Need help/ advice

[billiam111]

Ok so right now i have a good gaming computer but want to build another one

heres my specs

xblade gladiator case
XFX 75a sli mobo
XFX 9800gtx+
AMD phenom 9600 2.3 ghz black edition
OCZ SLI ready 800 4g
Ultra 650w power supply
Random cd dvd burner
WD 500g HDD
windows vista home premium 32 bit


I want to get an amd phenom 2 ( intels are to expensive for what they are) and i would like it to be a DDR3 supported motherboard, so far i cant find nothing like this


is DDR2 bad? i have ddr2 now, is it going to be outdated soon? OR is it going to be slow, for newer games ETC

i know AMD is partnered with ATI and everything

so im really confused on weather to go to Intel because i have a 9800gtx+, Do computers run smooth if its all the same, such as Intel cpu, Intel motherboard, Nvidia gpu?

I was looking at the foxconn destroyer motherboard, but its not am3, or ddr3, i guess the amd phenom II 940 is for AM2+ but i dont know if it would run good, or just get a amd Phenom II 955 for am3 board, but then the am3 boards only support crossfire...

HELP ME OUT GUYS!!
thank

 

[Proximon]

There is no advantage to DDR3.

If you are happy with the stability of your motherboard, I think you can just drop in a PII 940 or PII 955.

Is this your exact board?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813141010&Tpk=750a

I see no listed support for PII... odd, it should be able to with a BIOS update, I would think.

No, you do not need to worry about matching GPU to the motherboard with a single card. If you wanted to add a second 9800GTX+, then yes you would need an SLI board.

If you want a more stable experience with a single GPU, the I suggest an AMD or Intel chipset. You don't have to pay a lot for it... here is one example:
Gigabyte 790X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

 

[billiam111]

Well im just looking for a board that can have the new amd processors, so am3

but ya that is my exact board
ok so if i have an Amd board, with a nvidia chipset, and a nvidia card, it wont run weird?


i got bad experience with gigabyte, their tech support is crap to, so you think going with say, a foxconn destroyer mobo, a PII 940, would be a good idea, maybe some good ram to, mine is always messing up

 

[Proximon]

You don't need an "AM3" motherboard to run an AM3 CPU. A pure AM3 motherboard is simply running DDR3.

MOST recent AM2+ 790GX, 790FX, and 790X boards will support a PII 940 or a PII 955.

However, a PII 940 will NOT run DDR3, so it cannot go in an AM3 board. It's confusing, and I'm going to make a post to make everything clearer... OK so let me just answer your question:

No it won't run weird at all, it will be great.

Instead of paying too much for the Destroyer, get the more stable chipset and save at the same time with a 790GX:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186150

Then you can add some really nice RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231246

 

[billiam111]

but a board with a 790 chipset only has crossfire

 

[Proximon]

So you wanted to add a second 9800GTX+?

The only SLI chipsets we currently recommend are X58 (Intel i7) motherboards.

Nvidia chipsets just have too many issues.

That's why I asked if you were happy with the stability of your board.

 

[billiam111]

IT seems stable, how would i tell, by unstable what do you mean, im very confused here

the dragon platform would include, amd cpu, amd chipset, and ati graphics card,

but im confused by that platform is it some kind of software or function, or is it just a name?

Should i do that than, get all amd, and ati

intel is very expensive

 

[Proximon]

IT seems stable, how would i tell, by unstable what do you mean, im very confused here

By stable I mean do your games crash? Do you have to reboot a lot? Can you just leave your PC on so that it goes to sleep and wakes up OK?

If you are set on getting a PII X4 940, just get one and put it in your board. update it to the latest BIOS, and if it works, all your problems are solved. OTHER 750a boards support the 940. Yours should too. If it doesn't it's because Foxconn is too lazy to release a BIOS update.

the dragon platform would include, amd cpu, amd chipset, and ati graphics card,

but im confused by that platform is it some kind of software or function, or is it just a name?

It's just a name. It's a way for AMD to identify what they consider to be a good system.

Should i do that than, get all amd, and ati

intel is very expensive

Actually, comparable Intel systems are not so much more, but that's beside the point.

Do you understand what SLI means? SLI is when you put two Nvidia cards together to increase performance. Crossfire is when you put two ATI cards together to increase performance.

