Looking for a good mATX for OC of 5000+BE

[Power5]

Looking to build a decent budget system for the wife. I am going to get a 5000+BE for the system and want to be able to play with some overclocking since I have no experience with AMD setups.

Here is the board I am looking at right now: Asus M2A VM 690G
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131172

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-131-172-03.jpg

Need a micro because her case choice only supports micro. Are there any better mobo options for around the same price range? I would like to be able to upgrade to a Phenom or whatever is next. I was hoping to use some Value 800 speed ram, but have read that AMDs can be a bit picky with ram choices. Dunno if that is just because of the voltage or what.

[tictac]

a biostar ta690g would be better for oc. bios have more option in term of oc. same chipset as the asus.but bit expensivE

[justapost]

You can apply up to 1,65V to the cpu with that mobo, but it lacks all ram timing settings in the bios. Also it made noises when overclocked here.

[Power5]

With the newest bios there is still no ram settings on that Asus board?

Wow, that biostar is $84. Dont really want to spend that much unless I have to. Is there anything as good but cheaper? I am not set on any specific chipset. It could be a Nvidia as well. Just want to make sure I can get at least 3.0ghz out of the 5000+BE without any hassle. Plug and play basically. Then to get to 3.2+ and to optimize ram will be the fun part. If the biostar is the only mobo that can give me that, I guess I may have to splurge.

[tictac]

yeah.. at 80 price range can even buy biostar ta770. am2+ socket ht3.0 splitpower plane but lack of igp. maybe try searching for gigabyte 690g board.

[Power5]

GB have been more expensive than others. But only by $5-$10 I think.

I have to stay with the mATX form factor though, so I cant get any AM2+ boards.

[tictac]

hmm.. oc 5000+ BE to 3ghz by multplier of 15. tweaking memory using amdoverdrive or memset tool. asus will do.

[Power5]

I guess I could ditch the DVI for $5 and get this GB board:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128043

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-128-043-03.jpg

Would this have timing options in the bios using Crtl+F1?

[tictac]

yup.. ctrl f1 for advanced memory timing.

[justapost]

yup.. ctrl f1 for advanced memory timing.
Yuk, good to know. :eek:

@Power5: You might want to take a look on the gigabyte 690 sh.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2624728&postcount=2

[nullface]

An old NF-M2 nView, or wait, it hasent that much "advanced memory timing", but can do some nice FSB if needed (mine does 325 24/7), but i guess not wince its a BE.

[KTE]

Hard to find decent mATX PSUs now, me thinks only FSP had the major ones around back in the day and even those were sub-standard for today. Closest to those sizes is the Antec Earthwatts 380W and Seasonic SII 330W, both very good quality.

M2A is decent for X2 but M3A is better esepeially when taking into consideration Phenom as well.

[Power5]

I have a Cooler master 550w PSU for this setup. Bought it for $9.99 from newegg with $30MIR and newsletter code.

What is an NF-M2? Never heard of nView.

Thanks for the replies so far. Havent made a decision yet, but leaning towards the GB 690G. Remember, it has to be a mATX. I would love to throw that Biostar770 in the case, but pretty sure it wont be able to fit.

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-108-064-03.jpg

[karbonkid]

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-108-064-03.jpg

What case is that?

[Power5]

inWin Allure

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811108064

[Power5]

Here is the Wish list from Newegg. Any concerns?

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=7060152

[KTE]

Far better RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148069

It's good to have in case you need to swap around or latre upgrade and those can do 800MHz at just 2V easy.

[Power5]

Didnt think you could run 1066 ram with AM2? Also, those sticks are Twice the price of the OCZ after MIR. I hope they are better. ;) I have had great luck with my OCZ which is why I selected them again. Right now mine runs at 444-12 900mhz w/ 2.0v.

[KTE]

I didn't check further on the OCZ link to see the rebate, but yep, it's very good value. You can run fast RAM on the system if you oc but usually sub-900MHz and this OCZ RAM will be perfectly fine for it. However problems will occur with RAM limitations when you upgrade or move it to another build, Intel or AMD. Crucial one is cheap and good for all systems since most can get to DDR2-1200 stable if ever need be. :)

[SnipingWaste]

How soon do you need the system build? The new AMD 780G will be out some time in Feb and its a AM2+ and has more powerful IGP with UVD.

