Karnak,
Before you buy anything read the MSI users forum here. It has lots of good tips that will make your life much easier.
I just built a Athlon 64 3200 system with the MSI K8N Neo and love it. But there are some gotchas to be aware of !
The single MOST IMPORTANT gotcha for that board is the power supply. Note it's not just total power, but specifically the 12V rail!
:
No single component in a computer system is more important than the Power Supply.
With the advent of AMD's Athlon64 series of processors, this subject has to rank at the top
when it comes to component selection. In an effort not to influence or possibly mislead potential PSU buyers, it is felt that we should only provide the necessary requirements that are needed for these newer processor/motherboard combinations. Absolutely of utmost importance is amperage ratings - and especially on the +12v line. A suggested safe minimum of 24a on the +12v rail. There have seen some members that are satisfied with their 18 or 20amps on +12v....but as they add components to their systems, the requirement will likely change - and a bigger supply may be needed to power their system. While you don't need more than you will use, having a buffer that allows you to do some upgrades without having to change your PSU in the near future is always a good investment.
Please review this excellent article from ExtremeOverclockers.com It will provide you with valuable technical information and has some great tips for choosing the right power supply for your system!
http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/artic...ly_Guide_1.htmlClick the Users Forum here:
http://forum.msi.com.tw/board.php?boardid=28&sid=561d5b6880e9ac5e27ea05e54ad7c874Finally, IMHO the socket 939 boards and CPUs are overpriced compared to the socket 754 boards and CPUs if you are looking at a price to performance comparison. You can save hundreds$ and have 99% of the real world performance in AHII.
