Rebuilding Computer

[NeedleSharp]

so i fixed my last USB problem (by upgrading the BIOS... should not have been necessary...) but i have decided to upgrade from my crappy ECS MoBo to something better. also the off brand OCZ memory is gonna go... and another video card in the near future.

i need a good MoBo though and all i know is intell is decent and i think Gigabyte is pretty good. i might overclock a little but nothing crazy. I have a Intel Core 2 Quad processor that is currently running at 2.4 but i'd like to get it somewhere in the 2.7s if thats possible to keep it stable w.o any extreme mods. not a big gamer but i would like to play some games if i decide to. mostly just going to be browsing net and recording music/burning CDs.

i would like to stay in the $100-$150 range for a board


would this be overkill for me?
gigabyte @ $180 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128064)

or would one of these suffice?
intel @ $100 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121314)
gigabyte @ $100 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128073)

i am open to sugestions. also need help on memory... hear some people say OCZ is great but im not very impressed... maybe its cuz the cheap MoBo but i already had one stick go out...

[Stang2be]

this is the board im looking at and a coworker has

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059

better deal for the $$$ and a good overclocker and tons of reviews

[Slammy]

OCZ is hardly offbrand. Their products are high end and very reliable. You know they have lifetime warranty on just about everything they sell right? Now that ECS board, thats crap. ECS boards are total garbage. Gigabyte makes nice boards but if you arent going to OC, you cant touch a Intel board for reliabilty and stabilty

[Hunt4m3x]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127031

I have that same proc and been using that board. WORKING GREAT. I am using Basslix (sp) memory.

[NeedleSharp]

thanks for the recommendations.

there are a lot of DOAs posted on the gigabyte... only thing that worries me about this board really. however there are lots of great reviews to counter

The Abit is $20 less than the gigabyte and the only downside to this board is it only supports DDR2 800

basically just want the most STABLE board with a very slight OC...

[Slammy]

[QUOTE=NeedleSharp]thanks for the recommendations.

there are a lot of DOAs posted on the gigabyte... only thing that worries me about this board really. however there are lots of great reviews to counter

The Abit is $20 less than the gigabyte and the only downside to this board is it only supports DDR2 800

basically just want the most STABLE board with a very slight OC...[/QUOTE]

I wouldnt worry about the memory speed. It has been proven that Core 2 doesnt benefit much at all from higher memory speeds as much as lower latency. DDR2 800 is perfectly fine, you dont need 1333mhz memory at all. Also that board WILL run faster memory, thats just what it offically supports. The thing about OCing the Core 2 is that you arent bound by multipliers anymore cause you can unlink the FSB and memory. For example, i have my E6600 2.4ghz @ 3.6ghz yet my memory is still at stock speed of DDR2800mhz.

Oh and Abit boards are AWESOME overclockers i will say. A good OCing intel board is the BadAxe2 but i dont know if it will run that processor. Either way, go with an intel chipset as they are by far the best. I have a nvidia 680i board and its alright but for what i paid it was unnecessary as i doubt ill ever run SLI.

[ozzeran]

Just buy a dell :D

[NeedleSharp]

[QUOTE=ozzeran]Just buy a dell :D[/QUOTE]
lol

[Slammy]

Dells are fine if you dont game or lightly game but their XPS "gaming' systems are a ripoff. For the average user though you cant build one as cheap most of the time. And if they EFF up you got a full warranty.

[ozzeran]

[QUOTE=Slammy]Dells are fine if you dont game or lightly game but their XPS "gaming' systems are a ripoff. For the average user though you cant build one as cheap most of the time. And if they EFF up you got a full warranty.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, i still use my old 3 year old system with the 6800gto card in it. Works great for wow though and some others. But yeah you can build your own xps type system for cheaper.

[KJ94GT]

ASUS mobos are awesome. I've got a P5W DH Deluxe that I got a huge discount on.

OCZ ram is actually pretty good stuff and it's got a lifetime warranty like Kingston. I've got 4-5-4-15 OCZ DDR2-800 in my machine and it's badass.

I'd suggest giving ASUS a look for motherboards.

[NeedleSharp]

buyer a new pc at this point is not an option... ive gone and bought the right shit to be half way there, just need help with the other half :p

i kinda like the self satisfaction of building you own computer too... a dell would be great for my dad, but not for me.

[flybye70ss]

i have the IP35-E and i absolutely love it. I have the C2D E6750. clocked to 3.2ghz, runs perfect with no voltage increases. Very stable board and overclocks very very well.

[NeedleSharp]

[QUOTE=flybye70ss]i have the IP35-E and i absolutely love it. I have the C2D E6750. clocked to 3.2ghz, runs perfect with no voltage increases. Very stable board and overclocks very very well.[/QUOTE]
damn no voltage increases with a 800hz OC?? what kinda core temperatures are you getting? also what kind of cooling system? this might seal the deal on the ABIT! thanks for the reply

[flybye70ss]

coretemp idle is 23c running orthos its 60c using coretemp. I never have stability problems and during normal use it has yet to hit 45c (coretemp) during wow, crysis, tf2 or anything. I am running a stock cooler and a cooler master mystique 632s case (which is awesome). I have a better cpu cooler, but i am not going to take the mobo out to fiddle with the stupid clips unless i start to have overheating problems which I don't think is going to happen. :cool:

I did alot of research and from what i have found the ip35-e overclocks better than the ip35pro and they are right.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/flybye70ss/th_orthos.jpg (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/flybye70ss/orthos.jpg)

[NeedleSharp]

[QUOTE=flybye70ss]coretemp idle is 23c running orthos its 60c using coretemp. I never have stability problems and during normal use it has yet to hit 45c (coretemp) during wow, crysis, tf2 or anything. I am running a stock cooler and a cooler master mystique 632s case (which is awesome). I have a better cpu cooler, but i am not going to take the mobo out to fiddle with the stupid clips unless i start to have overheating problems which I don't think is going to happen. :cool:

I did alot of research and from what i have found the ip35-e overclocks better than the ip35pro and they are right.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/flybye70ss/th_orthos.jpg (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/flybye70ss/orthos.jpg)[/QUOTE]

i dont think you need that other fan, i think you should sell it to me :)

im just worried cuz i think the core 2 Qs run hotter than the Ds. never the less i will order that board later on when i get home from class and ill keep yall posted.

any programs that yall know of (freeware or easy to find on a bit program) that run benchmark algorithms and what not? would like to see how this board compares to an upgrade.

[NeedleSharp]

yep my guess was right, core 2 Qs must run hotter

idle @ 42c with all fans on 100%
with "stress cpu" on orthos i got a peak of 68c after 4 minutes
2400MHZ and 267MHz FSB (how the hell is that right?)
1.2875v

wanted to do some tests before the new shit comes in.
-ABIT IP35 MoBo
-XIGMATEK CPU cooler since ima OC a little
-Samsung SATA dvd burner (hey it was $25!!)
-A-DATA 2x1gb DDR2 800