Need Socket AM2 mobo recommendation (and using DDR2)

[rbm]

Hi,

I'm in the market for replacing my existing mobo, an ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe. It's acting up and is a critical NAS server in my home network. So, I need a recommendation for a replacement board. I've not been following any mobo developments so I'm really in the dark as to where to start.

Criteria:

Really simple.

- Must support Socket AM2 to support the re-use of my existing processor (2.6GHz AMD Athlon 64)
- Must support DDR2 memory to support the re-use of my existing 6GB
- Must have more than 7 SATA-II on-board ports
- Must be reliable

other than that, it would be nice if the board was environmentally friendly (i.e. Green) and I tend towards ASUS moards because they have worked well for me over the years.

Can anyone please help get me started? I'll research if I know where to look.

Cheers,
Robert

 

[RanceJustice]

ASUS has many options that I think could meet most of your requests. Thankfully, AMD has backward compatible AM3/AM2+/AM2 boards. There are even some of the 790FX chipset offerings that utilize DDR2, like M3A79-T Deluxe. Another good choice that would be economical as well is the Asus ROG Crosshair II Formula, which uses DDR2. The only issue is that most boards include 5-6 onboard SATA II ports. It may be a better idea to find a SATAII card to expand if necessary, as you may have to really sacrifice in order to get that many onboards.