[Power5]

Will probably be building sooner than that. Any idea on what the cost of a 780G reference board will be? My wife really only surfs the net and uses it for school work. She plays some simple 2d games, so Graphics performance is not very important. I also have a 7600GT if the need arises for better graphics. May put it in anyway just to not lose ram with the onboard.

What is UVD?

[KTE]

UVD: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Video_Decoder

[Power5]

Anyone with a BE have problems with the mosfets not having heat sinks on any board in general? Wondering if I will need to buy some heatsinks for the power mosfets or not.

Cant wait to start this build. Just hope it doesn't beat out my over double priced computer. :D Well, the one I originally built with a 7600GT not the 3870 I have in it now.

[deerf]

I guess I could ditch the DVI for $5 and get this GB board:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128043

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-128-043-03.jpg

Would this have timing options in the bios using Crtl+F1?

Don't buy that. See this link:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1031950487

"FWIW, I got an email back from gigabyte tech support about bios'es for the 69vm. They stated it was a lower end, desktop board not designed for overclocking. What did they recommend? The 69GM."

690G is a much better bet it seems. I've got the Gigabyte MA69GM-S2H but no CPU yet so I can't say for sure if it overclocks as good as it seems.
(Also, I haven't O/Ced since jumper times so don't take my word for it :ROTF:)

[hstuehmeyer2000]

i would get this, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138061
its even got a $10 rebate

[Power5]

i would get this, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138061
its even got a $10 rebate

That is a very good price for its features. I have been trying to find out which chipset is the best for OC and the best onboard graphics as well. Is nvidia the better choice? I guess the OC is more important, since I have an old 7600 that my brother is using for SLI till he can get an 8800. Her student loan check comes soon, so I need to find a way to pick a board. I am open to the best options for what I listed as my needs in the sub $70 range. I have been reading as many newegg reviews to get the best idea for each board they sell. I have also been looking all over the internet, but just cant seem to find too much info about mATX boards. So I am looking here to help me choose in the next couple weeks.

Okay, so no 690V, looks like good evidence.

[hstuehmeyer2000]

here is a review of the board
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=142321

i am not sure if nv7050 is better or worse than 690g, but i would think it would be at least as good

[tictac]

best igp available amd690g. best microatx with amd690g biostar ta690.

[Power5]

Hopefully the Biostar will come down in price about $20. But, also, the new chipset is coming out soon, still dont know how much that is going to cost.

Just for fun, anyone have a link to any 3d mark scores on the 690g?

[tictac]

Hopefully the Biostar will come down in price about $20. But, also, the new chipset is coming out soon, still dont know how much that is going to cost.

Just for fun, anyone have a link to any 3d mark scores on the 690g?

AMD690G vs AMD RS780 3D Mark :

http://www.ocworkbench.com/2008/J&W/J&W%20RS780UVD-AM2+/b3.htm

[Power5]

I didn't check further on the OCZ link to see the rebate, but yep, it's very good value. You can run fast RAM on the system if you oc but usually sub-900MHz and this OCZ RAM will be perfectly fine for it. However problems will occur with RAM limitations when you upgrade or move it to another build, Intel or AMD. Crucial one is cheap and good for all systems since most can get to DDR2-1200 stable if ever need be. :)


Might step up the build price a little bit and get that crucial 1066 ram for my computer and put the OCZ I have in her computer. :p:

[Power5]

AMD690G vs AMD RS780 3D Mark :

http://www.ocworkbench.com/2008/J&W/J&W%20RS780UVD-AM2+/b3.htm

Thanks for that. AMAZING how much better the chipset is. But I dont want to spend a fortune on this setup. Its just for her to surf the web, play simple 2D games, and do school work. Still wish I knew how much the 780 will be so I know if I should wait it out.

[justapost]

yup.. ctrl f1 for advanced memory timing.
I don't get advanced timings on my m2a-vm if i hit ctrl f1 when i'm on the dram config page. Can be an bios version or phenom issue.

