[Deathviper]

Preface: I am not building the computer today just trying to get an idea of what I need to look at in combo deals at newegg. Probably be buying after Intel releases their new i5 & i7 in September just to make sure that nothing earth shattering happens or prices drop a lot on the i7. Never had AMD before so do not know a ton about them. I do not really have a budget probably like to keep the motherboard & processor under $300 the less the better. I usually upgrade motherboard & processor & ram together, so I won't be upgrading on the board until I build another one in a 2-3 yrs.

Need (processor, motherboard, ram, cpu cooler):

PROCESSOR: Phenom II 955 Black (planning to overclock nothing drastic would like to get to 3.5-3.7)

MOTHERBOARD: My main question is on the motherboard. Would one of the following work or do I need something better. I only need one video card and want DDR3 Ram.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...name=AMD%20770

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
or
MSI 770-C45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146871

mushkin XP 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996657 - Retail

Cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233029
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

Thanks for the responses!

 

[Dopamin3]

Either motherboard is very good, it comes down to personal preference. I personally would go MSI but either board will do you well. That RAM is also a good choice. The only thing I would do is buy a Mugen 2 over dark knight. If you want the best performance and be able to run two graphics cards later at x16/x16 and even more, check out this combo deal for just a little over $300.

 

[Deathviper]

I will check out the Mugen2. Just want the best performance in the price range b/t Mugen2 and Dark Knight.

Never going to run two graphics cards. Main thing I don't know about the two motherboards is will they run a lot hotter overclocking the processor then a more expensive one.

I can get the MSI 770 board and PH2 955 for $230 and I wasn't sure if spending another $70 bucks for the MSI combo you listed was going to be worth the extra money?

 

[el gappo]

i can vouch for the gigabyte since its the same as mine really but you would be better off with a 790x/fx chipset if you are going for the max oc only 100mhz in it i reakon

 

[jameskelsey]

The Gigabyte is better and has better power regulation.

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=740

 

[Deathviper]

Thanks for the article!

A little worried now, says the board likes 1.5 volt ram and the mushkin I have picked out is 1.85V - 1.95V

Article makes it sound like a decent motherboard.

 

[jameskelsey]

That's something a lot of people don't think about, matching ram to the MB.
But in this case that MB will do ram voltage from 1.5v to 2.5v.
The only thing it lacks is cooling but if you point a fan at it you should be ok.
If your going for really high OC's you could look at one with better cooling like mine.

 

[Deathviper]

Makes me think maybe I should spend the 50-75 extra bucks to get decent cooling on the motherboard.

 

[jameskelsey]

Mine has mosfet cooling and was like $109

 

[Dopamin3]

Get this kit when it comes back in stock or from another retailer. Also 790FX chipset isn't really needed, 770 would be fine. And just because the GB board has more power regulators doesn't mean it is better. Its about efficiency not about how many you can fit on a board. The MSI board seems to get very favorable reviews for a budget board.

 

[smash_mouth01]

give the Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P a look into

 

[kamechi]

hi, what the different between MSI 770 and MSI 770T?