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Let's talk AM2+

S

SlowSpyder

Lifer
Can anyone give me the run down on the different AMD 790 chipsets? I don't need integrated video. I'd like a good overclocking board. I'm thinking about picking up a 5000+ black edition, but would like to have the ability to go to Phenom, with all the functionality, at a later date. There are some decent enough looking AM2+ boards on Newegg, but many of them are running in the $250 range. Are there any less expensive AM2+ boards that are good overclockers? Thanks.
 
Are you an AMD fan? Because right now I really don't see any point in buying an AM2+ motherboard since all Phenoms don't worth the money. Don't get me wrong, the 5000+ BE is a good CPU, but only if you already have an AM2 motherboard. If you don't, the sad truth is that almost any core 2 duo will be a better choice.

AMD will soon release the "fixed" Phenoms, but as I see it they still lack a good performance/price ratio, so Intel is the best way right now and for the near future too.
 
I bought an MSI 790fx and an X2 5400+ for $250.

The MSI 790x with an X2 5400+ would be $185 at the Egg.

Depends on how many PCIe 2.0 x16 slots you want - and what speed you want then to run.

The MSI 790x will run x8-x8 with 2 PCIe2 x16 cards. The 790fx will run x16-x16 (or x8-x8-x8-x8 🙂 )

The 5400+ is $85 with code EMCADCAAH. Not much diff between the 5000 & 5400. Each will clock over 3GHz at stock volts with a max around 3.2-3.3GHz (unless you really crank up the volts).

At stock volts my 5400+ runs 3.2GHz and 27c temps (with AS and an Opty 'copper pipe' cooler).
 
Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
I bought an MSI 790fx and an X2 5400+ for $250.

The MSI 790x with an X2 5400+ would be $185 at the Egg.

Depends on how many PCIe 2.0 x16 slots you want - and what speed you want then to run.

The MSI 790x will run x8-x8 with 2 PCIe2 x16 cards. The 790fx will run x16-x16 (or x8-x8-x8-x8 🙂 )

The 5400+ is $85 with code EMCADCAAH. Not much diff between the 5000 & 5400. Each will clock over 3GHz at stock volts with a max around 3.2-3.3GHz (unless you really crank up the volts).

At stock volts my 5400+ runs 3.2GHz and 27c temps (with AS and an Opty 'copper pipe' cooler).
Click to expand...

Edit: I'm not a gamer but I got 9,152 3dmarks with my $145 HD 2900 pro ....


edit edit . . . wrong buitton 🙂
 
Originally posted by: error8
Are you an AMD fan? Because right now I really don't see any point in buying an AM2+ motherboard since all Phenoms don't worth the money. Don't get me wrong, the 5000+ BE is a good CPU, but only if you already have an AM2 motherboard. If you don't, the sad truth is that almost any core 2 duo will be a better choice.

AMD will soon release the "fixed" Phenoms, but as I see it they still lack a good performance/price ratio, so Intel is the best way right now and for the near future too.
Click to expand...

Not so much an AMD fan as much as a past AMD customer who has always been very happy with their products. I know that the Intel stuff is overall better, but I think the 5000+BE is 'good enough' and especially good for the price. I'm still gaming on a s939 system and am very happy with it overall. It seems everyone on this site seems to think you need a Core2 @ 3.5+ghz to game. Also, I don't plan on getting a Phenom now, it'll be a future upgrade when I feel it's time to replace the A64... maybe when they go 45nm and finally get the clocks up.

Edit: I'm not a gamer but I got 9,152 3dmarks with my $145 HD 2900 pro ....
Click to expand...

I haven't run 3DMark, so I'm not sure what I'll score... I'm sure my Opteron will hold back my scre though. But, I'm quite happy with this video card. This is my first ATI card in years, I'm getting spoiled by the constatnt driver updates. I haven't touched the memory, I figure with the 512bit bus I have plenty of bandwidth, but I have the core running at 800mhz. One of these days I'll push it higher just to see what it tops out at. Pretty good for what is a cheapy card these days. It does everything I could ask of it for a 22" (1680x1050) monitor.
 
