Need help on computer build.

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seththefallen

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Can anyone recommend a good AM2 motherboard. I wanted to go Nvidia with like a 7600 GT. In the future I would consider SLI so it has to have that. I just don't know if I should go with Nforce 4 or Nforce 5 = 500, 570, 590, etc...Lots of complications. In addition it will be my first system build so I would prefer a user friendly motherboard. Any advice? Good MOBO's? I guess this is related but which Athlon 64 is good for the price? I want to save money and not go X2 just yet so should I go with 3000 or 3400 etc..
 
Going by what you said, these tips should help you.

General rule:
-Use Newegg as a basis for price and user reviews. Their service is unparalled and the reviews provide great insight for some items. For example, I learned that my mobo doesn't work with OCZ memory so I knew I had to go with Corsair.
-Get cases from a B&M store or from an online retailer who gives you free shipping (ZipZoomFly is great for cases).

Motherboard: ASUS is generally a good starter mobo from what I've read. I'm fairly happy with my ASUS mobo. There really aren't any mobos that are... laid out very poorly. If it is, you can usally find out what's wrong with it in the user reviews.

Case: The case is usually what leads to the most headache when putting things together... some cases are very poorly designed. Try to go for a mid-tower case so that you have room to work with. A full tower would be better but they're overkill in most cases (pun!).

Graphics card: it doesn't matter what mobo you get, the GPU isn't very picky as to what mobo you use as long as you get one that'll fit in your mobo.

SLI: any nForce mobo with 2x PCI-e slots will be ready for SLI.

nForce: NF4 mobos are cheaper and generally offer 2 PATA (aka IDE) ports whereas NF5 mobos offer one PATA. The reason I list that is because PATAs take a performance hit if there are more than two devices on the same port being used at the same time (for example, an optical drive and a HD.. they share one line so they're both limited). Another difference between NF4 and NF5 is that NF5 has better memory management, which is essential for an AMD system. A higher NF5 number means its better overall... NF550 is basic, NF570 is mainstream, and NF590 is enthusiast. I think an NF570 mobo will be best for you.

Processor: while you do save money by going with an A64, the multitasking capabilities of a dual core processor are very nice.
 
I can honestly say that was extremely helpful. I've got a better idea what to look for. Thanks alot.


[quote name='Vinny']Going by what you said, these tips should help you.

General rule:
-Use Newegg as a basis for price and user reviews. Their service is unparalled and the reviews provide great insight for some items. For example, I learned that my mobo doesn't work with OCZ memory so I knew I had to go with Corsair.
-Get cases from a B&M store or from an online retailer who gives you free shipping (ZipZoomFly is great for cases).

Motherboard: ASUS is generally a good starter mobo from what I've read. I'm fairly happy with my ASUS mobo. There really aren't any mobos that are... laid out very poorly. If it is, you can usally find out what's wrong with it in the user reviews.

Case: The case is usually what leads to the most headache when putting things together... some cases are very poorly designed. Try to go for a mid-tower case so that you have room to work with. A full tower would be better but they're overkill in most cases (pun!).

Graphics card: it doesn't matter what mobo you get, the GPU isn't very picky as to what mobo you use as long as you get one that'll fit in your mobo.

SLI: any nForce mobo with 2x PCI-e slots will be ready for SLI.

nForce: NF4 mobos are cheaper and generally offer 2 PATA (aka IDE) ports whereas NF5 mobos offer one PATA. The reason I list that is because PATAs take a performance hit if there are more than two devices on the same port being used at the same time (for example, an optical drive and a HD.. they share one line so they're both limited). Another difference between NF4 and NF5 is that NF5 has better memory management, which is essential for an AMD system. A higher NF5 number means its better overall... NF550 is basic, NF570 is mainstream, and NF590 is enthusiast. I think an NF570 mobo will be best for you.

Processor: while you do save money by going with an A64, the multitasking capabilities of a dual core processor are very nice.[/quote]
 
I've had an MSI nforce2 in the past that worked great. and I'm using a MSI nforce4 now that works great. So, I go with MSI as well. :)
 
I've built several AM2 based systems for testing (most of my customers have been going with Core 2 duo lately) & I have to say I've been less then impressed with the NForce 500 seris on the whole & lower end Asus motherboards in particular.
At this point I'd say you would be better off going with an NForce 4/AM2 board & specificly the DFI Infinity seris comes to mind for user-friendliness without many of the "gotcha's" I've encountered with 570/590 SLI's... also they can be had for less then $100 which doesn't hurt.
 
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