Solid AM3 Motherboard

First let me say I have NO AMD experience. I've built myself one rig (Intel) and I've helped friends select parts and build other Intel rigs. I have NEVER built using AMD or selected parts for AMD.

I am upgrading my wifes computer. Hers was bought off the rack so to speak about 3 years ago, and its been having various problems here and there so I'm trying to upgrade her CPU/MoBo/RAM. She does nothing more than casual internet browsing, WOW, and maybe starting to do some basic work with Photoshop (she's looking into some amateur photography, if it gets more serious later I'd look to build her a whole new rig). I want something that will be solid for awhile looking at those needs so as to not have to upgrade again before we do look at dumping the whole machine.

I am going to get her the PhenomIIx4 945 Deneb:

AMD Phenom II X4 945 - Phenom II X4 Deneb Quad-Core 3.0 GHz Socket AM3 125W Processor - HDX945FBGIBOX - Newegg.com

Buy AMD Phenom II X4 945 - Phenom II X4 Deneb Quad-Core 3.0 GHz Socket AM3 125W Processor - HDX945FBGIBOX with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

I will not look to overclock it. I know the CPU will be good enough for her needs for a good long time. My question is Mobo's. I've used ASUS and Gigabyte. But thats because between myself and my friends the desire to OC has always been there. And I do love my Gigabyte board. BUT, I have no need to OC this chip. I do not want a board that is designed for the stresses of OCing. I want a solid performing but not pricey board. I also know nothing about chipsets (why does AMD have 5000000000000000000 of them?).

Would this board be adequate, too much, not enough for what I'm looking for? She does have a discrete GPU so onboard video is not required.

This is the board I was thinking about:

Used - Very Good: MSI 870-G45 AM3 ATX AMD Motherboard - Newegg.com

Buy Used - Very Good: MSI 870-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

But again I don't know anything about the chipset or about MSI. If this isn't any good are there any suggestions. I don't really want to spend more than $100 on this mobo unless there is any REAL benefit to it.

Thanks for the help!!!!

I would stick with Gigabyte and Asus better warranty coverage and better product.
GIGABYTE GA-M68MT-D3 AM3 NVIDIA GeForce 7025/nForce 630a chipset Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128454

If you're not going to OC then the chipset itself doesn't matter too much, though typically higher numbered chipset boards within a series (7xx, 8xx) will have better quality components than lower numbers. The board you linked is fine for your needs.

Personally I'd either spend the extra $6 for the 955BE or drop back to the 925. (This would depend on how much CPU power WoW requires.)

I know very little about video requirements for WoW but I've seen a couple of people say the on-board video of some boards is sufficient to run WoW at reasonable graphics levels (IIRC, the 785G/880G and 790/890GX chipsets). You might want to look into that if that's the only type of games she plays since you wouldn't need a video card.

WoW isn't terribly well optimized for quad core cpu's. You'll see a pretty good performance bump from 2 to 3 cores, but not much after that:

WoW favors clock speed over more cores.
Full article here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/world-of-warcraft-cataclysm-directx-11-performance,2793.html
The x3 455 @3.3ghz might be a better buy for your intended use:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911

As far as the motherboard, its not as important if you don't plan on overclocking. If you think you might upgrade the cpu in the future, then get a board that specifies either 125 watt cpu support, or x6 cpu support.

QuietIce said:

I know very little about video requirements for WoW but I've seen a couple of people say the on-board video of some boards is sufficient to run WoW at reasonable graphics levels (IIRC, the 785G/880G and 790/890GX chipsets). You might want to look into that if that's the only type of games she plays since you wouldn't need a video card.

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WoW has gotten progressively more graphically intense with every patch. Blizzard has added things like shadows, a new water engine, etc. Integrated graphics really don't cut it anymore. A lot of people like to claim that they max WoW on their P4 w/integrated graphics, but they're probably playing at 1024x768 and trying to convince themselves they don't need to upgrade their system. If you want to play at a reasonable resolution (1440x900 an greater) with any amount of eye candy turned on, then a low end system simply won't cut it anymore. My gf's system has an ATI 4650 and it struggles at times on med. settings. A card around the $100 mark should do quite well though.

pbcranium202 said:

She does nothing more than casual internet browsing, WOW, and maybe starting to do some basic work with Photoshop (she's looking into some amateur photography, if it gets more serious later I'd look to build her a whole new rig). I want something that will be solid for awhile looking at those needs so as to not have to upgrade again before we do look at dumping the whole machine.

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955BE, 2x2 gig of dual channel ram, GTX460 1gig vid card she wont need to upgrade later it will handle Photoshop just fine, board with four slots for RAM even though I doubt she would need it would leave you the option of going another 2x2 gig of ram later on. Make sure what ever you get the power supply is up to it or plan on replacing that as well.

