ABT Builder’s Guide: September-October 2008
MOTHERBOARDS
After getting the processor of your choice, you’ll need something to put it on. The following boards have a proven track record of being stable platforms on which to build your system.
Remember to choose a motherboard that has all the right connections and ports you will need to support the rest of your hardware. There is nothing more frustrating than overlooking a simple detail that ends up causing you to spend more money.
| INTEL | AMD | |
| ENTRY | GIGABYTE GA-945GCM-S2C | BIOSTAR A740G |
| BUDGET | GIGABYTE GA-P31-S3G | BIOSTAR TFORCE TA780G |
| MAINSTREAM | GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L | ASUS M3A78 Pro |
| PERFORMANCE | ASUS P5Q Pro | MSI K9A2 Platinum |
| ENTHUSIAST | ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA | ASUS M3N-HT Deluxe |
Honourable Mentions:
Price/Performance SLI motherboard – ASUS P5N-D 750i.
Performance – ASUS P5E Deluxe. This board is a basically a rebadged Rampage Formula. There are a few of the bells and whistles missing, but performance is identical at a much reduced price point. Also, the P5E Deluxe can be flashed to the Rampage Formula BIOS to produce even more performance. Check out our forthcoming review on this motherboard, right here on ABT!
