HawMan

What do you guys think about this?

http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/...cat=356&page=1


Hoping to do my first build, On a Low budget And that motherboard looks quite good for the money.

Not looking for anything too extreme, Just something that supports PCI-E, DDR2 RAM etc.

Any pro's/cons about this motherboard?


Also,3 more questions.

It says:

RAM Speeds DDR2 533
DDR2 667
DDR2 800

Will it still run DDR400? or does it have to be DDR2 533 at the minimum?

And also, The back part of the mobo ( Like this http://www.palmertron.com/pics/RX480-Neo2Fio.jpg)

Will this fit into any normal ATX case? or is there a precise pattern?

This is the case ive brought.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?...37416&doy=14m6

Should this Mobo fit into this case?

Thanks :)

swarner

This mobo has a nice spec for the price and ASUS make quality boards.
You should note that this is a Crossfire board meaning it has two PCI-EXpress x16 slots enabling you to put two ATI vid cards in a crossfire configuration. If you only have one vid card then you only need one PCI-EX slot could save you a few quid .

This is an AM2 board so it only takes DDR2 RAM and wont take old DDR RAM, so yes it has to be DDR2 533 at the minimum.

yes your mobo will fit in your case, your mobo will come with a metal faceplate surround so that the connection ports will fit into any case!

Very nice case by the way!

HawMan

Hey, Thanks for the quick reply :)



So, this mobo will only Support two ATI cards? Not 1 Ati/Nvidia card?

Also, thanks for telling me about the RAM, was hoping to take the DDR400 out of this pc and stick it into the Mobo.



( PS. If you find any recommended Mobos for around £70/£80, please post :) )

Houndog777

Hi, to echo what Swarner has said...nice case, but you could save a few quid by buying a board that does not have Crossfire. (two video cards)
I've found the best buys in the UK & Ireland are at eBuyer.com, dabs.com, misco.co.uk and microdirect.co.uk

HawMan

Thanks for that Houndog777 ill take a look.


I guess a PCI-Express Mobo that has SLI wont run ATI cards in SLI, And a board that has crossfire wont run Nvidia in SLI?

Thanks again.

swarner

A SLI enabled mobo will run ATI cards but will not run two ATI cards in crossfire and vise versa.

Even using a dual PCIe x16 motherboard with an nforce4 chipset that ISNT SLI will prevent SLI from occuring because it doesnt have the proper instruction set(unless you do some crazy mods, which are possible, but not convenient or necessarily safe)

HawMan

Had a look at This. Heard good things about the K9N SLI Platinum. Although i dont know if this has 1x PCI-E slot along with the 2x PCI-E slots so i can run SLI later along the line. What you guys think? *Sorry for all the questions, dont want to make a mistake lol*

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx...specifications


EDIT


http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx...56410000,50626

Even that board looks good for the ££.

swarner

Questions are a good thing, after all thats why this forum is here!

Again a great board for the price, I have two MSI boards myself and both are excellent.

This Board has two PCI-EX x16 slots and is SLI enabled. So it will run SLI (two nvidia cards working together on the same motherboard)

So to clarify, this board will run:
One ATI PCI-Express card
or
One Nvidia PCI-Express card
or
Two Nvidia PCI-Express cards in SLI

HawMan

I think i may go with that board then, 8GB is more than enough RAM than ill ever need, AMD FX/X2 sounds nice, and the fact that i can later upgrade to SLI is also another bonus.

ill see what others may have to say, I like to follow advice from professionals before i go and buy

Big thanks for your help here swarner, Learnt a few things i didnt know already

swarner

Just saw your EDIT

I would defiantly go for your first choice, the MSI board (MSI Socket AM2 nForce 570SLI ATX 7.1 Audio Dual LAN) as it has the newer and better nForce 570 chipset. The ASUS (Asustek AM2 nForce4 Sli ATX Audio Dual Graphics Lan) Board has the older nForce4 chipset.

Yes the more advise the better!

HawMan

Great, 1 more thing you could mabye help me with.

Under RAM it only says 'Two DDR channels', Im guessing this is DDR2 right?


Again, thanks :)

swarner

Yes this board supports DDR2 and not DDR.

Your welcome

HawMan

Ordered this mobo, but got another question.


Under specs, it says :

Compatible Processors
Athlon 64
Athlon 64 FX
Athlon 64 X2

Data Bus Speed
1000 MHz

I was looking at an AMD AM2 Athlon 64 4200+ Windsor Core CPU, But it says FSB/HT Speed: 2000 MHz.

Does this mean the FSB of the Motherboard ive got is too slow? Or is the Data bus speed different than the FSB? ( will this CPU run at full speed on the motherboard? )

thanks.

HawMan

anyone?

HawMan

bump, if you dont understand what im trying to ask then just say, ill Re-word it :)

Houndog777

Hi, there
Visit the site of your motherboard manufacturer. Find the support page for your motherboard and there will usually be a link for CPU support.
See if your intended cpu is listed.

l_b_rex

I have heard issues with the ati control panel giving errors on Vista Os's.
just an fyi