Need Suggestions for a Solid, Stable AM2 Board

[Stoney]

I was inquiring a few weeks ago about a decent 939 board for a new build but with the huge AMD price drops my friend decided to go AM2 and to take advantage of some nice X2 offerings.

This system I will be building for a friend will be a non-gaming, non-overclocking rig for the purposes of Window Office work, Windows Publishing, video and picture editing, online banking, DVD burning, internet surfing, downloading music and other things, and other applications such as Quick Books.

I have done a lot of research into AM2 boards, including here, but there is so much to consider I could use some help in finding a good board. A number of them seem to be picky about RAM while some others have issues with certain X2 cores.

He figures with what it will be used for it should last him for some time, thus the need desire for a solid, steady and reliable motherboard.

I did look seriously into the Asus M2N-E nForce 570 Ultra MCP but I have read online of MANY people having issues with this board even at stock settings.

Desired Parameters:

1. Buget: $75 - $125

3. Can do at least 8 Gigs of RAM (for the future); but 4 Gigs is definitely doable.

Here is what I have been seriously considering. Let me know what you think.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813123019

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128034

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138026

Thanks.

[odannyboy000]

The first two have onboard graphics, is that intended?

[Stoney]

The first two have onboard graphics, is that intended?

Only because the boards have it, but the they can be disabled because both boards also have PCI-e slots.

[saphalline]

$75 - Asus M2A-VM retail
$77 - MSI K9NBPM2-FID retail

And what bad reviews have you seen with the Asus M2N-E? My friend, Orion, has the SLI version and it's working flawlessly for him.

[Stoney]

saph, AnandTech has a dedicated thread on their forums for the M2N-E and a goodly number of people have been having issues. Of course, the majority are ocing but a few are running at stock speed. plus, I am looking at the non-Sli version.

By the way, I've never worked with a Micro board before. besides the size, anything else to be aware of?

[odannyboy000]

Not for what your looking to do.

[saphalline]

They're smaller and have less expansion slots. They also use about 30% less power for the mobo itself, but that's insignificant to the rest of the system.

That's about it.