Mobo Help Needed (skt 775 + AGP???)

[Dr_Seuss]

im looking for a new motherboard...

i have given in and realised i need to go for a dual core or quad core processor but i guess its going to depend on the motherboards available

the only problem is i have a gainward bliss 7800GS+ AGP graphics card which im very happy with and was hoping i wouldnt have to change.

is there a motherboard out there which will allow me to have a dual (or possibly a quad) core CPU while keeping my AGP graphics card??

looking forward to some suggestions

 

[raybay]

Sure, there are plenty of AGP-based motherboards still available, and cheaply, but this is older technology. Search for boards that have AGP video graphics slots, but to find a board with dual core or quad core CPU capabilities AND AGP will be right close to impossible, as most suppliers would not want to handle such a creature. Get an older board, or take a leap forward to PCI-Express video graphics. You may be surprised at how much better they are. In my opinion the change to PCI-Express is more important than the Dual Core or Quad Core, and well worth the extra cost. Keep the old AGP system as a backup computer.

 

[Didou]

You can always try the ASRock 775Dual-VSTA which is cheap but offers AGP & PCI-e as well as support for dual core Intel CPUs. Some people tend to be weary of ASRock motherboards though.

 

[SNGX1275]

Somebody else makes one too, ECS maybe. I ran that ASRock board Didou suggested for a year as my main machine, still running it now as a media pc, never had any problems with it, if you have problems with lockups set your RAM to run in 'compatability mode' or something like that in the BIOS.

I'd recommend that board to anyone that needs AGP and C2D support.

 

[Dr_Seuss]

am i guessing that this board doesnt support quad core CPU's though??

 

[SNGX1275]

No, I don't believe it supports quads. In the long run it is probably just better to get a new motherboard and drop your AGP card. But I was in the same boat as you a while back and didn't want to get rid of my 7800GS, so I got the ASRock board. Now I'm on a new board and an 8800GTS, but that 7800 is still in the ASRock and I still use it as a secondary PC.

I guess looking back I'm glad I did it that way, because if not I'd have probably bought a 7900 in PCIe and would have spent more money because that 7900 wouldn't be good enough for the gaming I've been doing recently...

Do you really need a quad? I think for gaming a C2D will make your video card the limiting factor, but if you are going to be doing a lot of multimedia stuff that is processor intensive, then go for the quad, and upgrade everything.

 

[Dr_Seuss]

ive found this website on the ASRock motherboard http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=607875
it says it supports the Quad Core Kentfield CPU's...what do you guys think?

however..it does confuse me on RAM issues though as it says it supports 1066MHz processors but only DDRII 667. surely if it supports the 1066 FSB processors it should support the RAM too?

 

[Dr_Seuss]

any ideas?

 

[raybay]

AsRock is just a cut above rock bottom... but at least it doesn't quit like the eMachines and Compaq boards.

 

[captaincranky]

The Faster I go... The Behinder I Get.........

ive found this website on the ASRock motherboard http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=607875
it says it supports the Quad Core Kentfield CPU's...what do you guys think?

however..it does confuse me on RAM issues though as it says it supports 1066MHz processors but only DDRII 667. surely if it supports the 1066 FSB processors it should support the RAM too?

Many, if not most boards with 1066Mhz FSB won't run RAM above DDR2 800 and boards with 8GB RAM capacity (64 bit BIOS EMT), will only give you the whole 8GB @ DDR2 667 . At DDR2 800 they only give you 4 GB capacity.