mATX for C2D

Sagi3 · 4 Jul 2007 at 17:26

I am on the lookout for a reasonably priced board (50-80) which will also support my OCZ4001024ELPE RAM.

I am probably going to buy myself a C2D E4300 chip as i hear they are good overclockers.

Good overclocking ability would be preferable, however with the E3400 it may not be necessary.

p4radox · 4 Jul 2007 at 17:48

Gigabyte DS2R or Asus P5K-VM are the boards of choice at the moment. Both offer excellent overclocking potential.

Sagi3 · 4 Jul 2007 at 18:02

I don't think either of those will take my DDR400 RAM

p4radox · 4 Jul 2007 at 18:24

Oh damn, sorry I should have checked your RAM type.

ASRock 775I65G supports Core 2 Duo and DDR, but don't expect a very good overclock from it.

If at all possible, sell the DDR and invest in some DDR2 RAM - it's cheap and will allow you to get a much better motherboard.

Sagi3 · 4 Jul 2007 at 18:49

Thanks for your advise but i also need PCIe for my GFX which is a radeon X800 GTO2.

If i do buy some new memory i cannot find either of the two above mentioned boards for the ddr2's at either overclockers or which are the only two companies that do fast delivery and i have been reccommended.

p4radox · 4 Jul 2007 at 19:20

I'd seriously suggest you try and sell your DDR ram and save a little more to get the quality motherboard. You'll only regret it if you decide to skimp.

Indy500 · 4 Jul 2007 at 19:24

What merits the extra "100" in the name of the graphics processor?

Sagi3 · 4 Jul 2007 at 19:31

Money isn't too much of an issue, but i do want to buy from a reputable firm.

As i understand it my X800 GTO2 PCIe GFX card is still prety good quality for a non-serious gamer/HTPC.

I plan to use the Antec Fusion case, which should have a fairly good PSU included.

After a bit of research i think the C2D E4300 carries plenty of "bang for buck" and overclocking potential (could be mistaken).

As you recommend i will upgrade the RAM and will be on the lookout for a HDD prob SATA.

That leaves me with the question of which board? :confused:

Sagi3 · 4 Jul 2007 at 19:33

sr4470 said:
What merits the extra "100" in the name of the graphics processor?

E3400

Indy500 · 4 Jul 2007 at 19:34

Sagi3 said:
E3400

I said the graphics processor

ie the Intel GMA 3100.

Sagi3 · 4 Jul 2007 at 19:35

sr4470 said:
I said the graphics processor ie the Intel GMA 3100.

Sorry i'm confussed :confused:

Indy500 · 4 Jul 2007 at 19:38

Sagi3 said:
Sorry i'm confussed

The one inside of the motherboards mentioned above (the Gigabyte and Asus). mATX motherboards almost always have integrated graphics processors. Anyway since you aren't going to use it anyway (because you have an X800) I'll shut up now.

Sagi3 · 4 Jul 2007 at 20:08

Any more advise please folks?

Sagi3 · 4 Jul 2007 at 23:16

Final order:

1 x Kingston 2GB Secure Digital Card £8.50 £8.50
1 x Antec Fusion V2 MATX MediaCenter Case - Aluminium Front Bezel with 430W PSU £93.60
1 x Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.4ghz) Socket 775 FSB1066 4MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor £117.98
1 x Asus P5B-VM Socket 775 I965G VGA onboard audio FSB1066 mATX £53.39
1 x OCZ 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 CL 4-4-4-15 PLATINUM XTC with LIFETIME WARRANTY £64.98
1 x Seagate ST3250820AS 250GB 7200RPM SATA300 8MB Cache - OEM £34.10
1 x LiteOn 20X SATA DVD±RW/RAM With Beige, Black & Silver Bezel + Nero - Retail £21.02
1 x Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium x32Bit OEM 1PK DVD £54.00
1 x Extra Value 2.4Ghz Wireless Media Center Keyboard - Built in TrackBall Mouse - USB £21.26
1 x Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker System - 70W RMS £34.02

+ a ******* huge amount of VAT :mad:

Should be a tidy HTPC though

p4radox · 4 Jul 2007 at 23:20

That's one hell of a media PC! Awesome spec.

Edit: why not Vista 64 bit?

Sagi3 · 5 Jul 2007 at 19:05

Was worried about compatability issues, although i'm not sure if i have imagined them and just made a big balls up! Is it possible to download and upgrade from the microsoft site?

Sagi3 · 5 Jul 2007 at 19:08

Would it still be possible to overclock with this spec or is the FSB already maxed out?

p4radox · 5 Jul 2007 at 22:32

If you got the P5B-VM and not the P5K-VM then your motherboard will limit your overclock. You might manage a mild speed boost though.

Sagi3 · 6 Jul 2007 at 07:08

I couldn't find the K in any shops so i did the dumb thing and assumed it was a typo

Is there a way of upgrading to windows 64 bit after i have been a numpty and got the 32?

Thanks for all of your advise so far p4radox

p4radox · 6 Jul 2007 at 10:44

Sagi3 said:
I couldn't find the K in any shops so i did the dumb thing and assumed it was a typo

Is there a way of upgrading to windows 64 bit after i have been a numpty and got the 32?

Thanks for all of your advise so far p4radox

If you were feeling patient you could send the P5B straight back under the distance selling act, as long as you hadn't opened it. Then order yourself a P5K-VM - there are loads of stores selling it.

I'm not sure about the Windows upgrade you mention, you'd have to ask someone more knowledgable than myself.

Oh, and while you're spending all this money, have you thought about getting a 3rd party CPU cooler? If you got a decent low-profile cooler eg the Thermalright Si-120, it'd fit in your case, keep the CPU cooler and be quieter than the Intel stock cooler.