mainboard and CPU.
AM2 (940) is newer but will require DDRII memory
Martin
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- #17
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I have one more question and I hope i'm not seeming dumb 
Newegg.com has this combo on sale for the memorial day coming up. It would be $69.00 for both after a $20.00 rebate. Does that sound like a good deal?
Foxconn 6150BK8MC-KRSHN2 Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813186115
AMD Athlon 64 3400+ Venice 2.2GHz Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3400DAA4BY - OEM
Item #: N82E16819103023
Newegg.com has this combo on sale for the memorial day coming up. It would be $69.00 for both after a $20.00 rebate. Does that sound like a good deal?
Foxconn 6150BK8MC-KRSHN2 Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813186115
AMD Athlon 64 3400+ Venice 2.2GHz Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3400DAA4BY - OEM
Item #: N82E16819103023
Incredibly cheap and reasonably fast entry level setup.
As I mentioned above: Socket 939 is slightly older technology but it will enable you to re-use your existing DDR400 (PC3200) memory.
This is a mini ATX motherboard with onboard graphics but is using what has been the fastest built in graphics chipset "6150" and is regarded as being a good multimedia platform.
Mini ATX does mean however that there aren't as many upgrade slots but this board does have a 16X PCIe slot for a much more powerful graphics card if needed.
Obviously the Venice 3400 is a single core processor but still easily capable of carrying out every day tasks.
For the money it's a snip as long as you understand that the setup isn't exactly cutting edge, however, for the that price who's complaining.
You might need a power supply with the new 24pin connector.
Martin
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As I mentioned above: Socket 939 is slightly older technology but it will enable you to re-use your existing DDR400 (PC3200) memory.
This is a mini ATX motherboard with onboard graphics but is using what has been the fastest built in graphics chipset "6150" and is regarded as being a good multimedia platform.
Mini ATX does mean however that there aren't as many upgrade slots but this board does have a 16X PCIe slot for a much more powerful graphics card if needed.
Obviously the Venice 3400 is a single core processor but still easily capable of carrying out every day tasks.
For the money it's a snip as long as you understand that the setup isn't exactly cutting edge, however, for the that price who's complaining.
You might need a power supply with the new 24pin connector.
Martin
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- #20
There's only one concern that I have with going socket 939 these days, and that is that 939 has been replaced with AM2, which will be migrating to AM2+ (with AM2+ CPUs supposedly being able to work on either AM2 or AM2+ sockets, probably with just a BIOS update). What this means is that socket 939 CPUs have been getting more expensive and more difficult to find as supplies dry up. You will see a lot of deals on low-end/entry level 939 chips as vendors try to clear the inventory, but the higher end chips that people might eventually want to upgrade to (i.e., dual core CPUs) are disappearing quickly. The higher end chips that are available are also more expensive than their AM2 counterparts. I would be very surprised if you could find a retailer selling socket 939 CPUs 6 months from now.
If you can get a good deal on a 939 CPU and board that meets your needs for the forseeable future, then I'd say go for it. But if you're thinking of upgrading, you will eventually have to go to AM2 (or Intel and socket 775). So the question becomes "Do I spend a little money now that isn't going to be applicable to a faster system down the line, or do I spend more money now and have an upgrade path too."
If I were trying to save money by reusing your current DDR memory, I would probably go with an Intel CPU. There are a number of socket 775 boards that support either DDR, or both DDR and DDR2. Going this route not only lets you reuse your DDR memory, but also gives you an upgrade path to DDR2 and faster CPUs as well.
Because AMD CPUs have the memory controllers built in (which is what dictates the memory that you use), there are no AMD boards that will take either memory format. If you have socket 939 you must use DDR, if you have socket AM2 you must use DDR2.
If you can get a good deal on a 939 CPU and board that meets your needs for the forseeable future, then I'd say go for it. But if you're thinking of upgrading, you will eventually have to go to AM2 (or Intel and socket 775). So the question becomes "Do I spend a little money now that isn't going to be applicable to a faster system down the line, or do I spend more money now and have an upgrade path too."
If I were trying to save money by reusing your current DDR memory, I would probably go with an Intel CPU. There are a number of socket 775 boards that support either DDR, or both DDR and DDR2. Going this route not only lets you reuse your DDR memory, but also gives you an upgrade path to DDR2 and faster CPUs as well.
Because AMD CPUs have the memory controllers built in (which is what dictates the memory that you use), there are no AMD boards that will take either memory format. If you have socket 939 you must use DDR, if you have socket AM2 you must use DDR2.
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