Help me with a new motherboard

1ddqd

Scenario: Micro-ATX Gaming PC

Here's what I already have:

Intel Q6700 proc
Intel DG33TL mobo
2GB Geil Evo One DDR2-1066
BFG 8800 GTX 768MB Watercooled
Razer Barracuda AC-1
Seagate 500gb 7200.11 (32mb cache)
PC Power & Cooling 610W

The problem is, my water pump died last week. I ordered a new one, but now I get a long, continuous (dead) beep from my mobo. I'm replacing it with another (came in a package, didn't really want it anyways).

I just want to make sure I'm getting the board for me. Basically, this system is gaming/HD-HTPC. Here's what I was looking at:

ASUS P5E-VM HDMI

Asus P5N-EM

Foxconn M7PMX-S

Now, they all have HDMI and onboard (yay! dual monitor + HDTV!) but my question is this: is the P5E-VM worth the extra $60? I see reviews saying so, but no "real-world" reviews from users b/c it's still new

.kbf?

It looks like the difference is the EM doesn't support dual channel ram, which is wierd (3 DIMMs? wtf)

I can almost guarantee that the VM also has much better overclocking capabilities if that's what you going for.

1ddqd

It is, but I want to be sure it's worth the extra money. I realize that in cases where the motherboard is under stress, a higher price tag usually means higher quality, especially with Asus. I guess I just want validation lol

SpiralStairs

i thought that 'VM' on mobos stood for 'Value Model' and normaly had any ability to change your clock speeds (or whatever it is you do these days to overclock) disabled completely.

didn't check the link or anything, just throwing this out there while i have mobos on my mind.

1ddqd

Apparently they threw that out the window, a silentpc.com review shows unlocked multiplier and tons of core voltage options, only missing undervolting as an option.

.kbf?

1ddqd wrote: »

It is, but I want to be sure it's worth the extra money. I realize that in cases where the motherboard is under stress, a higher price tag usually means higher quality, especially with Asus. I guess I just want validation lol

Well you get what you pay for. The more expensive (the exception I've found is brand new "unproved" technology) the better quality although your average end user would probably never notice the difference.

Edit: if a majority of the use this computer will be getting is something resource intensive (gaming for instance) then you'd be better of with the vm. Otherwise you cant really beat saving some cash... No point paying for something you wont use

1ddqd

Good point; been rolling that around in my head. I think this next paycheck, we'll see my system back up and running