Motherboard help please

F

fredhenry

New Member
Hi everyone, I'm in the process of learning about computers so I can upgrade my desktop to a fairly decent gaming computer. So far I think I'm going to get an Intel E7500 (2.9GHz, 1066FSB, 3MB L2) and 2x2GB Ram (to make 4GB) I would also like to dual channel it. I also have a GeForce 7300 GT which I think I'll keep, it needs an AGP socket but I'd like a motherboard which can support the newer graphics cards if I upgrade it.
I have a couple of questions if someone wouldn't mind answering:
1.Should the speed of my RAM match the processor speed?
2.Is it worth getting the i7 processor which I've just found out about?
3.Does anyone have some advise on which motherboard I should get?

I've been reading a bit about motherboards and some of the less important bits like the number of SATA, PCI and IDE slots are a bit confusing and I don't want to get to few. If I have 1 hard drive, 2 DVD drives, an Ethernet port, and possibly a wireless network card how many of the above do I need?

If I've said anything wrong or a little odd please point it out.
Thankyou very much for your help
 
First off, the 7300GT is old and weak. There are no motherboards that have AGP and PCI-E.

The speed of the RAM does need to match the processor FSB at all. as long as the motherboard supports the speed of your memory that is all you need to worry about.

The i7 is worth getting if you have the money. what is your budget for a new computer?

We need to know your budget before we can help you pick out parts.

IDE is being phased out. soon you won't see any motherboards with an IDE port. all motherboards produced today have one, which allows for two devices (both your DVD drives). SATA is the standard, and it is worth getting a new HDD, plainly for the speed of SATA over IDE.

PCI slots are just for add in cards, such as sound cards or wifi adapters. PCI-E (express) is for graphics cards.
 
Thankyou linkin,
I have about £300 for a processor, RAM, motherboard and now a graphics card. I need a micro ATX size
I was planning to keep my current hard drive, 2 disc drives and power supply, from what you've said I presume I can currently buy a motherboard with 2 IDE sockets, for the HDD and discs, and 1 PCI for the graphics card?

Also I'm assuming that the SATA hard drive speed only affects the loading times of programs and possibly loading times of levels/maps in games and nothing else important, is this correct?

Also does the BIOS come with the motherboard or will I need to install that?

thanks again
 
Last edited:
fredhenry said:
Thankyou linkin,
I have about £300 for a processor, RAM, motherboard and now a graphics card. I need a micro ATX size
I was planning to keep my current hard drive, 2 disc drives and power supply, from what you've said I presume I can currently buy a motherboard with 2 IDE sockets, for the HDD and discs, and 1 PCI for the graphics card?

Also I'm assuming that the SATA hard drive speed only affects the loading times of programs and possibly loading times of levels/maps in games and nothing else important, is this correct?

Also does the BIOS come with the motherboard or will I need to install that?

thanks again
Click to expand...

most of the tech you trying to use is outdated, i would recomend saving you money and building a brand new system when youve got enough.
 
hey fred i wont be cheeky or an annoying smart alec most new motherboards if your lucky only have one ide slot, sata is defo the new connection and it is much better however you dont need two ide slots even if all your old gear you want to use is ide you can buy sata to ide converters from maplin. regarding your new system i just finished building a new system i got all the components from www.ebuyer.com and it cost around £200 i got a crackin case with a see through side cover with a built in led fan for £35 with tons of empty bays so you can always add more, i got an asus p5p41d motherboard that comes with 4 sata connections and one ide and the most up to date gpu card connection for pci-express x16 cards for which i have a gainward ddr3 512mb card fitted and the board has 6 usb connections and hdmi and comes with a bios restore feature incase it gets corrupt the board is a intel 775 socket it does amd too but dont know what ones cause i dont use amd think the asus board was around £50, then i got an intel duo core cpu 2.8ghz comes with new 775 socket cpu cooling fan so you dont need to a new cooler think that was about £50 or 60, then i got a 500gb western digital sata hard drive with 16mb cache that was also about £50 and then some ram i choose crucial ddr2 5300 sticks a pack of 4gb will be about £60
 
fredhenry said:
Hi everyone, I'm in the process of learning about computers so I can upgrade my desktop to a fairly decent gaming computer. So far I think I'm going to get an Intel E7500 (2.9GHz, 1066FSB, 3MB L2) and 2x2GB Ram (to make 4GB) I would also like to dual channel it. I also have a GeForce 7300 GT which I think I'll keep, it needs an AGP socket but I'd like a motherboard which can support the newer graphics cards if I upgrade it.
I have a couple of questions if someone wouldn't mind answering:
1.Should the speed of my RAM match the processor speed?
2.Is it worth getting the i7 processor which I've just found out about?
3.Does anyone have some advise on which motherboard I should get?

