Member Avatar for BobEdwards

Soliciting suggestions for new build gaming motherboard. My criteria : ( 1 ) stability ( 1a ) perormance ( 2) Ocing features ( 2a ) warranty support ( 3 ) speed ( 4 ) features. Budget 150 British pounds , 221 Euros , $ 300 US dollars. Thanks in advance

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by BobEdwards

Dani AI

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Quick, practical checklist that complements the thread: pick a board that gives solid stability first, then the overclocking controls and extras. Below are concrete checks and steps to verify a motherboard once you narrow choices, and what to do after you build.

  • VRM and cooling: prefer a board with a well-cooled voltage delivery area and quality capacitors. Phase count helps, but component quality and heatsinking matter more for stability and OC.
  • BIOS: look for fine-grained voltage controls, memory timing adjustments, profile save/restore and a recovery/dual-BIOS option.
  • Compatibility and layout: verify the CPU and RAM compatibility list, enough fan headers, sensible 24/8-pin placement, and clearance for big GPUs and coolers.
  • I/O and controllers: check the number/type of SATA/USB/PCIe lanes and the onboard NIC/audio chip the vendor uses.
  • Warranty and support: confirm the RMA window, whether advanced replacement or local service is available, and how registration affects coverage.

Post-purchase acceptance and testing (do these before installing everything):

  1. Inspect the board for physical damage and swollen capacitors.
  2. Minimal POST: CPU + one stick of RAM + GPU (if needed). Note the BIOS version and update only if necessary or if a supported CPU is available to flash.
  3. Run memory checks (Memtest86+), long CPU stress (Prime95/Blend or Linpack) and a GPU loop test. Monitor temps and VRM temps with a hardware monitor tool. Fix any cooling or PSU weakness before heavy OC.
  4. If overclocking, raise clocks slowly, test at each step, save BIOS profiles and document voltages. Keep stock settings handy to recover.

A few practical notes tied to earlier replies: was right to flag warranty/support as a buying factor, and raised timing considerations. For anyone reading this later, double-check current BIOS support and vendor updates before committing — older platforms lose firmware support over time.

Member Avatar for lward

i've read that the chipset of choice is either the 650i and the p965, these have great ocing features. i found the best warranty to be from evga, they offer cross shipping for a small fee when you register your product. you can find the 650i mb for about $100 US. if you want to do sli you can go with a 680i sli, i use this chipset and am very happy with it. evga has about 5 different levels of the 680i ranging from $150 to about $250 US.

Member Avatar for Uriel

Asus Crosshair 250$ USD

or

You should put it off for up to 2 months if possible when the new AMD's come out. (current boards will also drop in price drastically this summer)

this is a very bad time to invest any money in a pc

Member Avatar for lward

how about not waiting for the new phenom cuz they wont get here till 1q08

Member Avatar for Uriel

they bumped it back? bah :(... i haven't been watching :\

Member Avatar for lward

yeah just heard about it today

Member Avatar for BobEdwards

i've read that the chipset of choice is either the 650i and the p965, these have great ocing features. i found the best warranty to be from evga, they offer cross shipping for a small fee when you register your product. you can find the 650i mb for about $100 US. if you want to do sli you can go with a 680i sli, i use this chipset and am very happy with it. evga has about 5 different levels of the 680i ranging from $150 to about $250 US.

Thanks so much for your suggestion. I went with Asus P5 N32-e SLIU Plus for now.

Member Avatar for BobEdwards

Asus Crosshair 250$ USD

or

You should put it off for up to 2 months if possible when the new AMD's come out. (current boards will also drop in price drastically this summer)

this is a very bad time to invest any money in a pc

Thanks so much for your suggestion. I went with Asus P5 N32-e SLIU Plus for now.

Member Avatar for BobEdwards

how about not waiting for the new phenom cuz they wont get here till 1q08

Thanks so much for your suggestion. I went with Asus P5 N32-e SLIU Plus for now.

Member Avatar for BobEdwards

they bumped it back? bah :(... i haven't been watching :\

Thanks so much for your suggestion. I went with Asus P5 N32-e SLIU Plus for now.

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