new motherboard

i wanted to get a new motherboard but i dont know which to get. any ideas for which brand/model i should get for my specs? i want it to be good for gaming and general web surfing. also what do i do to install it, can i just pop in all the old components like the CPU, extra cards, etc. or do i have to uninstall vista and multiple drivers and then reinstall them on this board?

EDIT: sorry idk why i dont have a signature but if i did my specs would be in it. anyway here they are:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3700+ 2.20 GH
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 7600 GT
Mobo: Biostar GeForce 6100-M9
RAM: 2X 1GB Corsair ValueSelect
HD: 120GB Seagate

Is the 7600GT AGP or PCI-E?
Is the AMD Socket 939 or 754?

PCI and 939

well for a start mate what games do you want to play.....?

if you wanna game your AMD is really gonna lag.
especially with the newer games

your 7600GT is also very dated...so its also gotta go....

do you really want to chuck a new mobo at those older parts....?

if so here we go....
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe AI Lifestyle MOBO send by EMS on eBay, also Motherboards, For Desktops, PC Components, Computers Networking (end time 27-Jul-08 11:39:09 BST)

this sports 2 x16 slots @ x16 for full SLI bandwidth...
& its pretty cheap...

what PSU do you have....

skunksmash said:

well for a start mate what games do you want to play.....?

if you wanna game your AMD is really gonna lag.
especially with the newer games

your 7600GT is also very dated...so its also gotta go....

do you really want to chuck a new mobo at those older parts....?

if so here we go....
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe AI Lifestyle MOBO send by EMS on eBay, also Motherboards, For Desktops, PC Components, Computers Networking (end time 27-Jul-08 11:39:09 BST)

this sports 2 x16 slots @ x16 for full SLI bandwidth...
& its pretty cheap...

what PSU do you have....

Click to expand...

well ive played games successfully with this computer before, i played wow for a while completely lag free, it runs all of the games ive tried it for quite nicely. i was thinking ill update my CPU and get a new nvidia later, but for now my mobo is causing problems so i wanna replace it first. and the PSU is in the new siggy, 550W.

EDIT: yeah and that seller is from china or something, are u sure thatll work?

You will not see any gain from swapping the mobo, if you need to spend on that system just add more memory.

well i dont know if u saw my thread about it but im having overheating issues with my current mobo and its crashing my computer so i was looking to get a new one.

Hi Scissormetimbers,

Usually overheating issues have more to do with the amount of airflow in your case over each device, how clean and dustfree it is in there, and how tidy the cables are. Overclocking to much can also cause overheating issues.

Have you already taken care of these items to help with the overheating?

I would wait until you are ready to upgrade the CPU and other components before getting another motherboard. Otherwise you will not see much if any increase in performance with the same devices on a new motherboard. I agree with John, your you would get more of a performance increase by adding at least another 2GB of RAM.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

scissormetimbers said:

skunksmash said:

well for a start mate what games do you want to play.....?

if you wanna game your AMD is really gonna lag.
especially with the newer games

your 7600GT is also very dated...so its also gotta go....

do you really want to chuck a new mobo at those older parts....?

if so here we go....
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe AI Lifestyle MOBO send by EMS on eBay, also Motherboards, For Desktops, PC Components, Computers Networking (end time 27-Jul-08 11:39:09 BST)

this sports 2 x16 slots @ x16 for full SLI bandwidth...
& its pretty cheap...

what PSU do you have....

Click to expand...

well ive played games successfully with this computer before, i played wow for a while completely lag free, it runs all of the games ive tried it for quite nicely. i was thinking ill update my CPU and get a new nvidia later, but for now my mobo is causing problems so i wanna replace it first. and the PSU is in the new siggy, 550W.

EDIT: yeah and that seller is from china or something, are u sure thatll work?

