Best budget board for PII 940?

[Beefy22]

Thinking of pairing the 940 with a GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P for $110 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387) +S/H... Is that considered one of the best choices for it's price range or are there (better) alternatives? I'm willing to spend upwards of $130-140.

[zanzabar]

its ether the dfi DK or ud4p. i dislike gigabyte in general so i would go with the dfi

[YukonTrooper]

Will it be replacing the rig in your sig?

[BrokenWall]

I love my 790X-UD4P, You can't go wrong in my opinion

[Beefy22]

its ether the dfi DK or ud4p. i dislike gigabyte in general so i would go with the dfi

I have two DFI boards, LT x48 and P45 JR. Both have worked great and I would love another, but the one I like (790FXB-M2RSH (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136057)) is right on the fringe of my allotted budget.


Will it be replacing the rig in your sig?

Not likely, unless it clocks and/or performs better(q6700 scales well - 3.33ghz w/ 1.25v to 4.0ghz w/ 1.5v; *edit* 3.7ghz w/ 1.37v is the sweet spot IMO). This build is a gift for a family member.

-EDIT-


I love my 790X-UD4P, You can't go wrong in my opinion

Ah good, a vote of confidence. Thanks!

[YukonTrooper]

Not likely, unless it clocks and/or performs better(q6700 scales well - 3.33ghz w/ 1.25v to 4.0ghz w/ 1.5v). This build is a gift for a family member.
Ah, OK. Just cause I was gonna say you'll lose performance unless you get a golden 940. :p:

[Beefy22]

Ah, OK. Just cause I was gonna say you'll lose performance unless you get a golden 940. :p:

Man I would love to land a golden chip, to date the q6700 has been my best OCer... Though if I had to pick I hope my incoming i7 920 is golden. Now I'm curious, what would be considered a "golden" i7 920?

[perkam]

Clock for clock, the 940 is faster than the Q6600, equal to the Q9550 and slower than the i7, and runs cooler than all three.

And yes the UD4P is an excellent board for 3.6G stock volts and 3.8 1.45v.

Perkam

[5ILVgearX]

i too have a ma790x-ud4p running X2 550 @ 3.1 with 4 cores

really good board. northbridge stays under 38C when idling and only goes up to 46C for 24hour load. room temp 24C.

[doompc]

If you don't want crossfire, the GA MA770-UD3P and the MSI 770-C45 are under 80 bucks.

[zanzabar]

the dfi is cheaper on motherboard pro $114
http://www.motherboardpro.com/DFI-LANPARTY-DK-790FX-M2RS-790-chipset-Socket-AM2-CrossFire-Ready-DFI-Motherboard-p-519.html

[BrokenWall]

Yeah I have a X2 550 that is unlocked and running at 3.2Ghz with no problem. I have yet to take the time to tweak it out, but it boots and will run the windows score test at 3.8Ghz but its not stable doing anything else. So I know it has it in it.

I came from an ASUS M3A32-MVP and at this rate I don't think I'm going back to ASUS anytime soon, I know they are faster boards but the price comparison for the performance isn't worth it.

I run a Single 9800GTX which will run faster than stock 9800GTX+/GTS 250 clocks so now I have a CPU that will let me get some more life out of my video card.

[Daveburt714]

Thinking of pairing the 940 with a GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P for $110 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387) +S/H... Is that considered one of the best choices for it's price range or are there (better) alternatives? I'm willing to spend upwards of $130-140.

I bought a GBT MA790XT-UD4P (DDR3 version) even though I had sworn off their boards because of problems with the early DS5 and S2H... Long story short, I liked it so well it's now running in my main rig with an unlocked X2 550.

Excellent board for the price!! And from what I've seen on here the DDR2 version is just as good...

On a side note... If you live anywhere near a MicroCenter they have the 940's for $150. :up:

I live a few miles from one so I've never ordered from them online but the B&M store is very easy to deal with.

[gOtVoltage]

I bought a GBT MA790XT-UD4P (DDR3 version) even though I had sworn off their boards because of problems with the early DS5 and S2H... Long story short, I liked it so well it's now running in my main rig with an unlocked X2 550.

Excellent board for the price!! And from what I've seen on here the DDR2 version is just as good...

On a side note... If you live anywhere near a MicroCenter they have the 940's for $150. :up:

I live a few miles from one so I've never ordered from them online but the B&M store is very easy to deal with.

Yup i agree Both 790X DDR2 UD4P and 790XT DDR3 UD4P is a nice Mobo to tweak PHII'S .

Gigabyte has come a long way . I have thrown Huge Volts at this Mobo and it just keeps going no matter the CPU.

If your on a budget ,this Mobo has the options to clock a 940 easy. I too was using ASUS and didnt like the shoddy Bioses on the M3A line..I was very reluctant to even try GIGABYTE .When i saw how good it did unlocking for a friend VS using my M3A79-T i was sold on it.

Then to top it off it unlocked Two chips the Old ASUS couldnt .Then it clocked them to the Moon higher than the ASUS with less volts in both Unlocked and locked Mode:yepp:.

[Beefy22]

Clock for clock, the 940 is faster than the Q6600, equal to the Q9550 and slower than the i7, and runs cooler than all three.

And yes the UD4P is an excellent board for 3.6G stock volts and 3.8 1.45v.

