Motherboard Recommendations for Intel Core 2 Duo E7300? (1 Viewer)

[chrisworkman]

I've got an extra 2.66G Core 2 Duo E7300 and am considering upgrading my MediaPortal box. What would be a decent motherboard that's compatible with this CPU for a dedicated HTPC?

So far I'm aiming for 4-8GB's of RAM (or more ), and a nicer Nvidia graphics card. I'd prefer a MB that has a digital audio output.

A quick Google search revealed the MSI P6NG motherboard, but I'd personally consider that a lower end MB. Not that that's a bad thing, I just would like to get something with a bit of bite to it.

MB Budget: $100-$200 (though I'd like to hover in the $100-$150 range if possible)

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2H Motherboard Core 2 Extreme Socket 775 NVIDIA GeForce 7100 Mico ATX RAID Gigabit Ethernet LAN: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Or the American equivalent, first thing to look for in any decent motherboard specs is Solid state capacitors, these really do enhance the motherboard life expectancy, as this is the main point of failure.

Good luck with your search.

 

[chrisworkman]

Thanks for the recommendation. The Gigabyte mb is quite similar to the two or three I've narrow it down to.

However, what about this one:
Amazon.com: Intel Core 2 Quad/Intel P43/DDR3/A&GbE/ATX Motherboard ,Retail BOXDP43BF: Electronics

It seems to be more readily available over here, and the specs seem to be pretty solid for it's age. And I really like the number of expansion slots. Not that I'd ever use them, but at least they're available if I need them.

Thanks again!

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Good write ups from actual users in link, cannot see any reason not to buy it, optical spdif as well, so sound sorted just as you wished.

Take it you are now going for separate graphics card

 

[chrisworkman]

Oh yeah. I can't remember if m existing Geforce 7300 is a PCIe or what, but I'm probably going to be looking for a card that can handle anything. Any suggestions on that while we're at it?

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Nvidia gt220\gt430 or ATI 54xx\65xx, either will do HD using Hardware acceleration.

Get the best one for the price you can, the second card named do have extra video processing abilities, these recommendations are for MP and video playback only, gaming you need to go up to next models.

 

[chrisworkman]

No need for a gaming card as this will be a dedicated HTPC.

Also, years back when I built my current HTPC I had an issue with the few ATI cards I tried where once the display went to sleep the card wouldn't "wake" the display when you moved the mouse or accessed the remote. So everytime the display went to sleep I had to restart the machine. There were a few workarounds that I found, but the whole thing seemed to be tedious. Is this still an issue with ATI cards? At the time I was under the impression this quirk was exclusive to ATI cards and not Nvidia.

Thanks for the input!



EDIT: A quick search revealed this card on sale:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187121

I only mention it because it's on sale and has a lifetime warranty. However, I am unfamiliar with Sparkle. I just feel like $39.99 after rebate is to good to be true

EDIT 2:

This one seems to be quite nice. I've owned several Gigabyte products and have never had any problems.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125346