OT: Motherboards

[mr_es335]

Good day,

I has been some time since I built a system - been using used Dell Optiplex's.

However, these unit - at least in Canada, are in very short supply and those that are - are the GEN3/GEN4's...so, way too old.

What are folks using today for current MOBO's - and which are readily available from Newegg. I have about a grand US at my disposal...needs to be nothing too fancy. Just reliable.

Thanks.

[Microstudio]

This looks a good MB its AMD but that should be no problem and be way faster than what you are using.

https://www.newegg.com/asus-rog-stri...82E16813119312

[mr_es335]

Hello,

Thanks, Micro...but I would prefer to stay with Intel-based chip-sets...sorry for not mentioning that.

[Microstudio]

Ok then just goto Newegg and search intel-based MB easy as that.

[ivanoff]

Hi, I use this one cos It has a 2 PCI slot :
https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/Z97-PC-Mate/Overview

[mr_es335]

Good day,

What do y'all think of Small Form Factor/SSF chassis?

It is getting very difficult to find Tower/Mini Towers in used systems today. Most are SFF.

I need 3xdrives...1xM.2/1xSSD/1xHDD or 2xSSD and 1xHDD.

The SFF will accommodate all three drives. My only concern would be the PSU.

Thoughts...suggestions...am still considering new....if someone has a MOBO that can be currently purchased.

[Microstudio]

I guess I have learned my lesson. In 2021 when people are asking on a forum for help on building a new computer the only thing I will offer them is to search youtube because if you try to help them you might end up hurting their feelings. Crazy!

[cgrafx]

Good day,

What do y'all think of Small Form Factor/SSF chassis?

It is getting very difficult to find Tower/Mini Towers in used systems today. Most are SFF.

I need 3xdrives...1xM.2/1xSSD/1xHDD or 2xSSD and 1xHDD.

The SFF will accommodate all three drives. My only concern would be the PSU.

Thoughts...suggestions...am still considering new....if someone has a MOBO that can be currently purchased.

Small for factor works, but there are some considerations.

1. Limited PCI slots
make sure you know how your going to connect to your outboard gear. If you want to make use of PCI buss options, than you will have limited space for cards.

2. Max Power supply wattage
Power supply options are going to be more limited and the maximum wattage of the power supply is going to be restricted as the physical size limitations reduces the cooling footprint available.

3. Heat dissipation
General cooling limits with a smaller box. This will limit both the maximum heat you can dissipate and also will affect noise, as smaller fans have to spin faster to push air (this in turn makes them inherently noisier).

In simple terms, don't try and put a 24 core CPU in a SFF box.

Personally I've been sticking with 2/4 core 65watt TDP CPUs. They consume less power and generally run at higher clock speeds (often making their single threaded operations faster then their high-core count brothers).

I also stick to real clock speeds (no speed boost or overclocking) and no hyperthreading.

It gets a little trickier if your building a system that needs to be a bit more general purpose where higher core counts can potentially make a difference.

[mr_es335]

cgrafx,

Thanks for the follow-up...always appreciated.

Bob has suggested an ASUS PRIME B365M-A, Intel Socket 1151, 8th Generation mobo...looks good to me.