Motherboard Recommendation Please

I am posting this for my hubby who has a coworker with a 14 year old son who wants to upgrade his computer for gaming.

Any recommendations for a reasonable motherboard to build on to to make a gaming computer.

He has a full size tower.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Ana :wavb:

It all depends on whether he's going with an Intel or an AMD processor. Oh, and how much he wants to spend!

And the dimensions of his tower. My recommendation would be to visit New Egg and read through their information about motherboards.

He'll also need to decide if the existing hardware will be transferred to the new board because the motherboard and hardware will have to match as far as connectors are concerned.

What games will he be playing, and how much memory do each require? What type of video card do they require? Is the power supply adequate? What type of CPU does he want? Does he want on board sound or a separate sound card?

If he Googles gaming computer he may be able to find articles listing everything needed to have a good gaming computer.

Apparently he is open to either one. Which one is better for gaming?

He is 14, so I would say as reasonable as possible.

(It's hard being the person in the middle, I knew I needed more info )

You always hear about the middle man...how come we don't here more from the middle women?

I am feeling more like the monkey in the middle.

Non-techie here! I don't know about AMD but I'm perfectly happy with my Intel Core i5.

Gil.

I hope some AMD users will chime in because I'm not familiar with them. I use Intel because I know more about them. If he decides to go with Intel, he should look for a motherboard that is compatible with the most recent Haswell Intel processors such as a Z87. Things he should look at on a motherboard are how many USB ports there are; how many would he prefer to be USB 3.0 should he get any 3.0 peripherals; what quality of onboard sound does he want if he is not putting in a discrete sound card....

Just as a starting point, this Gigabyte Z87 UD3H is an excellent mid-range board with tons of features. Asus, MSI and ASRock all have good motherboards. He could go up or down in price as his budget allows, but I would definitely suggest getting the best one he can afford. One pitfall to avoid is to get the most expensive one out there if it has all kinds of features you'll never use. Newegg is also a good resource to read actual user reviews. I always throw out the one egg reviews as they are most often from people who complain about things that don't really reflect the quality of the product.

Gigabyte Z87 UD3H

Another thing he should consider if he's upgrading an existing computer is something Homer mentioned. If he is using an old case, will it accomodate the larger ATX form factor or will he need to go with a mini-ATX motherboard? Also if he's using an old case, will it have enough fans for cooling if he's building a gaming computer with a discrete video card that will be pouring out a lot of heat? I wouldn't even consider using a small older case for a gaming computer... There are plenty of decent new cases out there for $50.

The eCollegePC website has a great configurator. He might go there and play around with different configurations. Maybe start with one of their gaming series computers and go from there. Even if he doesn't buy from them, it's a good place to see what different builds might cost.

With everything Drac said, he still needs to know computer requirements for the games he'll want to play. There's no use getting something new only to find out later it won't run everything desired.

Because a lot of newer games are graphic intensive, he should get the best video card he can afford. And as much memory as he can afford for the video card.

Yes, and once he's decided which motherboard he wants to get, then it's on to the other fun stuff like a video card!

Thanks Homer and Drac!

You're welcome, Ana.

Let us know how it goes!

For what its worth I have built computers for over 10 years. I build with AMD only and have never had a problem with running any games or programs. As far as motherboards go I would recommend ASUS. If he is only interested in gaming put your money in the memory and the video card. Hope this helps.

Thanks Rayfer! I am passing along every comment and will let you know what he decides on.

Ana

I am far from an expert with AMD but can offer a limited comparison.

Better than a year ago I bought a Toshiba Satellite 17 inch laptop. AMD rather than Intel because intel integrated graphics quite frankly falls into the category better known as Horse Feathers. The AMD version offered an ATI Raedon hybred video not a true video card but a step from the basic on board graphics.

A few weeks ago my other half's old Dell laptop appeared to be dying. Since I liked my Toshiba so much and Toshiba was willing to build one with Win 7 I bought one for her. they shipped it from China. Only took a week once shipped.

Hers is the same model 17 inch Toshiba Satellite except it has an Intel core I-3 with intel on board graphics.

The AMD graphics are far superior I see no difference in processing speed or load times etc.

There is another bonus the AMD uses a different on board audio program and codex. With the AMD audio I have the ability to use the record what you hear option. with an audio record program you can record whatever sound is playing on your system That ability comes from your audio system whether it be onboard or a sound card. It does not come from the independent recording program

The intel Toshiba Satillite version does not offer that what you hear option. The AMD version did both offer realtek on board audio

*A note about Record what you hear. Some sound cards offer that option some don't. Companies such as Sound Blaster do not tell you if that feature is included or not. I had to write requesting that information. they provided a list about 50% of sound Blaster models do the other 50% does not. Some on board audio does some does not. again they don't tell you. Realtek is the most common provider of on board audio for both Intel and AMD systems. Realtek is all over the board with including this option or not. I have three desktops and two laptops all came with Realtek on board audio Three have the capability two don't. Starting with Windows 7 MS disabled the feature but you can go into set up to enable it. I don't know what games they played with windows 8 For those who want that feature you will have to dig to find it. Likely contact the mother board people to learn what audio driver is included. the feature is built into the audio driver.

With these two identical laptops the AMD is equally as fast offering better video and better audio than the intel And it cost less

Of course all that is predicated on which processor you are buying. Both AMD and Intel offer a wide variety. When deciding make sure your choices are made by comparing equivalent processors. don't expect a low end AMD to give you results comparable to a high end Intel of vice versa.

I can only say two almost identical machines the AMD gets the better of the two. Obviously the mother boards are a bit different so there may be variables but pound for pound I'd pick the AMD in this case.

For the same amount of money spent on the processor, AMD gives more processing power. For home-built computers, my brother and I have always used AMD processors because they're a better deal.

I believe the same holds true for the ATI Raedon video cards, although the price gap has closed significantly with some of their latest releases.

I will pass this along, thanks oldmariner and Jenny.

It just so happens my hubby ordered a laptop last night that is an AMD processor. It's a first for us but he's excited. He found a deal he couldn't refuse.

Enjoy Ana, I doubt you will be diappointed. I like my AMD after a year and a half even if for several years I owned some Intel stock.

I won't be using it, but I am sure hubby will enjoy it. He doesn't game, he is an IT Director and programmer and he is sick of the computer by the end of the day.