Don't get me wrong, I myself have a brisbane 4000+ X2 overclocked at 2,9 ghz and also the last two cpus I had were AMD, but we have to admit that intel right now makes better chips then AMD, both value and performance. Of course, maybe with the next 45nm cpus, AMD will retake the long lost crown but we'll have to wait and see about that.

Like you've said, the am2+ mobos are good but quite expensive. You can either buy what heyheybooboo recommended, or you can get a simple AM2 motherboard which supports the Phenoms but you will loose that Ht 3.0 thing. Or, if you are on a budget, you can always get a cheap P35 with a E2160 and overclock it and it will give you more performance for the money. It's your choice.
 
I did a mini review here back when I got my MSI K9A2 Platinum (790FX) board and its great. I have the 5000+ BE OC'd to around 3.2-3.3ghz, a very 'easy' OC since in most cases all it requires is a small voltage bump and put the multiplier up to 16. The K9A2 Platinum has a solid BIOS in my experience (only tested on K8 though, but plan on getting a B3 soon). AMD Overdrive is also a VERY awesome application that is only for the AMD 7 series chipsets...makes life easier.

If however you are looking for a slightly cheaper solution I hear the ABIT AX78 is a solid board on the 770 chipset, that would be my pick there.
 
Thanks for the replies. I decided to hold off until the B3 steppings are released. Depending on the price and clock speeds I may grab one of those instead of the 5000+BE. I may buy a motherboard before then though and start piecing it together. Thanks for the links.
 
Originally posted by: Sylvanas
I did a mini review here back when I got my MSI K9A2 Platinum (790FX) board and its great. I have the 5000+ BE OC'd to around 3.2-3.3ghz, a very 'easy' OC since in most cases all it requires is a small voltage bump and put the multiplier up to 16. The K9A2 Platinum has a solid BIOS in my experience (only tested on K8 though, but plan on getting a B3 soon). AMD Overdrive is also a VERY awesome application that is only for the AMD 7 series chipsets...makes life easier.

If however you are looking for a slightly cheaper solution I hear the ABIT AX78 is a solid board on the 770 chipset, that would be my pick there.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... I think I like that motherboard. It's a bit more pricey then the others listed, but looks to be a winner. I'm not sure if I'll ever use quadfire (I highly doubt I will) but it can't hurt to have the option.

Nice overclock on those 3850's! 😱 If I'm reading your sig correctly, you have one at 790mhz and one at 823mhz? Doesn't the lower clocked one limit the other? I assume that crossfire has to wait on every other frame by the slower GPU, so it wouldn't make a difference if one is clocked higher then the other? I'm not 100% sure how crossfire/sli works, so I could be completely wrong on that.

*edit - According to one of the Newegg reviewers: "Second, the Northbridge to Southbridge heat pipe is too high for the top PCIx16 slot and I was unable to utilize this slot with my 2900pro (its long and x2), the heat pipe prevented me from seating the card all the way down"

Did you have any issue with your 3850? I can see in the picture that the heatpipe does stick up a bit, that could be a problem.
 
Originally posted by: SlowSpyder
Originally posted by: Sylvanas
I did a mini review here back when I got my MSI K9A2 Platinum (790FX) board and its great. I have the 5000+ BE OC'd to around 3.2-3.3ghz, a very 'easy' OC since in most cases all it requires is a small voltage bump and put the multiplier up to 16. The K9A2 Platinum has a solid BIOS in my experience (only tested on K8 though, but plan on getting a B3 soon). AMD Overdrive is also a VERY awesome application that is only for the AMD 7 series chipsets...makes life easier.

If however you are looking for a slightly cheaper solution I hear the ABIT AX78 is a solid board on the 770 chipset, that would be my pick there.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... I think I like that motherboard. It's a bit more pricey then the others listed, but looks to be a winner. I'm not sure if I'll ever use quadfire (I highly doubt I will) but it can't hurt to have the option.

Nice overclock on those 3850's! 😱 If I'm reading your sig correctly, you have one at 790mhz and one at 823mhz? Doesn't the lower clocked one limit the other? I assume that crossfire has to wait on every other frame by the slower GPU, so it wouldn't make a difference if one is clocked higher then the other? I'm not 100% sure how crossfire/sli works, so I could be completely wrong on that.

