Legit Reviews

I am building my first rig, and need some help with a motherboard.I bought a amd64 4000+ single core chip,and a lian li G-70 to start.I want this for gaming strictly! Please dont tell me about dual core chips,I know the deal.I will get the rest of my parts when I buy the motherboard.Sli is not a priority.I will be getting (1) 7900gt video card.Socket 939 is want I want.

*side note- The amd64 4000+ for 135.00 dollars is a great deal.The 1mb cache is a nice bonus.

My top priority is stability!!

Fanless motherboard would be nice.

OC-That not a priority either.This is my first buid.I'll be happy to see the board post!

Thanks....

Boy is that a tough one.

Stability doesnt always have to do with just the MB, it has to do with every single part in the computer.

I personally like Gigabyte motherboards. I have never had any stability problems with them, and since i dont overclock, I have no need for the extra settings other boards have.

I know alot of people love Asus boards. i have had nothing but trouble with them!!

I also have bought some of the cheap $30 MB's, and they are still running for folding computers with no problems at all.

That is why I say it is a tough one ;)

Either figure out a dollar range you want to stay in ( like $50-$70 or $100-$120 ) then pick the boards in those price ranges and compare them to what features you want on the MB...1394a, 1394b, 8000 usb ports, built in 7.1 surround sound with optical output, etc. Then if there is more than 1 board left, post which models, and a lot of people would be able to help you out with personal experiences!!

Mike

building computers is just plain awesome good luck on your first build! and remember to pull the tab off the bottom of the heatsink before installing ( someone I know forgot to do that one time...wait...that was me ). I also sugest Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound.

any more ?'s - ask away

Thanks for the advice knightRid.I guess that is a pretty general question.I have not built my rig yet,but I have been on pc forums for the last couple years.The Asus A8N5X seems like a nice board with basic features.The northbridge fan seems rather cheap and noisy on this board,but I could replace the chipset fan. Easy swap.I'm not planning a sli set-up.

I'm not against a sli-set up either.I might end up getting 2 video cards eventually.The motherboard is going to be my toughest choice.

Tyan make VERY stable boards, but they cost a little more.

You said this is strictly for gaming? does it have to be an ATX board? mATX boards can be just a good, stable and cheap!

The Asus A8R-MVP is a good ATX board and can be got for ~$100.
The ATI chipset doesn't need active cooling either.

Since you getting a 7900 card, you might prefer nVidia's chipset.
The nForce 4 Ultra is prolly the best chip from nv.......if SLI doesn't matter.
The (main) problem with nVidia chipsets, are they run hot. IF you want passive cooling, you need to get the SLI chip and that costs more (ie. Asus A8N32)

Knightrid mentioned Gigabyte, I used them on my old rig....(P4 with RDRAM) and it was stable as a rock........but that could be due to the Intel 850E chipset.
Gigabyte does make their nForce 4 boards with passive cooling though......from what I've read they are fast and stable with lots of extras onboard....but since the the chipset is passively cooled, they might not OC very well (I know you said you don't care about overclocking, but it's always good to have the option so you can squeeze a little more performance before uppgrading again)

Welcome to the forums............Just remember, 'round here......"ask and you shall recieve"

kenc51 wrote:Tyan make VERY stable boards, but they cost a little more.

You said this is strictly for gaming? does it have to be an ATX board? mATX boards can be just a good, stable and cheap!

The Asus A8R-MVP is a good ATX board and can be got for ~$100.
The ATI chipset doesn't need active cooling either.

Since you getting a 7900 card, you might prefer nVidia's chipset.
The nForce 4 Ultra is prolly the best chip from nv.......if SLI doesn't matter.
The (main) problem with nVidia chipsets, are they run hot. IF you want passive cooling, you need to get the SLI chip and that costs more (ie. Asus A8N32)

Knightrid mentioned Gigabyte, I used them on my old rig....(P4 with RDRAM) and it was stable as a rock........but that could be due to the Intel 850E chipset.
Gigabyte does make their nForce 4 boards with passive cooling though......from what I've read they are fast and stable with lots of extras onboard....but since the the chipset is passively cooled, they might not OC very well (I know you said you don't care about overclocking, but it's always good to have the option so you can squeeze a little more performance before uppgrading again)

Welcome to the forums............Just remember, 'round here......"ask and you shall recieve"

I hear ya! passive cooling =more $$ I have read that the nVidia chipsets
run hot.I really dont know alot about video card chipsets,but I hate the words"run hot".It seems I find a great board,video card ect..and than find out all the bull**** attached to that product.

I forgot to add.Thats I wanted a full tower.Plenty of options for cooling,and room.So at least I have a starting point to cool the parts.