Need Advice for a 939 Build

[GoodNews101]

I have a friend who wants to build a 939 system. He has an Athlon 64 3200+ as well as the memory, harddrives, etc. What he doesn't have is a solid motherboard.

This build will NOT be for gaming nor will there be any OCing; it is for MS Office work, video editing, pictures, and a great number of other applications such as Quick Books. He may also install the 32 bit version of Vista Home Premium.

The thing is I have been searching for a decent 939 board but the pickings are slim. Part of this is due to the fact that I don't know anything about the quality of some motherboard manufactures: Foxcon, Biostar, and MSI so I can't make a good educated choice. Such questions arise as to the BIOS support and stability, tech and customer support, and quality of build.

I have come across SLi, micro boards, and VIA chipset offerings, but he certainly doesn't need or want SLi, nor micro and the ASUS VIA chipset boards don't have the greatest ratings from what I have been able to read.

I have checked ZipZoomfly, New Egg, Tiger Direct, and MWave but I have little personal experience as to what is presently offered.

Any ideas for a good, solid and dependable motherboard that will be for purposes I listed? Much thanks.

 

[nerdygeek]

Whats the price range?

 

[GoodNews101]

Whats the price range?

Duh-- me! Good question. I can't believe I forgot this bit of information. No more than $125, unless there are no other options open, so I would say $135 tops but that irs really pushing it.

A better range would be $80 to $115, but at this point beggars can't be choosers.

 

[Trotter]

With onboard graphics:
Newegg.com - Foxconn 6150K8MA-8EKRS Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR GEFORCE 6100-M9 Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Without:
Newegg.com - MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Newegg.com - Foxconn NF4SK8AA-8KRS Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

 

[GoodNews101]

Trotter, thanks for the reply. I've been looking at that MSI K8N Neo-4, and I've read the specs, but I was wondering if you have had any personal experience with MSI and in particular this board. As i said in my first post, I've had no expereince with this manufacture nor any of its products.

Also, do you think the VIA chipset is still under the shadow from several years ago? Has it been improved? (more for my own curiosity) Thanks again.

 

[Nagasama]

i've read good things about this one:

Newegg.com - ABIT KN8 Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

abit kn8 ultra nf4.
i have had no stability problems with mine (its am2 socket but nf4 chipset).
not the best overclcoker, but if your friend isnt going to oc...my board is rock solid at stock....abit makes a good mobo.

 

[GoodNews101]

Weird, but when I searched for 939 boards at NewEgg that board never came up. I read some of the reviews. Didyou have any issues with RAM?

 

[Nagasama]

not with my board.
but, remember...i have an abit kn9 ultra.
it is made for the am2 socket and uses ddr2 ram.
it does have the same chipset as the kn8, the nf4. which, apparently, is a much better chipset for s939 than it is for am2 (as far as overclocking).
but, no problems. the only thing i can complain about is that the nf4 chipset limits my overclocks, as it does not allow me to raise my ext. cpu clock as high as i would like.
thats it.

 

[Trotter]

The only thing MSI I have is my GFX card, which is rock-solid. Their mobos are just as solid I have heard.

I do highly recommend the nf4 chipset, though (if you don't need onboard graphics). The nf4 is great, the nf4-Ultra is killer, and the nf4-SLI is just as good. Just don't use the onboard firewall, as it can cause problems.

I use a DFI Lanparty mobo (in my sig). I highly recommend it, but it isn't a mobo for beginners. It has loads of settings and can be a little tempermental to set up.

 

[Poizen22]

get an asus A8N 5x cheap and good no fire wire tho i got oen and i use it for gaming to i just never wanted to go sli i highly recomend this board i got mine for like 175 a while back so u can probaly get it for under 100 easy