Which Motherboard should i buy?

[Thorsen]

Research each board and the parts so you make sure everything is compatible. As well, there might be an in-between that you like better like the i5 or AMD chips which are less expensive, but very powerful. If you find something you like, but dont know what you need for it, post the link here and we will look at it.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

The Intel i5 series include these processors:

650
660
661
670
750

I think some of the newest ones have an S added at the end of the number. The numbers I list should be in order of increasing price.

Intel also has an i-3 series, which is cheaper; they are:

530
540

I am not sure if the i-3s are actually available yet, but they should be $150 US or less.

All of these are "socket 1156" and therefore require "socket 1156" motherboards as well.

Absolutely nothing wrong with Intel brand motherboards. They are noted for stability. The two lowest price socket 1156 models sell for about 100 and 140 in the US.

Your Pentium 4 is so long in the tooth that I would not upgrade it.

You will need new RAM as mentioned. Be sure it is DDR3.

i-7 processors are in the 800 and 900 series of numbers. The 800s use socket 1156, but the 900s use socket 1366. They are more expensive.

 

[Rookki]

Thorsen i have checked that link and it seems just what i need, although that site i doubt ships to Australia and would cost alot more. I tried to use a local site and get the same things but this is as close as i can get.

Umart Online
Umart Online

Can you tell me if they will fit into my computer without problem and support my other hardware and if it is what i need or if its not good enough or to good for what i need?

I also am wonder what a descent brand of RAM is that i can purchase from that same store.

ignatzatsonic Thanks for info, is there a i5 model thats best quality for money? The one i looked at was the i5 661, any ideas?

Thanks everyone for the info it is very helpful.

 

[Thorsen]

I will be back on later today, but the two you listed wont work together. The Motherboard you listed only supports Core2Duo chips. The i5 has a different socket. I will post a better mobo.

Umart Online

I have to check on the specs for it though. I will post in a little while. Also if you can, please post on whether you have ATX or mATX board in your system. If you cant find out how, post here and we will help you find it.

 

[jonathon]

Gigabyte boards between 80-100 australian dollars are a very good buy (DDR3). An AMD athlon 2 processor in my opinion is an excellent buy and if you include 4GIG (2GB x2 strips) of Kingtson or Cosair RAM you will have a very good system. You can get by with 2GB however with 4GIG windows 7 runs better.

Linux runs fast with only 2GB of RAM. Who needs windows 7 anyway?

A cheap graphics card around $30-50 and your set to go. Get yourself a sata hard drive $60 500GB. Pioneer DVD writer is money well spent and very cheap ($30-50). Coolmaster towers are good value around $75-100. Also ATX Towers around $60-70 are value for money if you counting every dollar.

 

[Rookki]

I have no idea how to find out :<

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Rookki:

All of the Intel 600 series processors INCLUDE video built into the motherboard. You would not have to buy a separate video card for normal use unless you were seriously into gaming. You could always add separate video card at a later date if you wanted to upgrade the video.

My understanding is that the Intel 661 processor has slightly better video than the other 600 models. All of the 600s have a "turbo" mode which allows you to run a single core (1 of the 2 available) at a faster speed (I think turbo on the 661 allows 3.60 ghz in turbo, compared to 3.33 when both cores are used). This is a built-in overclock and might be useful to you if you use applications or games that only utilize a single thread anyway.

The i-3 500 series models do not have the turbo capability.

I think the i-5 series are the best buy. They are dual core rather than quad core, but run at a faster clock speed than quad core processors in the same price range. A quad core 750 is about the same price as the 661 but runs at only 2.66 ghz rather than the 3.33 found on the 661.

Decent RAM brands, be sure you get DDR3.

Corsair Value Select
Crucial
Kingston
Mushkin

among others. RAM is not likely to be an issue for you unless you are seriously into over-clocking. If you don't overclock, there is NO reason to buy fancy high speed RAM. Get the cheapest compatible RAM from a reliable manufacturer.

 

[Rookki]

Thanks Ignaz~ Ive decided to purchase that motherboard and the i7 661 processor, but 1 last question will it work with my current power supply? And with my Pentium 4, as ill be buying the mobo and ram first then the processor later.

