Help me find a motherboard

[Bush]

I need a mobo for a desktop I'm building. Im using an AMD Phenom x4 965 with an AM3 socket. I don't really know what to look for, but I know ASUS is a good brand. Integrated GPU would be nice, and I would like at least 4 ddr3 ram slots and 2 PCIe 2 slots. Beyond that I'm not sure what I need; feel free to enlighten me . If possible, could you refer me to one on Tigerdirect.com? That's where I'm getting my parts, so I'd like to bundle the shipping and keep it down. Thanks guys!

 

[bic]

Have you bought the CPU yet? Did you see if it's included in a bundle deal with a good motherboard? What's your budget?

Don't solely rely on Tiger Direct. Sometimes NewEgg beats them on price and shipping. (They tend to have better combo deals as well.)

For example:
Gigabyte 870A-UD3 - $110 at Tiger Direct
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=5538

Same motherboard is $100 on NewEgg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 20870A-UD3

They have your CPU $10 cheaper as well, with free shipping.

 

[Bush]

Oh wow thanks! Is that mobo a decent one?

 

[XCVG]

Do you plan to do CrossfireX in the future? Are you actually going to use the integrated video?

 

[Bush]

I may do SLI in the future and the integrated would be nice if i cant buy a gpu right away.

 

[XCVG]

If you want to do SLI you need an nVidia chipset motherboard (750a or 980a). I've heard they are crap, and I know they are more expensive and harder to get than AMD based boards. If you don't already have a videocard, I would recommend going for AMD/CrossfireX. Northern Islands is about on par with Fermi, and you can use a cheaper 890GX or 890FX board.

Recommendations for both... this afternoon.

 

[Bush]

Ok sweet thanks

 

[Bush]

Oh and also, If I'm going with ATi compatibility, what is a comparable card to the Nvidia gtx 460?

 

[jleemero]

ATi's 6850, 6870, and HD 5850.
The 6850 is virtually identical in performance, the other two are a tad better.

 

[Bush]

Eh, might as well get a 460 for $150.

 

[XCVG]

Then you're locked into using an nVidia-based motherboard if you want to have SLI in the future*. There aren't many choices- four or five motherboards across two chipsets on NewEgg (maybe more elsewhere, but not a lot more). The main difference between 750a and 980a is that 750a does not support two x16 PCI-e connections- if you go SLI you get eight lanes each. I'm not sure if they support hexacore processors or not. I seriously doubt any of them will do core unlocking either. On the other hand, it is the only non-hack way to get SLI with an AMD processor. And I thought we were past this chipset-matching bullflax.

*There are hacks out there that may or may not enable SLI on AMD-based boards. Use at your own risk.

 

[Bush]

I realize this, im going single gpu on an amd board.