[Power5]

I don't get advanced timings on my m2a-vm if i hit ctrl f1 when i'm on the dram config page. Can be an bios version or phenom issue.

From the reviews I have read, you have to have the latest bios, then it should be possible. Never used a GB board, so don't know where you have to hit Ctrl+F1. Have you tried the main bios page and progressed from there?

[justapost]

From the reviews I have read, you have to have the latest bios, then it should be possible. Never used a GB board, so don't know where you have to hit Ctrl+F1. Have you tried the main bios page and progressed from there?
My fault, thought the tip was related to the Asus mobo.

[hstuehmeyer2000]

here is a good 690g mobo, only $55
http://directron.com/m2a692ghg.html
here is a review, http://www.ocworkbench.com/2007/jetway/M2A692-GDG/g1.htm

[Power5]

Looks like a pretty decent board. Looks like the only bios options for mem speed is 400,533,667,800. Is there no way to OC past 800 speed ram?

[informal]

Looks like a pretty decent board. Looks like the only bios options for mem speed is 400,533,667,800. Is there no way to OC past 800 speed ram?

Yes you can,by OCing the chip(by raising HTT).If you choose 667 option,you get a set divider for you current (default) chip frequency.After that,if you OC your CPU,that divider stays the same and of course with higher CPU speed (By means of raising HTT) you get for your new ram this speed:
new ram frequency=''new OCed CPU freq'' / integer RAM divider

[justapost]

Max VDIMM (2,15V) is abit low on that Jetway mobo. Higher than on the m2a-vm (2,1V) but still not enough for decent modules.

[Power5]

Yes you can,by OCing the chip(by raising HTT).If you choose 667 option,you get a set divider for you current (default) chip frequency.After that,if you OC your CPU,that divider stays the same and of course with higher CPU speed (By means of raising HTT) you get for your new ram this speed:
new ram frequency=''new OCed CPU freq'' / integer RAM divider

Yeah, this will be the first time building an AMD. What you say makes sense. Can you point me to a good thread on more AMD OC methods?

Right now my OCZ ram in my rig runs 2.0v at 900mhz. What speeds does ram need to run at to best work with a BE at 3.0-3.2ghz.

[informal]

Yeah, this will be the first time building an AMD. What you say makes sense. Can you point me to a good thread on more AMD OC methods?

Right now my OCZ ram in my rig runs 2.0v at 900mhz. What speeds does ram need to run at to best work with a BE at 3.0-3.2ghz.

Hi there
I think the best way for you is to make a new thread and post your system specs.That way guys over here will be in best position to advise you on your OC options.
Unfortunately,here on XS there is no "How-to OC AM2/Phenom/Athlon" Sticky Thread :(.Don't know why,maybe this is a good time to point this out and ask some more active and knowledgeable guys to make one.It would be great for people that are fairly new to AMD OCing.

As for you ram,it should work fine at those frequencies.Don't know what divider you would be able to use with BE chip at that clocks(3-3.2Ghz),but i'm almost certain that you could hit DDR2-914 with same cas latency and pretty much same volts if you use this setting in BIOS:

Chip multi 13x(default for BE 5000+)

Memory Dram option set to 800Mhz(DDR2-800 actually,this would equal to divider 7 since 2600/400=6.5 and it must be rounded to next integer number upwards).Dram volts set to 2.0 or 2.05V(since ram will be slightly above 900Mhz).Cas latency set to the one you have in your present rig.

OC settings for HTT ocing:raise the HTT bus to 246Mhz,disable all spread spectrums you can find in BIOS,set HT multiplier to 4x

CPU Vcore leave at default and try the above.If it can't boot or you're not prime stable on both cores try upping the Vcore with +0.025V.

With all above working,you should end up with 13x246=3200Mhz, Dram clock= 3200Mhz/7= (DDR2)914Mhz.
You can then try getting more from this chip and the memory.

Cheers and good luck with your setup.

[Power5]

Wow, awesome reply. Thanks.

[informal]

No problem mate,here to help and learn :).