Motherboard/RAM Help

[grom]

I'm looking to upgrade my computer. I'll be keeping my case and NVIDIA 8800 GTS 320Mb PCI Express video card (http://www.palit.biz/en/products/nv_pci ... .html#spec). Will this card work in PCI Express 2.0 slots?

So far I'm planning on getting:
* INTEL CORE 2 DUO E8500 3.16Ghz 6m CACHE 1333FSB LGA 775
* 2 x SeaGate 320 gig 7200rpm SATA-2 NCQ 16meg Cache 7200.10 - In RAID 0 or RAID 1 setup (whichever is gonna provide the maximum read performance)

For memory is DDR3 1333Mhz worth the extra $120 (AU Dollars) then the DDR2 800?
* CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 6400C4DHX 800mhz 2gig x 2 (4 Gig) DDR2 Matched Pair 4-4-4-12
* CORSAIR TwinX3 DHX 2gig x 2 (4 Gig) DDR3 CM3X-1333C9DHX 1333mhz Matched Pair

For motherboards I am currently looking avaiable at http://www.gamedude.com.au/prod_list.ph ... 775%20PCIx

What are the advantages of the more expensive motherboards over the cheaper ones?

[DMB2000uk]

Welcome to the forums Grom,

Yes your 8800GTS 320MB will work fine in a PCIe 2.0 slot (as they are backwards compatible)

I do believe that raid 0 will give you the best read/write performance, but you are losing out on security of your data (as for every drive in the array, your chance of failure goes up by that factor). So if you do go RAID0 be aware that you should make good habits of backing up your important data to a non-RAID0 drive.

The only advantage to having faster memory is more headroom for overclocking the processor. As unless you have a board that supports unlinked memory for overclocking, when you overclock the processor (by increasing the FSB speed) some other components in your PC are overclocked too (like the memory). If you don't plan on trying to get every last MHz out of your CPU then you will be fine with DDR2 800.

The advantage to the more expensive motherboard is that they do more things/have more features. Say for example, the cheaper motherboards will omit things like built in RAID support. Generally though, the big push at the very top of the motherboard $$$ pile is for multiple graphics card support. If you don't need support for 3-way graphics card SLI or Crossfire, then you will be fine with a mid-range motherboard.

The best option is to tell us the requirements you need from the board (i.e. RAID support, single GPU, quad core support) maybe even a rough price point and let someone point you in the right direction to a good board.

Dan

[grom]

Well my basic requirements would be:
* RAID 1 support (don't need the extra write performance)
* Single graphics card
* Support Intell Core 2 Duo CPU

For price point I would like to get a sub $300 (AU dollars) board. But I want a reliable brand/model.

I don't plan to overclock. In the summer here its too hard to keep it cool and I don't want to resort to expensive cooling systems.

[martini161]

well my friend for around 275 dollars US (300 aus) you could get just about any mother board on the market. a board with those features will only costyou about 200 aus, i would recomend getting a board for about that much and saving the money or spend it on upgrading to ddr3 or something like that. sorry i dont know any sites that ship to asutrailia but if you know one you should probably look for a p35 or p45 chipset on an asus or a gigabyte brand board

[DaddyRabbit]

Well my basic requirements would be:
* RAID 1 support (don't need the extra write performance)
* Single graphics card
* Support Intell Core 2 Duo CPU

For price point I would like to get a sub $300 (AU dollars) board. But I want a reliable brand/model.

I don't plan to overclock. In the summer here its too hard to keep it cool and I don't want to resort to expensive cooling systems.

For the budget there are a few boards that fit the bill on the list that you linked to (I'm assuming those priced are in AUD).

Were it my build I would go with a P45 board over a P35. The P45 is a little more future proof. X38 is also a good option.

The differences in cost are mainly due to build quality and features, for example:

ASUS P5Q-3 DELUXE WiFi Intel P45 Chipset ATi CROSSFIRE Express Gate EPU-6 1600FSB DDR-3 = $275 AUD

Uses DDR3 (still expensive), has Wi-Fi, heatpipe cooling, supports Crossfire

ASUS P5Q Intel P45 Express FSB 1600Mhz Dual-channel DDR2 1200Mhz 8 Ch. HD Audio EXPRESS GATE - $145 AUD

Uses DDR2 (cheaper RAM), no Wi-Fi, heatsink cooling, no Crossfire support

I would stick with Gigabyte or ASUS. If that site is the only list to pick from in your area it looks like one of the ASUS P5Q P45 boards is your best bet.