Building a new PC

[[UEAK]Clowd]

Hey all, just received an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042) for free, gonna build a new studio computer around it. I've been out of the computer world for like 2 years now so I'm kind of overwhelmed by the motherboard selection.

Any advice?

 

[JBroll]

I'd go for ASUS, personally, but there are other great manufacturers like MSI still around from two years ago.

Just like you did before, match the socket type and architecture, then pick the RAM based on the motherboard's capabilities, and work up from there. PM me if you need any help.

Jeff

 

[Soundlurker]

Asus or Gigabyte, IMO. I presume you're not goint to overclock your system (for now, at least)? That would mean that you'll get very similar results using any of the popular brands of Motherboards.

 

[cobhc]

Look at Abit, something like the IP35-E, cheap and has great overclocking capabilities if you wanna go that route. Never been a fan of Asus personally (not since working with their corporate laptop side of things). And also had bad experiences with all things MSI (both motherboards and graphics cards) they just seem cheaply made and generally overpriced for what they are. Both me and Kev have the Abit IP35-E, both have zero problems with any audio apps, and we both have our cpu's overclocked without hassle, so my vote would be for that, or if you prefer another brand still look at the Intel P35 chipset.