conroe motherboard advice

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pro956

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without overclocking in mind...what is the "best" motherboard out that supports conroe IYHO?

could you recommend some decent memory too?

the cpu to be used: E6400

thanks in advance
 
In my opinion the board with the best feature set is the Asus P5W DH Deluxe.

Somebody argue that point... at least I got your thread going :)
 
i'm getting rid of my DS3 for the P5W Deluxe, x-fi and memory issues with my DS3 (ozc ram) caused me to ditch it...hope the P5W takes care of me! :-D

-matt
 
if your not overclocking it's an open ended question . there are some good MB's from $55 to $300. it depends on what you require--- ie sli-crossfire , what type of ram your going to use--how many satas, how many patas--ect .

the core 2 is such a good overclocker i don't see how you could not want to oc it at least a little-- :cool:

i like the dfi 975x for sli or crossfire and a mild oc .

the gigabyte 965p in the inexpensive s-3 , and maybe the biostar T-force 965p for big-time overclocking . although there are several MB from asus and gigabyte that oc very well in 965p . i also like the asus 965p delux but since it's expensive i haven't bought one .

on the uber low end--migration MB --i like the asrock 775 dual vista . it's an old chipset that uses the via 880pro. it's not a overclocking MB . it can use ddr 1 or ddr 2 , it has 8x agp and 4x pci-e which is about equal to 8x agp . two patas and several sata 1.0's

it can overclock some --with ddr -400 i've been able to push mine as high as 334fsb. i saw on a thread somewhere a few have pushed it to 340fsb which is as high as it will go. but i don't think anything over 320 is of much use. mine runs best around 317fsb with a 6400. but for $55 it's a flexable mb and is nearly as fast as the intels running ddr 2 when running the same cpu speeds. when the e-4300 core 2 comes out with the 9x multi for $160 you'll be able to build a nice core 2 computer--saving your ddr 400 from your last build for like $220 ish total --9x overclocked to 300fsb = a core 2 running 2700mhz--not bad for the $$$

a 6400 will oc pretty good on the asrock . lots of them are being built with an eye to--when high speed ddr2 800-900-1000mhz-get's cheap i'll toss the via 880p and then get a 965p . which ain't a bad idea in the long run either.
 
JSF35rhino said:
if your not overclocking it's an open ended question . there are some good MB's from $55 to $300. it depends on what you require--- ie sli-crossfire , what type of ram your going to use--how many satas, how many patas--ect .

the core 2 is such a good overclocker i don't see how you could not want to oc it at least a little-- :cool:

i like the dfi 975x for sli or crossfire and a mild oc .

the gigabyte 965p in the inexpensive s-3 , and maybe the biostar T-force 965p for big-time overclocking . although there are several MB from asus and gigabyte that oc very well in 965p . i also like the asus 965p delux but since it's expensive i haven't bought one .

on the uber low end--migration MB --i like the asrock 775 dual vista . it's an old chipset that uses the via 880pro. it's not a overclocking MB . it can use ddr 1 or ddr 2 , it has 8x agp and 4x pci-e which is about equal to 8x agp . two patas and several sata 1.0's

it can overclock some --with ddr -400 i've been able to push mine as high as 334fsb. i saw on a thread somewhere a few have pushed it to 340fsb which is as high as it will go. but i don't think anything over 320 is of much use. mine runs best around 317fsb with a 6400. but for $55 it's a flexable mb and is nearly as fast as the intels running ddr 2 when running the same cpu speeds. when the e-4300 core 2 comes out with the 9x multi for $160 you'll be able to build a nice core 2 computer--saving your ddr 400 from your last build for like $220 ish total --9x overclocked to 300fsb = a core 2 running 2700mhz--not bad for the $$$

a 6400 will oc pretty good on the asrock . lots of them are being built with an eye to--when high speed ddr2 800-900-1000mhz-get's cheap i'll toss the via 880p and then get a 965p . which ain't a bad idea in the long run either.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the info.
The system is going to be built completely from scratch.
That's why I asked for Memory recommendations as well.

