Mobo/CPU question

[jpk]

Will this combo work together? I'm thinking of getting that CPU and that mobo. I already have purchased DDR3 ram for the board but I have a question as to whether that CPU, an AM2+ will work on the board or with DDR3 memory. I'd hate to have to drop back to DDR2 and have a limited future upgrade path since I've already purchased the ram. I can still return the ram as I haven't opened the package. Conversely, is there a CPU, either Intel or AMD that match the performance of the 9950 but also in the price range but also use the mobo and ram? I understand the Q9950 is a great CPU for the price but I hope it can function with DDR3. Thanks for any help.

 

[lopri]

Hello,

9950 is not compatible with your choice of board and memory. Only AM3 CPUs have functional DDR3 memory controller on-board, so you should make purchase decisions accordingly. Gigabyte should have a list of compatible CPUs for your board. I'd consult that list.

 

[jpk]

Thanks for the info.....I apologize, I had my CPU's and mobo's mixed up. I decided to drop back to DDR2 due to the prices of CPU's that require DDR3. So, my decision now is between an AM2+ 9950 or a Core2 Quad Q8200. Just wondering which CPU would be better for gaming. My current GPU is a EVGA 260 superclocked with the 216 core. I've read the 9950 is very good compared to the Intel product for that price range for gaming. After deciding which CPU to get I need a mobo to go with it. Since my GPU is Nvidia I think a mobo that is compatable with Nvidia products would be best but there's not a lot to choose from if I go with a Nvidia compatable board with the AMD CPU. My budget for the mobo is aroud $100-$150. Any suggestions as to what might be best for gaming? Thanks

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Either get a Phenom 2 or go Intel.

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem
Either get a Phenom 2 or go Intel.

This. The original Phenoms (9850 9950) are not a good buy for many reasons too numerous to list. But the Phenom 2's are a different story and absolutely worth it. For the price of a Q8200 you can get a Phenom2 x4 810 which is it's direct competitor. With a $100-$150 budget and a Phenom2 you have a myriad of options- of course the best and only boards worth considering are AMDs 790x/fx/gx boards. For $139 you can pickup my current DFI board which I touched on here which is perhaps one of the best overclockers around- it may require a Bios flash though to recognise the newer CPUs. If you like rebates, there is the Foxconn board which is a solid choice aswell (requires 1/19 Bios). On the cheaper side of things you have more options like the 790x and 790GX which is really all one would need unless you plan on some heavy overclocking. Boards to look out for in this bracket are Biostar, MSI and Gigabyte of which many users on this forum use. Giga even have a DDR3 790x mobo for $124AR on newegg.

 

[jpk]

Thanks for your reply. I'm concerned about getting a board with AMD SB/NB chipsets with a Nvidia GPU card. Won't the ATI/AMD chip set disable some of the features of the Nvidia cards such as PhysX, SLI? I don't think I will be going SLI but down the road ....who knows.

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: jpk
Thanks for your reply. I'm concerned about getting a board with AMD SB/NB chipsets with a Nvidia GPU card. Won't the ATI/AMD chip set disable some of the features of the Nvidia cards such as PhysX, SLI? I don't think I will be going SLI but down the road ....who knows.

AMD board with Nvidia GPU is fine, no features will be disabled. You will however not be capable of using SLI- but the fact is Nvidia based mobos are vastly inferior to their 790FX/X/GX counterparts, so unless you plan on using SLI in the future it is best to go with the AMD boards.

 

[jpk]

Thanks again Sylvanas. I have a question. I currently have 4 gigs of OCZ DDR2 ram in an unopened package. Do you recomend I go back to DDR3 or stay with the current ram? I thought I'd get the ram first because it is cheap right now but 3 gigs of triple channel OCZ is just a few dollars more. Is it worth it to go back to DDR3 and get a mobo that supports that vs staying where I'm at? As for the CPU, I will try to gather the finances to go with the Phenom II as you suggested. It is so crazy the number of Mobo's and chipset combos not to mention trying to understand CPU numbering. I don't do this very often so I need to relearn everything when upgrade time rolls around. Thanks again.

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: jpk
Thanks again Sylvanas. I have a question. I currently have 4 gigs of OCZ DDR2 ram in an unopened package. Do you recomend I go back to DDR3 or stay with the current ram? I thought I'd get the ram first because it is cheap right now but 3 gigs of triple channel OCZ is just a few dollars more. Is it worth it to go back to DDR3 and get a mobo that supports that vs staying where I'm at? As for the CPU, I will try to gather the finances to go with the Phenom II as you suggested. It is so crazy the number of Mobo's and chipset combos not to mention trying to understand CPU numbering. I don't do this very often so I need to relearn everything when upgrade time rolls around. Thanks again.

Keep the 4gigs of OCZ DDR2. The only CPUs that are triple channel currently are the Core i7s from Intel so if you bought a *Triple* channel DDR3 kit for your *Dual* channel Phenom2 you'd have 1 stick left over doing nothing. There is not a sizeable enough benefit with DDR3 on the Phenom platform to recommend it so keep what you have at the moment.