Should I do AM2 Mobo, or stick with 939

[GamingDaemon]

I'm looking to build an AMD AM2 dual core gaming rig from scratch. The main emphasis of this rig is that it has to last or be upgradeable for many years.

But I hear that the AM2 mobo's aren't ready, or have problems with the DDR2 800 memory. Apparently they can put the voltage over 1.9v, and DDR2 800 needs 2.0v.

First, is this correct?

Second, should I stick with the 939s?

Remember, I want something that is going to take me into the future for a while. TIA.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

I am building a 939 over a AM2 and it should last a long time IMHO.

 

[GamingDaemon]

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp
I am building a 939 over a AM2 and it should last a long time IMHO.

Yes you are right, but I can get an AM2 4200 dual core for the same price as a 939 4200 dual core. It just seems to make more sense. Don't you agree?

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp
I am building a 939 over a AM2 and it should last a long time IMHO.

Yes you are right, but I can get an AM2 4200 dual core for the same price as a 939 4200 dual core. It just seems to make more sense. Don't you agree?

If you are set to go with a DDR 2 platform then Conroe is the better choice, I am going 939 cause I dont wanna buy more stuff needed to make a gaming system run where it doesnt matter if you have 150 fps or 125 fps. Trying to get several years out of a system is asking a lot no matter what you build, the tech industry just moves too fast.

 

[GamingDaemon]

Hmmm, you may be convinving me. I'm starting to think I am going a little mad thinking about this. I really want to spec this out tonight and be done with it.

I am afraid that in a year or more, there will be video games on the market that my eVGA 7900GT KO can handle but my 939 4200+ dual core and DDR memory is too slow to match up against. And with AMD not supporting 939s in the future, I will be SOL.

Is this fear rational? LOL No seriously, am I just stark raving crazy?

 

[Skott]

The AM2 has more future upgradeable potential than the 939. Supposedly AMD abandons 939 beginning of next year. Conroes have even more future upgradeable potential than the AM2 right now because the Conroe chips simply outperform anything AMD currently has or will have till the AMD 4x4 comes out later this year. Although there is no gurantee the 4x4 chips will beat Conroe. That remains to be seen.

 

[GamingDaemon]

Originally posted by: Skott
The AM2 has more future upgradeable potential than the 939. Supposedly AMD abandons 939 beginning of next year. Conroes have even more future upgradeable potential than the AM2 right now because the Conroe chips simply outperform anything AMD currently has or will have till the AMD 4x4 comes out later this year. Although there is no gurantee the 4x4 chips will beat Conroe. That remains to be seen.

True, but I'm not sure I want to wait for Conroe. And it seems that the AM2 mobo's are flaky. Maybe I should jsut stick with the 939 for now and then build a new gaming rig in a year or two when things have settled down.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon
Hmmm, you may be convinving me. I'm starting to think I am going a little mad thinking about this. I really want to spec this out tonight and be done with it.

I am afraid that in a year or more, there will be video games on the market that my eVGA 7900GT KO can handle but my 939 4200+ dual core and DDR memory is too slow to match up against. And with AMD not supporting 939s in the future, I will be SOL.

Is this fear rational? LOL No seriously, am I just stark raving crazy?

If the trend continues GPU's will still bottleneck before the CPU does, I cant predict the future so who knows if this will stay true. I do wonder what DX10 and Vista is going to make me upgrade, so there is something more to drive you nuts.

 

[GamingDaemon]

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon
Hmmm, you may be convinving me. I'm starting to think I am going a little mad thinking about this. I really want to spec this out tonight and be done with it.

I am afraid that in a year or more, there will be video games on the market that my eVGA 7900GT KO can handle but my 939 4200+ dual core and DDR memory is too slow to match up against. And with AMD not supporting 939s in the future, I will be SOL.

Is this fear rational? LOL No seriously, am I just stark raving crazy?

If the trend continues GPU's will still bottleneck before the CPU does, I cant predict the future so who knows if this will stay true. I do wonder what DX10 and Vista is going to make me upgrade, so there is something more to drive you nuts.

Thank you, thank you very much Hopefully a 939 4200+ with a 7900GT KO should handle Vista and DX10...hopefully...

 

[GamingDaemon]

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon

Originally posted by: Skott
The AM2 has more future upgradeable potential than the 939. Supposedly AMD abandons 939 beginning of next year. Conroes have even more future upgradeable potential than the AM2 right now because the Conroe chips simply outperform anything AMD currently has or will have till the AMD 4x4 comes out later this year. Although there is no gurantee the 4x4 chips will beat Conroe. That remains to be seen.

True, but I'm not sure I want to wait for Conroe. And it seems that the AM2 mobo's are flaky. Maybe I should jsut stick with the 939 for now and then build a new gaming rig in a year or two when things have settled down.

From another thread you and I are going back and forth on, I didn't realize that conroe is coming out tomorrow. What can you tell me about the socket/processor numbers and the prices? I am trying to find them on newegg. TIA

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon

Originally posted by: Skott
The AM2 has more future upgradeable potential than the 939. Supposedly AMD abandons 939 beginning of next year. Conroes have even more future upgradeable potential than the AM2 right now because the Conroe chips simply outperform anything AMD currently has or will have till the AMD 4x4 comes out later this year. Although there is no gurantee the 4x4 chips will beat Conroe. That remains to be seen.