Click to expand...

i don't mean for you to buy that exact board........

i just use ebay for reference ..you then take the mobo name & number from the link & Google it for the cheapest retail prices..

sorry i should of stated i didn't expect you to but the 2nd hand one...lol

His issues were present even when the system was brand new and squeaky clean. Not really sure what it is?
http://www.vistax64.com/general-discussion/169101-comp-freezing.html

Having said that, I also would not spend $80.00 on such dated technology. I can't believe 939 pin boards are still that expensive; you can get a new current board for that price. :eek:

Obviously upgrading the rig would be better, but if money won't allow that and if you're happy with the performance of the 939, then really, any 939 pin board would be better than the one you've got. As long as it's not locking up 4 or 5 times a day things are good, right?

I'd try and get by as cheaply as possible. Maybe this would do?
ASUS A8S-X SE Socket 939 Mainboard w/ DDR1, PCI Express x16, LAN - OEM w/ Backplate Included at 3B Tech - Buy computer parts, notebooks, desktops, & home electronics

Brink said:

Hi Scissormetimbers,

Usually overheating issues have more to do with the amount of airflow in your case over each device, how clean and dustfree it is in there, and how tidy the cables are. Overclocking to much can also cause overheating issues.

Have you already taken care of these items to help with the overheating?

I would wait until you are ready to upgrade the CPU and other components before getting another motherboard. Otherwise you will not see much if any increase in performance with the same devices on a new motherboard. I agree with John, your you would get more of a performance increase by adding at least another 2GB of RAM.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Click to expand...

I just recently cleaned the computer of most of the dust and i do not overclock it. i wouldnt even know how to overclock it lol. and as fumz said, ive had these problems since it was newly constructed.

Fumz said:

His issues were present even when the system was brand new and squeaky clean. Not really sure what it is?
http://www.vistax64.com/general-discussion/169101-comp-freezing.html

Having said that, I also would not spend $80.00 on such dated technology. I can't believe 939 pin boards are still that expensive; you can get a new current board for that price. :eek:

Obviously upgrading the rig would be better, but if money won't allow that and if you're happy with the performance of the 939, then really, any 939 pin board would be better than the one you've got. As long as it's not locking up 4 or 5 times a day things are good, right?

I'd try and get by as cheaply as possible. Maybe this would do?
ASUS A8S-X SE Socket 939 Mainboard w/ DDR1, PCI Express x16, LAN - OEM w/ Backplate Included at 3B Tech - Buy computer parts, notebooks, desktops, & home electronics

Click to expand...

yeah ill prolly end up buying a new motherboard (mabye this one) and then revamp the whole computer once i get a job and get some cash.

What kind of games do you play? If you want to upgrade ur cpu & gfx card at some point, ull definatly have to get a more recent model. I would wait until u r ready to get a new cpu etc since that much for such a dated board just isnt worth it. Even in the uk they r about £70, i could get a decent board for that price.

well, it might be a while until i can update my cpu and vid card and the one he showed me was only $40 (like £20 or sumthin?)

I have a dual core AMD 64 x2 3800+ CPU.. I'll sell to ya for cheap.. just get an AM2 motherboard.. maybe a cheap 8800GT and get gaming.. and 2GB ram.. something ghetto and cheap.

let me kno.. lol

xguntherc said:

I have a dual core AMD 64 x2 3800+ CPU.. I'll sell to ya for cheap.. just get an AM2 motherboard.. maybe a cheap 8800GT and get gaming.. and 2GB ram.. something ghetto and cheap.

let me kno.. lol

Click to expand...

two questions:

1. how much?
2. why would i have to change my vid card? there are no cheap 8800GTs lol.

scissormetimbers said:

xguntherc said:

I have a dual core AMD 64 x2 3800+ CPU.. I'll sell to ya for cheap.. just get an AM2 motherboard.. maybe a cheap 8800GT and get gaming.. and 2GB ram.. something ghetto and cheap.

let me kno.. lol

Click to expand...

two questions:

1. how much?
2. why would i have to change my vid card? there are no cheap 8800GTs lol.

