DDR3 Motherboard

[jstutman]

Would the performance increase from going to a DDR3 motherboard be significant?

Current setup as follows
Phenom X3 720
Asus M4A79 Deluxe
2x2Gb OCZ-6400
AMD 4850 GPU

Im just trying to find out if I sit pretty or look into upgrading.
*If this were you, what would you upgrade?

 

[xoke]

Would the performance increase from going to a DDR3 motherboard be significant?

Current setup as follows
Phenom X3 720
Asus M4A79 Deluxe
2x2Gb OCZ-6400
AMD 4850 GPU

Im just trying to find out if I sit pretty or look into upgrading.
*If this were you, what would you upgrade?

Define signifigant. I'd guesstimate 5-10% performance increase from the RAM upgrade given you already have an AM3 CPU. Might get a bit more from the newest 890 chipset too.

 

[jstutman]

5-10% is worth it. I only say that cause I will need to upgrade to DDR3 sooner or later
From the looks of things, an 870 chipset would be my best bet. The cost difference to 890 is alot (new release craze I guess)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130275

I will just need to check on ram prices, $100 for 4gb seams good.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

 

[xoke]

5-10% is worth it. I only say that cause I will need to upgrade to DDR3 sooner or later
From the looks of things, an 870 chipset would be my best bet. The cost difference to 890 is alot (new release craze I guess)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130275

I will just need to check on ram prices, $100 for 4gb seams good.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

The DDr3 is starting to fall

890 or 870 chipset...about the same.

 

[coonmanx]

You should check out the Biostar TA890FXE because it's a great board at a great price. That's your best bet. Just ask xokeman.

 

[xoke]

You should check out the Biostar TA890FXE because it's a great board at a great price. That's your best bet. Just ask xokeman.

I do like it a lot, lol, I just try not to spam my BIOSTAR love in every post, lol.

It needs a BIOS update if your not running a Black Edition CPU though...this is my personal gripe about the RAM not locking down the way I'd like.

The end result is the same, just makes you overclock RAM and CPU at the same time if you don't have a BE CPU. Minor gripe...I have informed BIOSTAR, lol.

 

[coonmanx]

Nothing wrong with OC'ing ram and CPU at the same time. Just requires a little bit more planning and number crunching. The calculator helps. It's the old school way of doing things.

 

[xoke]

Nothing wrong with OC'ing ram and CPU at the same time. Just requires a little bit more planning and number crunching. The calculator helps. It's the old school way of doing things.

Your right, and the end result is often better. I'd just like the flexibility for playing around and testing purposes. I wanted to drop my multiplier to 10 and run up the base clock...see how fast it could go, but without a memory divider I can only go so far because I bought cheaper RAM. If I had bought some DDr3 2000 I'd be all set, lol.

 

[coonmanx]

Just drop down the ram speed first right? Or can't you drop it far enough?

 

[jstutman]

Here is what I did. Based on suggestions from other forums. I just simple do not need to upgrade to DDR3 yet.

Im thinking of ordering a 555 (downgraded) as the overclock is better than what I could even attempt to get on my 720. Plus the 555 has the ability to possible unlock all 4. This 720 is stuck at 3. The fourth core is dead.

I ordered another 4850. I purchased another one from here, and by buying them both from the classifieds. I managed to only spend $125 for both.

I havent ordered the 555 yet as Im still window shopping to see if there is anything else I want to order

 

[xoke]

Here is what I did. Based on suggestions from other forums. I just simple do not need to upgrade to DDR3 yet.

Im thinking of ordering a 555 (downgraded) as the overclock is better than what I could even attempt to get on my 720. Plus the 555 has the ability to possible unlock all 4. This 720 is stuck at 3. The fourth core is dead.

I ordered another 4850. I purchased another one from here, and by buying them both from the classifieds. I managed to only spend $125 for both.

I havent ordered the 555 yet as Im still window shopping to see if there is anything else I want to order

Nice!

 

[xoke]

Just drop down the ram speed first right? Or can't you drop it far enough?

Well, I can drop it to 800..plenty low, but as it creeps up with the base clock the darn timings don't change (not sure if this is normal, my Intel boards would automatically adjust timing based on actual RAM speed, not what I initially set it at in the BIOS). So I end up with around 1400 mhz trying to run 4-4-4-12-1t, lol...doesn't pan out for me.

Now, if I had the patience, and a bit more skill with RAM timings...I could set it at 800 and manually adjust ALL the RAM timings to their respective 1600mhz settings, but that would be a nightmare. Have you looked at all the RAM settings on this thing, lol. I might do it one of these days, lol.

 

[QuietIce]

890 or 870 chipset...about the same.

Not if it's anything like the difference between the 790 and 770 chipsets ...

 

[xoke]

I thought they were the same less some PCIe lanes? I missed the 7XX days..was running Intel.

 

[QuietIce]

I don't know how it works in IntelLand but with AMDs (generally) the better the chipset the better the board quality ...

 

[xoke]

I don't know how it works in IntelLand but with AMDs (generally) the better the chipset the better the board quality ...

Pretyy much the same over there (shudder), I just didn't know it was as pronounced on "Team Red's" side.

Back to OP, I probably should have said something about this, so I'm glad it came up. I'm all about saving money, but you should always get the best motherboard you can afford in my opinion. It is the foundation of your system. I'm not saying the most expensive brand either (I'm a BIOSTAR guy), but at least the best chipset you can afford.

 

[QuietIce]

It's "Team Green", thank you and it's a function of motherboard production, not the chipset maker. My guess is the price of the actual NB and SB chips is pretty small compared to the price of the board so the end price is all about the other parts ...

 

[ChanceCoats123]

I agree with QI. I have seen a lot of instances now where people have tried to save some money by buying a cheaper chipset that has similar performance only to get screwed by the board quality because they bought a "lesser" board. I got a 790FX and haven't had problems so I suppose I am even part of the fad.