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I want to cut corners on next motherboard

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chris1neji

New Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130637
This is a motherboard I am looking use in my next upgrade. I was wondering if this is a good motherboard what are it's downfalls. Is there a reason to get higher end motherboards? Reason for me buying a motherboard is upgrading computer, will be buying a new cpu: amd fx 4300, new ddr3 ram along with this motherboard.

I need to know if this motherboard is for me or I need a better motherboard.
 
Hello chris1neji and :welcome: to the forums.

To know whether you need a better motherboard, we need more information, such as what all the components you will be using on it are and what you will be using the system for.
 
Sorry I had a much more advanced post that was detail and when I tried posting it, I had an error and lost it. I got frustrated and in response I decided to just make it brief and quick.

Anyways my
current hardware

  • OS Windows 8 64 bit pro
  • CPU AMD Phenom X4 9100e
  • Motherboard Gateway RS780
  • Memory 2GB X2 DDR2
  • Graphics Card Sapphire HD 6850
  • Sound Card Integrated
  • Monitor(s) Displays Gateway 19" + Dell 19"
  • Screen Resolution 1440X900 sometimes 2880 by 900
  • Keyboard Saitek Eclipse II
  • Mouse Gigabyte GM-M6800
  • PSU Antec BP 550watts
  • Case Antec 300
  • Cooling Stock Cooling
  • Hard Drives WD 80GB WD 640GB WD 1,000GB
  • Internet Speed D: 30Mbps U:4Mbps

I use this computer to play some games, although I can tell that I can get more performance if I had a better processor. Sometimes turning the settings to Ultra or Low doesn't change my fps. I recently been wanting to play games that are a bit more intensive like Witcher 2, Star Wars Online, and so on.

I also do application development for Windows Phone, the phone emulator is painfully slow. I could use my phone but I want to use the emulator inside Visual Studio 2012. Yes I know a i7 or i5 or even a FX 8000 series processor would really help me out but I am a student on a part time job so I really can't afford that.
 
I don't see why it wont make you a good board with the 4 core at 4.0-4.4 clocks.
go with 1866 ram and i think it will do most what anyone might ask.
I recomend 1866 ram because my 4170 really came to life when i went from 1600 to around 1970 ram.
 
Well I feel more confident knowing that another person feels like this board is ok, and will work for me. Thank you
 
That CPU is an AM2+ CPU and will not work with the motherboard you link which is AM3+ and requires DDR3 ram. The processor you list is a first generation Phenom and the integrated memory controller will not recognize DDR3 memory since it predates that technology.
 
If you plan on ever running an X6 or X8 FX CPU with overclocking you should aim just a tiny bit higher.

Is it possible for you to extend your budget to make it up to the Gigabyte 970A-UD3 this is the best value / cost board in the current generation of AMD boards. Its got a nice beefy VRM that can support overclocking on any AMD chip.

And as treants pointed out your CPU is just not able to run on this motherboard because of the lack of DDR3 support, so you are going to be looking at buying a new CPU if you go with a current gen board. An FX 4300 is very budget friendly and should but quite a bit faster than your current CPU.
 
Now I see what Mr. Trents is saying, it will not work with the 9100e.
they were replaced (very quickly) with 9150's(if you want one I'll send you one for shipping) they are best replaced with a 9850 @2.5 ghz.
 
Last edited:
None of the 9xxx Phenom I CPUs will work with a DDR3-based board. Nor will any other Phenom I CPU, for that matter. They are all AM2+ CPUs. Backward compatible with AM2 but not compatible the other way. No AM2 or AM2+ CPU will work with an AM3 or AM3+ DDR3 motherboard. But AM3 CPUs will work on AM2+ motherboards because the IMC of the AM3 CPU has instruction sets for both DDR3 and DDR2 ram. The key is understanding that the crux of the matter is in the processor's IMC. Did the IMC come before or after, historically, the motherboard and the ram you are trying to pair it with. You can't expect a technology to be compatible with another technology that isn't in place yet.
 
Well when I got this computer I was maybe 16 or 15 don't quite remember, I am 20 today with limited funding. Anyway why is this Gigabyte mobo better than the MSI mobo, I am not a big fan of overclock because I don't like to see a significant use of heat, more power consumption and this would be something I would only do after I feel my cpu can't keep up with what I do.

Anyways I understand where the confusion is from, my current cpu the 9100e vs the one I will buy along with motherboard and new RAM. I don't know where I became unclear, and made it confusing, my apologies.
FX4300, New Mobo to support it, and DDR3 RAM.
 
If you dont intend on EVER(I mean EVER) overclocking then the MSI you selected, or any number of less expensive motherboards will work. The Gigabyte I listed is the lowest board I recommend for anyone who thinks they may overclock sometime or wants to run an 8 core chip. The primary reason its the lowest I will ever recommend is because of the CPU voltage regulator on the board. Most of the AMD boards currently available even some of the higher priced ones have dreadful voltage regulators.
 
chris1neji said:
. . . Anyways I understand where the confusion is from, my current cpu the 9100e vs the one I will buy along with motherboard and new RAM. I don't know where I became unclear, and made it confusing, my apologies.
FX4300, New Mobo to support it, and DDR3 RAM.
Click to expand...


Sorry, I should have read your posts more carefully. My problem, not anyone elses'.
 
I guess I will have to live my next few years of life without experimenting on overclocking since to be honest I don't feel too strongly on overclocking. Not because I am scared but because higher temps and power consumption = better cooling which means I will need my fans at full blast which will be loud there's already 2 other computers in this room (roommates) which can be loud. Or I can get higher quality fans that are much quitter at a cost.

Let's talk RAM now, (motherboard advise or tips still appreciated).
Earlier someone suggested DDR3 1866 RAM, obviously it's probably higher performance than 1066 but how, where do I notice this? What's you guys take on this?
There are a lot of RAM brands, in fact there is too much that I wouldn't know which to get, and to be honest I am kind of tempted to just get the cheapest 8GB set, because I do not know enough to make an educated purchase. I just assume RAM is RAM, files get loaded into it and it's amazingly the fastest component in a computer.
 
Last edited:
RAM is RAM mostly and its the fastest independent part of the computer, but remember RAM is an extension of the CPU cache. The internal cache is many many times faster than your RAM is. These FX chips perform at the best with 1866Mhz ram. You notice it in access times, and heavy workloads.

Brand is not so important in your purchase. I personally like mushkin ram. They have been very reliable for me over the years, the price is fair, and I like the black heatspreader they use.

What I would look for is a good deal on 2x4Gb DDR3-1866 with CAS 9 timings. It should be very easy to find this setup for around 40-45 on a good day.
 
Thanks you guys have been so helpful, and I am glad I posted my question in this forum, I am now confident in my purchase.
 
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