Recommend a Mobo/VGA Combo

[Plotloss]

Requirements thus:

Probably an Intel 775/975 Core 2 Duo jobbie E6600 or the like.

Needs to have support for 4 IDE devices, SATA would be nice for future use though I'm not planning on updating the drives anytime soon as to be honest I cant be arsed.

Would like a decent VGA card, nothing stupid but digital outs, decent media playback capability, probably ATI as I watch a lot of Divx stuff.

I've been right out of the PC loop for some time so dont know whats hot and whats not.

Primary use as a business machine, bit of minimal outside work stuff.

Thoughts appreciated

[GregE240]

Firstly, get an E6400 and save yourself a few bob. Overclock to E6600 for free.

I built a system recently around this: www.asrock.com/product/ConRoeXFire-eSATA2.htm

Crossfire capable, so buy one crossfire capable ATI card for the moment, then add one when you need to upgrade?

The only issue with this board is that it only has one IDE channel, but a shitload of SATA channels. I built with a SATA drive and stuck in a DVD-RW. Also piped out two of the SATA channels externally.

That any good to you mate?

PS - Vista certified too.

[Plotloss]

There are SATA to IDE converters arent there, that maybe a decent bet in the short term.

I've got two optical drives and two HDD and want to move them all across really.

[GregE240]

Plotloss said:

There are SATA to IDE converters arent there, that maybe a decent bet in the short term.

I've got two optical drives and two HDD and want to move them all across really.

Indeed there are. Board supports RAID as well, from memory.

[ErnestM]

Plotloss...

www.addonics.com/products/io/ide_sata.asp

I highly recommend Addonics for anything remotely to do with SATA. Especially nice is the "Internal SATA to eSATA" device so that you can use an eSATA drive for backup instead of USB 2.0 drive (which are all overpriced, power consuming boat anchors imho)

Greg's hardware recommendations are spot on.

ErnestM

[GregE240]

ErnestM said:

Plotloss...

www.addonics.com/products/io/ide_sata.asp

I highly recommend Addonics for anything remotely to do with SATA. Especially nice is the "Internal SATA to eSATA" device so that you can use an eSATA drive for backup instead of USB 2.0 drive (which are all overpriced, power consuming boat anchors imho)

Greg's hardware recommendations are spot on.

ErnestM

:blush: How the heck are you, Mr Ambassador?

[ErnestM]

Excellent. Been busy with work (good busy - business is fantastic) I haven't been posting from home a lot, however, due to the fact that I managed to KILL my Pentium Extreme. Note to self: Never obverclock your system and then teach yourself 3ds max. The power/heat generated could probably melt iron.

I am currently sitting on a brand spanking new QX6700 core duo 2 extreme waiting on an ASUS stryker extreme motherboard (starting to think that they are made from unobtanium)

Trying to talk the wife into BTaP this year. It is going well (she feels she owes me after Christmas - who says money can't buy happiness?)

Hope you are well, my friend.

ErnestM

[mr_yogi]

Just a note on the IDE to SATA adapters, they stick out the back of the drives about 2" so unless your chassis is HUGE these may foul motherbard connectors. Also check out where the actual IDE channel connetor/s are on the motherboard, I've just bought an Abit AB9 Pro (P965 chipset) and the IDE connector is between the PCI slots It's soo far away from my CDR and DVD ROM I can only connect 1 of them! Although I'm going to use my 2 IDE to SATA adapters for them now as i'm chucking my IDE RAID Array.

I think the P975 chipset motherboards should be better as this chipset actually has a IDE channel (or two maybe?), as opposed to the P965 which required another controler to provide that functionality

Personally I really like ASUS motherboards (Even more so having just got the Abit)

Edited by mr_yogi on Wednesday 10th January 14:44

[Plotloss]

Thanks for that.

I've always been a big Gigabyte fan, currently have a 7DXR+ which works fine but is starting to age a little.

Asus seem well regarded.

For some reason I've always lumped Asrock at the Jetway end of the market, is this unfair?

[GregE240]

I'd never bought an Asrock board before this, so fair point I suppose.

Having said that, it came with ALL cables and drivers, installation was a piece of piss, and seemed v well built. Good VFM an' all.

The Asus board at the time I looked at had all this passive cooling shit on it, which for some reason I didn't like the look of. I've used Asus before - good boards.

Didn't bother overclocking the E6400 in the end as it was bloody quick out of the box, and it wasn't built for me.

[ErnestM]

ASUS owns Gigabyte now, IIRC.

If you want to try a decent ASUS board with a little "future proofing", this one may work:

P5B Deluxe



ATI Crossfire, P965 chipset (including ICH8R - raid), 1 IDE channel, 8 channel high def audio, quad core ready.

Cheers

ErnestM

[sneakyneil]

Only thing I'd say is, if it was me I'd just get a PCI PATA card rather than mess about with sata/pata adaptors. I hate the idea of big adaptors sticking out there, they're guarenteed to either foul something or fall off when you kick the PC, or cause a compatability problem at some point. (IMHO)

I havent used one of these myself or anything (used promise ones in the past) but this is the kind of thing I mean:
www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=3ZR7

[xiphias]

You can get mobos now with hdmi out if thats useful to you. I recommend one of the X1xxx series as they have something called AVIVO which does some fancy stuff with tv stuff that sounded cool anyway but I can't really remember what but might be of use to someone like you