Mobo's and Chisets???, Which one??? Options

[Cespenar]

Hi folks,
I am thinking ahead to a new motherboard.
There are to many chipsets to choose from.
I use my computer to play games. (Only Games.)
I have been an AMD fan since about 1996.
Intel seems reasonable today, so I wonder if people who know games well could list really good chipsets that enhance gameplay and overclocking.
Sometimes I read an article on how a particular chipset is the best, but nobody writes what it is best at.
I would appreciate ideas on AMD with AM2 and AM3 sockets, and Intel with chipset and socket combo's that are known to be good together.
I appreciate peoples input.
And thanks ...

[xchrissypoox]

If you go with intel go with P55, its pretty hot right now and at very reasonable prices. I don't know much of anything about AMD so I'll let someone else tell you whats the cheapest gaming effective setup.

This post has been edited by xchrissypoox: Oct 30 2009, 07:31 PM

[Zertz]

Budget?

[Cespenar]

Budget?

Thanks .....

Budget isn't important right now.

I just need to read what users know are good mobo/chipset/cpu combinations for high end gaming.

If I was rich I'd go straight to the top of everything. Which is Intel at the moment. But Tom's Hardware charts don't have a huge difference between high end (read expensive and powerful) and the next couple of tiers down.

MSI has good AMD boards witht different chipsets but for games, who has used them?
MSI also has good P55 boards, but again, who has used them an decided which is best for games.
If I was to buy today I'd go with the i750 and one of the MSI boards, but would it have longevity?

[nns]

Why MSI? It is definitely pretty good when it come to high end mobos, but there always are better.. (ASUS, Gigabyte..)

A basic config

Intel i5 750
p55 chipset mobo
2x2 GB RAM GSkill /OCZ
WD Green 1TB HDD
GPU: ATI 5850
PSU: Corsair TX750

Sony DVD RW
Cabinet: CM690/Antec 902/HAF 922

AMD:

Proccy PII x4 965
790FX/790X/790GX mobo

Rest is the same..

Do you plan to OC?

How long do you intend to use it?? Most PCs work well for atleast 5 years..

[Cespenar]

Why MSI? It is definitely pretty good when it come to high end mobos, but there always are better.. (ASUS, Gigabyte..)

A basic config

Intel i5 750
p55 chipset mobo
2x2 GB RAM GSkill /OCZ
WD Green 1TB HDD
GPU: ATI 5850
PSU: Corsair TX750

Sony DVD RW
Cabinet: CM690/Antec 902/HAF 922
AMD:
Proccy PII x4 965
790FX/790X/790GX mobo
Rest is the same..
Do you plan to OC?
How long do you intend to use it?? Most PCs work well for atleast 5 years..

MSI has always been good to Me and My son. I only have the ASUS Crosshair because I thought it was the best two years ago.
Got OCZ platinum already, but DDR2. (Because my rig is good, I dont want to change anything except get a powerful CPU and the PSU.)
Got 2X XFX 8800GTX
PSU must have 4X PCIE cables. (got one or two in mind. And have to get it first for my current rig)
I'll overclock a little if I can get a black edition AMD CPU and maybe a bit more than a little if I have to go for Intel and a full rig upgrade with DDR3 etc.
I have the Thermaltake Kandalf with water. It is a humungous case with 3 big fans and radiator in front.
Five years? Well let me put it this way .........
If I can buy Sacred2, Diablo3, Fear2, The next S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, soon and play them on my current rig with a CPU upgrade, a 4 wire SLI power supply and the 2 8800GTX's that is what I'd do. I would be happy with that lot till ... whenever. I'm 63 and not well, so huge longevity is not an issue.

You have given me some good info to think about and I appreciate that. One more thing, I only need one adsl capable network plug and the rest is probably 1X Optical, max of 2xSata and an SLI slot setup and a half decent soundcard. (When you are half deaf a really good sound system is a waste.)
Again you have given me more to think about and thank you very much.
regards from Cespenar in Australia.

[Paradax]

If you're going to go with AMD I'd recommend the AMD 790 GX (or 790FX if you can afford it) chipset so you can use Advanced clock calibration when youre overclocking

This post has been edited by Paradax: Oct 30 2009, 06:47 PM

[XxHellxRaizerxX]

I've read that ACC really doesn't do much for the Phenom IIs, only the Phenoms. The Phenom IIs overclock very well on their own.

[nns]

PhenomII doesn't really need ACC for better OCs..

@Cespenar, Your mobo is not compatible with the newer processors, so the one option is to get an old Phenom x4 Processor and the other is to get a new build!! I'd say go Intel as you can use your old GTXs in SLI on some p55 boards!! Also most mobos will have what you need.. And of course half a decent sound card is difficult to come by.. even the onboard is decent!!

[Cespenar]

PhenomII doesn't really need ACC for better OCs..

@Cespenar, Your mobo is not compatible with the newer processors, so the one option is to get an old Phenom x4 Processor and the other is to get a new build!! I'd say go Intel as you can use your old GTXs in SLI on some p55 boards!! Also most mobos will have what you need.. And of course half a decent sound card is difficult to come by.. even the onboard is decent!!

Thanks, nns, some people might disagree with the socket idea, but I must say I've never been happy with the newer AMD's being fitted to an AM2 board.
It's a bit like fitting a diesel truck engine into a small car. It wont quite do the job.
So ... everybody, thanks for the input. I'll wait a while and maybe do the intel thing. (Unless AMD does something fantastic in the future.)
Regards from Cespenar. (Bloody hot here today. 38 degrees centigrade.)

[SenitaL]

MSI are great! i use a DKA790GX Platinum, with a phenom II X4 940, and i got to keep DDR2 i think, if your only going for gaming, then there is not THAT much difference at all between intel and AMD, plus AM3 will be arround for much longer then the current intel sockets me thinks.. good luck on the build!

[Cespenar]

MSI are great! i use a DKA790GX Platinum, with a phenom II X4 940, and i got to keep DDR2 i think, if your only going for gaming, then there is not THAT much difference at all between intel and AMD, plus AM3 will be arround for much longer then the current intel sockets me thinks.. good luck on the build!

Actually, now that you mention it, somebody said i should go for the Phenom II X4 940, because it is AM2 socket. If it was reasonably more powerful than my 5200+ then I should get it and a 4 pin PCIE power cable PSU and go SLI.
What do you think about the difference?