True, but I'm not sure I want to wait for Conroe. And it seems that the AM2 mobo's are flaky. Maybe I should jsut stick with the 939 for now and then build a new gaming rig in a year or two when things have settled down.

From another thread you and I are going back and forth on, I didn't realize that conroe is coming out tomorrow. What can you tell me about the socket/processor numbers and the prices? I am trying to find them on newegg. TIA

Middle base Conroe E6600 is like 350 if I remeber correctly so building a AM2 or 939 will be cheaper and save money later for upgrades you might need. 939 is the cheapest since you dont need DDR2 but might be the hardest upgrade path.

 

[GamingDaemon]

Ok WaTaGuMp, then if I am willing to spend upwards of $250, which AMD proc should I get, excluding AM2 from the equation. I looekd on the Monarch site and I can get a dual core 939 4200+ for < $200. Should I do that or search for an opteron?

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon
Ok WaTaGuMp, then if I am willing to spend upwards of $250, which AMD proc should I get, excluding AM2 from the equation. I looekd on the Monarch site and I can get a dual core 939 4200+ for < $200. Should I do that or search for an opteron?

4600+ is gonna come in about 224 thats what I am planning on getting. Anything in the 4200 to 4600 range will do well they are close in benchmarks. Check the AT front page on the Conroe article it shows the 4200 etc.

 

[GamingDaemon]

Final question...probably stupid...if a motherboard says it is socket 939 and supports Athlon 64, will it support the X2 dual core procs? monarchcomputers.com says that the Abit KN8 Ultra supports the X2, newegg suggests it supports just Athlon 64. The Abit site says Athlon 64, but then has the AMD X2 logo on there as well. Very confusing. I assume if the manufacturer has the AMD X2 logo, then it supports it, but just thought I would ask...

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon
Final question...probably stupid...if a motherboard says it is socket 939 and supports Athlon 64, will it support the X2 dual core procs? monarchcomputers.com says that the Abit KN8 Ultra supports the X2, newegg suggests it supports just Athlon 64. The Abit site says Athlon 64, but then has the AMD X2 logo on there as well. Very confusing. I assume if the manufacturer has the AMD X2 logo, then it supports it, but just thought I would ask...

The KN8 is like most socket 939 boards it supports both the 64 and the X2 the X2 is the duel core version of their chips. Just read the description they will tell you what chips they support. Here is the baord I got an under the features down the page a bit it says AMD64 and X2 processors. Asus A8N SLI

 

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon
monarchcomputers.com says that the Abit KN8 Ultra supports the X2, newegg suggests it supports just Athlon 64. The Abit site says Athlon 64, but then has the AMD X2 logo on there as well. ..

KN8 Ultra definitely runs X2 fine & it's a good, stable board at a reasonable price.

 

[customcoms]

Better yet get the DFI Lanparty UT nForce4 Ultra-D: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152

Best board available in the $100 price range IMHO.

As far as AM2 goes, Its hard to reconmend a mobo without anything as spectacular as the DFI nForce4 series of boards available. DFI has just released their infinity series to the US, so that might bring a temporary solution; otherwise the Biostar line looks pretty decent.
The memory problems aren't all caused by the boards; the single core AM2's are limited to DDR2-667 (yes their are bios problems with these immature boards that are causing problems as well-most bios problems in general have something to do with ram compaitability, because of lack of time to test hundreds of memory combinations before the manufacturer's ship the boards).

 

[Skott]

Here are the official AMD prices as of today. Hopefully the vendors wont go above them.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=3460

 

[acegazda]

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp
I am building a 939 over a AM2 and it should last a long time IMHO.

Yes you are right, but I can get an AM2 4200 dual core for the same price as a 939 4200 dual core. It just seems to make more sense. Don't you agree?

If you are set to go with a DDR 2 platform then Conroe is the better choice, I am going 939 cause I dont wanna buy more stuff needed to make a gaming system run where it doesnt matter if you have 150 fps or 125 fps. Trying to get several years out of a system is asking a lot no matter what you build, the tech industry just moves too fast.

conroe motherboards are very expensive, usually 50% more expensive than an AMD board with similar features. That's my concern.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: acegazda

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp

Originally posted by: GamingDaemon

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp
I am building a 939 over a AM2 and it should last a long time IMHO.

Yes you are right, but I can get an AM2 4200 dual core for the same price as a 939 4200 dual core. It just seems to make more sense. Don't you agree?

If you are set to go with a DDR 2 platform then Conroe is the better choice, I am going 939 cause I dont wanna buy more stuff needed to make a gaming system run where it doesnt matter if you have 150 fps or 125 fps. Trying to get several years out of a system is asking a lot no matter what you build, the tech industry just moves too fast.

conroe motherboards are very expensive, usually 50% more expensive than an AMD board with similar features. That's my concern.

I havent done a ton of homework on the Conroe mobo's since I am not buying one, but I am pretty sure people have seen mobo's in the 140 range, so they arent far off by any means. Time is on your side for the Conroe as with most new tech the prices will drop once they ahve been out a while.