Need help deciding a motherboard

[aznn3rd]

Hey guys.
Right now I have a HP Pavilion a1123c which is pretty good except for the built-in graphics card. I recently got a Geforce 7300 GS PCI Express to play games only to find that my PC only has PCI slots. I've been looking in the motherboard market, but I dont know what to buy. Any suggestions on what motheboard both works and is cheap?
Thanks

 

[raybay]

Take a look at the few PCI cards at www.zipzoomfly.com... anything above $60 and 128 MB will be good... the more you spend, the better they are... They may even have a couple of 256 MB cards left.
They do not have any bad cards... but it is a matter of cost.
When they are gone, they are gone.

 

[rbbibble]

MSI boards are cheaper and if you do your homework you can find one that should fit your needs. Be a little careful though cause some MSI boards can be unreliable. I'd start looking at mobos on newegg.com. They have plenty of mobos to choose from and helpful reviews to look at.

 

[aznn3rd]

^ Would there be any restrictions in terms of model types that arent compatable with the other components of my computer?

Hardware
Base processor
Pentium4 630 (P) HT 3.0 GHz:
800 MHz front side bus
Socket 775
Chipset
Intel 915GV
Motherboard
Manufacturer: Asus
Motherboard Name: PTGD-LA
HP/Compaq motherboard name: Goldfish3-GL8E
Memory
Memory Installed 1 GB (2 x 512)
Hard drive
250 GB SATA
7200 rpm
16x DVD(+/-)R/RW DL LightScribe drive
DVD-ROM drive
Maximum speed: 16X
Modem
PCI K56flex data/fax modem
Video graphics
Integrated with up to 128 MB allocated video memory
Sound/audio
Integrated High Definition audio
Realtek ALC 880 chipset
8-channels for Full Dolby 5.1/6.1/7.1 surround sound support with Dolby Pro Logic IIx
Network (LAN)
Integrated 10/100 Base-T networking interface

 

[raybay]

There are an awful lot of MSI motherboards. You will need to read the specs for the ones which interest you.
You need one with a 630 socket if you wish to use your current processor. Everything else is open.
Your SATA HDD will work with any that have SATA sockets; The Lightscribe will work without a problem, as will the modem. Memory depends on which board and socket. Then you have a big decision to make as you now have integrated audio, Integrated video, integrated NIC. So you either want a board with all those integrated, or if you really want to upgrade, you need new video card, new NIC, and new sound card that plug into those slots. This means you need a PCI-Express or AGP video slot, then slots for the audio, NIC, modem, and a spare or two or three.
You should benefit from doing a lot more reading on the various possibilities.

 

[falamkin]

wouldnt it be socket 775?

 

[aznn3rd]

thanks for the help
another question I have is what the chipset do? Do I need to find a motherboard that has the same chipset (Intel 915GV) in order to use my CPU?

Thanks

 

[tifc8lraz]

MSI boards are cheaper and if you do your homework you can find one that should fit your needs. Be a little careful though cause some MSI boards can be unreliable. I'd start looking at mobos on newegg.com. They have plenty of mobos to choose from and helpful reviews to look at.

Then what's the point of buying one? Asus is a very known motherboard name, along with Biostar and Foxconn to name a few. Just make sure that the motherboard has at least one PCI-Express X16 slot (make sure it is an X16). Also, what is your budget azzn3rd?

 

[darel001]

If u have compatible ram , I would recommend the Abit IL8, it has pci express and x16, regular pci, sata, no 1394, usb , sound card 8 ch , look into it , I have this motherboard and it is extremely reliable. ABIt ist top notch . I would also recommend IL9 but i have no experience with it.

 

[tifc8lraz]

If u have compatible ram , I would recommend the Abit IL8, it has pci express and x16, regular pci, sata, no 1394, usb , sound card 8 ch , look into it , I have this motherboard and it is extremely reliable. ABIt ist top notch . I would also recommend IL9 but i have no experience with it.

Whoops, I forgot about them. There are two main boards that most enthusiasts stay away from typically; ECS and PC Chips. I have never had trouble with ECS from my previous AGP 8X board, and I have never owned a PC Chips (to my knowledge).

 

[Tmagic650]

I've used Foxconn and PC Chips for Emachines repairs. These boards are inexpensive and they can support the old Athlon XP processors and still let you use newer faster DDR memory. I would never consider these or recommend them for better systems. I have had less than good experiences with ASUS, ECS and Abit. MSI, Gigabyte and Biostar have been good to me

 

[tifc8lraz]

I've used Foxconn and PC Chips for Emachines repairs. These boards are inexpensive and they can support the old Athlon XP processors and still let you use newer faster DDR memory. I would never consider these or recommend them for better systems. I have had less than good experiences with ASUS, ECS and Abit. MSI, Gigabyte and Biostar have been good to me

Hmm, I've never had a problem with my Asus Motherboard, nor my old ECS motherboard either. I guess it depends on which model that has problems.

 

[aznn3rd]

Also, what is your budget azzn3rd?

My budget is around $70-80.

So do you guys think that the chipset is an issue or does it not matter? I'm asking this because on the ASUS website, there is only one motherboard that has the same chipset as my current one, and it costs quite a lot. And also, is it a 630 socket or a 775?

Thanks

 

[Grafficks]

So do you guys think that the chipset is an issue or does it not matter?

Yes Chipset does matter. It determines which CPU's a motherboard can support. According to your specs listed above your current motherboard's chipset is Intel 915GV, which supports your Pentium 4 630.

And is it a 630 socket or a 775?

The socket is 775. It is called "Pentium 4 630" because 630 is the model of your Pentium 4.

 

[F1N3ST]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128322 Get that, good brand, and supports core 2 duo for future upgrades, cheers

EDITED- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128322 Is better chipset and brand

 

[aznn3rd]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128322 Is better chipset and brand

but does it still support my CPU if it has different chipset (945GZ vs 915GV)?

Thanks

 

[Tmagic650]

Yes it will,
if the motherboard accepts the CPU, the chipset will too