Motherboard Recommendations

[BoomerD]

I had originally posted this in the "ASUS Sucks" thread that was necro'd, but I think I'll get more response here.

I've been an ASUS fan for many years. The only other board I've ever used to build a system with was an ECS board a few years back...and then, only because it was "priced right" from a good friend. The ECS board was nothing but trouble right from the start...and when the board's AGP slot fried and took my nVidia 6800GT with it...I replaced the mobo with an ASUS. (and a new card) It's been as good as I could have asked...or expected, BUT, with ASUS outsourcing to ECS, I get nervous about buying a new ASUS board. I've been looking at MSI's mid-range (~$150) boards for my new build.

Anyone have any input on that brand? Good stories, horror stories, whatever...I hear they're pretty good...but have zero personal experience.

Also, gigabyte gets good reviews, but I have never owned one of their boards.

Whatcha think folks? Most likely going to be going with the I5-750 or 760 processor. (unless I get a screaming good deal on the i7-870...very similar benchmarks with the i5's)

I'm not an overclocker, but would like to learn...so having a motherboard that makes it easier for an OC noob is a good thing.

Decent on-board sound is a plus. Not mandatory, but I'd rather not have to buy a sound card right now.

 

[superccs]

MSI has been solid for me lately. I have a 890gx mainboard and a cyclone 460gtx of theirs. Both are quality hardware.

Gigabyte has been very solid as well with their mainboards and gpus. The 3 boards I have atleast were problem free and exceeded my expectations for longevity and customer service.

 

[flexcore]

I'll give a vote for Gigabyte. I got the 890gx board and it is stable and clocks good.
I get the impression that if you get a ASUS board that works, you will love it. If not your in for headaches. The apparent number of problem boards from ASUS could just be they sell that many more tho.
I've had issues with MSI and I know they had boards that had problems frying when used with AMD x6 CPUs.

 

[mb103051]

if asus isnt your groove go with gigabyte...ive had stellar results with both since 1996..
msi is a consideration too...

 

[hotboyz012345]

Gigabyte motherboards is known for longevity so if u want to live without worrying about your motherboards for atleast 5-7 years than gigabyte is the best.

 

[BoomerD]

My current ASUS board has been completely trouble-free, other than not having Vista support. It's a P4P800E-Deluxe...and was considered VERY good...in 2004. I've owned a couple other ASUS boards over the years that were also as good as I could have expected...BUT, as others have said, with the huge numbers produced, I'm sure some bad ones slip past quality control now and again.
I'm more concerned about the recent (or not so recent according to other people) revelation that ASUS is outsourcing its motherboard production to ECS. That by itself is enough to make me very leery. Nearly everyone I've known who had an ECS board had problems of one kind or another.

It sounds like many people like the Gigabyte boards...I'll browse their offerings as well.

GPU's from MSI and Gigabyte as well? :hmm:

 

[Big Lar]

My current ASUS board has been completely trouble-free, other than not having Vista support. It's a P4P800E-Deluxe...and was considered VERY good...in 2004. I've owned a couple other ASUS boards over the years that were also as good as I could have expected...BUT, as others have said, with the huge numbers produced, I'm sure some bad ones slip past quality control now and again.
I'm more concerned about the recent (or not so recent according to other people) revelation that ASUS is outsourcing its motherboard production to ECS. That by itself is enough to make me very leery. Nearly everyone I've known who had an ECS board had problems of one kind or another.

It sounds like many people like the Gigabyte boards...I'll browse their offerings as well.

GPU's from MSI and Gigabyte as well? :hmm:

I've run the P4P800E-D myself before, nice stable board.I am running an Asus P5Q-D right now, actually have been for about 3 years I guess, never a glitch at all, I would expect you to get recomendations to quite a few brands here, however what I have used in the past is; MSI, a fair board but not the best in longevity. Giga, I had nothing but bios issues with the last one I ran, but then again it was a socket 939. DFI, too many headaches all around with them and I ran many. I think I may try an EVGA next if Asus is indeed outsourcing to ECS.
Vid cards, my preferences, Nvidia is EVGA, AMD is XFX,HIS. Just IMHO.

Larry

 

[BoomerD]

I went ahead and ordered the ASUS P7P55D-E Pro. ASUS boards have always been my first choice...we'll see.

Thanks for the input folks.

 

[3Ddzyner]

Good choice on Asus I must say. 1st Gigabyte in 12 builds died after 2.5 years. I'm starting new build now and skipping "Giveabite - out of my wallet".

 

[hotboyz012345]

No my friend asus is good but not the best. I use 10 pcs with 6 gigabyte and 4 asus from last 3.5 years and all asus boards gave problem after completing 2 years so my vote for gigabyte.

 

[SirGCal]

When I look at motherboards; Gigabyte, MSI and Asus are the top one's I look at. Every manufacturer has it's own issues now and again but with the hundreds of systems I've built over the years (no joke), those have been the best three in terms of reliability. I also look over Biostar now and again. They occasionally have a great bang for the buck product and actually have one in one of my HTPCs right now and two of my servers. But there is no perfect manufacturer. I've had boards from every brand fail at some point or another. Simple fact of mass-manufacturing. I tend to stay away from the really cheap manufacturers but often their products work just fine also. There is no guarantee in this industry accept the warranty with the company and how they will treat you if you do have an issue. I've had good experiences with all the major brands for the most part accept perhaps turn-around time.

 

[stevech]

I've owned, that I recall, one ECS and 6 ASUS - all different models and years.
ECS failed. Had bugs in BIOS. Had glitches in the VIA chipsets.

Zero problems with the ASUSes