Currently using an ASRock old board that got me from AGP to PCIE and 180 pin memory to 240 pin memory over time. Was nice bridge to new hardware at the time.Now would like to get a new board but since my lo-budget philosophy is to stay at least one "generation" behind i7 and $300 boards are not in my arena. Currently use Dualcore e4400 clocked from 2ghz to 2.5ghz. Video is nVidia 8600/256mb, memory is 2gb-800. Note- motherboard only capable of PCIe at 4x. Probably a factor.FSX performs well so long as I stay out of NYC. By well - medium clouds, no traffic, medium view distance, 1x water. 20 to 30fps.Want to retain my DDR2 800 memory, CPU and video card. Will replace them when recession fund permit. So any suggestions for $100>$150 board that has some upgrade potential and reliability?

Get a good P45 board like the P5Q series from Asus or the UD3 series from Gigabyte. Even Biostar's TPower I45 board has gotten rave reviews for its excellent overclocking capabilities. Yes, Biostar.

Get a good P45 board like the P5Q series from Asus or the UD3 series from Gigabyte. Even Biostar's TPower I45 board has gotten rave reviews for its excellent overclocking capabilities. Yes, Biostar.

Indeed the Biostar looks like the best choice. It has the highest acceptance given a reasonable sample. 85% positive(4&5) is good. Do you know if this type of board with one PATA/IDE port can only handle 2 IDE discs. I assume that is the case so my DVD drive would be a problem given I have 1 SATA and 2 IDE drives.