Choosing a mobo

[Whiffen]

Hey guys, I'm having a bit of an ordeal here with choosing a motherboard for my new computer. I had a plan from the beginning but I'm just not sure anymore.

So far I have bought or decided on these items;

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ (Is there a difference between this one and this one, other than the first on is 0.1 Ghz faster and on sale? If that's the only difference I will be getting that one.)

4 GB OCZ Gold edition DDR2 1066Mhz (On sale for 70$)

Ultra Gladiator mid tower + TAOTEC 650W PS (70$ I got the Case + PSU deal, I know its risky but it looks pretty decent. I think its so cheap because TaoTec went under )

Whew. So now for the mobo. I have 120$-180$ for the motherboard.

These are my preferences, but feel free to venture off if there is something better.

-ASUS
-Black (My computer will be displayed on my desk and I don't like yellow boards )
-Doesn't need Crossfire/Sli
-Kind of an Nvida fan boy, but if its a better and more affordable price I guess I can go ATI
-Need expansion slot for wireless card or one with WiFi OnBoard.

So I was looking at this first. t has a great sale price, WiFi, a nice chipset and cooling. The downside is that its for crossfire and I don't know if I want to get an ATI Card eventually. I know I don't have to but it just feels so wrong Lol.

http://pccyber.com/?v=Product&i=MB-AS-M3A32-MVP-WF

Then I looked at this which is a bit cheaper and has a nice chipset. The downside is the power connectors which are in the dumbest place I have ever seen.

http://pccyber.com/?v=Product&i=MB-AS-M3N78-PRO

I can't order online so I will be getting everything from PCCyber.

Thanks

 

[LinkedKube]

My first issue is that the 6000 wont give you much increase of performance of what's in your specs. With that said I'd recommend an intel cpu being that you'll get a performance increase.

But I'll stick with what you're posting here. Both of the cpus you chose are identical. I'd pick the first mobo you posted over the second. You say you dont need sli/crossFire so nvidia or intel/ati chipset doesnt matter much at all.

I'd put 25 bucks more into the psu and get something with a trusted name. You dont need more than 600 watts with what you have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702011 this should work.

 

[Whiffen]

:S Yeah, I would love to go Intel but its the cost I am worried about. It brings me up at least 80$ for something nice like a E8400

If I have the chance I will go for the first mobo I chose, but I'm not sure if its in stock at the nearest locations. There is one in stock at one of the stores but that's way out of my area and the buses are on strike

Would something like this bring me up to par with a 6000?

Maybe I will go for that and a nice P5Q.

So would the extra 60$ on the Intel build do me better than that AMD one? The mobos are like identical and I know the Core 2's are great but the AMD has a much nicer price point and will still do wonderfully for me

Its a new computer BTW, my profile specs refer to the PC I have atm.

 

[LinkedKube]

go with the p5q, they are reliable, that and the core 2 will do you better than the amd setup you're looking at.

 

[FairCold]

from my experience P5Q is better and take E8400. after some OC-ing the performace is better than Q6600.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

For the PSU, you don't need more than a good-quality 450-500W one. A Corsair 450VX or the Antec EA500 will do nicely. If you are having problems with the budget, get a quality PSU over a better CPU. Gaming performance is dependent on the GPU anyways, so the difference between the two CPUs will be minimal, and it is not something over which you should consider getting a rubbish PSU and risk the life of your parts.

For the mobo, go with the cheaper one. Also, I recommend buying from NCIX, they have some of the best prices on hardware.

 

[Whiffen]

I don't think I'm going to change my PSU. It looks very decent. If I have problems with it Ill buy a new one of course but I don't see any reason to change it right now, other than the brand isn't well known. 650 Watt, 38 A on +12V, lots of power protection features, long cables with sleeves and a huge fan.

As for the mobo and CPU I was running a budget PC before, but I decided Ill work an extra week over the holiday. Maybe I will get a deal on the mobo and cpu on boxing day

C2D E8400

Any favorable? Again I will not use SLi or Crossfire. I want a sturdy board for gaming but also wont totally kill my wallet

ASUS P5Q Pro
ASUS P5Q

Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT
(Own)OCZ GOLD 4 GB DDR2 PC 8500
(Own)Western Digital 250 GB SATAII
(Own)TaoTec 650 Watt PSU

Also any suggestions for a wireless card? My room is directly above the room with the modem, ceilings are 10-12 FT high so I assume it doesn't have to cost that much.

Maybe this: http://pccyber.com/?v=Product&i=LAN-AS-WL-138G-V2
Or: http://pccyber.com/?v=Product&i=LAN-D-WDA-2320

EDIT: OMG NOT SURE AGAIN XD
I know Intel's is better but its that price gap

Intel: 460$
AMD: 298$

That's almost a 200$ gap!

Sigh... I don't know guys, I could be buying some other things like a 22' Monitor or something with that amount :S
I'm just not sure the price gap is worth it.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

The P5Q vanilla will be enough. As for the card, the HD 4830 is a better choice compared to the 9800GT, assuming you can find one in the first place.

 

[Whiffen]

Ah ha! http://pccyber.com/?v=Product&i=VC-SAP-100265L

Well sorry Intel but I think I will go AMD once again. Maybe one day I can suckle on your delicious performance but until I finish school and can work more hours I think I'm going to pass.

How does a 4850 sound, or should I stick with 4830?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

The 4850 is a superior performer. Get it if the price difference between the HD 4830 and HD 4850 is small.

 

[Whiffen]

Thanks a lot ^^

I'll be sure to take pics afterward. That is, once I buy a digital camera next ahah.

 

[Whiffen]

Uh oh.

They didn't have the other mobo so I just went with the M3A78 PRO.

Problem is that I have DDR2 1066 memory.

Do the Athlon's support this memory or will I have to get a Phenom

If they don't can I still use the memory, but at a slower speed of course? Not really into the Phenoms right now because they are a tad pricey and I'm already getting a Athlon x2 6000+

 

[LinkedKube]

if its an am2 "class" chip then it will support ddr2, but you will have to set the ram speed to 800 via bios.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

The X2 will work fine with that RAM.