790xx chipset vs 8xx xx chipset

Im using a Phenom II x3 720gb black edition and I need a motherboard..
After a few research and a lot of help from you guys and since Im still using a ddr2 memory Ive decided to get a mobo with a 785gt chipset. Now my question is:


Is it worth it to upgrade my ram to ddr3 and get a 800 series chipset for my phenom or should I stay with a 785gt mobo and my ddr2 ram? Will it have a huge impact in gaming performance?

The difference between DDr2 and DDr3 is not that significant for most things. Unless your benchmarking for numbers I doubt you would ever really know.

The only thing is...you might be able to unlock the 4th core of that CPU on a modern AM3 board that supports the unlocking feature. Again, key word...might. You might have a true 3 core, or you might have a 3 core with the 4 core working fine but locked. No guarantees.

xoke said:

The difference between DDr2 and DDr3 is not that significant for most things. Unless your benchmarking for numbers I doubt you would ever really know.

The only thing is...you might be able to unlock the 4th core of that CPU on a modern AM3 board that supports the unlocking feature. Again, key word...might. You might have a true 3 core, or you might have a 3 core with the 4 core working fine but locked. No guarantees.

Click to expand...

unlocking the 4th core is out of the question then, how about overclocking? a guy told me that a phenom really works well with a 790xx chipset but unfortunatley I dont have access to one, im stuck with either a 785xx chipset or the latest 800 series chipset..

anyways I got the answer.. im just hoping this is accurate

http://www.overclock.net/amd-motherboards/746468-difference-between-790xx-890xx.html

jcpangs said:

anyways I got the answer.. im just hoping this is accurate

http://www.overclock.net/amd-motherboards/746468-difference-between-790xx-890xx.html

Click to expand...

A different question was asked on that thread. "Assuming both use DDr3" changes things. In you post here you made it sound as if you were stuck on DDr2. Or at least thats how I took it.

i see.. if im using a ddr2 then it would be different? here a situation:

a) 785xx chipset with phenom x3 720 and ddr2 ram

b) 8xx chipset with phenom x3 720 ddr3 ram

will (b) be worth the upgrade? (and money)?

jcpangs said:

i see.. if im using a ddr2 then it would be different? here a situation:

a) 785xx chipset with phenom x3 720 and ddr2 ram

b) 8xx chipset with phenom x3 720 ddr3 ram

will (b) be worth the upgrade? (and money)?

Click to expand...

If you are just using it, no...probably not worth the upgrade. If you want to overclock it, I'd jump up to DDr3 and a newer chipset.

xoke said:

The only thing is...you might be able to unlock the 4th core of that CPU on a modern AM3 board that supports the unlocking feature. Again, key word...might. You might have a true 3 core, or you might have a 3 core with the 4 core working fine but locked. No guarantees.

Click to expand...

Not so. The 785 chipset comes with the 710 SB. It is capable of unlocking locked cores . . . AS LONG AS it has the ACC bios feature (and most, but not all do).

trents said:

Not so. The 785 chipset comes with the 710 SB. It is capable of unlocking locked cores . . . AS LONG AS it has the ACC bios feature (and most, but not all do).

Click to expand...

Thank you for the correction. I thought that was a new thing.

I do want to overclock.. I'll think about it and see if I can afford to do an upgrade, I dont want to waste my ddr2.. thanks for the help guys

what you could do is ordered a cheepo processor for the old mobo and ram and then you have 2 computers, both will OC well and the cheap processor should be able to game atleast some if need be. thats what i am considering. i have a 720BE on a 790GX chipset and its fine but i want the DDR3 and more than one PCI express 16x slot.

but i dont want the mobo and the g.skill Pi black to go to waste either

So do you have a specific mobo you're getting or is it any 785?

Also what RAM do you have? High end DDR2 is going to be better than getting cheap DDR3.

Depending on how long you want to keep your computer before you upgrade again, sometimes it is worth it to stay up with the newer tech like the newer AM3 mobo's and DDR3 that way if something breaks before you go to upgrade you can still find replacement parts that arent an arm and a leg. If the price difference isnt that much go with the newer tech as computer parts go through a trend of being high in price when they are first released, get cheaper, then when demand and supply go down, the prices rise again.

So if you get DDR2 and an older mobo now, and in 2 years plan to upgrade, if something happens between that time where you need to buy replacement parts, you will more than likely be SOL or have to pay and arm and a leg. If you go DDR3 with the current mobo now and plan to upgrade in 2 years, if something breaks between now and then replacement parts will likely be cheaper than when you bought them originally and you will still be able to get replacement parts.

IMO unless the price difference is a ton it is not worth it to stay on the older stuff. The second sig in my rig i built back in 05 but all those parts were from 03 and 04. I got a heck of a deal, cause the s939 boards and chips at that time were expensive and to get the same speed and performance would have cost me about $400 more. It was worth it to me to save that much money. With prices now it looks like you might save $20-$50 for the older stuff that will just get more expensive or not be available to buy if your rig has problems before your next planned upgrade.

I use this board for my wifes X2 550 system it is very solid,overclocks very well and has ACC feature allowing one to un;lock, her X2 550 was not successfully able to unlock to quad core. The board accepts AM3 cpu but runs on DDR2, I felt no reason to waste the perfectly good 4gb DDR2 kit she had so I opted for this board

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3447#ov