Help finding good AM2/AM2+ mobo

[FatCamel]

I am having a hard time finding a good AM2/AM2+ mobo. I need it to be able to use all of the things in my sig, I would also like it to have dual lan and at least 7.1 audio.

If any of you happen to know where I can find one please help me out.


Thanks,
Camel

 

[trents]

dual lan?

 

[FatCamel]

yes dual gigabit lan so I can set one to incoming and the other to outgoing for less lag in gaming.

 

[trents]

Could you use an add-on PCI card for that?

 

[FatCamel]

Could you use an add-on PCI card for that?

Not exactly sure what you mean by that. Like another card running?

 

[trents]

An add-on card with a LAN controller. You know, they make PCI add-on controller cards for just about everything else like USB, SATA, RAID. I fond this string for what I'm talking about. Apparently, they are available on the market: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/20144-42-gigabit-card-onboard-gigabit-same

Here's one at NewEgg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122133

 

[FatCamel]

What do you think of this one?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/toms-socket-am2-motherboard-summer-slam,1323-8.html

I have not used MSI in a long time due to getting burned several times in the past but I have heard good them about them recently so I am hoping that they have gotten a little better.

I found it here for cheap.

 

[trents]

What's your price range? That's an older board. Looks like it may have come out when AM2 was new technology. You on a budget? I was thinking you were looking for a newer generation product. Not sure when MSI started getting better again. I used several MSI boards up through the socket 939 era and was pleased with them. Haven't used them lately, however.

 

[InsaneManiac]

My advice to you is go with the Asus M3A78-T. It's a very rock solid board with some amazihng features. Believe it or not, dual lan is not very useful. I had an old AM2 Nforce 570SLI board with Dual Gigabit Lan and I had no noticeable performance increase or loss. It's negligible at best when gaming.

 

[trents]

The best price I find for the MSI board you referenced is $55 plus shipping on a Ebay auction. That's the starting price for a used board. No bids on it yet. 4 days left: http://cgi.ebay.com/MSI-K9A-Platinu...ViewItemQQptZMotherboards?hash=item414bbaa055

I think you'd be smarter investing in a newer AM2+ board, notwithstanding the dual LAN issue. My suggestion would be to go with a 785 chipset board (SB 710). That's a pretty sturdy chipset with the ACC bios option that holds the potential for unlocking Phenom 2 CPUs with disabled cores. That gives you some upgrade potential for the near future. Plus, they are very reasonably priced, running in the $75 range.

This looks good to me: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394

 

[FatCamel]

I am trying to stay below $150 so I can afford ordering some ammo for my .45 and rifle soon.

I don't mind spending a little more for a new board I just don't know what is good and with the overpriced Intel junk running the market I can't find any good reviews of new AM2 stuff.

 

[FatCamel]

Maybe this one is a little better?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131595