I'm basically looking for quality/realiability and speed.
The drives will be sata.
Possibly mirror, probably not.

The only current part I have is a dell 3007wfp.
so in the end I need a CASE/PSU/CPU/HEATSINK/MOBO/4gb RAM/2 SATA HDs/Video Card

CASE: Antec Performance I P180
PSU: Antec tru power 2.0 -- or something similar
CPU: E6400
HEATSINK: ?? stock maybe?
MOBO: ??
MEMORY: 4gb of x ??
HDs: Pair of Seagate SATAs
Vid Card: probably something low-end that will support 2560x1600 and dual dvi-d maybe a Radeon x1600 pro 512mb pci-e

I won't be playing games as it'll be my work pc :p
No 3d rendering, just want a fast and versatile PC.
I'll be happy to take advice on any of the above parts as well.

And, if the conroe's are such good overclockers-- I guess I will overclock a bit on air-cooling. I won't bother pushing it to the limits though.

I feel so bad buying an intel over amd :(
Oh well, it's my works money...

Thanks for the help again everyone.
 
I'd suggest a PC Power and Cooling power supply. The 610watt Silencer can be had for about $160 and it's an incredible PSU for the money in my view. The P180 is an excellent choice. I've had two of them and though they are a pain for cable routing, it's worth it for the quiet computer with good airflow. May I ask why you're going with 4gb of RAM? XP doesn't really take advantage of more than 3gb unless you're running a 64 bit OS. Nice choice on the hard drives. I'm running a pair of 250gb 7200.10s in my main box and 5 320gb 7200.10s in my server and I gotta admit, these are GREAT bang for your buck drives. What type of work are you planning to do with your machine?
 
coolrunnings said:
I'd suggest a PC Power and Cooling power supply. The 610watt Silencer can be had for about $160 and it's an incredible PSU for the money in my view. The P180 is an excellent choice. I've had two of them and though they are a pain for cable routing, it's worth it for the quiet computer with good airflow. May I ask why you're going with 4gb of RAM? XP doesn't really take advantage of more than 3gb unless you're running a 64 bit OS. Nice choice on the hard drives. I'm running a pair of 250gb 7200.10s in my main box and 5 320gb 7200.10s in my server and I gotta admit, these are GREAT bang for your buck drives. What type of work are you planning to do with your machine?
Click to expand...

4gb ram would be for the eventual upgrade to vista.

what type of work?
not 100% sure, just want a bad ass machine.
i'd imagine: remote monitoring of many servers, web design-- maybe graphic as well (nothing demanding however), vmachines, vid encoding, etc etc...
 
yeah go w/ 2gb now at the most, if you don't game or do any rendering...you'd prolly be fine w/ 1gb honestly....if all you are doing is basic stuff, the whole system is overkill for you :-P

-Matt
 
If you're not overclocking ANY motherboard will do. Go buy a $50 ECS pos.

But seriously WHY WOULD ANYONE NOT OVERCLOCK A CORE 2 CHIP?! I've seen so many people the past month or so... buy a new Core 2 system & decide.... what the heck let me try it, and they're hitting 2.8Ghz with 6300's, and 3.2Ghz with 6400's with out ANY effort at all. Just set it & forget it.... easier than the Ronco Easy Rotisserie oven. Seriously, get a decent 965 board (like an Asus or Gigabyte) and at least try it.
 
i would vote for Asus P5B delux. get a good after market CPU cooler like Infinity or big typhoon then overclok your E6400 to 3.2ghz and beyound :D
 
Okay, this is where I sit now.

CASE: Antec Performance I P180
PSU: Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V ATX12V 550W
CPU: E6400
HEATSINK: ???
THERMAL: ???
MOBO: ASUS PB5 Deluxe
MEMORY: 2gb of ??? (can someone recommend something that they know is supported by the pb5)
HDs: Pair of Seagate SATAs
Vid Card: probably something low-end that will support 2560x1600 and dual dvi-d maybe a (Radeon x1600 pro 512mb pci-e)
Gigabit-Ethernet: ???

