Help finding a mobo am2+/am3

Mr.steve

Mr.steve

Mr.steve

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Joined
20 Aug 2009
Posts
6
Hello guys,

Was wondring if any u could point me in the right direction i am on a buget of about 60 pound's for the motherboard
I was thinking of getting the
AMD Athlon II X2 Dual Core 245 2.9GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail

but i am not sure on the motherboard that would go with this,

Any idears would be great.
Thx
 
Welcome to the forums.

I would try and find an extra £10 and get an Asus M4A785TD-V Evo AMD 785G - link (or a Gigabyte board just for the after sales service).

I realise £10 is over your stated budget but the ASUS is getting very good reviews and is a great value MB at £70 and is worth the extra money compared to what you may have to compromise getting spending £10 less.
 
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Could you tell me how these two boards compare please? I have the same requirement as OP (for me though on board gfx are important as I wont be buying a separate card):

The one you linked:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-355-AS&tool=3

and this micro atx one:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-357-AS

The micro atx one seems to have the same capabilities but is a lot cheaper and is smaller too. I know it is only DDR2 - but will this make much difference?

Cheers,
Dub
 
From a quick glance at the specs the one i linked to (Asus M4A785TD-V Evo AMD 785G) is the superior board - but only if you need the extra features.

It has crossfire and can support, DDR3, higher memory speed which could aid you in overclocking - if that is your want. Plus, it also has an IEEE 1394 interface - which may be a deal clincher if you require one.

I prefer ATX boards if you have the case to support them as you have more space to work on and components can, usually, be spaced out more. But, if money is a factor and you don't need the extra features then the micro-atx version looks like a solid MB.

(You may want to look at the ASUS website as i've read the details off the OcUK website and there may well be more differences.)
 
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Thanks a lot Plec -all makes more sense now :) I don't need firewire and the system won't be oc'd either (it's for my dad). The only point of contention is DDR2 vs DDR3. I have no clue what the difference will mean in the real world.
 
The DDR3 is the faster memory and the new industry standard but it's not a deal breaker if the system is only going to be used for word processing and the internet - what will you Dad be using the PC for?
 
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Literally what you just said - word processing and the internet + my brother might watch some divx on it.

I know DDR2 will be fine for his use - I have DDR in my current pc and its ok :) However, I was wondering if buying DDR3 result in me at least having reusable components at the end of the life of the computer. However, I'm thinking that I'm probably overthinking things - and i should be fine with DDR2.
 
It will serve his purposes fine then.

However there is one downside to the DDR2 and that is dependent on how long your Dad holds on to the system for. Memory upgrades in the future (couple of years maybe) will be easier with the DDR3 as it will be easier to get hold of and probably cheaper as a result (As memory gets phased out it becomes more expensive.)

As long as your Dad intends on getting 4gig of memory it probably won't be a problem as that will serve his purposes for a good few years for his intended usage.
 
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good point and one that hit me hard when i upgraded ram in my current DDR setup. I'll buy him 4gb - that should be more than enough to be going on with. I figure when it comes time to replace the system it should actually be good enough to repurpose in to a HTPC/media player. I'll invest in the 4gb now.
 
Ty for the help guys i was wondring any other suggestions? 70 pounds aint bad but for that should i just get a better prossesor with the 70 pounds get a better board
 
If you can stretch your budget some more then i would get the AMD Phenom II X3 Tri Core 720 Black Edition - great value and very clockable chip.

What will you be using the PC for?
 
well i am trying to upgrade my pc for the last time,last year of school trying to get as much gaming out of it,i manly play cod4/cod5 and need a pc that will play cod6 modern warfare 2 with out any lagg spikes and ****, now that AMD Phenom II X3 Tri Core 720 Black Edition i was actauly going to try and get then just need to find a mobo for that and when it comes to matching mobo and processors i fail,

thats what i am trying to do.

/steve
 
Obviously, if you can afford it, the relatively small outlay for upgrading to an Asus M4A785TD-V Evo and the AMD Phenom II X3 Tri Core 720 Black Edition will ensure that your system lasts quite a bit longer - especially when factoring in the clocking ability of the Tri-Core (it really is a little gem). It will certainly cope with the games you have mentioned with consumate ease - when coupled with a semi decent GPU (which is/will be?)

We could do with forum members 'cmndr_andi' or 'Happy' finding this thread as they're both very adept at assigning hardware to games - but the above is a great combo for your limited budget.

Additional: It would be useful to know your ideal spec - including future buys and existing components that you will adding.
 
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