motherboard choice ?

ickymay · 09 Jan 2010

hiya guys Im looking to build a decent box for around £220 preferably £180 with a mind to upgrading after a year or so , I reckon processors are the most expensive component currently so I would buy something slower maybe stick with dual core then upgrade that later, but the motherboard needs to be something capable of AM2+\AM3 and will eventually go to 8 or 16gb max over 4 slots, I want to maintain an upgrade path to last a few years if possible

my ideas so far are :

Biostar TA770E3 £50.00 could do with losing £10.00
Athlon || x2 250 dual core £52.00 could do with losing £15.00
4GB corsair value select 800mhz dual channel kit £75.90 could do with losing £10.00
320GB Western Digital Caviar Blue 3.5" £32.85 could do with losing £10.00
basic sata DVDRW Sony AD-7240S-01 24x DVD+/-RW £16.37
case ??

this system will be running windows 7 home prem and office 2007 but doesnt need to do anything special in graphics as it will probably never play games so I will use a spare Nvidia 6200 PCIE
It will be used for some picture and audio manipulation produce meditation Cds and need to be able to run a good quality webcam and mic for smooth faultless use of Skype .........

Any ideas where the best components are in the UK currently , any ideas welcomed :)

Tommyd · 09 Jan 2010

For components, check out Overclockers UK, they are very reliable, very cheap, have good tech support and if somthing is broken, it is easy to return.

Adrian · 09 Jan 2010

ickymay said:

hiya guys Im looking to build a decent box for around £220 preferably £180 with a mind to upgrading after a year or so , I reckon processors are the most expensive component currently so I would buy something slower maybe stick with dual core then upgrade that later, but the motherboard needs to be something capable of AM2+\AM3 and will eventually go to 8 or 16gb max over 4 slots, I want to maintain an upgrade path to last a few years if possible

my ideas so far are :

Biostar TA770E3 £50.00 could do with losing £10.00
Athlon || x2 250 dual core £52.00 could do with losing £15.00
4GB corsair value select 800mhz dual channel kit £75.90 could do with losing £10.00
320GB Western Digital Caviar Blue 3.5" £32.85 could do with losing £10.00
basic sata DVDRW Sony AD-7240S-01 24x DVD+/-RW £16.37
case ??

this system will be running windows 7 home prem and office 2007 but doesnt need to do anything special in graphics as it will probably never play games so I will use a spare Nvidia 6200 PCIE
It will be used for some picture and audio manipulation produce meditation Cds and need to be able to run a good quality webcam and mic for smooth faultless use of Skype .........

Any ideas where the best components are in the UK currently , any ideas welcomed :)

As I always counsel builders, consider the power source first and foremost.
Always plan up, never down. Especially if you are investing to upgrade in the future. A good rule to start is between 450-650 watts, as video changes the choice to upgrade the graphics card will need more power.
As far as Motherboards, select one that will provide you good onboard graphics capability and ASUS comes to mind especially if you plan on using AMD processors. Their bus speeds are superior both I/O.

regards,
Adrian