Click to expand...

Don't even consider an AM2. If you're going to upgrade to a dual or quad core system, then do it right. Save your coin, then get a Core2 system. The only break you're getting here is on the chip. Since you have to also buy a board and RAM, it would be far wiser to hold off until you could afford a much nicer cpu. Core2's blow AMD's away; it's breathtaking.

I went from an Opteron dual core at 3GHz to an E8400 and was just shocked to see the difference. It's almost like I have a brand new video card. Before the upgrade, I would have bet my left nut my Opty could keep up with the Core2's. Good thing I did not make that bet as I'd be a lesser man today. :eek:

I get the sense the games you play are 'older', ie... coded for single core? If so, then you would see no performance gains whatsoever going from the 3700+ to the 3800X2 as they'd all still only use a single core; in fact, since you'd be dropping 200MHz, they'd probably run worse.

Vista would like it better, but not your games.

Hey scissormetimbers,

as seen in my specs I have a 939 socket as well and I've had the advice before to wait just a little longer and then upgrade the whole PC because the 939' as (as said so many times already) very outdated and buying a new one would really be a waste of money because there is no possibility in upgrading to any new components (except for a GPU) I agree with all the rest, not worth the money buying a 939 these days... And upgrading your CPU to another 939 would really be unsmart! AND as I'm expreiencing myself, the DDR RAM is very expensive, DDR2 is much cheaper and much better (but doesn't work on that kind of mobo ocourse)

Amplid

scissormetimbers said:

well i dont know if u saw my thread about it but im having overheating issues with my current mobo and its crashing my computer so i was looking to get a new one.

Click to expand...

That AMD is an older processor. If your system is hanging/crashing and overheating, it may just be that your heatsink/fan are older and need to be replaced. Try getting a new heatsink/fan combo and see if your system works better. That will cost you less than a new mobo and will be a lot less work. If it is the heatsink/fan, a new mobo won't fix that anyway.

If you are going to build a new system, and you're not going to be doing anything too intense, AMD is fine. AMD single core is generally better than Intel single core. However, if you want something that can handle any game and Vista, I'd go with an Intel Quad Core (Q6600 if you want lower end, Q9450 or Q9550 for better overclocking). I personally like the Intel X48, X38 or P45 chipsets. Intel, Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI all make quality boards. I'ved used all of them and if you know the limitations of your hardware, they all work great.
If you wait until the end of the year, Intel is coming out with the X58 chipset and Nehalem processors. They will be a lot faster because the FSB is eliminated (kind of like AMD).
If you're looking to save money, I'd go with a Q6600 and X38 and DDR2 RAM (I don't notice too much of an increase in performance with DDR2-800 and DDR3-1333... DDR2 has lower latency to compensate for lower frequency) DDR2 costs a lot less. Also, I'd get a Radeon 4850. It costs less than a GeForce 8800GTX (can't understand why all the AMD fans are on NVidia's bandwagon when AMD owns ATI. Justification to use AMD instead of Intel because of price vs performance kind of raises an eyebrow when they choose Nvidia over ATI...) and the performance is actually better. If you want to use multiple video cards, most Intel Chipsets are compatible with CrossFire but not SLI. If you want really inexpensive, but decent quality:
Intel G31 mobo (with Intel 3100 VGA onboard)
Intel Q6600 Core 2 Quad
4GB DDR2-800
Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 250GB
Vista x64 to support the full 4GB
and there you go... probably for under $600

My system:
MSI X48 Platinum
Intel Q9550 Core 2 Quad
MSI Radeon 4850
2 Western Digital Velociraptors in RAID0
Antec P182 case with Corsair 650W PSU
Patriot Viper 1333MHZ DDR3 8GB
Samsung 22"ws LCD
Vista Ultimate x64

well since i should prolly wait to upgrade the whole system then it wont be till my birthday or xmas (birthday is in feb) and itll be after i get a car.