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Suitable Motherboard?

1

1method

n00b
Joined
Apr 22, 2007
Messages
11
I am looking to upgrade my CPU, Mobo and Ram. I am a competition gamer so eye candy is not as important as performance aka FPS. Right now my specs are:

Athlon 64 3000+ Single Core (Venice) (OC'd to 2.25ghz)
G. Skill DDR 400
Biostar Mobo (decent overclocker)
7900gs (OC'd 540/800 not trying to push the core to much atm)

I pull around 125fps constant in most maps with others dipping into the 80's and 90's in some certain areas but nothing lower and only for short periods of time. My goal is to have 250fps (legal competition amount) constant eventually when I upgrade my Vid Card using EVGA's 90 day step-up as the 7900gs was just something to hold me over until I made sure that I really wanted to upgrade. I don't expect to have 250fps constant on all maps with what I'm posting below but coupled with a 8800gts there should be no problems. The game I play is CoD2 Dx7 Normal graphics and a few things tweak in my config for performance. I'm looking to upgrade and get my best bang for the buck. Here's what I've been looking at:

E4300 - $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115013

G. Skill 2x1mb (DDR 800) - $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231065

Tuniq Tower 120 - $55-65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001

Motherboard?
I've looked at:

GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128042

MSI P6N SLI Platinum (but I don't believe that I will ever SLI... who knows though)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130081

EVGA 650i or 680i (again SLI, probably won't need it but it's nice to have the option)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188017

I've heard people mention ASUS and DFI. What I'm looking for is something that will overclock a E4300 well enough, nothing extreme, and also have rock solid stability. I currently only plan on using one card but SLI is always an option in the future as games continue to demand more and more from our computers. I've noticed that the GIGABYTE supports the 1333 FSB which will be useful when processors start coming out with those specs in the future (i.e. - Q3 Intel quad offerings).

The only reason I'm considering a E4300 to a 6320/6420 right now is because of Q3 Intel and the quad processors/6850/etc. I've also looked at the C2D 6420, but I don't really need the extra 2mb of cache and with the prices dropping considerably in Q3 for Intel if I really need it then that's always an option.

I've tried to include as much starting information as I can and I really do appreciate any help. My budget is preferably $500 or less...


Thanks,
Steve
 
14 views and no response. Did I did do, or for that matter not do, something wrong/right? :(
 
Maybe it's because I'm a "n00bie?" I've been viewing these boards for a while now and if anyone has any recommendations with what I should do with my $400-500 bones please do tell.
 
I just built a budget build with an E4300

E4300 - $115
CPU Cooler - $20
Abit IB9 - $80 AR
Corsair XMX2 DDR2 667 memory (2x1GB) - $90
400GB HDD - $100
Ultra Xfinity 620W PSU - $8 AR
Coolermaster Case - $60
SATA Burner - $30
X1950GT - $115 (OC's to well beyond X1950 Pro levels)

$618

Also, if you're looking at dropping in a 45nm CPU, I'm not sure you're going to be able to do it in the current 965 boards (or the 650i's for that matter). You'd have to get a P35 board and they are pretty expensive right now. The cheapest was the Asus P5K around $150.
 
No SLI: Gigabyte 965P-DS3 Rev 3.3 Good moderate level OC. I have a 4300 on this board at 3.25 Ghz without breaking a sweat. Just adjusted the memory link to 2:1 so the memory would stay stable.

SLI: Asus P5N32-E Sli Plus 650i hybrid that also OC very well.
 
kirbyrj said:
I just built a budget build with an E4300

E4300 - $115
CPU Cooler - $20
Abit IB9 - $80 AR
Corsair XMX2 DDR2 667 memory (2x1GB) - $90
400GB HDD - $100
Ultra Xfinity 620W PSU - $8 AR
Coolermaster Case - $60
SATA Burner - $30
X1950GT - $115 (OC's to well beyond X1950 Pro levels)

$618

Also, if you're looking at dropping in a 45nm CPU, I'm not sure you're going to be able to do it in the current 965 boards (or the 650i's for that matter). You'd have to get a P35 board and they are pretty expensive right now. The cheapest was the Asus P5K around $150.
Click to expand...

Have you tried OC'ing your e4300 with the cooler you have on?
 
magoo said:
No SLI: Gigabyte 965P-DS3 Rev 3.3 Good moderate level OC. I have a 4300 on this board at 3.25 Ghz without breaking a sweat. Just adjusted the memory link to 2:1 so the memory would stay stable.

SLI: Asus P5N32-E Sli Plus 650i hybrid that also OC very well.
Click to expand...

That's music to my ears. I've read the DS3 thread in the "Intel Motherboard" section and I have to say that it kind of scares me. I am not a computer build noob but at the same time not an exper either. I'm thinking of spending a little more for assurance.

What kind of memory do you have?
 
Gigabyte DS3 Rev. 3.3
Corsair ValueRam PC 5300 (667Hz) DDR2
e4300
stock HSF
FSP OEM 400W PSU
25 Dollar Aluminum Chieftec case from Xoxide, three 80mm fans.
evga 7600 GTKO
Folding 24/7 for the cure. SMP client runs 37 degrees C
Orthos stress test never went over 49 C
 
I decided to go with the Asus p5k with the new p35 chipset:

http://www.xpcgear.com/asusp5k.html

A friend, and fellow Hard member, recommended it to me. I also decided to go with the C2D 6420 and some of this Crucial ram:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148069

I'll let you guys know what I get the old 6420 up to when I actually get it installed. I'm somewhat of an overclocking novice so it'll be interesting to see what I can do. I'll have my buddies help and I've got my fingers crossed that the processor is a good one.
 
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