Anybody want to fill in the ??? for me :)
links are my friend too.

Thanks everybody!
And yes, I will overclock... and report my results!
 
heatsink: Scythe Ninja or Infinity
RAM: OCZ gold/plat or some really good corsair
Themal: you mean termal paste? Arctic Silver 5
Ethernet: you got 2 plugs on that mobo
 
pro956 said:
HEATSINK: ???
THERMAL: ???
MEMORY: 2gb of
Vid Card: probably something low-end that will support 2560x1600 and dual dvi-d maybe a (Radeon x1600 pro 512mb pci-e)
Gigabit-Ethernet: ???

And yes, I will overclock... and report my results!
Click to expand...

Heatsink: Scythe Ninja
Thermal what?: paste? Artic Silver 5
Memory: 2x 1Gb G.skill ddr2 800
Videocard: whats your budget?
Ethernet: use the integrated LAN on the motherboard

edit: Hellmax beat me to it, while I was trying to type & do 10 other things at a time.
 
Latest:

CASE: Antec Performance I P180
PSU: Silverstone st60f
CPU: E6400
HEATSINK: Scythe Ninja
THERMAL: Arctic 5
MOBO: ASUS P5B Deluxe
MEMORY: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
HDs: 2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3250620AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drives
Vid Card: probably something low-end that will support 2560x1600 and dual dvi-d maybe a (Radeon x1600 pro 512mb pci-e)

Can someone link me to a good deal on a video card that will support 2560x1600???
NO REBATES...
price range will probably be $100-$200 on the video card... more concerned with the deal than the best I can get for $200...

I guess I will need a DVD-RW as well, any of those cheap 30 some dollar deals going on?

Thanks guys!
 
Regarding the PSU, I highly recommend steering clear of modular power supplies. Sure they are pretty for cable routing but when it comes down to it, the resistance caused by the extra connectors and having that many additional failure points just isn't worth it in my opinion. Here's a link to the PSU I'd get for your system:
http://www.pcpower.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=S75EPS

I have something similar to what you're building right now and here's what I'm running it on (rock solid stable btw):
http://www.pcpower.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=S61EPS

Have a look on this page for info on why I don't think modular power supplies are a good idea (lots of other useful info on that page too):
http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/
 
I have the Gigabyte DS3 motherboard and would recommend it to anyone. I would also recommend the Antec True Power 2.0 550 Watt power supply. Nice and quiet and good voltages all the way around.
 
pro956 said:
Latest:

CASE: Antec Performance I P180
PSU: Silverstone st60f
CPU: E6400
HEATSINK: Scythe Ninja
THERMAL: Arctic 5
MOBO: ASUS P5B Deluxe
MEMORY: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
HDs: 2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3250620AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drives
Vid Card: probably something low-end that will support 2560x1600 and dual dvi-d maybe a (Radeon x1600 pro 512mb pci-e)

Can someone link me to a good deal on a video card that will support 2560x1600???
NO REBATES...
price range will probably be $100-$200 on the video card... more concerned with the deal than the best I can get for $200...

I guess I will need a DVD-RW as well, any of those cheap 30 some dollar deals going on?

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

Just about all the DVD-RW's on newegg are around $30...unless you go with Plextor or something like that.
 
Okay thanks everyone,
I've ordered everything BUT the video card.
And the aftermarket fan/heatsink (was going to tap the ninja onto my newegg order but it was OofS) :(

Any links to decent non rebate deals to a vid card?

Thanks again.
 
chrisf6969 said:
If you're not overclocking ANY motherboard will do. Go buy a $50 ECS pos.
Click to expand...

