Low-end mATX AM2+ o'c Recommendation

[mindless1]

Looking for a low-end mATX AM2+ board that can overclock a little.

I've seen some recommendations but they are for more than I need for web, email, and office use mostly. Newegg's mobo search and customer reviews don't tell enough about basic overclocking settings being present or not.

Do not need:

Do not need maximum o'c possible, if it'll hit roughly 2.7GHz with a low-end Athlon X2, something like a 4050e, that's plenty. Basic bus, divider, memory timing, vcore and memory voltage settings should be enough, yes?

Do not need support for CPUs over 100W. Probably use a ~ 45W X2 CPU and o'c to 80W at most.

Need IGP w/DVI, but do not need HDMI, gaming performance or better HD video acceleration.

Do not need deluxe copper, heatpiped, etc, 'sinks on it. Do not need more than CPU fan speed control.

Do not need more than 2 channel sound, nor more than 2 memory slots / 4GB support, nor more than 2 SATA and 1 PATA.

Do not need floppy, parallel or serial ports or more than 4 USB ports (header for 2/2 is fine).

Do not need PS2.

I'd like to stay a step above ECS/PCChips and Zotac, maybe Asrock but would pay a few bucks more for slightly better build quality like an extra VRM stage or solid VRM caps (whole board need not use solid caps).

Would like to avoid the lowest end nVidia northbridges if any are still effected by that solder bump and underfill defect, also considering some people still question the longevity of their reformulated fix for the problem.

Don't mind rebates, and GbE networking and something from manufacturers who provide better bios release support would be a bonus but not necessary.

 

[Sylvanas]

The DFI
The Biostar

Both are top quality boards and both DFI and Biostar are renowned for their overclockability. Take your pick, the biostar may be the go as it's cheaper and has a rebate atm.

 

[hans007]

the foxconn boards are pretty good and they are really cheap.

i have a foxconn a7gmx-k that is from them and it has voltage controls, 780g and dvi out. they are like $60 too which makes them failry good.

i'd probably recommend going with a 760g now though, becuase those have the ACC thing in the new sb710 that most 780g boards dont have. i think there is an asrock 780g that has sb710 though on newegg.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: Sylvanas
Both are top quality boards and both DFI and Biostar are renowned for their overclockability. Take your pick, the biostar may be the go as it's cheaper and has a rebate atm.

Me thinks you have a very different notion of "low-end" than, well, pretty much everyone else.

"Looking for a low-end mATX AM2+ board that can overclock a little."

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: tcsenter

Originally posted by: Sylvanas
Both are top quality boards and both DFI and Biostar are renowned for their overclockability. Take your pick, the biostar may be the go as it's cheaper and has a rebate atm.

Me thinks you have a very different notion of "low-end" than, well, pretty much everyone else.

"Looking for a low-end mATX AM2+ board that can overclock a little."

I could see spending a bit more if I were starting from scratch on a new build but I already had spare HDD, memory, heatsink, case/PSU, cables, etc.

Just wanted very basic setup to replace an old Tualatin Celeron build that has parts in it close to 10 years old besides the CPU. Settled on a $40 refurb'd Biostar A760G M2+ (760G/SB710). It was tempting to spend $20+ more for more features but they really won't be used on this particular system build and 760G seems a bit more power conservative. Might be buying someone else's problems going with a refurb but I've had pretty good luck with 'egg refurbs in the past.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16813138138R

Thanks to those who have replied so far. I may update the topic with results of what it'll conservatively o'c to with a 4050e CPU and plain vanilla PC2-6400 memory, though that'll probably be over a week from now.

 

[hans007]

this is probably the best 780g board...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813157154

and it also is one of the cheapest. $69.99 for new is not horrible.

though http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813157153


its $15 cheaper little brother with a 760g is probabyl all you'll really need.

 

[VirtualLarry]

What's the difference between the 780G and the 760G?

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
What's the difference between the 780G and the 760G?

780G GPU HD3200 @ 500Mhz -vs- 760G GPU HD3000 @ 350MHz
780G HD AVIVO -vs- 760G SD AVIVO
780G Analog/DVI/DP/HDMI -vs- 760G Analog/DVI (760G Supports DP/HDMI but it's less likely board manufacturers will devalue their 780G & higher products by giving 760G these features)
780G SB700 -vs- 760G SB710 (adds Advanced Clock Calibration, but AFAIK only Phenom supports it)
780G SB700 has flawed clockgen -vs- 760G SB710 w/fixed clockgen

Other details are sparse, even AMD doesn't list things 760G supports like RAID on it's 7-series chipset webpage and I couldn't find a proper datasheet for it. The GPU looks to be memory throughput bound, doesn't score much lower in 3DMark05/06 than the HD3200 @ 150MHz higher speed so the primary difference seems to be lack of HD decoding, though I saw a benchmark with funny scores where it did worse than 740G leading me to wonder if the chipset driver needed another revision or two. Then there are 'sites that conflict, some claiming 760G has hybrid crossfire support and some claiming not. AMD says it does. http://www.amd.com/us-en/0,,37...532_15533,00.html#760G

IMO, the biggest difference is that boardmakers are going to niche 760G in lower tiered products with limits like CPU support only up to 90W. I never bought into the need for HD decoding, the system I watch HD on has full HD GPU decoding and I never use it.