You can put any single card in any PCI-E slot. It's only when you link two or more together that you need to worry about SLI or Crossfire.

 

[billiam111]

my games never crash, i can let my pc run for weeks, i reboot quite frequently, to make games run faster, after ive been multi tasking




the 940 is 125w

my board is only 95w

everyone who has this board has been frying em


oh ya i know what sli means, i built the pc i have now


but like i said idk if i should get a new mobo and cpu, or new mobo, cpu, and gpu,

and will the 9800gtx, amd board with nvidia chipset, and amd processor run just aswell as a system with all similar parts



will dd3 soon overshadow ddr2 making ddr2 a thing of the past, or would getting a ddr2 board be worth it now, will any companies make a am3 board with ddr3, and a nvidia chipset?

 

[Proximon]

I see now, I misread their stupid list

http://www.xfxforce.com/en-us/products/motherboards/7series/~/ecms.aspx/XFXCPUCompatibilityList-AMD.pdf

 

[billiam111]

thanks for the list, can u asnwer my other questions? =D

 

[Proximon]

Ok this has been a bit muddy, let me see if I can clear things up.

1. We don't recommend Nvidia chipsets becuase they tend to not run as well as others.

2. If you want to SLI with an AMD CPU, Nvidia is your only choice.

3. If you do not plan to get a second 9800GTX+, then you SHOULD get an AMD chipset, and when it comes time to upgrade your video card go with an AMD.

4. If you REALLY want another 9800GTX+, then yes get a new Nvidia board... but beware of problems.
Here is the one I would pick, simply because it's the newest:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131383
This board will handle a PI 940 or PII 955, with 1066 DDR2 RAM

5. A 790GX (crossfire) board would cost less, and so you could put some of that money towards a new graphics card if you wanted. (Like a 4870 1GB)


"will the 9800gtx, amd board with nvidia chipset, and amd processor run just aswell as a system with all similar parts"

OK two systems:

ASUS M4N82 Deluxe
AMD 940 CPU
1066 memory
9800GTX+

AMD 790GX board
AMD 940 CPU
AMD ATI 4850 video
1066 memory

From those two systems, you'll get very similar performance as far as gaming speed. I can't say it would be exact. If you swap the video cards around, you would still get the same performance.

There is no penalty for running a single Nvidia card in an AMD chipset board. There is no penalty for running an ATI video card in a Nvidia chipset board.

The whole "Dragon" thing is just a marketing thing.

While I (and others) won't recommend Nvidia chipsets, you seem to have had a good experience with yours, except for the whole upgrade thing. I can't make that decision for you... you jump ship on Nvidia now and it will cost you extra.

Is the extra expense worth the change? I don't know, how rich are you?

If you were rich you could just buy an i7...

Here's a proposed build, see if it works for you:

Foxconn 790GX board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186150&Tpk=790GX

AMD 940
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471&Tpk=X4%20940

Now or later, upgrade to a 4870 1GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

Now or later, upgrade to 1066 RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104098

 

[billiam111]

Thanks for clearing that all up, if i build and amd system with an amd chipset, should i go am3, with ddr3? cause it seems like ddr3 is getting bigger and bigger

 

[Proximon]

The short answer is this:

Buying a DDR3 AM3 board will cost A BIT more. There is no performance advantage.

The only reason to get an AM3 DDR3 board is because maybe some future CPU will run better on it... so it's a bit of a gamble... say a 40-50 dollar gamble right now.

Of course, you cannot put a PII 940 in a DDR3 board. It can't handle DDR3. Has to be a PII 955.

 

[billiam111]

i guess ill go with the 940, and a 780a board, maybe u know of one to recommend, i just wanna keep my 9800gtx+, and hopefully get another soon, i need a PSU with 4 pci-e 6 pin connectors tho, and maybe a bigger case, maybe a anteec 1200 or thermaltake spedo

 

[Proximon]

The Asus board I linked, the 980a:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131383
Should be just as good as any 780a or better.

I like the PC P&C 750W for this build:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

Nvidia chipsets like to pull quite a bit of power and two 9800GTX+ pull quite a bit. You might actually break 400W actual usage... so the 750 will give you the margin, efficiency, and long life you want.