I dont know how to tell what specs i need or have other then reading a label.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

No, your current P4 will not work with that motherboard. The P4 does not use socket 1156. I think most or all of them are socket 478, which is 2 or 3 generations ago.

I suppose you could scratch around and find a new socket 478 motherboard that would work with your P4, but what is the point of that?

You say you have decided to purchase "that motherboard". What motherboard??

The Intel 661 is an i5, not an i7.



If you MUST stick with your current P4 processor, I would grind it out with all of your existing hardware until you had enough money to upgrade CPU, RAM, and motherboard at the same time. There is little to no point in upgrading only 1 of those 3 and as you are learning, you can't get a modern processor without changing both motherboard and RAM as well.

I would not buy motherboard and RAM now and CPU later. I would buy them all at the same time. You don't want to get locked into hardware that you cannot test immediately in case the parts are defective. And you don't want to get locked into a motherboard that you won't use till you get a CPU because new motherboards are constantly coming on the market. 4 months from today, you might decide on another motherboard.

Regarding power supplies: I don't know what you have now. The i-5 661 uses a max of 87 watts, which is quite close to the max of the P4, going from memory. So, all other things being equal, you shouldn't need a new power supply assuming you aren't going with a heavy duty graphics card. It's an uncommon PC that needs more than 400 high quality watts, but who knows what you have now. I don't and your system specs don't say. I'm assuming you have a standard ATX power supply and an ATX case. Both are what is commonly found on most PCs.

It is possible you need a new power supply because your current power supply does not have the right type or enough connectors on it, but I can't say for sure because I have long forgotten the power supplies used on P4s. But you shouldn't need a new one simply for more power.


This Core 2 Duo 6600 machine I am using right now consumes well under 200 watts under full load, including modem and monitor.

Is your current PC a particular brand name and model?? Or was it custom assembled by a smaller builder?



I assume you are thinking about building yourself? If that is so, I would compile a full list of parts needed: CPU, motherboard, RAM, possibly power supply, possibly case, possibly hard drives, possibly optical drives, possibly graphics card, possibly sound card. That's the typical list. You need to come to decisions about specific brand names and model numbers.

On the other hand, if you are going to have a shop rebuild your existing PC, you need to be specific about what you want them to do so they won't take advantage of you.

The other alternative is to buy a pre-built system ready to go from the likes of Dell, HP, etc.

 

[Sanvean]

"I would not buy motherboard and RAM now and CPU later. I would buy them all at the same time. You don't want to get locked into hardware that you cannot test immediately in case the parts are defective. And you don't want to get locked into a motherboard that you won't use till you get a CPU because new motherboards are constantly coming on the market. 4 months from today, you might decide on another motherboard."

Very wise advice

 

[Rookki]

Thanks for your advice it is very helpful again. This is the Mobo i am going to purchase and ill also get 2x2GB Kingston RAM, and also the i5 661 processor.

Umart Online

I also was going to build the computer myself i bought this computer from a store that was custom built and was ahead of its time (a long time ago obviously) and now am in the process of upgrading slowly.

I was going to purchase the mobo and ram this week and get the processor next week. So shouldnt be to much that goes wrong.

What items SHOULD i upgrade along side my other things, like what items arent just for bells and whistles and would actually help alot?

 

[Mellon Head]

Decent RAM brands, be sure you get DDR3.

Corsair Value Select
Crucial
Kingston
Mushkin

among others. RAM is not likely to be an issue for you unless you are seriously into over-clocking. If you don't overclock, there is NO reason to buy fancy high speed RAM. Get the cheapest compatible RAM from a reliable manufacturer.

Good advice, though I will add something. Ultra high performance RAM is pretty pointless if you don't overclock, that's true, but cheap RAM is a little pointless, too. A good approach would be to spend a little bit extra, and get a good quality set of premium sticks. NOT "enthusiast" RAM or anything like that, just good quality stuff with decent timings.

