I recently purchased a wonderful little case on sale; a Bgears b-Envi mATX case. Perfect little LANbox, perhaps some modding will be in order. I am in need of a mATX motherboard to use with the case though. The mATX mobos I've researched seem to get mixed reviews. Perhaps someone here as some suggestions. My only requirements are that it be mATX, use DDR2, and PCI x16 GPU compatible.
Okay, I'll have another go... 1. Budget? 2. Purpose/usage of PC (e.g. modding, games, video editing, NAS, general t'internet etc)? 3. Why must it be DDR2? Is this linked to budget? 4. Will you be overclocking? That should get us started.
If you've got any components you're planning to use from before, let us know about them. No point someone recommending an AMD board if you've got an Intel chip waiting to go in.
Assuming... 1. You need an Intel m/b 2. Your budget dictates the need to re-use existing DDR2 memory Then this http://www.scan.co.uk/product.aspx?ProductId=28955 is on special on Today Only @ Scan for £34.06 incl. VAT. Edit: just noticed your location, whilst Scan could probably deliver to the US, I don't think this would be cost effective for you so here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128388&Tpk=GA-G41M-ES2L it is on Newegg for $54.99 excl. shipping.
I do not have a processor picked out already, but I do have a kit of DDR2 I'd like to use. It'll be a LANbox, used by friends when they come over to game, or perhaps taking to LANs if I don't want to lug my larger rigs. No real demanding games. I'd reckon TF2 would be the most demanding game played. If its an option, I'd like to overclock whatever I get. The mATX boards already have relatively low price points, so I'm not too much worried about budget. Just saw: Microcenter has a special going on, you buy a Phenom II X2 555 BE, you get this motherboard free: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0334733 I checked Newegg reviews, and aside from the typical "I don't know what I'm doing" review, it seemed to rate decently at any given site. Thank you guys much for yout help this far!
I don't have any experience with AMD motherboards so I don't know if the Biostar A760G is a good or bad board in general, let alone for overclocking. That said, any deal where you can get a free m/b thrown in is not to be laughed at. It just boils down to whether the CPU & m/b combination will fit your requirements. Maybe someone else on here can advise on the suitability of this particular CPU & m/b combination for overclocking & gaming?