Bought off the rack???? does this mean a HP, Dell or a local build? Some of the major manufacturers use proprietary cases and they will not accept aftermarket boards.

Off topic:
I hope she gets a good instructor for photography, while the camera is important the glass is the most important part of the hardware. I hope she enjoys it as much as me and my wife have we do film/digital and shoot small/med and large format.

One at Yellowstone (35mm slide film no enhancing with PS)

A-Dub said:

WoW has gotten progressively more graphically intense with every patch. Blizzard has added things like shadows, a new water engine, etc. Integrated graphics really don't cut it anymore.

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Thanks! That's what I was wondering. Since I don't play WoW I didn't have a clue but from those graphs it's obvious a 4300 wouldn't do much on a fair-sized screen.

Well, after looking a little closer I was thinking of perhaps getting the following, and basically updating everything:

Case: Antec Three Hundred
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
CPU: AMD AthlonIIx3 455 Rana @3.3GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M68MT-D3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128454
RAM: G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 @ 1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231180
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015
Heatsink: Cooler Master Hyper 212+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

The only parts I'd reuse from her rig would be the two parts I've already replaced:
GPU: EVGA Radeon 4850 (no longer available)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM

As I said I don't know too much about the AMD side of the house. But would this be a fairly decent rig for her for awhile? I know it has kind of shifted focus, however I don't want to "cross" threads so to speak and repost somewhere else.

That will work fine for a long time.

That should work fine together, the only thing I would consider different would be the motherboard but only because it is rated only to 95W cpu's. This would limit you in the future of moving up to the 125W cpu's unless you figure you would just be doing a complete upgrade at that point.

As far as the 4850 goes I have the XFX 4850 1G version (not sure what the EVGA version is) but it does fine with PS.

I don't see that as a problem because AMD is coming out with a new platform next year and you would need a new motherboard for a upgrade anyway next year.

pbcranium202 said:

Heatsink: Cooler Master Hyper 212+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

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Since you're not overclocking (with your board choice I seriously doubt you will ever be overclocking) I'm not sure why you would spend money on an after-market heatsink. If you have $30 more to spend I'd put that toward buying a better board.

I doubt Thuban production will stop anytime soon and, so far, there's no word about discontinuing Deneb, either - though I admit I haven't looked at a roadmap recently. If you already have a motherboard that will support them then upgrading to a Phenom II X4 or X6 won't be a problem.

wingman99 said:

I don't see that as a problem because AMD is coming out with a new platform next year and you would need a new motherboard for a upgrade anyway next year.

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How long was Intel selling LGA775 CPUs after the i-series came out? Why, look! There's still 22 different models for sale on Newegg!

At this point there's not even a set word that the new CPUs (Bulldozer) won't run on an AM3 board or that AM3 CPUs won't run on the new (AM3+ ??) boards. AMD tries to make platform transitions as painless as possible for the consumer.

QuietIce said:

Since you're not overclocking (with your board choice I seriously doubt you will ever be overclocking) I'm not sure why you would spend money on an after-market heatsink. If you have $30 more to spend I'd put that toward buying a better board.

I doubt Thuban production will stop anytime soon and, so far, there's no word about discontinuing Deneb, either - though I admit I haven't looked at a roadmap recently. If you already have a motherboard that will support them then upgrading to a Phenom II X4 or X6 won't be a problem.

How long was Intel selling LGA775 CPUs after the i-series came out? Why, look! There's still 22 different models for sale on Newegg!

At this point there's not even a set word that the new CPUs (Bulldozer) won't run on an AM3 board or that AM3 CPUs won't run on the new (AM3+ ??) boards. AMD tries to make platform transitions as painless as possible for the consumer.

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The board he picked is fine it has a 3 year warranty plenty good.

All the rumers say bulldozer will need AM3+

wingman99 said:

All the rumers say bulldozer will need AM3+

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Not ALL of them. I've seen a couple where Bulldozer may run in AM3 but, just like AM2+ in an AM2 board, may have some functions limited by the board. As of now nothing is set, which is what I said.

If you have information to the contrary, some information that AMD released, I'd love to see it - the suspense is killing me!


PS
But that wasn't the point. With a better board there is the option to upgrade to a better Phenom II in the future. Having a 95W board drastically cuts down the list of compatible CPUs.

QuietIce said:

the suspense is killing me!

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You and me both, I cannot decide IF Bulldozer drops the price of the 1090T down to go that route or just go for the Bulldozer there is not enough hard proof out yet to help anyone make a good decision on it. If AMD can make it so it will work on AM3 boards I think it will sell like hot cakes even in a limited mode.