need help with a motherboard decision

[craig7]

i'm buying a new motherboard. originally i was only looking for a ddr3 board to somewhat future proof my system even though socket 775 is dead and gone. but if i go with ddr3 when i finally do upgrade to a more modern socket i wouldn't have to worry about the ram. or at least i wouldn't have to worry about most of the ram.

now my local kijiji is pretty dry for motherboards lately but one has just showed up a few minutes ago that has me thinking about sticking to ddr2 for now. XFX nForce 680i. supports 8gb of ddr2 (how much i want), supports overclocking and digital audio. its got everything i want except ddr3.

my budget is about $50
anyways should i stick with ddr2 for a while longer or upgrade to ddr3?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

i'm buying a new motherboard. originally i was only looking for a ddr3 board to somewhat future proof my system even though socket 775 is dead and gone. but if i go with ddr3 when i finally do upgrade to a more modern socket i wouldn't have to worry about the ram. or at least i wouldn't have to worry about most of the ram.

now my local kijiji is pretty dry for motherboards lately but one has just showed up a few minutes ago that has me thinking about sticking to ddr2 for now. XFX nForce 680i. supports 8gb of ddr2 (how much i want), supports overclocking and digital audio. its got everything i want except ddr3.

my budget is about $50
anyways should i stick with ddr2 for a while longer or upgrade to ddr3?

System Builder Marathon, June 2012: $500 Gaming PC : Paying The Price For Ambition

ddr2 is long dead, same as socket 775

Use the cpu and mobo from article as guideline or do small changes...
I highly recommend to stick with Intel I3 or lower I5's if you can afford them
I have AsRock motherboard and I highly recommend it as great value

 

[craig7]

System Builder Marathon, June 2012: $500 Gaming PC : Paying The Price For Ambition

ddr2 is long dead, same as socket 775

Use the cpu and mobo from article as guideline or do small changes...
I highly recommend to stick with Intel I3 or lower I5's if you can afford them
I have AsRock motherboard and I highly recommend it as great value

i just got a core 2 quad so im gonna stick with it for a few months at least. im sure i will be getting an i5 once i can afford it but not right now. but i've been running very low on free memory lately and my motherboard supports 8gb of ddr2... but only has 2 slots.... WAY TOO EXPENSIVE
also i bet my q9400 smokes the celeron in that article. frankly that pc seems rather crappy except for the graphics card... i have a better hard drive, better psu, same dvd drive and just as much ram (except its ddr2). 4gb isnt enough for me anymore.

 

[adk highlander]

What OS are you using?

If you are using 32bit you max is 4GB.

Look here: Memory Limits for Windows Releases

 

[craig7]

What OS are you using?

If you are using 32bit you max is 4GB.

Look here: Memory Limits for Windows Releases

win 7 home premium 64bit

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

i just got a core 2 quad so im gonna stick with it for a few months at least. im sure i will be getting an i5 once i can afford it but not right now. but i've been running very low on free memory lately and my motherboard supports 8gb of ddr2... but only has 2 slots.... WAY TOO EXPENSIVE
also i bet my q9400 smokes the celeron in that article. frankly that pc seems rather crappy except for the graphics card... i have a better hard drive, better psu, same dvd drive and just as much ram (except its ddr2). 4gb isnt enough for me anymore.

Newegg doesn't sell anymore good mobos for 775, if you looking at used market gigabyte P35-DS3L is solid choice or look for P45 mobos

ps: The article mentions a small $20 upgrade option to G620 Cpu, which is almost always faster than q9400 (thou a bit slower in heavy multithreaded apps - which are rare)
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/406?vs=76&i=2.5.3.4.6.25.26.27.28.29.30.31.32.33.34.35.36.37.38.39.40.41.42.43.45.46.50.49.48.47/

 

[craig7]

Newegg doesn't sell anymore good mobos for 775, if you looking at used market gigabyte P35-DS3L is solid choice or look for P45 mobos

ps: The article mentions a small $20 upgrade option to G620 Cpu, which is almost always faster than q9400 (thou a bit slower in heavy multithreaded apps - which are rare)
AnandTech - Bench - CPU

well in my area the XFX nForce 680i sli is the only 775 motherboard on kijiji. so yeah....thats really my only option if im going to get a used board

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

well in my area the XFX nForce 680i sli is the only 775 motherboard on kijiji. so yeah....thats really my only option if im going to get a used board

based on this image:
XFX nForce 680i SLI | bit-tech.net

XFX like typically cutting corners and using cheaper caps instead of solid caps - I seen too many 5 year mobos with blown caps - unless the pc was kept in server room 60f temp - some of them guaranteed to die in 5 years ballpark

Nvidia for intel chipsets there never big hit, I'd skip it...

Just save enough money and get i3 like, i3 with overclock will blow away your q9400 out of the water (atleast in most games)

On other hand XFX 680i SLI retail was $200 and if you could get it cheap enough like $30-40 maybe it's worth it - don't expect speed large boost just from changing the mobo thou

 

[craig7]

based on this image:
XFX nForce 680i SLI | bit-tech.net

XFX like typically cutting corners and using cheaper caps instead of solid caps - I seen too many 5 year mobos with blown caps - unless the pc was kept in server room 60f temp - some of them guaranteed to die in 5 years ballpark

Nvidia for intel chipsets there never big hit, I'd skip it...

Just save enough money and get i3 like, i3 with overclock will blow away your q9400 out of the water (atleast in most games)

On other hand XFX 680i SLI retail was $200 and if you could get it cheap enough like $30-40 maybe it's worth it - don't expect speed large boost just from changing the mobo thou

i cant wait though... running after effects and vegas uses up all of my ram.... if i get it i can also overclock my processor. right now it runs at 55-60 degrees at full load so i can push it a bit further without it getting too hot i think. also i can get one for $50... so yeah...