Either for Christmas or graduation, I'm going to be building a computer. I have a general understanding of what most of the parts do, and what I should look for, but I don't know what to look at in a motherboard. Do you just check that it is compatible with all of your other parts, or is there more to it?
You want one that:
>> has a socket compatible with the chip you're using
>> supports the type of RAM you're using
>> has the proper slots for things like your new video card
>> has a socket compatible with the chip you're using
>> supports the type of RAM you're using
>> has the proper slots for things like your new video card
actually, it should all be done at once. Figure out which combo of the 4 will give you what you want. You may only what a Athalon 64, or you may feel the need for a Core 2 Extreme. All things to take into account.
I am the eye of the river
>(<')
>(<')
rivereye wrote:
actually, it should all be done at once. Figure out which combo of the 4 will give you what you want. You may only what a Athalon 64, or you may feel the need for a Core 2 Extreme. All things to take into account.
Exactly. I just didn't bother to mention that you needed to compromise and fidget all of the variables into an optimal equation; I figured that was a given. 
I want an Athlon64, but other than that, I don't really know what else I'm getting. What is the difference in RAM types?
well, for an A64, there is DDR and there may be DDR2. Speed and compatibility are the big things. Also, another thing to look at is do you want an AGP Video card, or spend the money for PCI-E
I am the eye of the river
>(<')
>(<')
rivereye wrote:
well, for an A64, there is DDR and there may be DDR2. Speed and compatibility are the big things. Also, another thing to look at is do you want an AGP Video card, or spend the money for PCI-E
Yeah, I figured I'd have to look up all of that stuff, but I mean besides compatibility with other hardware, do I need to look at other stuff, or just get the cheapest one I can find that will hold everything I need?
I wouldn't go cheapest, look at reviews and that for the mobo you buy.
I am the eye of the river
>(<')
>(<')
Okay. Oh, and on the topic of computer parts, what video cards are good right now? I prefer an nVidia over Radeon, but it really doesn't matter. What do you guys use?
I don't think between ATI and NVIDIA there is much difference, but I would say spend a little more for the performance of PCI-E.
Btw, I use the GeForce MX4000 (which is a POS, but about all I can use really).
Btw, I use the GeForce MX4000 (which is a POS, but about all I can use really).
I am the eye of the river
>(<')
>(<')
I've got a Radeon X1600 Pro, but that's because it had the fastest clocks in my price range (price on that card has gone up about 30 bucks since I got it). THG actually just put out some new video card recommendations:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/10/31/the_best_video_cards_for_your_money/
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/10/31/the_best_video_cards_for_your_money/
foamy3 wrote:
Either for Christmas or graduation, I'm going to be building a computer. I have a general understanding of what most of the parts do, and what I should look for, but I don't know what to look at in a motherboard. Do you just check that it is compatible with all of your other parts, or is there more to it?
I built a comp for my 8th grade graduation, 3 years ago, and my computer has cheesed out on me.
Recomendation: Don't get an ABIT Motherbourd! It fried, supposedly. Friggen dog and her condemned dog hair (yeah you guessed it, I'm not to fond of dogs). Anyways, my dad is going to take apart my comp and blow it out and reasseble it. I'm not doing it because its a peice of SHIT anyways. =P Its never been upgraded, no need to, I'm not the gamer. Though when I do game, its like once or twice a week on my PS2 or 4-5 times a week on my PSP. Off topic again I am.
However, I think the mother bourd question has been answerd my someone else other than me, and obviously more thouroghly, I'm just telling you to avoid ABIT. =P. Back to Google Docs writing more documents, opinions and theories.
There are two types of people in the world: those who can extrapolate data from incomplete data
That's not the first time I've heard bad things about ABit boards, although personally I've never had problems using computers with ABit mobos or personally knew anyone who had a problem. Hope it works out for ya.
some18kanal0n3 wrote:
I built a comp for my 8th grade graduation, 3 years ago, and my computer has cheesed out on me.
Recomendation: Don't get an ABIT Motherbourd! It fried, supposedly.
Recomendation: Don't get an ABIT Motherbourd! It fried, supposedly.
Wait... Was that the mobo, PSU, negligence, or fans? Or something else...?
Seriously, PSUs can cause a world of problems, and you wouldn't know until something happened. If something fries, odds are it's a heat or power issue.
I also use an Abit mobo. Works fine, so far.
To test whether it was the psu, connect a hard drive and the mother board to the power supply and power it up. If you can hear the hard drive spin up, the problem is the motherboard; otherwise, the problem is the psu.
foamy3 wrote:
I want an Athlon64, but other than that, I don't really know what else I'm getting. What is the difference in RAM types?
Why? That is the first thing you should ask yourself. Currently the Core 2 Duo is faster, more energy efficient, and around the same price.
If you do go A64, however, get an X2 on the AM2 socket, as you will then have upgrade room. This would, of course, use DDR2
PCI-E is your only option, you can't get AGP anymore, but there are plenty of cheap video cards that perform well (X1600s and 7600s come to mind)
As for the motherboard, expect a good one to cost $200. It is one area you really don't want to skimp on, and some thing to watch out for is what chipset it is running. For A64s, get the nForce 5 chipset (unless you want ATIs crossfire, then you need an ATI chipset with crossfire support - which aren't all that great)
My suggestion would be to pick out what you think you want, post it here, and then we will all review it and make sure it works correctly
@some18kanal0n3: Don't blame Abit because you couldn't be bothered to install $5 fan filters
Hehe, good point re: the filters. Unless it really is the psu, in which case you'd be less badly off than you think. From your description, this sounds somewhat possible...
To test the PSU, i used some device that measures the voltage. I was getting reg. voltage from the CPU, and got it to turn on. Forsome reason, the wire connected to the power button, isn't getting its signal to the PSU.
I feel like this is a good question to ask now: WTH is a mobo?
With neglegance, I doubt it, though I used the power button to turn it off a lot =/
I feel like this is a good question to ask now: WTH is a mobo?
With neglegance, I doubt it, though I used the power button to turn it off a lot =/
There are two types of people in the world: those who can extrapolate data from incomplete data
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