New build under $1,250?

There's no such thing as a 15-inch graphics card, lol. The longest ones out there top out at around 11 inches. Just Google it.

That should be plenty to get you both the warranty papers and the building permit 🤣

Timothy Kim60 said:there's no such thing as a 40cm card lol, they max out around 29cm, just google it

Check Best Buy online; the width is 23 cm and the length is 40 cm

You could've easily dropped some cash on a cheaper motherboard if you're already blowing $8,800 on this setup:-/

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Well, you could have easily dropped some of that $8,800 budget on a cheaper motherboard instead. :-/

In my view, the motherboard isn't really the most critical component for what I need to do, especially since I'm running an Intel Core i5-4440 that doesn't support overclocking anyway. It has everything required for a standard non-OC gaming setup. I think mellowtiger83 made some valid points there. At the end of the day, gaming performance depends 0% on the motherboard. Does anyone know if there will be any noticeable drop in stability or any actual differences if I swap out the Fortron Au 600W Power Supply for this Raider sa 650W Power Supply, which is $67 cheaper?

briskmason6 said:Look, the motherboard isn't even a priority for what I'm doing with an Intel Core i5-4440 since overclocking isn't an option anyway. It has everything I need for a basic non-OC gaming rig. I think mellowtiger83 made some good points; at the end of the day, gaming performance doesn't depend on the board one bit. Also, if anyone knows—will there be any noticeable drop in quality if I swap out the Fortron Au 600W for this Raider sa 650W which is $67 cheaper?

The whole thing isn't about whether the motherboard affects your FPS while you play.
The point is that a solid motherboard is the foundation for a decent PC. Even if the board has all your checkboxes filled, like USB 3.0 and whatever else...

Putting a $100 board in a build that costs nearly 900 bucks just to squeeze out every single frame is honestly a joke.
But hey, your money, your call. 🙂

Robert Rodriguez2 said:The whole debate isn't actually about whether your motherboard is going to boost your FPS while you're gaming.
The real point is that a solid motherboard serves as the foundation for a reliable PC... Even if the board technically has everything you need, like USB 3.0 and all that stuff...

Putting a board from $100 into a rig that costs nearly $900 just to squeeze out every last drop of performance feels a little silly to me.
But hey, at the end of the day, it's your money and your call. 🙂

Why though?

briskmason6 said:Check the listing on Best Buy; it says the width is 23 cm and the length is 40 cm.

Well, here’s what the specs actually say on the site:

Dimensions: L=294mm, W=141mm, H=41mm

So that's 29.4 cm. There's clearly a typo somewhere.

So, I just picked this up. 🙂
The Aerocool GT White Advance case should be fine. It’ll fit a graphics card that's 29 cm long.
They didn't have that AOC monitor in stock, so I ended up grabbing a Dell 23 IPS LED instead.
Everything else remains exactly the same.
It looks like everything will end up being delivered in a single box after all. $13 By the end of the week. 😁

That Acer is actually a solid deal for the price you're paying.

Do you guys have this AOC in stock? According to the website they do, which means their pages aren't exactly up to date.

Those guys have a point; there is simply no sense in opting for such an inexpensive motherboard, for several different reasons.

Performance metrics might remain identical, but higher-end boards offer superior PCB quality, better capacitors, and so on—plus they actually look decent, though since you aren't using a plexiglass case, that is somewhat irrelevant.🙂

Yeah, it seems like they don't really import this AOC model over here. The guy swapped in a different SSHD for me, and I just realized I completely missed the fact that there isn't a keyboard included with the rig. Because of that SSHD upgrade, the price ended up being $8.80 higher, so it explains why the total felt a bit off... now what? Should I give him a call to see if he can toss the keyboard in too, and would I have to pay for it via a bank transfer or something?

Just shoot them an email

I'll give you a call tomorrow

mellowtiger83 said:Guys, they’ve got a point here. There isn't much sense in grabbing such a budget motherboard, and there are actually quite a few reasons why.

Even if the raw performance ends up being the same, those pricier boards usually come with a much higher quality PCB, better capacitors, and all that good stuff. Plus, they just look a lot nicer—though I guess if you aren't rocking a clear acrylic case, the aesthetics might not matter as much to you.🙂

But what does that actually give you besides just looking pretty?

Are those high-end boards actually more durable when it comes to things like physical warping, heat resistance, or whatever else?

granitegull51 said:What does that actually get you besides looks?

Are those expensive boards more resistant to bending, heat, or whatever?

Basically better capacitors. Cleaner power delivery to the components—PCI lanes, RAM, the CPU itself.

You won't find that on a board from $100.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Basically, you get better capacitors, which means cleaner power delivery to all the motherboard components—the PCI lanes, the RAM, the CPU itself, and so on...

But you aren't going to find that kind of quality on a board from $100.

Sure, maybe, but honestly, it doesn't really change anything in practice.

It’s kind of like when they tested those HDMI cables ranging from 35-$667 feet; there was absolutely no noticeable difference:

http://hdtelevizija.com/2009/11/28/t...o-kvalitete/2/

Why does a Rolex cost $10,000 while a Casio is only $50? It really comes down to build quality—it’s just built better, plain and simple. You see that same logic applied when you're picking out motherboards, too. If you go out and buy a board for... $100 That doesn't necessarily mean it won't work or that it's just bad—you're still going to get some decent overclocking headroom out of it. Plus, you'll get better capacitors, so you aren't risking everything on cheap components. There's a reason manufacturers bother making both low-end boards and high-end ones, right?

Comparing an HDMI cable to a motherboard is kind of a reach 🤣

A pricier board just means better build quality, superior components, more slots, and more headroom overall.
Since the CPU isn't exactly a power hog, the one from $100 would probably get the job done, but given what this whole rig costs, pairing it with the $100 feels a bit ridiculous.

fadedorca66 said:You really can't compare an HDMI cable to a motherboard 🤣

I mean, they're both just wires inside plastic wrappers, right?😉

Sure, having extra slots might be great if you're deep into overclocking, but honestly, I don't think the average buyer actually cares about that. Most modern motherboards these days already come packed with plenty of slots, plus built-in audio, networking, the whole nine yards...

A lot of that premium pricing is just pure marketing—kind of like how people justify buying a Rolex-Casio. If someone wants to pay extra for the name, hey, that's on them.

It would only make sense for the price to be higher if the boards were physically sturdier or had significantly better cooling solutions, but I have my doubts that's actually what's happening here.