[stettybet0]

Intel motherboards are very crippled when it comes to BIOS features. For example, the motherboard jt1990 suggested will only give 1.8V or 1.9V to the RAM. Many DDR2 RAM sticks require up to 2.2V. I recommend this board, which is the same price, but from a reputable motherboard brand with a robust BIOS.

Conroe:
Core 2 Duos numbered E6xx0 have Conroe cores. Conroe Core 2 Duos numbered E6x00 have a 1066mhz FSB and either 2MB L2 cache (E6300 or E6400) or 4MB L2 cache (all others). Core 2 Duos numbered E6x20 are identical to their E6x00 counterparts, but they have 4MB L2 cache. Core 2 Duos numbered E6x50 have a 1333mhz FSB and 4MB L2 cache. The E6540, the only Core 2 Duo to end in E6x40, is identical to the E6550, but doesn't have Intel Trusted Execution Technology and vPro support. All Conroe Core 2 Duos are fabricated on a 65nm manufacturing process.

Allendale:
Core 2 Duos numbered E4x00 have Allendale cores. All Allendale Core 2 Duos have 2MB L2 cache and a 800mhz FSB. Allendales with half of their L2 cache disabled are sold under the Pentium Dual-Core brand name. Allendales with 3/4 of their L2 cache disabled are sold under the Celeron brand name. All Allendales, be they Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual-Core, or Celeron, are fabricated on a 65nm manufacturing process.

Wolfdale:
Core 2 Duos numbered E7x00 or E8x00 have Wolfdale cores. The Wolfdale core is the successor of the Conroe core. Wolfdale Core 2 Duos numbered E7x00 have 3MB L2 cache and a 1066mhz FSB. Wolfdale Core 2 Duos numbered E8x00 have 6MB L2 cache and a 1333mhz FSB. All Wolfdales are fabricated on a 45nm manufacturing process, allowing them to consume less power and emit less heat than Conroes. Additionally, Wolfdale contains the SSE4.1 instruction set, which is useful to multimedia applications.

If you are looking for a cheap Core 2 Duo, I'd recommend the E7200.

EDIT: One 1GB module of RAM will use less power than two 512MB modules of RAM. It will also give you more room to upgrade down the road. With DDR2 prices so cheap, there's really no reason you shouldn't get the one 1GB module.

Edited by stettybet0, 11 August 2008 - 01:28 PM.

[Advertisements]

Interesting... kwasi, no there isn't really a difference in 2 512MB sticks from 1 1GB stick, (that I'm aware of) except for the amount of space it takes on the mobo. There may be allocation issues, but I don't know about that.

[jt1990]

Interesting... kwasi, no there isn't really a difference in 2 512MB sticks from 1 1GB stick, (that I'm aware of) except for the amount of space it takes on the mobo. There may be allocation issues, but I don't know about that.

[kwasi]

Thanks a ton, but I read the reviews and everyoen suggested a cheaper G31. Any major downgrades/issues?

I planned on using same everything else but I read another topic about reusing HDD and the response was that you will have to reinstall windows but my problem is my computer didn't come with a disk.

Edited by kwasi, 11 August 2008 - 02:22 PM.

[stettybet0]

Compared to the G31, the G33 allows for double the memory (4 RAM slots instead of 2). The G33 also has a better southbridge chipset, which gives improved RAID performance and improved overclocking stability. The G33 also has more USB ports, and typically comes with more cables in the box.

If you want to go with the G31, this motherboard would be your best bet.

If Windows came pre-installed on your computer, you will need to buy a new copy to use with a new motherboard, according to Microsoft's EULA.

[kwasi]

I don't think I will need 4 RAM slots or 6 USB, I don't plan on overclocking, I don't know what RAID performance is, and do I need more cables?

About Windows shouldn't it be partitioned on my HDD? Is there a way of obtaining it?

[stettybet0]

Legally, the copy of Windows you have is bound to your motherboard. Therefore, if you get a new motherboard, you must also get a new copy of Windows.

The difference in cables between the G33 and G31 motherboards is one SATA cable. Things like hard drives and optical drives (CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives) can use SATA cables. However, if you are re-using your old hard drive and optical drive, they will already have cables, so the cables that come with the motherboard won't be necessary.

[kwasi]

Well that stinks, would you happen to know where I could find a cheap copy of XP? Also what's the difference in OEM and retail?

Edited by kwasi, 11 August 2008 - 07:10 PM.

[Troy]

If you want to go with the G31, this motherboard would be your best bet.

This motherboard is a great budget board - I have upgraded a mate's system with it, and while it doesn't have much in the way of upgrade options down the track, it's a solid, stable motherboard. I recommend it. Throw in 2x RAM sticks and it supports dual channel mode.

Well that stinks, would you happen to know where I could find a cheap copy of XP? Also what's the difference in OEM and retail?

Yeah it does stink to a certain extent, but that's the trade-off between purchasing OEM over Retail. Any prebuilt system you buy (i.e. Gateway, HP, Dell, etc...) will have an OEM copy of Windows installed. It's much cheaper this way, but if you get a new computer (or significantly change parts, such as we are doing in this thread), you have to purchase a new version of Windows. So if you purchase the OEM version yourself (say from Newegg), it's going to be stuck to the build or upgrade for which you bought it. The retail version - though much more expensive - is yours for life, as long as it's only on one computer at a time.

If you want it cheap, then shop around online - I'm sure you'll see some price difference between various e-tailers.

Cheers

Troy

[kwasi]

Recovery disks wouldn't work?

[jt1990]

Not legally. And you'll run into issues when you try to Activate Windows.