suggested mobo?

[patrickaupperle]

I'm planning on building a midrange? computer and cant decide on a mobo.
This is my plan so far:
WG311T (I need Wireless)
Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 2.5GHz 2 x 512KB
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower
mushkin 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS ATX12V / EPS12V 600W Power Supply
EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB
SAMSUNG Black DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 12X DVD-RAM

What mobo do you suggest?

I'm hoping for one under $100, but if I have to go higher I will.

[Dark Star]

Get a Board based on AMD 690 G platform .. They have better graphics chip inbuilt .. Some gr8 690G based Mobo are from Biostar 690 and Gigabyte 690.. I would suggest you to invest in Intel Core 2 Duo rather than going for AMD X2 :)

[patrickaupperle]

Intel is expensive and I just don't have money. Ill look into the 690G.

[Presto123]

I have the MSI mobo for my dual-core AMD. Check here (Oh and watch out the compatibility of DDR2's with AMD's. You pay less for DDR2, but the catch 22 is that you pay more for the DDR2 feature.):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010200022+1071022405&name=Athlon+64+X2+%2f+Athlon+64+%2f+Sempron

I would also suggest you go with Mobo/CPU bundles and be sure to get the fan and all needed supplies.

Another good source is: www.tigerdirect.com

[patrickaupperle]

I decided on the
GIGABYTE GA-MA69G-S3H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128052
I think.

[patrickaupperle]

You said that the video on this board is better than the EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB?

Oh, one more thing, Is this all compatible with Ubuntu?

[Presto123]

I decided on the
GIGABYTE GA-MA69G-S3H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128052
I think.

Wow. That looks like a killer mobo with 16gb upgradable DDR2. If you don't mind the pricetag, that would probably be a good board. Check the ratings there as consumers seem to be pretty honest about their experiences.

[Presto123]

You said that the video on this board is better than the EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB?

Oh, one more thing, Is this all compatible with Ubuntu?

I would stick with the separate video card.

ATI graphics seem to be a major annoyance for most users.

Also note that there is only 1 IDE port.

[patrickaupperle]

Ok, I might have to go a little cheaper on the graphics card than I originally planed.

[Presto123]

Newegg definitely has some really good video cards for good prices. Is this the mobo that you are decided on?

Want me to help with video?

I bought my father a 128mb that is really good for about $25 if I remember right.

[patrickaupperle]

I found an 8500 on newegg for 67 which looks pretty good. I'll keep looking though. 128 mb? Do you have a link?

[tbranham]

I decided on the
GIGABYTE GA-MA69G-S3H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128052
I think.

It looks like you have the makings of a nice box.

Personally, I always buy ASUS main boards, but the one you've linked to does look nice. My AMD X2 machine is a screamer, so don't feel bad about not going with the Intel chip -- save your cash for some nice RAM and you'll be OK. I'd also stick with a NVIDIA-based GPU if possible. I've been burned by ATI hardware a few times (but mostly with laptops), and I'm reluctant to go that route until I know for certain that things have gotten a lot better with the drivers. Just my $0.02.

Good luck!

[Presto123]

I found an 8500 on newegg for 67 which looks pretty good. I'll keep looking though. 128 mb? Do you have a link?

Actually, for your board there's 256mb and up for around $30. That's for the PCI express x16 slot you have.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048+1069609641+1305520548&name=NVIDIA

[Presto123]

The 8 series like you are talking about starts just under $40.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048+1069609641+1305520548+106791921&name=GeForce+8+series

*Edit* Whatever happened to just Nvidia cards? Now it's all: MSI, Gigabyte, etc. etc. I remember when Nvidia was JUST Nvidia (Or I was just ignorant).

[patrickaupperle]

What advantages does the 8 series have over the 7 series?
Oh and I'm going to bed in a min so I might not reply again untill tomorow.

Edit: I don't know about the gigabyte asus and whatever else nvidia cards. I have not been in the know about video cards long enough to know if nvidia ever made their own cards.

[Presto123]

Honestly, I don't know. It's just a newer build as far as I can tell.

[patrickaupperle]

So, should I go for 7-series or 8-series?

[Presto123]

http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread78851.html

Try that. It's a little outdated as to what programs will be utilizing the DirectX 10, I believe, but seems to fit the other stuff just fine.

Basically 8 series supports DirectX 10, but the 7 series COULD be faster and easier to cool.

Maybe, then 7 series would be more for what you would want. DirectX 10 would be good if you plan on using Vista for some games, etc.

I have the 6 series myself and find it horribly slow compared to my old 128mb (5 series, I believe) and would probably revert to it, but the 6 series has a DVI output that I will be utilizing soon.

[patrickaupperle]

I know that you probably won't check this again, but I wanted to tell you that I did read this post. Thank you so much.