Which Motherboard should i buy?

[Rookki]

Ok so i recently upgraded to windows 7 and like it to much to go back to XP, although there lays the problem my motherboard wont play sound and after figuring out that the motherboard i have doesn't have any drivers to download for audio.

The manufacturer is saying there's nothing they can do about it and is advising me to go back to XP I've decided to upgrade my motherboard yet i have no idea but what specs i need or what means what they all look the same to me lol

So basically i want to play games such as counter strike source. Obviously want a built in sound card and is compatible with windows 7. I also want it to be a descent quality although not extremely expensive.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. :]

 

[z3r010]

What not just buy a sound card?

 

[RST101]

First question would be how much you willing to spend?

Or just buy a sound card as John suggests.

 

[z3r010]

OK after a little investigation I dont beleive that you cant get drivers for the sound on that mobo.

What version of Windows 7 do you have 32 or 64bit?


Edit - check this thread http://www.sevenforums.com/sound-audio/26835-c-media-9880-driver-windows-7-a.html

 

[Rookki]

I didnt want to get a sound card cause ive always seen them as "dodgy". I was thinking my motherboard wasnt good enough to run windows 7 on it, as you can see im kind of clueless lol.
Im willing to spend up to $300~ aussie.
I have windows 7, 32 bit.

 

[Dwarf]

Unfortunately, I don't think you are going to have much luck with finding a suitable audio driver for your current motherboard. You therefore have 2 options. You can either buy a soundcard for your current system (check the manufacturer's website for your chosen card to see how regularly the drivers are updated and if indeed they do support W7). Alternatively, if you go along the route of a new motherboard, I would recommend one that has Realtek as its on-board audio codec. True, some people will disagree with me on the choice of audio, but at least Realtek do update their drivers and they are compatible with W7 (unlike several other manufacturers who don't even support Vista).

 

[Dwarf]

Have a look at some of these:

Motherboards

Motherboards | Techbuy Australia

Motherboards

Motherboard

 

[Rookki]

When i browse motherboards it simple all looks the same i dont know what specs mean or anything. :/

Intel seem like a good brand im always hearing good things, whats the best value for money (not meaning cheap just meaning good for what i spend) one i can get?

Edit: Also are sound cards reliable and hassle free? i just want to listen to my music i dont need some kind of super sound lol

 

[Dwarf]

Can you narrow it down a bit. Which brand processor do you want to go with? Are you intending on reusing the processor and ram from your current system?

 

[Rookki]

Can you narrow it down a bit. Which brand processor do you want to go with? Are you intending on reusing the processor and ram from your current system?

Yeah ill just put the motherboard into the setup i got now, would that work? I was thinking of going with intel, i dont know what models i just want to have no lag or no frozen screens. And make sure it lasts for awhile like doesnt out date any time soon.

 

[stormy13]

Dwarf there is only one problem with most if not all of the motherboards you linked to, none of them will support that old P4 he has. taking just this one,

ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

from the first of your links, it has the P43 chipset on it and it doesn't support that P4. They may all have the same socket, but need to really pay attention to whether the chipset on the board supports that CPU.

And make sure it lasts for awhile like doesnt out date any time soon.

With saying that trying to find a new motherboard for that P4 is counter-productive. You want something that won't be out of date you're going to have to look at replacing the whole thing; motherboard, CPU and ram.

 

[Dwarf]

Hi Richard,

I didn't look for motherboards for a specific processor, I only gave him some links to motherboards in general.

 

[stormy13]

If he really wants to go the route of just replacing the motherboard,need to know exactly which P4 it is that he has. Looking here based on the speed of it listed in his specs,

Filter Summary

there are some of them that will be supported on the newer chipsets and some that won't.

 

[Dwarf]

OK. Here are links to the first 3 of the sites I listed above, this time filtered for an LGA775 processor. You will still need to check the specs directly to ensure that the board is compatible with your current processor.

Motherboards - Socket 775 Intel CPU products

Motherboards - Intel Socket 775 | Techbuy Australia

Socket LGA775 - Intel Core 2

 

[Rookki]

How expensive is a CPU and mobo combo? And im guessing the P4 is the processor? Im hearing good things about that intel i7 is it worth getting and if so is it gonna cost me and arm and a leg?

Thanks for links dwarf but again i dont understand all the specs etc i was hoping someone would be able to baby me through it. :/

Why is it so hard and expensive to get a descent computer that actually works lol

 

[Thorsen]

I would say the same go for the good stuff and replace all three. you can get a good C2duo and mobo for about $170 and then ram for another $100. I am looking at TigerDirect, but dont know if they ship to Australia.


Just as an example:

Mobo and CPU for $175
Gigabyte G41M-ES2L Motherboard & Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 Processor w/ Fan Bundle at TigerDirect.com

And then RAM get two of these at $57
PNY 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory - 2048MB at TigerDirect.com

Motherboard is microATX form factor so make sure your case will fit it as well. Ram was compatible with RAM suggested by site

 

[Thorsen]

i7 will cost an arm and a leg and require a rather expensive motherboard and rather expensive ram. You will probably also need a new Power Supply to handle the electical requirements. If you want to go that path YES do it....but it will be expensive.

 

[Thorsen]

cheapest i7 combo i could find on Tdirect. $440
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5687611&CatId=4721

And ram that would be needed: $117
Corsair Dual Channel 4096MB PC10600 DDR3 1333MHz Memory (2x2048MB) at TigerDirect.com

 

[Thorsen]

Edit: posting here since I already added enough posts: You can use your Graphics card in your new motherboard if it has the same slot type. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express

so make sure the motherboard matches the type of slot you are currently using.


You should be able to find the same parts at a local site in Australia. I have heard on this site that computer parts are more expensive there so good luck.

If you are real uncertain or dont want to "build" this yourself, contact local shops and ask them how much they will charge to assemble it. Better to get a pro to do it if you are not a pro. Also if they assemble then anything that happens will be on them and it's their fault not yours

 

[Rookki]

Thanks alot for your help Thorsen it was exactly what i was looking for.

I will check out that mobo combo you linked and most likely get them from a local cheaper store. I hope this ends my unlucky run with windows 7 lol