I personally would add OCZ to your list of RAM manufacturers. Their Platinum series is really good stuff and very stable, and isn't too expensive. It's about 10 - 15% more than Kingston for instance. I'm currently using Mushkin, but they ARE expensive. They're good though.

I've had no luck with Kingston at all. I had to seriously overvolt one set to even get it to run at it's advertised speed, and other sets have just seemed to under perform.

In the end, you want good, stable RAM with good timings to get the most out of a machine. You might save a little with cheaper RAM, but your performance will suffer at stock speeds.

Just MHO.

 

[CarlTR6]

I have also had bad experiences with Kingston.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I assume you are going to use existing hard drives and optical drives, so your main considerations are the compatibility of your existing case, existing power supply, new motherboard, new RAM, and new processor.

Slow down until you have confirmed the compatibility of all of these parts.

The Gigabyte motherboard is mATX (Micro ATX). Do you currently have a mATX case and motherboard? Or do you have a standard ATX case and motherboard? As far as I know, most mATX motherboards will fit in a standard ATX case, but I don’t know if there are exceptions to that rule. Is there any particular reason you have chosen a mATX motherboard?

You have to confirm whether or not you need a new power supply. You likely don’t for purposes of power requirements, but you may still need a new one to have the proper connectors for the new Gigabyte motherboard.

The Gigabyte motherboard has built in audio and video, so you won’t have to use your existing sound or video cards. The 661 processor also has video built in to the processor itself, so you should not have to rely on the motherboard video.

Here is a note from the specification tab on Newegg’s site for this motherboard:

“Memory standard: DDR3 2200*/1800/1600/1333/1066/800. To reach DDR3 2200 MHz and above, you are required to use with Intel Core i7/Core i5 CPU without HD Graphics and install a discrete graphics card. When using Intel Core i5/Core i3/ Pentium CPU with HD Graphics, the maximum memory speed supported is 1666 MHz.”

Given that, I would probably buy 1066 speed RAM, maybe 1333 if you had extra money. The difference in performance is minimal.

For now, I would concentrate on your case and power supply to determine if the new mATX motherboard will fit properly in the case and to determine if your existing power supply will connect to the new motherboard. My guess is that your case will be OK, but I’m not sure about the power supply since it is now powering a P4 processor and motherboard and may have incompatible connectors.

What details can you provide about the existing case? Brand? Model number? External dimensions? ATX? mATX? Same questions for the power supply?

 

[Thorsen]

Can you take pictures of the inside of the case and the current motherboard?

also pictures of the info on the Power Supply (clear enough to read). There should be an information sticker on the Power supply.

 

[Rookki]

Sorry its taken so long to get back to this thread, Ive purchased the Intel i5 661, the mobo GA-H55M-USB3 and the kingston ram.

I built it up myself everything seems to fit and be in the right spot. Although the windows 7 wont install. It has a few problems that i cant figure out, did i forget something? Ive reset the BIOS ive tried IDE and ACHI and the IDE seems to get further.

Should i have done something at the first start up, i built it then just powered up just lkike normal and put windows 7 disc in.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Sorry its taken so long to get back to this thread, Ive purchased the Intel i5 661, the mobo GA-H55M-USB3 and the kingston ram.

I built it up myself everything seems to fit and be in the right spot. Although the windows 7 wont install. It has a few problems that i cant figure out, did i forget something? Ive reset the BIOS ive tried IDE and ACHI and the IDE seems to get further.

Should i have done something at the first start up, i built it then just powered up just lkike normal and put windows 7 disc in.

The AHCI/IDE choice shouldn't be a showstopper. I use IDE.

Does everything look OK in the BIOS as far as you can tell: you can read your fan speeds, all of your RAM is shown correctly, your hard drives are shown correctly, processor is identified correctly, etc?

If you have a retail upgrade or a retail full version of Windows 7, the standard procedure is to go to the BIOS and set it to boot from your DVD drive first and save the BIOS settings.

Exit the BIOS and shut off the PC.

Start the PC.

Put the Windows disc into the DVD drive.

Reboot.

The PC should attempt to start from the Windows disc and you should come to a menu where you have to make a choice of some kind.


Can you get that far?