Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: gyrene81 on May 26, 2011, 06:01:02 PM
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i'm in the process of building a new game system...going with amd this time and i already have the processor...not going to even look at a retail box.
what i'm looking for is a full size atx mobo with at least 4 memory slots, am3 socket (not am2 or am3+), 1 pci-e2.0 x16 slot, no onboard graphics, onboard sound chip, network interface optional. under $100 usd.
i'm torn between gigabyte and asus...seems both are getting good reviews from builders but, i'm looking for long term reliability...don't want to be stuck 3 years down the road with something that isn't supported anymore.
here are the 2 motherboards i initially thought would fill my needs:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Z65EG/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Z65EG/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ICWAV4/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ICWAV4/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER)
but i would like some opinions from others who have built their own systems...
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Heya Gyrene,
I would suggest the ASUS one: ASUS M4A87TD/USB3
it is just one ( or two ) step lower than the ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 that I chose for my new build, I picked this one because of the Newer NB 890FX and better Onboard Sound (and ability for (2) ATI VC's in Crossfire )
one interesting note I came across was I hit that True Core unlocker button/switch the other day and my Phenom II 975 X4 immediately went from the factory 3.6GHz to 3984MHz and I was not doing any tweaking or overclocking or Turbo stuff ( Trubo Clocker/Key or whatever it is )
here is a comparasion link from newegg:
( I included your 2 choices, and I included the EVO and the MB I got that I mentioned above )
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007625%2050001314&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=22%7C13-131-655%5E13-131-655-TS%2C13-131-699%5E13-131-699-TS%2C13-131-647%5E13-131-647-TS%2C13-128-431%5E13-128-431-TS
hope this might help..... Good Luck
edit: according to some AMD/ATI forums and websites... the AM3 will work both backward compatible & forward compatible with AM2/AM2+ and AM3+ ( the new Bulldozers soon to come ). all that is needed will be a BIOS update.......
TC
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One thing might want to watch, if I remember correct. Depending on the cpu you have, the memory controller may not support the higher clock speeds of the newer RAM. Been awhile since I have been to AMD websight things may have changed.
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thank you very much for the recommendation tc...i think it will very well be worth the extra $6 for the ASUS M4A87TD EVO mobo...i even went so far as to double check cpu compatibility for it and it's a shoe in for the cpu i bought.
and thank you cattb...seems there could be an issue and if you hadn't brought it up, i would have made a bad choice in memory speed for the cpu model i have.
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2 years ago I'd of said the Asus, now I would say the Gigabyte.
Just been hearing about more people with problems with Asus boards than those with Gigabyte.
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I own a M4A79XTD EVO with a Phenom II X4 975 on top of it...very satisfying for what I do.
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2 years ago I'd of said the Asus, now I would say the Gigabyte.
Just been hearing about more people with problems with Asus boards than those with Gigabyte.
ya i know what you mean ghost...asus has some serious ups and downs...what i've been seeing is problems on the nforce chipset/amd cpu combinations and there is no real rhyme or reason to it...for this build i'm going strictly ati/amd and see if i can avoid any issue.
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I don't know if price is a factor but this is the motherboard i have in my rig right now and I love it.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5083737&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE
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I don't know if price is a factor but this is the motherboard i have in my rig right now and I love it.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5083737&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE
you got an amd processor to work on that board? :bolt: :lol :neener:
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If I were going for a higher end board I might consider ASUS but Gigabyte seems to dominate the lower end of the price spectrum in terms of features and user satisfaction. I'd lean toward Gigabyte if I were you but you have to make sure whatever memory you put in it is on the compatibility list for that board on their web-site.
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Gigabyte all the way.
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you got an amd processor to work on that board? :bolt: :lol :neener:
WHOOPS my bust I didn't read the OP fully.
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Gigabyte all the way.
+1 :aok
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http://www.1800tequila.com/age_gate.php try this it will make any processor work on any mobo.
semp
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I have the Gigabyte one, but for Intel, 1366 socket.
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thanks for the suggestions fellas...now i'm busy comparing mobo architecture between asus and gigabyte...reading technical reviews, mfg technical docs, etc... :rolleyes: ...mind boggling. there are some big differences in the choices the companies make with the northbridge and southbridge chipsets that can either enhance or degrade overall performance...then there are the choices in sound chips and network chips... :huh :headscratch:
:cry my eyes are bleeding...i'm just going to use a dual core althlonII x2 255 regor 3.1Ghz to start since ah is the only game i play at this time and the speed is fast enough to handle what i do...i will eventually upgrade to a phenomII black edition quad core once the prices have dropped considerably on the faster ones.
i'm seriously considering the 890fx chipset with the sb850 southbridge for future potential but what i've been reading in customer reviews at several retail sites...the 870/sb850 chipset is the "safer choice"...and where the reviews are concerned, gigabyte is kicking asus around mostly from documentation and bios complexity.
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ASUS all the way. Regardless of performance differences, the Asus board will be as robust and reliable as they come.