Best mobo for IDE/best processor

[Droid0131]

I'm rebuilding my PC and have all IDE connections. 3 hard drives, 2 DVD drives (also have a 3rd new sata DVD drive, if I could find a MoBo with IDE and Sata)

The board is dead, need some help finding a new board to support what I have and something that will last. I need speed and power. I use my PS3 for gaming, I'm not building a gaming rig.

Need a really good processor. Was looking at the Intel Core i7. Thinking it might be a bit much. Any suggestions there?

I have 3 hard drives, a 250GB, 60 and 40. Thinking I don't need to upgrade there just yet. Going to use the 250 and 40 in the new build for now.

I need memory. I have 3 sticks of 512 now, 2 of which I'm using in another PC.

I have 3 AGP video cards (older parts laying around), and 1 PCI. Going to get a new PCI-e card.

I have a 750w power supply.

I have to run a cable from router to PC, would like to go wireless there.

Also buying a wireless printer.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Need a really good processor.

Why?

I need memory. I have 3 sticks of 512 now, 2 of which I'm using in another PC.

So you have 512?

I have 3 AGP video cards (older parts laying around), and 1 PCI. Going to get a new PCI-e card.

So you'll need a pci-e slot? A new card isn't necessary since you're not gaming.

Whats your budget? Practically any motherboard has IDE support assuming you have a long IDE cable, which it looks like you do.

 

[Droid0131]

Why?

I'm upgrading a PC that's a decade old.

So you have 512?
3, 512MB sticks. 2 are in another PC

So you'll need a pci-e slot? A new card isn't necessary since you're not gaming.
Just figured most MoBos will have 2 or 3 PCI slots, plau an PCI-e, I'll upgrade the card as well. My PCI card is cheap...used for testing.

Whats your budget? Practically any motherboard has IDE support assuming you have a long IDE cable, which it looks like you do.

I'm looking to spend as little as $500 or as much as 1,000.

I've looked at a few boards and yes they have IDE, but only one slot...I need 2, one for DVD drives, one for HDDs

 

[mailpup]

I don't think you'll find any modern boards with more than one IDE connector (for two devices). If you must have more, then you can get an IDE controller card, either PCI or PCI-E depending on what's free on the motherboard you select.

 

[Archean]

In addition to above comments can you please let us know for what purposes you will be using this system? Normal use? productivity software /net surfing etc. or gaming ?

 

[Droid0131]

Its not going to be a gaming rig. I need speed. Big downloads etc. Kind of a multimedia machine. Lots of net surfing/poker/music/movies/business stuff...I basically want it as fast as I can get it, with an older MoBo, with the 2 IDE, more memory, and a new top-of-the-line processor to make it fly.
I'm upgrading from wireless G to N, and I'm adding Boost to my Road Runner for a faster internet.

 

[mailpup]

If you are looking for an older motherboard with two IDE connectors but also supports an Intel Core i7 or comparable multi-core processor, I'm afraid you won't find it. You'll have to go with a newer board for the CPU alone and that's where you will run into motherboards with only single IDE connectors.

 

[Droid0131]

Thats what I figured.
I have another machine here that I have up and running, It has 2 CD roms that don't work. I'm going to take the IDE drives from my main computer and put them in here, eliminating the need for a second IDE slot in the new PC.
I'll be able to get a newer board, I'll have to pick up a SATA dvd, and use the IDE for my HDDs and SATA for the DVD drives.
Problem solved.
Now, what should I be buying?!?

 

[mailpup]

Decide which CPU you want and that will narrow your choices of motherboards. My personal brand preference is Gigabyte but I've also used MSI. I haven't used other brands so I can't really comment from actual experience.

 

[captaincranky]

Droid, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, (actually I rather enjoy it), but this post and its premise are utter nonsense.

You won't find a modern board with more than 1 IDE buss (that's 2 devices), get over it. Every once in a while you'll find a "legacy" type board on sale a Newegg with 2 IDE sockets, but said boards may not even run the latest Intel LGA 775 CPUs, let alone the Core "i" processors.

It's time to start over, "upgrade" is pretty much off the table.

If you really don't want to game, the Core "i" 3 & 5 series CPUs with onboard graphics will power home theater quite well.

But, you're still going to have to ditch the IDE HDDs, whatever memory you have, and the relic AGP & PCI graphics cards.

 

[Droid0131]

Droid, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, (actually I rather enjoy it), but this post and its premise are utter nonsense.

You won't find a modern board with more than 1 IDE buss (that's 2 devices), get over it. Every once in a while you'll find a "legacy" type board on sale a Newegg with 2 IDE sockets, but said boards may not even run the latest Intel LGA 775 CPUs, let alone the Core "i" processors.

It's time to start over, "upgrade" is pretty much off the table.

If you really don't want to game, the Core "i" 3 & 5 series CPUs with onboard graphics will power home theater quite well.

