building new pc for daughter

[fundip]

im putting to gether a parts list for an amd base pc for my daughter and have a question for some one with some experience.

i am looking at this motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402

and i looked on the asus website to check cpu compatibility and this AMD Phenom II X3 740 was not on the list but the 720 is.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103699

will this cpu/motherboard combo work?

i am also thinking about using this heatsink with it since it is an oem cpu.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103074

mainly because it is cheap and i dont plain on doing any overclocking on this system.

 

[Jmtyra]

While I'm not an AMD guy, I would guess that no it wouldn't work, based on the mfg's QVL list for CPUs.

 

[beenthere]

My experience with Asus Mobos is not good so I'd suggest a Gigabyte Mobo. You don't need the hassles of an Asus Mobo to save a $20 bill, IMO. The CPU and heatsink should be fine on any appropriate Mobo.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=653775&highlight=Asus

 

[Wayward_Son]

My experience with Asus Mobos is not good so I'd suggest a Gigabyte Mobo. You don't need the hassles of an Asus Mobo to save a $20 bill, IMO. The CPU and heatsink should be fine on any appropriate Mobo.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=653775&highlight=Asus

I wish there was a double-take smiley.

 

[fundip]

i have had a similar experience with gigabshyte and will never buy one of their products again. my ga-x58-ud3r died after 5 weeks and they gave me the runaround and told me that everything else is to blame except the motherboard. never got it replaced, its a $200 paperweight now.

i will probably buy the newegg 2 yr warranty for $16 with any motherboard i get since they seem to have good service. but definitely no gigabyte, i will not support them.

 

[CgS Drone]

I have used Asus boards for years and have had my best luck with them. If thats the board you want then go for it put it all together and make sure everything works when the stuff shows up that way you can send it back to newegg if something is wrong and do a fast turn around. You can get a lemon out of any brand out there.

 

[beenthere]

The OP is free to buy whatever he desires. He asked for opinions from folks with experience. I offered mine and a link to other folks who have had issues with Asus products. It's for informational purposes.

I doubt he wants headaches when building a PC for his daughter which is much different than playing with a PC as an overclocking exercise. It's no fun dealing with bad Mobos or similar which can crash and cause a loss of data and other hassles.

I've been building performance PCs for close to 25 years and I've used mobos from Intel, MSI, Asus, Gigabyte and others. The only two bad Mobos in that time were both Asus Mobos and from different generations of AMD CPUs. That's my experience and a data point, FWIW.

 

[fundip]

i understand what you are saying. it seems like the only brand with good customer support is evga. but unfortunately they dont offer the inexpensive amd. which is why i'll go with the newegg replacement warranty.

but back to the cpu compatibility. its not on the list but one of the same class that is clocked just under it is. is there a chance that asus just neglected to include it on the list or does this motherboard not support it?

 

[hi-yield]

I'd be careful of assuming that. Sometimes a bios update that they have come up with in the mean time will cover other platforms or cpus. I would login w/ asus and get some feedback from one of the moderators......(they're not always right either) before I would make a decision to buy. My asus has worked very well w/ my amd 5600+...(old)

 

[beenthere]

Unless I am misreading the CPU list that Asus sends you too... the 740 is listed as of BIOS # 1103. The list is for the "Deluxe" Mobo version so with Asus you never know for sure what is what????

http://support.asus.com.tw/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx?model=M4A79T Deluxe

 

[coonmanx]

You might want to look into a Biostar board like this...

BIOSTAR TA880GB+

Has decent onboard video, comes with a decent warranty and they have good tech support and customer service. Get a better cooler for the CPU though. Go with at least the Hyper TX3 or better yet the Hyper 212+.

 

[QuietIce]

That CPU won't be listed on any motherboard list and I've been trying to figure out for the past week where it even comes from. There have been occasional CPUs that sort of fall through the cracks (in the US) and this seems to be one of them. If you check the AMD website even they don't list it. That doesn't mean it's not real or that AMD didn't produce it, though.

I've seen a lot of CPUs come and go and, in my opinion, that CPU will run in any board that has the 720BE on it's list.

and i looked on the asus website to check cpu compatibility and this AMD Phenom II X3 740 was not on the list but the 720 is.

The motherboard should be fine for a stock rig. In fact, it's not too bad of an OC'er.

I won't enter the motherboard QC debate because I'm bias (see sig).

i am also thinking about using this heatsink with it since it is an oem cpu. ... mainly because it is cheap and i dont plain on doing any overclocking on this system.

If you're not going to overclock and your rooms don't heat up to 100°F then I wouldn't worry about an after-market heatsink at all. No reason to get fancy (spend money) with a machine that's going to run stock. But if I did get one it would be a standard clip-on instead of a bolt-on ...

 

[fundip]

i looked through the amd motherboards available at newegg and it seems that the support offered by all the brands is a joke. there are to many reviews across the board about motherboards crapping out after a few weeks and the manufacturer having no customer support and refusing to honor the warranty. i went through this once with a gigabyte x58 and i would rather not repeat that process again.

i have decided to get an evga motherboard simply for the support that they offer. evga only offers intel based products so am going to end up spending bit more, (probably about $100 more for p55 mobo and i5) but i would rather do that than risk throwing my money away again with a manufacturer that has no respect for their customers.

i only wish evga offered amd so i could get a motherboard with real warranty at an inexpensive price.

 

[beenthere]

Good service is worth paying for. That said I've used a lot of Mobos over the years and the Asus are the only two that were bad in 25 years. In my experience all of the Mobo companies that I've spoken with could stand to improve their customer service significantly. Obviously the better the product usually the less customer support required.

I've never had any dealings or experience with products from EVGA however. Maybe they are the exception to the dismal reality of the consumer Mobo industry? Since on principle I refuse to buy any Intel products, I'll never get to sample EVGA's products or service either.

Best of luck with your PC build.