*edit - According to one of the Newegg reviewers: "Second, the Northbridge to Southbridge heat pipe is too high for the top PCIx16 slot and I was unable to utilize this slot with my 2900pro (its long and x2), the heat pipe prevented me from seating the card all the way down"

Did you have any issue with your 3850? I can see in the picture that the heatpipe does stick up a bit, that could be a problem.
Click to expand...

New Egg reviews. Sometimes I wonder about these guys. The ones that were pissed about not being able to do SLI were priceless. Maybe next time they will read the manual ...

I have 2 HD 2900 pros on an MSI 790fx. The card in the first (dark blue) x16 slot seats fine without difficulty. The heat pipes themsselves are almost a 1/4-inch above the mobo - now they are an 1/8-inch above the mobo 🙂 There is no problem with the second dark blue x16 slot and the heat pipes.

I've had no problems with the mobo - X2 5400+ 3.2 GHz at stock volts and 27c temps (w/Opty 'copper pipe' cooler, 2 Gb DDR2 800. I bought it for a 'build and sell' but can't quite seem to part with it yet - lol

I got the 2900pros on the cheap and will probably replace them with a pair of 3850s when I sell it. I'm not a gamer but it plays Vegas6 and FEAR like a mofo :shocked: and takes everything I can pretty much throw at it - including Premiere, Photoshop and 3d ani programs. I don't expect (or need) it to 'keep up' with a $200-$300 cpu.

I can sell it for $1k and make money - the new ower can invest another $150-$300 and go tri/quad CF if that's their thang. And when I sell it - I'll buy another one (unpaid endorsement!)





 
Originally posted by: SlowSpyder
Originally posted by: Sylvanas
I did a mini review here back when I got my MSI K9A2 Platinum (790FX) board and its great. I have the 5000+ BE OC'd to around 3.2-3.3ghz, a very 'easy' OC since in most cases all it requires is a small voltage bump and put the multiplier up to 16. The K9A2 Platinum has a solid BIOS in my experience (only tested on K8 though, but plan on getting a B3 soon). AMD Overdrive is also a VERY awesome application that is only for the AMD 7 series chipsets...makes life easier.

If however you are looking for a slightly cheaper solution I hear the ABIT AX78 is a solid board on the 770 chipset, that would be my pick there.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... I think I like that motherboard. It's a bit more pricey then the others listed, but looks to be a winner. I'm not sure if I'll ever use quadfire (I highly doubt I will) but it can't hurt to have the option.

Nice overclock on those 3850's! 😱 If I'm reading your sig correctly, you have one at 790mhz and one at 823mhz? Doesn't the lower clocked one limit the other? I assume that crossfire has to wait on every other frame by the slower GPU, so it wouldn't make a difference if one is clocked higher then the other? I'm not 100% sure how crossfire/sli works, so I could be completely wrong on that.

*edit - According to one of the Newegg reviewers: "Second, the Northbridge to Southbridge heat pipe is too high for the top PCIx16 slot and I was unable to utilize this slot with my 2900pro (its long and x2), the heat pipe prevented me from seating the card all the way down"

Did you have any issue with your 3850? I can see in the picture that the heatpipe does stick up a bit, that could be a problem.
Click to expand...

Nope, the heatpipe to the SB is flush if not lower than the capacitors around it so I had no problems mounting my 3850's- I have even mounted my 2900XT 1GB in this mobo and there was no issues there. In regards to the OC on my 3850's, yes one is 823mhz and the other 790mhz and as of Catalyst 8.1 you can individually clock 38xx series cards for any Crossfire configuration, you do not have to 'limit' one to the speed of another. I don't know how the driver works it all out but you could have a 3870X2 @ 825mhz core Crossfired with a 3850 with a core of 667mhz.

Another thing with the heatpipes is that they really do remain rather cool under load compared to other motherboards i have tried, I guess that is due to the RD790 putting out only 4watts idle and 10watts under load.
 
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