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What Motherboard for Gaming?

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Foolios

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Joined
May 9, 2006
I was looking at newegg and I just can't decide what motherboard to get for for this processor:
Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=100007671 600005862&IsNodeId=1&name=LGA 1366

Maybe this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...c=EMCPB-112010-_-PB112910-_-Item-_-13-131-666

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...c=EMCPB-112010-_-PB112910-_-Item-_-13-131-614

I want to upgrade my gaming, maybe there's a better couple of options?
I know I want DDR3 and Intel.
I was thinking that maybe a MB from EVGA since they also make Video cards and keep everything from the same manufacturer to ensure everything gels nicely.

Thanks in advance
 
Whats your budget size?

To be honest, just because EVGA makes videos cards and mobos, it doesn't mean you but both and expect it to run "better" than having an EVGA mobo and ASUS video card. It'll just run as well. Its like saying, "i'm getting intel's i7, i must get their mobo and their ssd", but in fact, their mobo's and ssd aren't that great compare to their competitions.

ASUS Rampage III Formula is the way to go if you can afford it. It's a beast when it comes to overclocking and almost anything you throw at it. All I have heard about this board is all positive, never once heard a negative.

If you dont want to spend that much, you could look at a mobo such as MSI X58 Pro-E or something similar. Rampage is for the "hardcores" who overclock crazy at high clocks, have tons of ram, and bunch of hdd all hook up at once. And boards like MSI x58 pro are for those who want quailty boards for gaming and just for desktop usage, it will do just as well overclocks and do almost just as well in performance but dont want to spend hard earn money.
 
Last edited:
I went with these choices:

ASRock H55M-LE LGA 1156 Intel H55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Average Rating 5 out of 5 eggs5/5(10 reviews)
Hardwaremx Editor’s Choice http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-

And am now wondering if I should go with this video card:

EVGA 01G-P3-1373-AR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked EE 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130568

And I really need a suggestion for a PSU.

Thanks in advance.
 
Oh wow, a very small budget now lol.
For powersupply, your gonna just need 600-700w max if you are planning on getting gtx 460 or 470 (or any ATI card).
I would look at good brand names such as antec, seasonic (rebranded names XFX and corsair) and silver stone. They all offer the highest quailty supplies and very good rep for RMA
 
Throw another fifty bucks at the video card and get an ATi 6870.
The Corsair TX750 is an excellent PSU I've had one for a long time. Good price for what you get.

Case? I suggest an Antec 300. Pick up 2 additional 120mm fans.

Also, will you be overclocking? Have you looked at aftermarket coolers to replace the stock cooler for the CPU?
 
Kinda why I figured on going with less bang in the motherboard. The 149 dollar and up boards were all about oc and I don't plan on doing that. Seems like a sensible board for one video card. I want to play games but I don't want to really go nuts(spend too much time) with the system.
I will look at the vid card suggestions, thanks for those.

I just want to make sure I get the right psu for an I-5 proc. I will look at the Corsair TX750 to see if it mentions it. I am not sure how to check in the psu descriptions whether the psu supports that processor. What do I need to look for?
 
All you need to make sure is that the powersupply supports 24 pin (for powering mobo) and 4/6pin for graphic cards and plety of support for HDD, drivers ect.

If the powersupply says "made for intel i7" ect, its just a marketing glimch.

For graphics, what games are you going to be playing?
 
I have this board http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4694158 my i7 920 C0 chip overclocked to 3.5ghz @1.175vcore with vdroop on 1.15vcore runs 25-30c at idle, 51c max while gaming (just cause 2 & last remnant push it the most) and max running prime95 was 62C, i use cooler master v8, these temps are lower than they were at stock clock & voltage with the same cooler, i would say its an excellent oc board, its got 1 x16, 2 x8, and 1 x4, pcie slots so plenty of space for crossfire or sli and the board is around $200
c
 
I would suggest going with gtx470, your better of with nvidia than ati card, even thou all my gpus are ati and i only had on nvidia card long time ago, i recommend nvidia you will have less driver issues, it took ati a few months to fix some major underscan/overscan issues, for their newest cards and its still not completely fixed for games that dont let you change refresh rate, like crysis, i was forced to run it in dx9 because in dx10 i was getting 1 inch underscan border on my monitor.
 
The Deaf Boy said:
Its like saying, "i'm getting intel's i7, i must get their mobo and their ssd", but in fact, their mobo's and ssd aren't that great compare to their competitions.
Click to expand...

Careful on what lengths you're willing to go to make a point :D
 
Ageeb said:
Careful on what lengths you're willing to go to make a point :D
Click to expand...

I was going to make the same comment. Intel SSD's are some of the best in the industry, lol.

OP. Your choices are fine. H55 chipset will work just fine for that processor. If all you're doing is gaming, then you have a perfect little setup. A GTX460 would be a great addition. And you can power the whole thing with a 550W-650W Quality PSU. (Corsair, Seasonic, etc...)
 
Ok, that's what threw me off, that the psu's were stating explicitly i7 or i5 compatible.

Just gaming, mostly mmorpg's. Specifically want to be ready for Guild Wars 2.

Wow, so many manufacturers for the gtx460. Who should I go with?

Ok, I'll look for a 650w 24pin w/6pin psu by corsair and the vid(460) from one of the manufacturers, seems like evga sells a larger amount of vid cards, maybe go with them.
 
If you get an EVGA card that has -AR in the model name, it comes with a lifetime warranty.
Be sure to register it on evga.com as soon as you get it, though.
 
all the well known companies for video cards are evga, xfx, Sapphire, asus, msi and maybe some HIS cards
Alll have good rep, I don't know about xfx though.
 
Ok, I went with vid:
EVGA 01G-P3-1373-AR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked EE 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130568

And this psu:
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

And then I needed a hard drive so I got this:
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136322

And finally I ventured into the blue ray drive/burner with this:
LG WH10LS30K 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136181

I think that'll do for a year or two. hehe

Thanks for the help!
 
Great choices, the powersupply is awesome, just warning you it will be semi hard to do very good cable management depending on case you get.
As far as hdd goes, its super fast, but you'll be surprise how fast the hdd fills. I have had my 640 hallf filled with steam games/movies/other games in a week lol.
 
Foolios said:
I went with this case. They had it at 59.99 and a $20 rebate and free shipping when I bought it last week.
So I think I got a really decent case for $39.99
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
Click to expand...

oh wow. That was a really good deal. good job getting it for the price. It is truely amazing, i have the 2nd generation (not much difference other than it has cable holes. you wont have any problems with cable management.
 
The Velociraptor isn't worth it IMO, the Samsung F3s and Caviar Blacks are almost as fast. SSD is the only not cable performance upgrade, all the 10,000 PM drives lost their place.
 
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