best dual-core mobo?

[colemancb]

I have a proc picked out for a new PC I'm building...and people all over have told me that an ASUS board is the best, but I can't seem to find one that supports the proc that I picked out...it's an Athlon 64X-2 Dual-Core

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16819103562 <-- the proc

Anyway, on Newegg at least, I can't seem to find a board that is made by Asus that supports the dual-core, and I want to be able to take full advantage of this, considering all the money I'm spending on it, what other brand of mobo's can you guys/girls recommend to me? I want something that I can configure and customize the hell out of, and that can take full advantage of my proc.

Thanks for the help!

(And while you're at it...best RAM brand? How much should I need for XP Pro with the occasional high-end game?)

[ripken204]

well the asus boards should support dual core, you just need to update the bios

but this mobo is WAY better

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16813136152

and how much ram do you want? a gig or 2 gigs and how much $ can u afford

either get this 2gigs

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16820146578

or this 1gig

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16820146392

[colemancb]

Well here's the situation, it's for college so I'm going to pay for it mostly using the misc. fund i get with my student loan, so I'm looking to spend whatever (hopyfully not over $1000 though) and just get something that will last me the whole college experience and after when I venture out into the brave new world, so to speak.

I'm not sure how much RAM I need, that's the problem, I know I want to be able to play Half-Life 2, but it doesn't have to run at full specs, just as long as it's not jerky. My usual load on normal useage is Windows xP Pro with iTunes, Trillian, PHotoshop CS2, Microsoft Word, Frontpage, and tons of unnecessary system tray icons. I'd love to run StyleXP also.

I was thinking around 1GB...too low? 1,5GB maybe?

Thanks for the help.

EDIT -- That mobo has warnings of NOT FOR N00BS written all over it. I, however, AM a n00b and want to be able to use the thing right out of the box...Thanks!

Edited October 10, 2005 by Superlevel

[ripken204]

well you should get that 2gigs of ram i showed you. and that mobo. yes the mobo is not for newbs but it is the best mobo out there. you will learn how to use it if you go and look through threads at dfi's forum.

[Thai3g_Eclipse]

The DFI board is fine, so is the Abit AN8 series. I would personally recommend you this RAM however:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16820227210

Since you are not familiar with the hardware aspect I doubt you will want to overclock. These are cheaper than the Crucial ones and they offer high memory bandwidth with low timings without a huge hit on your +3.3v rail.

[colemancb]

I don't think I'd have a need to overclock, will i? But, cheaper is always better. Again, I'd rather not have to go through a huge forum to learn how to set up my mobo.

And, it appears that the AN8s on Newegg don't support dual-core...

Would this be a good board? I'm a little uneasy about getting an off-brand, but the reviews are good...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16813188003

Plus, it's got the onboard LAN and everything so only three PCI slots shouldn't be bad, Thanks!

This one looks good also...and it's not an off brand, know anything about Biostar?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16813138248

[Thai3g_Eclipse]

Word of advice: Don't go cheap on the motherboard. It's what holds everything together and having a good board will give you a guaranteed performance and support/updates. I would stick with paying a little more for the DFI.

[ripken204]

but you also have to remember that with the dfi mobo u need at least a 480watt psu. the ocz powerstream 520 would be what you want. and that ocz ram is good too.