Motherboard choice

[wiggywinger]

Good morning and a very merry xmas to all,
Now,there seem to be some excellent bargains around the net for motherboards at the moment but with such a large array of chipsets for AMD processors I am finding it all rather confusing.
I am considering jumping from Intel across to AMD but I havnt a clue for which chipset to go for.
Not sure if i'm going quad or six core yet or even DDR2 or DDR3 which confuses me even more.
Also if I purchased a board with Nvidia graphics built in can you still use an AMD graphics card in the PCI slot or would this conflict
Basicly I am looking for a cheap good system with raid and possibly cossfire but this is not too important as I may never use two cards,I may just upgrade to a better 6 series card in the future.
Lots of questions I know but been used to intel, chipsets where never really an issue

Thanks in advance

Wiggy

[absic]

Hi Wiggy and welcome to the light side!

Best advice I can offer at this point is to go for a motherboard that supports DDR3 RAM and not to go for a board that has NVidia graphics built in. I am currently running the GA-890FXA-UD5 which is an excellent motherboard but, not the cheapest. More info on my putting together a system based on this motherboard can be found here: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,3619.0.html

Look for a CPU that is AM3 and if you are looking to overclock then a CPU that is a Black Edition as this makes overclocking easier. Don't be tempted to spend your money on a faster CPU as this will leave you less head room for pushing the CPU. A good choice  would be the Phenom ii X4 955 or 965 which can be O/C'd fairly easily and I have had both of these over 4.0GHz If you have the funds then the Phenom ii X6 1090T if you want a hex core processor.

If you are looking to overclock then a good cooler is also essential as the AMD stock coolers leave much to be desired.

When it comes to RAM I would advise you to read through this article, if you haven't already done so, before purchasing as it might save you a lot of grief: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,2515.0.html

[wiggywinger]

thanks for your quick reply,
I was looking at the 955 as this has some really good prices and reviews.
I also was considering the I5 750/760 but pound for pound I cant justify the extra cost.
Would an AM2+ board be ok for the moment as I already have 4GB DDR2 ballistix which I can utilise until I can afford a better board and DDR3 memory.
If so which chipset would you recomend for this set up.
Obviously this would just to keep me going until I have more funds to upgrade again.

[Dark Mantis]

You traitor, wiggywinger  How can you go over the the other side?

[wiggywinger]

 
I knew it wouldnt be long before you noticed DM haha
I feel rather embarrassed to be thinking AMD, but pound for pound, they have some great deals on at the moment for very little dollar.
And, hey, its all more experience for me to dablle in the 'otherside'
I did toy with the idea of going for a q8400 but with the AMD chips been backward compatible I can upgrade in stages whilst still using the parts I buy.
Im very pleased with my new ram and from what ive read there isnt a great deal of performance increase using DDR3, which is why I was thinking am2+ board initially.
 hope you had a nice xmas DM

[absic]

just been doing some work on a PC I gave my brother a while ago and that motherboard is the GA-MA785GM-US2H it will take your DDR2 RAm and also the 955 CPU. It has built in graphics which, if money is tight, are good enough for most things as it is a 4200 GPU.

But, getting hold of these older motherboards is becoming harder. It might be better if you can post back with the motherboards that have caught your eye and that you can afford so I can offer you some better advice.

[Dark Mantis]

No I don't blame you at all and I have always thought the idea of a decent upgrade path is something that Intel has sorely missed out on. I think it is great to be able to upgrade in stages without having to start all over again each time. And a mite cheaper!

Merry Christmas to you too.

[wiggywinger]

Just as a point of interest, whilst searching for psu's I came across an Athlon ii 630 quad for £47...
so for less than half the price of a 955 is it worth it to get me on the ladder to upgrading. From what I can see the lack of L3 cache seems to be the only major difference..what does this mean in real terms?
Also my mate is trying to convince me to go for a q8300 with my current board which would cost about the same as a 630 and a AM2+ board using my existing ram (he has a q6600) which doesnt seem a bad Idea but i would be stumped for a future upgrade staying with intel.
At least with AMD I could save for a six core futher down the road.
In real terms what is the performace comparison between
E6600 c2d (what I have now)
q6600 (my mates)
q8300 (£105 ish)
630 quad (£47) plus about £40-50 for a nice AM2+ board with Raid and crossfire prob 790GX chipset
955 BE (£108)

just a general comparison would be nice and...DM please chip in with your opinion on the intel side

Thanks guys

Too add another note, I think my mate is a little bit miffed that since my upgrade and slight O/C of my existin set up my Windows index and various benchmarks are slightly higher than his with his Dell XPS q6600 and crossfire hd 3650;s which cost over £800 pound last year TEE HEE 

only a small bit of competition there.... honest lmao 

[Dark Mantis]

In all honesty unless you have very deep pockets I think it makes sense to go down the AMD road. I mean you certainly get more bang per buck than with Intel. Unless you really need the ultimate power houses then the AMD chps are fine.

[absic]

The Athlon X4 630 CPU is quite good and I have used it in a couple of builds I have done. If you are looking to Overclock then it is a little harder than an unlocked Phenom but is good value for money.

It is very difficult to do a direct comparison between Intel and AMD CPU's and being totally honest Intel do seem to have the edge when it comes to benchmarks, but as they say, "You pays your money, you takes your choice".

The slightly slower speed of the AMD processors haven't proved to be a stumbling block in any of the games or programmes that I have used and this slight disadvantage is, I feel, more than made up for by the other benefits, in particular the way that AMD have allowed for future upgrades. This is one area that the benefit of going for AMD really does pay off and my current system owes much to this ability.

[Dark Mantis]

Yes I would agree with all that absic said there. 

[wiggywinger]

Thank you for your advice,
I just thought that for £47 the 630 seemed to good to be true considering the price of an entry level intel quad.
The reason I was asking was I have seen another 430 graphics card for £50 and a crossfire board with a 790GX chipset for about £40 which with my existing ballistix ram and a 630 would cost about £140. which would do me till I can afford either a 955 quad or 1055 six. As opposed to a 955 now at £108 with a board without crossfire which will also cost about £140 also.
I was just wondering how the 630 compared to the E6600 I have now and the entry level intel Quads.
I have about £150 to spare so I could go either way.
I start off with an idea, then uncover so many new choices when I start looking into it..HaHa...seems there is always far too many options to tempt you from one thing to the next.

[Dark Mantis]

That's always the way it goes! Until you have the money you are sure of what you want to buy and then...it all goes out of the window!
Your 6600 was a really good CPU for overclocking and well built but it is getting a bit long in the tooth now. Not that it can't cut it but I can understand you wanting to upgrade. The burden all us computer enthusiasts have to bear.

[absic]

It is really hard to find direct comparisons but you might find this link useful: http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/772/AMD_Athlon_II_X4_630_%28rev._C2%29_vs_Intel_Pentium_Dual-Core_E6600.html

As you can see the Intel E6600 performs better in some areas but then the Athlon 630 hits back in others.

[wiggywinger]

yes I see, I never thought my processor was up to much but lookiing at some benchmarks its like a jack russel biting at the ankles of the big boys lol.
I think I will just buy a good am3 motherboard now and wait a few weeks and buy a 955 or 1055. not sure whether to get cossfire and buy another 4830 or sell my card and buy a 5770 anyone know of any benchmarks for GPU's?