[Xtreme2damax]

For some reason I have nothing but problems with my current motherboard. If I leave my window open at night even if it's not humid my PC won't boot or stay on..

It also can't overclock worth a crap, If I go past 344 or 345 FSB the system won't post or boot and I have some stability problems.

Here is what I am looking for in a new motherboard:

Socket LGA-775 (Core2Duo/Quad)

DDR2 PC2-6400 memory slots (DDR2-400) (DDR2-800)

SATA ports (At least 4 - 6)

PCI-e x16 slot, PCI-e x1 or x8 slot, and at least 2 PCI slots for expansion.

Stable north bridge and south bridge

Onboard audio (Preferably Realtek HD)

No onboard video

Decent and relatively effortless overclocking potential, should be able to reach 4 GHZ without much tinkering or a problem.

Must not be a bank breaker, best bang for the buck. I don't have much money and am selling a few things to cover the cost. I want to ensure I get the best for my money and don't want to make the same mistake I did with my current motherboard.

Needless to say I want to avoid all things AsRock, as AsRock only leads to problems which is the current predicament I am in with my current motherboard.

 

[Phil]

Try an Asus P5Q regular

 

[PCXL-Fan]

yeah Asus P5Q or P5E are good choices. Probably will want to go with the P5q-E, -Pro, or -Deluxe boards.

The heat sinks get a little larger as you go from the pro to the E. The Deluxe has little bit larger heatsinks & a 16 phase power design vs an 8 phase on the pro and the E. But its mostly a marketing thing from what i am aware.

Right now i'm on the P5q Deluxe. Why did i buy it? Well i wasn't aware the 16phase power design didn't really mean anything till after the purchase. Might give more stable OC if one has a quadcore though...maybe...

The asus gate OS i used quite a bit initially, but now i no longer use it.

Apparently the P5E (not the p5q) if you are willing to spend that money can be bios updated into a Rampage Formula x48.

 

[Ahielia]

If I leave my window open at night even if it's not humid my PC won't boot or stay on..

Granted, I may have some lacking computer skills, but no computer should do that.
Ever.
I say it's something wrong with your current motherboard.



With every motherboard I've had, even if the window was closed or open, wether is was humid or dry weather, I had no problems running my computer.

 

[Princess Garnet]

Yes, the P5E, The Maximus Formula, and Rampage Formula are all very similar (especially the last two, which are almost identical). I don't have experience with the P5E, but if it can use the same BIOS sets, it must be on that level, and I've never had my motherboard hold me back (save it being my choice of not wanting to put more volts into the MCH). It's always been the RAM or CPU.

 

[Phil]

The P5E is basically the same thing as the Rampage. Just know that the P5E3 uses DDR3 rather then the DDR2 that the P5E and Rampage uses

 

[runawayprisoner]

Wait a sec, though, which processor do you have currently?

 

[ElijahTW]

If I leave my window open at night even if it's not humid my PC won't boot or stay on..

Sounds like condensation perhaps? Causing the computer to short-circuit until it goes away....

 

[Princess Garnet]

I think he was trying to point out that even if it's not too hot in his room, it still doesn't start.

Wait a sec, though, which processor do you have currently?

That may be why he can't overclock past a certain FSB (which is why I figure you're asking), but if this is an AsRock board, I'd put my wager on that. It also seems to have stability and starting problems, so he needs a new motherboard regardless of the overclocking, and given he asks for socket 775 and DDR2 compatibility, I doubt this needs to be an excuse to upgrade.

 

[Xtreme2damax]

I have a Core2Duo E8500..

 

[Phil]

9.5 multi? But anyway, like I said, an Asus board should serve you well

 

[-StrikE-]

What RAM do you have Xtreme ? cause i know from my own experience that can also work against you...

 

[Xtreme2damax]

I believe it's Gskill, I'll see if I can dig up my old thread in this section which had my detailed specifications listed.

I paid about $60 - $70 for the ram when I bought it, I bought 2 - 2GB sticks.

There is definitely a problem overclocking with this board, there is others who reviewed the board and said the same. It can't go above 344 or 345 FSB or the system doesn't post. That's about a 100 Mhz overclock if I'm lucky..

Can anyone provide any links to suggested motherboards? As I mentioned I don't want to break the bank and want to get it as cheaply as I possibly can, I also don't want to sacrifice quality and wind back up in the same predicament as I am with my current motherboard.

 

[-StrikE-]

Ah G Skill from what i heard is a good brand so probably not the ram (though only from what i heared they aren't available here :lol

P5Q:

(i'd take this one cause of the cooling )
Newegg.com - ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
Cheaper one:
Newegg.com - ASUS P5Q SE PLUS LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

As for P5E i only found with crossfire function

As i look around the P5Q gets a stable 500 FSB quite nice ^^.

 

[Kenshin Ryoudo]

Are you sure that Asrock mobo's are bad i believe there boards are built to last and there easy to overclock. even tho there low budget. it's a great board to me.

 

[ElijahTW]

Asrock boards are so-so. But not very great. Good for cheap builds.. not much else.

 

[Squall-Leonhart]

Its not the motherboard..........

PSU cold boot issues.

 

[-StrikE-]

With Asrock you get a 25% risk that something is not right, with there low/mid end products (haven't tried there high end though).

 

[Princess Garnet]

Yeah, make sure you test the PSU and eliminate that as a possibility. I was going to ask that at first, but you sounded sure it was the motherboard.

If you have an E8500, and they're still around (I think the X38 is no longer sold usually since the P4x/X48 series came out), I'd again recommend what I did. That board took my E8400 and E8600 to their limits, and as long as your RAM isn't terrible (I have "okay" 5-5-5-12 800MHz 1.8V RAM for reference), you should get great results.

That being said, a new motherboard with a P45/X48 should at least do as well.

With Asrock you get a 25% risk that something is not right, with there low/mid end products (haven't tried there high end though).

ASRock isn't really high-end itself. It's a lower-end sector spun off of ASUS that was to concentrate on getting OEM shares from Foxconn and the likes, if I remember right. They're motherboards aren't bad, but there's not a whole lot going for them for the enthusiast market compared to other companies (namely, ASUS and Gigabyte). Like Foxconn as of recent though, they've sort of started making higher end boards too.

 

[-StrikE-]

As i see it Asrock is in the first line that does the "testing" for Asus (with asrock clients being the guinea pigs for asus) that way Asus's rep remains clean and if something goes wrong only asrock's rep goes down. Why am i saying this well before something getting applied on Asus it usually came's first on Asrock like e-sata 2 for example also asrock's always experimenting with different pieces to see the results that are yielded, also before the Rampage II, Asrock had one of the most powerful mobo's available if i remember correctly.