Hi,

I want a mobo that is am2 and am2+ compatible. I will buy a AMDX2 cpu then later when the phenoems are more avaible I will upgrade to those.

I was wondering, do motherboards still have a cap (hz. limit) and if so how can I find them?


Also does the chipset make a difference when it comes to nvidia and ati?

If you want to recommened mobos, I would like to stay with in $75-$175 range

thanks

Get an AMD 780g chipset based mobo with support for 140w tdp phenoms, check mobo makers website for compatibility for the 9950 phenom

Most AM2 mobo were suppose to be compatible with AM2+ CPU but it didn't turn out very well in teh end.

Get an AM2+ one. Depending on the type of build you whant to do, suggestion could be made.

Most motherboard makers have a CPU support list for their motherboards. I know Asus and Gigabyte have been fairly good at updating their motherboard bioses to support new processors. However, they seem update the more expensive boards longer.

I have a Gigabyte 690V AM2 board that will only support the B2 Phenoms. They have not updated the bios for newer Phenoms, but the Gigabyte 690G boards (more expensive, but still under $100) have updates for some of the newer phenoms.

I agree with Blackwidow. Get a 780g motherboard, and make sure it is the top of the line model with the most features you can afford - since they seem to support those longer.

thanks you guys

frostys- I'm looking a midrange gaming rig, as i said before i'll be upgrading later but i don't feel the price vs performance is up to par enough for me to spend money on an am2+

everyone else-can you guys link me to some 780g boards...

do you guys have a website you frequent for upcoming computer products, the ones i used to use arn't that great anymore

Go to newegg, look for a product you like, google for reviews on it and there you have it

I second Newegg - don't just go by the egg rating though - look at the number and quality of the user reviews. If there are 200 people that reviewed an item and it has 5 eggs - probably good - at least for what those people were expecting. If there are 2 reviews - good or bad - I would be cautious but consider the company and other products they produce. Only a couple of reviews usually means it is a new model. . . or one you don't want.

Black Widow has a great idea there - BUT

I don't think they exist - YET - and I would love to be wrong on that point!

I have been tracking 780G mobos for a while - you should definitely read this link very slowly,

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3299

and click on the link in the first line to the "original" article. (also)

Basically you have to stay below TDP of 90 watts - so (most) athlonx2 cpu's (less than 6000) are ok - but only the lower phenoms will work - or else "pop goes the mosfet" (read the anand article). Some peeps are running Phenoms and no trouble (I guess?) AMD released a statement re this issue also - see end of my post!

I am currently looking at the asus 780g board - it has a 3-yr warranty - what's interesting is that this mobo has disappeared from the asus site, altho it's still selling at various retailers online.

The mobos for 140 watts are rumours or planned, AFAIK, so prove me wrong, and link me to the ones that will handle hi power cpu's.

You need to look carefully at "cpu support lists" BEYOND what's said in the "overview" of the mobo, cos things have changed since the boards were first released, and MAYBE the overview info is updated (or not). And this is bottom line re anands article - it's a shakeup.

The 780g boards are amazing for features - just be careful - and future plans might be an issue. So yes - where are the 140 watt models???? And the 790FX models are rumoured for update to a 790FX/7xx south bridge, rather than the current 790FX/690 chipset. Where are those, also.

Please prove me wrong Black Widow. or anyone else.

end.
end.
statement below -


(amd statement)
AMD confirmed Monday that some motherboard suppliers are mismatching high-end quad-core Phenom processors with a lower-end chipset. (The motherboard is the main circuit board in a PC. The chipset allows the processor to interact with other components, among other functions.)

"What people have done, mistakenly, is paired a 780G (chipset-based) motherboard with the higher frequency Phenom--the 125-watt Phenom," said Jake Whitman, an AMD spokesperson.

Whitman is referring to the fact that the high-end 9750 and 9850 Phenom processors have a Thermal Design Power (TDP or thermal envelope) of 125 watts versus the lower-end 9600 and 9550 models that have a TDP of 95 watts. The higher-watt parts will not work with motherboards that contain the 780G chipset. The lower-end models do not have these TDP issues.

"They've taken an enthusiast-class quad-core part and paired it with a mainstream motherboard," Whitman said. "And not all motherboard manufacturers have tweaked their boards to support a 125-watt TDP." Whitman says that AMD's 790 chipset--not the 780--should be paired with the 9750 and 9850 processors and that a number of motherboard makers are already doing this.

"We've never made claims that 780G motherboards are enthusiast-class motherboards," Whitman said.

I'd go for the 770 chipset as they support the 125W models and also are cheap, I have the GA-MA-770 DS3 and no major problems with it so far.

ZootyGray, a large number of the 780G boards on Newegg support the 125W Phenoms. Some don't say they do unless you go to the manufacturer site. Gigabyte makes it really easy. They have a link on each motherboard page for supported CPUs, and many of their mATX boards support 125W phenoms. Asus and MSI don't make it so easy, but Newegg helps out on some with notes in red about CPU support. However, as far as I can tell, the 140W Phenom is blatantly missing on any 780G board.

-edited-

-edited-

cool thanks you guys, do you know when the next batch of ati cards will be released? that way i can just nab an 48xx when the price drops again?

it looks like i am def going for amd brand chipsets & ati then!

what is the difference between the 750, 780, 790 's can someone link me to an article? what do these numbers mean, and how can i tell which is better? thanks

also when should we expect to see 140w mobo's out in the wild?

Well if they bring the manufacturing process down to 45nm I don't think there'll be 140W ones for a while. I've done a similar job where I've got an x2 6000 for now and when the 45nm deneb chips come out i'll grab one of those (as long as they're not just AM3 but I read somewhere there were plans to do some for AM2+). The 780 is a media center board really, the 770 is a low end all purpose board, the 790s are supposed to be high end but unless you need crossfire or sli (in the 750 case) then there's little point in getting them. I'd stick with the 770 or wait for the newer boards. The only issue with the 770 chipset is that it may not get as much support for the high end chips as it's a lower end model.

thanks everyone for your help, most of my questions have been answered

I'll wait for the 140w with sb750 to come out and then play it by ear.

I am def going am2/am2+ and ati!




between the 790 i noticed there variations with fx, v and stuff like that, whats the deal with that? Which is better for cross fire?

Also can I get some feedback/reccomendations/pro-cons/brand comments on these power supplies... two scenerios: i do the hd4950 as a single card... or later down the line i upgrade to crossfire

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