*My disclaimer, I could have sworn I posted this earlier, but I can not find my post ANYWHERE*

I am going to start building my own computer soon, which is going to be a fun task to complete over the next year. I figured I would start with the mother board, but I was curious which mother board would have the best longevity right now. Money is not a very big issue, as long as things don't become too ridiculous.

So what would be the top gamers choice of mother boards?

What else would I need to buy in addition to a good motherboard? (Chips etc.)

It should show my email on here, so if anyone can paste me some good links also. Thanks.

-rYAN

790i or wait for nahelem

When is the nahelem releasing?

Yes, nehalem is supposed to be coming out in a couple months (no set date yet) so it would be your best longevity board, however if you can't wait that long, then It depends. Do you want Crossfire, SLI, neither? Also, what is your price range? In order to make a good suggestion we need more info.

Awesome awesome. Thanks for all the info guys. My price range is flexible. I have a decently loose budget for this project.

Ok, still being new, you order a mother board, and a chipset for the motherboard?

the motherboard includes the chipset. you order the motherboard based on the type of cpu you wish to use .

Ok TruthUncommon

You pick a mobo base on the processor you want (Intel or AMD, and which socket type), and also based on if you want to run dual graphics cards, now or in the future.

At this time, Intel is a very good choice (especially for mid to higher end) in the processor market. You need to decide if you want a dual core or a quad core processor. (the current socket is LGA 775)

If you want to run dual graphics cards, then you must decide ATI (crossfire) or nVidia (SLI).

If you want to go crossfire (ATI), then you should get an X38 or X48 board (intel based).

If you want to SLI (nVidia), then you should get a 780i or 790i.

The only drawbacks of the 790i is that it requires DDR3 memory (which is expensive and hasn't shown considerable improvement over DDR2 memory.

If you don't want to go with dual cards, then get the P35, mentioned earlier.

Once you have decided those things, you can choose the board based on features you are looking for (eSATA, Firewire, USB, Ethernet, PCIE slots, PCI slots, etc).

If you have that all figured out, then you go to the manufacturers site to determine what memory works with the board you've chosen and select some RAM (suggest 2x2GB DDR2 800 - dirt cheap and pretty fast).

You can choose your GPU(s) - graphics card(s) - suggest waiting for the 4850x2 or 4870x2 if you want something pretty high end (both ati cards) or getting a 4850 or 4870 - great value and performance.

If you plan on overclocking, then you'll need an aftermarket cooler - check out frostytech.com for their reviews and charts.

You need a good hard drive. A good suggestion is the 640 GB from western digital.

You obviously need a case for this. If you are pretty new and have some space, full towers are usually easier to build in.

You'll need a good power supply. This will depend on what you want to do (dual cards and which cards you choose, etc).

I think that's it for now. I know that's a lot of things to read, but it gives you an idea of how to decide.

Usual suggestions are:

Go with a Q6600 or Q9450 (quads) or the E8400 (dual).
Get an X38 or X48 (potential crossfire in the future) or P35 (single GPU)
Get 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 memory (Crucial, OCZ, Corsair, etc).
Get a 4850, 4870 (or wait on the 4850x2 or 4870x2).
Xigmatek cooler (if you are going to overclock)
WD 640 GB hard drive
DVD drive (all are about $30 - go with SATA drive)
PC power and cooling power supply (great company for PSUs)

I think that does it.

Hope this doesn't confuse and helps you out.

If your buying the parts gradually I would buy the mobo last. start with the parts less likely to become obsolete like case, power supply, HDD and ROM drives. CPU, MOBO and RAM should be purchased all at the same time. it would suck to get any of those parts DOA and not be able to test it till after the return period has expired.

Thanks psykhiq, but I will most likely be buying a lot of this soon, so it won't just be laying around becoming obsolete. Again, thanks for the tip though for future reference.

None of the ideas were confusing, thanks a lot Huron, now I can just do some research on all that, read some reviews, and go from there with what I'll need. Finding a nice looking case is taking some time too. Hopefully I'll have this up and running within the next few months and I'll have success pictures to post.

Good deal TruthUncommon. Happy to be of assistance. Honestly, the research and choosing is part of the fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what you end up with.

TruthUncommon, thanks for posting your future ambitious adventure. I, too, am looking to build a new computer for the first time. Huron & PsyKhiqZero, thanks for the intelligent insight.
Huron, I will utilize your suggestions when purchasing. I was wondering what is the difference between the ATI Mobo and Navidia's SLI boards? Is one preferable to the other (disregard the drawback of the 790i). I want this desktop to be for gaming, so I want the best Mobo and corresponding Memory and Video card.
Lastly, I recently purchased a Intel Dual Core Processor (2 GHZ). Should I return it for something higher? I want to be able to play the old Call of Duties (1,United Offensive, Cod2) and Cod Modern Warfare. I want speed but don't want to spend an arm and a leg for ridiculously priced Quad Processors or overly expensive mobo's. As I indicated above, I'm new to building and want to quickly learn. I appreciate any advice you or the forum can give.

Alright, I now have a good list of the generals that I am planning on beginning to order piece by piece. The list is totaling a little under $2,500.00 haha.

I was curious though, in order to possibly save some money on some components and then put a little more into others, if I used an older high performance intel processor that I already have, how do I check the compatibility of the processor with a newer mobo?

I'll be back to answer more of your questions later afm813.

TruthUncommon - as long as the processor socket (LGA 775, etc) fits the one the motherboard uses, it will fit.

I wouldn't suggest skimping on a processor - you can get a solid one for a good price - but as long as the sockets match up, then you should be good to go.

Why don't you post a parts list, and we can all take a look at it and help you save some $$$ if we see a way.

Be back later today.

AFM - The difference between SLI and crossfire is the companies that manufacture the GPUs that is supported.

SLI - 2 (or 3) identical nVidia graphics cards working together to power one monitor.

Crossfire - 2 identical ATI (similar works too, I believe) graphics cards working together to power one monitor

The major difference is that ATI cards are real cheap and get great performance right now. The crossfire boards also run significantly cooler right now.

I have a 780i (nvidia SLI board) and love it, but if I were to purchase again today, I think I would got with an X38 or X48 (crossfire).

Let me know which processor you have and we'll give you an idea about if it'll be good for a new gaming build.

Good luck to both of you building. TruthUncommon, look forward to seeing a list of components.

Greetings Huron,

I picked up an el cheapo 2.0 GHZ Intel Dual Core that, based on reviews, seems sufficient for gaming: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116052

I'm looking at getting the following ASROCK motherboard that apparently is Crossfire enabled and is compatible with the above processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157131

As you can see I am building a budget Gaming system. I already have the processor but haven't bought the MB, do you think it's an appropriate fit? I basically want a gaming system for some high-speed games like Cod 4, while playing less demanding games like Civilization and older Call of Duties (United Offensive, Cod 1 & 2). According to the specs, the MB above seems to be sufficient. If you have better suggestions, please advise. Of course keep in mind I don't want to go overboard in price (I picked the above board based on price and good reviews, and Crossfire compatibility).

For the graphic card, I have a Ge Force 7800GT that I want to use for awhile and then eventually upgrade to a 8800GT or 9800GT. Will the 7800GT be fine with these newer boards? And I have 2 GB (1GBx2) of PNY memory that I plan to add to the new system, provided it's compatible. Should I look to add more memory? Can 2GB and 1GB be combined on the same board? Can different brands mix?
Thanks in advance for bestowing your computer knowledge on me. I graduated with the wrong degree in school.