I've been reading a bit about motherboards and some of the less important bits like the number of SATA, PCI and IDE slots are a bit confusing and I don't want to get to few. If I have 1 hard drive, 2 DVD drives, an Ethernet port, and possibly a wireless network card how many of the above do I need?

If I've said anything wrong or a little odd please point it out.
Thankyou very much for your help
Click to expand...

I am no expert like others but I will recomend the budget MOBO I just bought from Micorcenter for $104. The Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3L has SATA, PCI, IDE and take the 1156 i7 and i5 processor, I think it is being discon due to the price. I am not sure your card will work but for $60+ you can buy a modern, but modest, card.
 
New motherboards.

Sounds like you are ready to build your dream computer if I am not mistaken.
Motherboards. So much variety, so many specifications.

I am in the process of building a new Ultra computer. Here are some of the things I noticed while building.

I'm sure you already know this, but NEVER screw your motherboard directly onto your case under any circumstances. You Will blow the board.

Now that we ran over the odds, lets get back to your topic.
Yes, I have to agree. Your Ge force is a bit out of date, but it is good to start off small and gradually work your way up to the Elite systems. What are you specifically going to use it for? I have a 8500gs and it is very good, fast, and sleek when it comes to high CPU time. Maybe that should be your next choice. Hey, if you are happy with it, then stick with it until you are ready for a new dive into graphics cards.

You could attempt to try a Foxconn motherboard if you wanted. Even the older Dell boards work well with gaming. I think you might have a bit of a problem finding an AGP slot though. Just stick with PCI slots.

About your processor choice. I think you are making a great decision with Intel, but AMD is more of a gamer friendly processor. I have used the Athlon for quite some time now and t suits my needs for high FPS (Along with my 8500gs.)

The i7 is a remarkable processor, but it is more of a platform in IT professional development. Your Intel Chipset should work fine for you. In other words, you are better off where you are instead of spending $600.

R.A.M. does allow applications to excel more than they do with a fraction of the virtual memory. You don't have to match your board speed with R.A.M.
Higher CPU speed is better than large R.A.M. (Upgrade if necessary though.)

Go to Crucial.com for some helpful memory tips. You can find a variety of all DDR R.A.M.

I hope this helps your while you are building! :D
 
thankyou all,
I've just ordered everything, I've got an E7600, 4GB ram, the Asus P5P41D motherboard and a new case & HDD.
Your comments were very useful
 
just a question (which really SHOULD have been asked before), what power suply do you have?

It is a cheap, off brand one, or one rated at low wattage, or both, you will need a new one if you upgrade any further because it won't handle the extra strain and will blow, most probably taking out multiple components with it beacuse of a surge.

It is all well and good upgrading your system, but if you poewr supply can't handle it, all of your money will be wasted because your components iwll be knackered
 
I've bought a new 700W one some of the specs are:

P.S.U. TYPE - Sumvision 700Watt
SATA connector - 2x SATA connector
Power Connector - 4 x Power Connector
Motherboard connector - 1 x 4 pin connectors for mother board
PCI Express - 1x PCI EXPRESS connector
Connectors - 1x PCI EXPRESS connector and 1 x 4pin connector
INTEL ATX12V VER2.2 STANDARD
SURGE PROOF
SHORT CIRCUIT PROTECTION ON ALL OUTPUT

I presume this is ok

thanks anyway
 
I'm not sure as I don't actually have it yet, this is all the information I have. What am I looking for?

P.S.U. TYPE - Sumvision 700Watt
SATA connector - 2x SATA connector
Power Connector - 4 x Power Connector
Motherboard connector - 1 x 4 pin connectors for mother board
PCI Express - 1x PCI EXPRESS connector
Connectors - 1x PCI EXPRESS connector and 1 x 4pin connector
INTEL ATX12V VER2.2 STANDARD
SURGE PROOF
COMPLIES WITH FCC PART 15 CLASS B
115 VAC OPERATION AND CISPR22
230 VAC OPERATION
LOW NOISE AND RIPPLE
OVER 72% EFFICIENCY TYPICAL ON FULL LOAD
OUTPUT OVER VOLTAGE. OVERCURRENT PROTECTION
SHORT CIRCUIT PROTECTION ON ALL OUTPUT
100% BURN-IN TESTED(45°C±5°C)
100% HI-POT ATE TESTED
OVER 50
000 HOURS MTBF AT 25°C
±5VSB 2.5.

thanks
 
do you have a model number for it? that way we can look it up.

I would still get a good 500w from one of these brands, if you can change it. it will perform better and have higher efficiency, meaning a lower power bill:

Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Thermaltake, OCZ, Gigabyte, XFX, BFG, Seasonic.
 
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