Perkam

We'll see. I don't want to get my hopes too high, but 3.6ghz on stock voltage would be perfect... As for the running cooler and/or more efficient clock for clock statement, I'll find out first hand. :D


the dfi is cheaper on motherboard pro $114
http://www.motherboardpro.com/DFI-LANPARTY-DK-790FX-M2RS-790-chipset-Socket-AM2-CrossFire-Ready-DFI-Motherboard-p-519.html

Yeah, that one had me excited, until I realized it was equipped with sb600 vice the desirable sb750. :(


Yeah I have a X2 550 that is unlocked and running at 3.2Ghz with no problem. I have yet to take the time to tweak it out, but it boots and will run the windows score test at 3.8Ghz but its not stable doing anything else. So I know it has it in it.

I came from an ASUS M3A32-MVP and at this rate I don't think I'm going back to ASUS anytime soon, I know they are faster boards but the price comparison for the performance isn't worth it.

I run a Single 9800GTX which will run faster than stock 9800GTX+/GTS 250 clocks so now I have a CPU that will let me get some more life out of my video card.

My last Asus was a p4p800. I went to Abit(R.I.P.) then Dfi and now despite the lego colors Gigabyte... The G92 is/was a monster core, my 8800GTS is bench stable @ 840mhz core / 2106mhz shader / 1148mhz mem, for gaming or folding I have to take down shader 1 strap to 2052mhz and memory to 1100mhz.

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/4143/foldingwu5003oc2ih8.th.jpg (http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=foldingwu5003oc2ih8.jpg)


I bought a GBT MA790XT-UD4P (DDR3 version) even though I had sworn off their boards because of problems with the early DS5 and S2H... Long story short, I liked it so well it's now running in my main rig with an unlocked X2 550.

Excellent board for the price!! And from what I've seen on here the DDR2 version is just as good...

On a side note... If you live anywhere near a MicroCenter they have the 940's for $150. :up:

I live a few miles from one so I've never ordered from them online but the B&M store is very easy to deal with.

I have a pile of ddr2 that needs a home so no DDR3 for me... Unfortunately that's a negative on a nearby MicroCenter, 300 miles out for the closest store.


Yup i agree Both 790X DDR2 UD4P and 790XT DDR3 UD4P is a nice Mobo to tweak PHII'S .

Gigabyte has come a long way . I have thrown Huge Volts at this Mobo and it just keeps going no matter the CPU.

If your on a budget ,this Mobo has the options to clock a 940 easy. I too was using ASUS and didnt like the shoddy Bioses on the M3A line..I was very reluctant to even try GIGABYTE .When i saw how good it did unlocking for a friend VS using my M3A79-T i was sold on it.

Then to top it off it unlocked Two chips the Old ASUS couldnt .Then it clocked them to the Moon higher than the ASUS with less volts in both Unlocked and locked Mode:yepp:.

Awesome, thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[Glow9]

Clock for clock, the 940 is faster than the Q6600, equal to the Q9550 and slower than the i7, and runs cooler than all three.

And yes the UD4P is an excellent board for 3.6G stock volts and 3.8 1.45v.

Perkam

I'm gonna disagree with this one. the 955 is a little closer to the Q9550. Since the 955 still loses much of the time to the Q9550 I can't say its a sure win. I'll consider something faster when it actually beats it in every category until then they're all competitive chips.

[perkam]

The 940 UD4P deal is still there (you get both for $260ish): http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.213790

By far the best deal ever with the 940.

Perkam

[Glow9]

The 940 UD4P deal is still there (you get both for $260ish): http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.213790

By far the best deal ever with the 940.

Perkam

Not when its been $240 for a week.

[perkam]

Not when its been $240 for a week.And it could've been $200 two weeks ago. Fact is, its still much cheaper than buying the chip and the board separately.

So its better for him to get the deal if he's getting the board, instead of waiting until the combo costs $280 a week from now :stick:

Perkam

[informal]

I'm gonna disagree with this one. the 955 is a little closer to the Q9550. Since the 955 still loses much of the time to the Q9550 I can't say its a sure win. I'll consider something faster when it actually beats it in every category until then they're all competitive chips.

You should go and read the original Phenom II 940BE review over at Anandtech. You can see that 940BE ,on stock,is very close to Q9550,while 955BE is on average faster than Q9550 and very close to Q9650. OCing is a different ballgame,your mileage will vary.

[Beefy22]

Ok, one last question... How's clearance around the CPU socket and DIMM slots, and what would be a good aftermarket HSF that definitely fits?

[merkk1]

The foxconn A79A-s at $129 dollar i think make a good buy for a PHII 940 cpu the board is pack full with stuff has a SB750 and 4 PCI-e slots for video cards. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186149

[perkam]

Ok, one last question... How's clearance around the CPU socket and DIMM slots, and what would be a good aftermarket HSF that definitely fits?Well, if a TRUE can fit on this board, ANYTHING can fit on this board.

The Xigmatek DK should be a good fit for it.

Perkam

[Beefy22]

Well, if a TRUE can fit on this board, ANYTHING can fit on this board.

The Xigmatek DK should be a good fit for it.

Perkam

Whoops, I guess I missed that part... Thought it had clearance issues with the first two DIMM slots, must have been another board.

I already own a xig s1283, might grab the DK but really I only need a decent cooler that gets the job done. I'm considering ordering CM's HDT cooler just to try something different.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Thanks for the advice guys.

-EDIT-

Actually, buy.com has it for $26 + free shipping (http://www.buy.com/prod/hyper-212-plus-universal-coole/q/loc/101/211418069.html).

[perkam]

If the s1283 has brackets for AM2+ socket, its already a very good heatsink :up:

Perkam