But, you're still going to have to ditch the IDE HDDs, whatever memory you have, and the relic AGP & PCI graphics cards.

I just put my IDE DVDs into another computer. I then put a new SATA DVD into the PC I'm upgrading. I will only need ONE IDE slot for my two hard drives. I'm going to look into newer boards, with only one IDE, that will run a newer processor.
I will be "upgrading" the processor, board, memory, and graphics card.

 

[captaincranky]

I then put a new SATA DVD into the PC I'm upgrading. I'm going to look into newer boards, with only one IDE, that will run a newer processor.

OK. that's cheating, since I don't believe you can find a board without one IDE socket.

I will be "upgrading" the processor, board, memory, and graphics card.

Ever willing to quibble over semantics, I submit that ,(along with the SATA HDD), constitutes a new computer, not an "upgrade"... Besides, after you buy all that new stuff, there does exist the distinct possibiity you'll be unhappy with your old case, and "voila", the "marriage is consummated", so to speak. In fact, if we're dealing with an OEM copy of Windows, you'll see how quickly M$ will also call that a "new computer".

IDE optical drives can't transfer data at anywhere the speed of an IDE buss, let alone SATA 2. So, I will buy IDE opticals, (if the price is right), and save the SATA ports for HDD, or Blu-Ray drives, which you can't get in IDE.

I humbly offer a suggestion to consider putting you older IDE drives into external housings, and use them for backup.

The combination of SATA HDDs running full SATA mode, (AHCI), Win 7, and the rest of the new CPUs, boards, and DDR3, yield astonishingly rapid boot times. I think you would be surprised and pleased with the results.

 

[Legoflamb]

Actually Intel whitesberg 1156(I think that's the one I've got) hasn't got IDE

 

[captaincranky]

Actually Intel whitesberg 1156(I think that's the one I've got) hasn't got IDE

This is handy to know. Would you consider sharing the make and model of the board with us?

My own H55 (socket 1156) Gigabyte mobo does indeed have an IDE socket.

They've removed 1 (???) of the PS/2 sockets, which is either weird or rude, depending on your mood.

Edit; I was able to find a couple of Mini ITX (H57) boards without PATA, and a 300 dollar this thing; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131648

 

[red1776]

and a 300 dollar this thing;

well once again I find myself having to correct your sloppy technical reference.
Its called a '$300 one of these'. :wave:

 

[Legoflamb]

This is handy to know. Would you consider sharing the make and model of the board with us?

My own H55 (socket 1156) Gigabyte mobo does indeed have an IDE socket.

They've removed 1 (???) of the PS/2 sockets, which is either weird or rude, depending on your mood.

Edit; I was able to find a couple of Mini ITX (H57) boards without PATA, and a 300 dollar this thing; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131648

Intel Whitesberg Socket 1156 Motherboard - BOXDP55WB

http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=36134&tid=frooct - This is what I've got.

Ridiculous amount of USB (necessary I guess..) no IDE and no ps2 connections either.

 

[captaincranky]

Since most P55 boards have IDE and perhaps one PS/2 socket, perhaps they're trying to wean us off PS/2 and IDE gradually.

 

[dikbozo]

As an old hand at reusing old hardware, I will add that you can get 'IDE to SATA' converter cards to be able to reuse those old IDE drives on SATA connectors. Here is a link for one such:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...re=ide_to_sata_adapter-_-12-119-257-_-Product

and another:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...re=ide_to_sata_adapter-_-12-816-113-_-Product

These are indeed inexpensive and at times unreliable, but they are a solution to the problem. BTW, I have successfully used one for two years in a daily use machine(it is a no name variety).

 

[Droid0131]

I'll be running all Sata, thanks to the answers here. All of my old IDE DVDs and HDDs are going in an older computer, with 2 IDE slots, which is up and running well now. I'm going big with this build. Something that I won't have to upgrade for awhile and something that causes a flippin' neighborhood blackout! Bring on the power!

 

[captaincranky]

I'll be running all Sata, thanks to the answers here. All of my old IDE DVDs and HDDs are going in an older computer, with 2 IDE slots, which is up and running well now. I'm going big with this build. Something that I won't have to upgrade for awhile and something that causes a flippin' neighborhood blackout! Bring on the power!

I've always firmly believed, that a computer which dims the lights when you fire it up, bestows a very significant psychological advantage in gaming to its owner. The lights dimming ploy works best in conjunction with a pair of 10,000 RPM Velociraptors in RAID 0, winding up at the same time.

I just won the Firefox spelling bee! Apparently, I can spell "velociraptor"(s), and Firefox can't.

well once again I find myself having to correct your sloppy technical reference.
Its called a '$300 one of these'. :wave:

BTW Mr Smarty Pants, since it's all the way over at Newegg, and there are probably more than one of them, I feel confident that, "a 300 dollar one of those things", might be the most accurate and appropriate nomenclature available.

 

[CMH]

I thought I joined a tech-related forum, but I think I stumbled into one of their English as a language threads....