This is some of the worst advice I've ever seen on this forum. Not just any motherboard will do. There is a huge difference from one brand to the next when it comes to quality. There are many motherboards that are hard to make work at stock speeds, and not all chipsets used to create the $50 motherboards are created equal. Not to mention ram compatibility, and general compatibility with hardware could be a problem as well.
 
i have got the P5W-DH and i;m fairly happy with it. i;m overclocking just a little bit. but if you get this board for the extra features....don't. i haven't touched the remote since i first tried it out. the Wi internet is way to slow..since you want a fast computer. i swapped that out. other than that it;s a awesome SOB. also i have heard good things about the 975xbx, very stable. here there was a 975XBX 2 comming out. anyone got any info on that.
 
I have ordered everything except for the heatsink & video card
The Scythe Ninja was OS at newegg and pretty expensive at other places I found.
I'm still looking for a decent deal on a video card without rebates to purchase tomorrow morning.
I took a step up on the processor and the hard drives (NCQ wasn't available on the 250gb model)...

I took a leap of faith on the Silverstone PSU, never heard of them before... Any reassurance? I partially took coolrunnings advice and stayed away from the modular design.

CASE: Antec P180B
PSU: SilverStone ST56F Strider 560W PSU
CPU: Intel® Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe Processor ;)
THERMAL P: Arctic 5
MOBO: ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP P965 775
MEMORY: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 Dual Channel
HDs: 2 Seagate 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s NCQ ;)
DVD-RW Drive: Samsung SH-S182M/BEBN
FAN/HEATSINK: Scythe Ninja (out of stock)-- I will get this later
Vid Card: ??? probably something low-end that will support 2560x1600 and dual dvi-d... ???

Thanks again for all of the help thus far everybody. :D
I'm looking forward to building this baby :)
 
Dan_D said:
This is some of the worst advice I've ever seen on this forum. Not just any motherboard will do. There is a huge difference from one brand to the next when it comes to quality. There are many motherboards that are hard to make work at stock speeds, and not all chipsets used to create the $50 motherboards are created equal. Not to mention ram compatibility, and general compatibility with hardware could be a problem as well.
Click to expand...

I was kind of being a smart ass. That wasn't the ONLY thing I said in my post. (taken out of context) ECS pos = Piece of Shit
 
I've heard some ok things about Silverstone... Haven't personally used one though. I'm quite curious how the cables will reach though in that P180. Let me know eh?
 
pro956 said:
Okay thanks everyone,
I've ordered everything BUT the video card.
And the aftermarket fan/heatsink (was going to tap the ninja onto my newegg order but it was OofS) :(

Any links to decent non rebate deals to a vid card?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...


Why not look in the for sale section.
 
coolrunnings said:
I've heard some ok things about Silverstone... Haven't personally used one though. I'm quite curious how the cables will reach though in that P180. Let me know eh?
Click to expand...

Will do.
 
BlastRadius said:
In my opinion the board with the best feature set is the Asus P5W DH Deluxe.

Somebody argue that point... at least I got your thread going :)
Click to expand...

I think that you are correct. Feature wise, it's hard to beat. Though it can be argued that the P5W64-WS Professional is a better board.
 
pro956 said:
http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/productdetails.aspx?item=14-102-033
is the video card I picked up today.

as long as it works with my dell 3007wfp i will be happy.
it supports 2560x1600.
and i'm 99% sure it supports dual link dvi-d
can anyone clarify this?

Thanks again everyone!
Click to expand...

Yes, it is dual link DVI. If it weren't, it certainly wouldn't be capable of displaying such a resolution as it's beyond single link DVI's capabilities.

Though you won't be able to play games at that resolution on that card and it not look like a slideshow, but then again, you stated you won't be playing games on it.
 
coolrunnings said:
I've heard some ok things about Silverstone... Haven't personally used one though. I'm quite curious how the cables will reach though in that P180. Let me know eh?
Click to expand...

The cables were flexible and more than long enough to reach around inside the P180.
It was actually easier to run the Silverstone cables than the Antec's Tru Power TPii-550 cables. Not that those were difficult either...

Thanks to everyone again for the help!
The computer is great and the fastest PC I've ever used.
I OC'd it to around 2.9ghz, but then I got swamped with work... So I'll see how high it goes later.
 
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