and i have no knowledge about them lol. so i dont know what makes one good. i am NOT a pc noob, mobos are just my weak point. need one to wrk with my q6600, my 4850, 4 sticks of ram, and be compatible with the Antec 1200 (how do all the fans hook up? to the mobo or no? my current stock mobo only has 2 fan plugs...one for exhaust and one for cpu). would like it to be under $100 and allow for some slight OCing (hopefully bring my q6600 over 3ghz). the more USB plugs the better. support for dual ATI cards would also be a plus, as i might run crossfire/SLI (whichever is ATI) someday. also, it would be beneficial for it to have the old-style dvd drive connector. i have an excellend dvd drive from my old computer, its only about a year old, but my mobo only has SATA connectors :P

new egg is your friend www.newegg.com

quote Originally posted by dennis_6: new egg is your friend www.newegg.com

i know...i know how to buy things on the internet. however, i have never bought a mobo. i do not know what is good. or what to look for. if what is compatible with my equipment...as i already stated :P

quote Originally posted by faaaaq: i know...i know how to buy things on the internet. however, i have never bought a mobo. i do not know what is good. or what to look for. if what is compatible with my equipment...as i already stated :P

Reviews on their site, and enough info to make an informed choice.

i dont want an "informed choice." thats like telling someone who knows nothign about cars to buy one from vehix.com solely based on what info vehix provides lol.

also, dont assume i havent already searched. i simply dont know what to search for. and of course, online reviews dont mean jack. im not going to trust my PC to a collection of people who are very likely mostly idiots lol

Reviews are subjective, yes. However if most people scream one way, then its probably that.

A quick search turned up this, looks like it will do what you want, check the manufacture page to make sure your exact cpu, and ram is supported the class is. It does ATI crossfireX.

http://www.newegg.com/Produ...Item=N82E16813131377

As folr the fans, I use all the motherboard connections, varies by motherboard by amount and then an external fan controller if needed.

[This message has been edited by dennis_6 (edited 05-27-2010).]

you are helpful, and i will keep that mobo bookmarked, but im more hoping for one of the resident "gurus" to have some specific recommendations lol

I have built 5 or 6 PCs with an ASRock motherboard in the last year. Mostly all Wolfdale based machines. Their prices are good. The motherboards so far have been rock-solid. I had to RMA one due to a bent pin on the socket, but it was purchased as an open box item. NEWEGG replaced it immediately and I actually received a new on this time for the open box price. I have always been a fan of ASUS and GigaByte. I don't know the rest of your hardware or your budget so I cannot make a specific suggestion. I can say, I don't recommend a micro board.

Hey faaaaq, don't worry about fan connectors for your new case. All of Antec's cases in that series use 4pin molex power connectors instead of 3pin mobo fan connectors.

Just find a mono that supports your CPU, has Crossfire support, and slots for DDR2-1066 or better. Also, form factor must be ATX.

I'd look at Asus boards myself- I've had good experiences with their hardware and their customer service is pretty impressive as well. (in case you haven't figured it out, I built my own system)

I also like ASUS, I haven't built a NEW 'home built' system in about 4 years, so I can't tell you what's the best out there. I would go to multiple sites and PC builder forums and see what they prefer.
JUST MAKE SURE YOUR POWERSUPPLY CAN HANDLE THE MOBO AND ALL THE OTHER COMPONENTS!
Also, make sure you don't screw the mobo directly onto the case(use the existing 'risers'(if they are there) some cases have the risers on there already, or are part of the case design. (Risers=spacers or whatever they're called)
Have fun, and stay grounded.

tomshardware

although; if you aren't experienced enough to select a motherboard you probably shouldn't be trying any overclocking. these 2 ingredients don't add up to success.

If you're looking for one that is compaible with your current hardware, look for a board that uses the same socket type for the processor (some manufacturers actually give you lists of compatible processors, and if the board will need updated firmware to use it), and if it uses the same type and speed of RAM (see what your current RAM sticks are).

A $150 budget will make it a lot easier to find a really nice motherboard with all the extras you want. I highly reccommend looking at the ASUS boards.

The question that I have for you is: why do you want a new motherboard?

Answer that and that will tell us what you should look for.


If you are looking to get more performance out of your system then keep a few things in mind. Crossfire and SLI will allow you to use older video cards longer but IMO you are better off saving your money up an extra month or two and getting the latest single video card. SLI and Crossfire only work in supported games and certain other applications while a single new beefy card will run everything graphics related faster.

I could only find one board that supports a socket 775 CPU and crossfire:

http://www.newegg.com/Produ...Item=N82E16813136050

Also, what is your current motherboard and why can't you overclock with it? I have a Q6600 on a 680i motherboard and I have had it set to 3.0 GHz for years. When I want to bump it up more for certain games I go to 3.6 GHz. You have to have a good CPU cooler to do that though. Don't even think about it with the cooler that came with the CPU. Maybe you just need a better cooler.

IMO, you would be better off saving your money for a new system in 6 months when prices will be low for Christmas or wait another 2 months past that for the after Christmas sales.

I have been an Asus man since day one.
But these EVGA boards i'm running are just plain top-notch.

As far as support, there is none better.

quote Originally posted by FieroSTETZ: tomshardware although; if you aren't experienced enough to select a motherboard you probably shouldn't be trying any overclocking. these 2 ingredients don't add up to success.

I have ocing experience, and experience with most other aspects of computers, except mobos.


And doug, I want a new mobo so I can do crossfire if I so choose, and because with my current mobo you CANNOT oc. Hp locked it like crazy, no way around it. Plus I'm pretty sure its a micro :P

My wife's has got a BFG 680i SLI. Has one IDE interface, 6 SATA, 2 PCIe x16, 1 PCIe x1, can handle up to 8 GHz ram, and has 6 USB prts on back, with headers to add up to 4 more case mounted ports. Came with nice overclocking software. Not sure how easy they are to find now. 680i SLI was a bad boy when new, but that was several years ago. BTW, it's running the 6400 cpu, one Geforce 8500 GTS, three gigs, a 320 Gb and 1 Tb (both SATA), a fast IDE/ATA DVD burner, and a Soundblaster X-Fi Extreme Gaming. Several years old now, but this system still cooks along well.

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'84 Sport Coupe (third time's a charm?)

if nvidia came out with a card i liked more than the ATI equivalent, that mobo sounds like it would be nice, and if i could find one i think it wouldnt be hard to find one for cheap, as you said it is a bit older