Free & Discounted motherboards with some AMD CPUs at Micro Center stores
 

If you're looking to (re)build a PC, and especially if you're planning on getting an AMD CPU, Micro Center is the place to go if you have a store nearby. (While they sell stuff online, this is in store only, though you can reserve for in store pickup).

http://www.microcenter.com/specials/...ndlePROMO.html

No end date listed and it's been going on for over a month, but I made sure to get in on it a couple weeks ago with the Phenom II X4 840 and free Asus motherboard. They beat NewEgg and Tiger Direct's prices on the CPUs in the first place, so this is a fantastic deal. You'd pay about the same price for the lowest priced boxed Sempron and lowest priced compatible motherboard at NewEgg as you would for the Phenom II X2 that is the lowest priced CPU included in the offer. And then for $8 more is the X4 I opted to pick up, followed by several more 4 and 6 core options.

If you're looking for Intel Core CPUs they have some bundle deals regularly but not as an ongoing promotion. Still, keep an eye on their site, because when the deals are live, they do trump NewEgg, sometimes by a lot.

Very nice. I'll have to stick this on our Facebook and Twitter feeds, as well as email some friends and colleagues near those stores.
Sadly, I'm 3 hours from the nearest Microcenter right now.

Microcenter Stores are like Toys 'R Us for adults. :)

Micro Center really is a wonderful store. They have EVERYTHING (including large build your own PC and book departments) and the prices are great. Verbatim AZO DVD-Rs are $21.99/100 as of my last visit, which is one heck of an everyday price. I even like their cheap impulse buy stuff at the front of the store.

The rebuilt PC is working great, FWIW. Having not done a rebuild in a long time, I was struck by how quiet and effective the stock AMD coolers are. 29C idle temp, 31C to 35C average use, and ~45C under heavier loads which then cool down fast. The whole system is inaudible unless I put my ear right next to it. I wanted a PC that just ran smoothly with no drama, and I got it for a very reasonable price by rebuilding by old system.

Deal has been updated to change around some of the motherboard options. Some AM3+ boards are now included, even in the free tier, allowing Bulldozer CPU compatibility for whenever you'd want to upgrade. The Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P board looks like the best board in the "free" tier (well, it's actually $10 with the bundle and then has a $10 rebate) because it's AM3+ and supports 125W CPUs while the straight up free Asus AM3+ board only supports 95W.

At first I felt a little annoyed about it (I figured part of the deal was anticipating Bulldozer so they were clearing out the straight AM3 boards and to a lesser extent the CPUs) but then I realized that they'll probably have another great bundle deal whenever I to end up wanting to upgrade to Bulldozer. It'll just be more work and require a new Windows installation. Maybe I'll want a new case by then anyway, mine has outdated front USB headers. :)

I need to buy a new motherboard, have the CPU already, and am wondering if some of these are good deals. Not yet compared, but thankful for this post. I can at least add it to my sites to be researched. What I really need is a system that can run 24/7/365 without melting itself. It's replacing a system that went almost 5 years without reboots or shutdowns. A server would probably be smarter, and I may look into that, too.