AM3+ Build

[hieuhef]

Howdy all. Been itching for a new build as my current Q6600 and 680i are on their way out, and am super intrigued by the forthcoming BD and the recent release of 890FX AM3+ mobos starting to trickle out...

So, is it prudent to purchase the ASRock Deluxe5 and a 1090T/1100T and wait for a few revisions/steppings to allow BD to mature before buying into one?

I am going to try to base my build around a photo/video editing system, the specs sans CPU will be:

16gb DDR3 1600 [4x4gb]
128gb SSD for OS/apps
256gb C300 for a scratch/work drive
4x1tb HDDs for storage
GTX 260 216

Before I started perusing the forums, I was drunk with excitement at the prospect of getting an 8core BD and just using a x6 until the prices stabilized, and as they say, ignorance is bliss

Now, I'm curious if I should hold off for 9-series chipsets to rollout before making a purchase [while still probably going with a Thuban x6]. Your input is much appreciated!

[Hemi]

A couple of the guys were poking fun at the deluxe5 which is ok. I have the deluxe3 and i have had alot of fun over clocking it. My 1090 will stress the board real good, air or even watercooling the processor the board does great. It does not throttle when it gets to hot. I think the little fan does an excellent job keeping temps in check. I have a deluxe5 in the mail and should be here tomorrow. If this board is equal to the deluxe3 and hope some real fine tuning for bd was done by asrock this will one of the best out there. I would say go for it.

[zanzabar]

i would not buy anything now if u want am3+ to work properly as they will have different HTT piping u may get a nice penalty.

also why the 260 is it a pass down as they are not worth it now

[Mats]

Wait for BD, and for all boards to be launched. Before that you don't know what works best with BD.

X6 and the Asrock board is probably a great combination, but your main goal is to get a BD, right?
So, why spending money on parts you could have bought a year ago − now?

Your itch for buying is easy to understand, but it doesn't help you making the right choice here.

Get some SSD's while you're waiting instead!

[informal]

Get an AM3+ board with Athlon X4 @ ~3-3.2Ghz.You will get enough CPU speed and enough OC headroom until Zambezi comes... And then you will have to buy one since it will dominate

[XRL8]

Like Mats said, get the storage now, like you mentioned, it will give you huge boost if youre not on ssd now.

[stangracin3]

Why dont you get 4 2 TB samsung F4's instead at $80 a pop. put it in raid 10 or raid 5

[hieuhef]

A few of the items listed are carried over; 256gb C300, 4x1tb HDDs, the GTX 260, and something I forgot to mention, a Prolimatech Megahalems, are all things I'm using in my current setup. The board has been giving me issues, and an upgrade is just what I need before my workload starts to ramp up in a few weeks.

I thought I would cheat and get a jump on AM3+ and pair it with an x6 for the time being, but a lot of what you guys are saying makes sense to wait until BD is out, though I've no intentions of getting the actual chip until next year, I'll at least have a chipset that supports all its features. I was bit in the ass on my 680i when they promised Nehalem support and took it away before the chips were released, this ensures that won't happen again

[BeepBeep2]

A few of the items listed are carried over; 256gb C300, 4x1tb HDDs, the GTX 260, and something I forgot to mention, a Prolimatech Megahalems, are all things I'm using in my current setup. The board has been giving me issues, and an upgrade is just what I need before my workload starts to ramp up in a few weeks.

I thought I would cheat and get a jump on AM3+ and pair it with an x6 for the time being, but a lot of what you guys are saying makes sense to wait until BD is out, though I've no intentions of getting the actual chip until next year, I'll at least have a chipset that supports all its features. I was bit in the ass on my 680i when they promised Nehalem support and took it away before the chips were released, this ensures that won't happen again

890FX is natively an AM3 chipset, and it includes HT 3.0...
990FX will include NVIDIA SLI support, and it includes HT 3.1...

Technically you have an "AM3+" board if you buy it yes, but it will have all the features of an AM3 board with an AM3+ socket imo.

[tbone8ty]

hmm yeah u should wait for BD BUT the X6 and a Asrock 890fx am3+ r cheap enough, might was well play around with it and get yurself back familiar with Amd.

i mean it will be playable with BD so u can just swap out mobos down the road, and it will still be relevant to sell because its BD compatible.

[hieuhef]

It's extremely tempting to run to my local Micro Center and buying an Asus CH4 with a 1100T, seeing as that combo will only cost $440usd and playing with it until BD is actually out, but it's so close to release that a reality check brings me right back to earth. With all this controversy swirling around the possibility of them revamping BD and making a whole new socket, can't help but feel like the consumer is being knocked down a peg while the chip makers are swooping in with all these changes to the chips requiring new mobo purchases more often.

Crazy too, seeing as intel's z68 for SNB is right around the corner, intel s2011 at the end of the year, BD is in striking distance, and I want a build right this instant

[richierich]

Yep BD is so close I can smell it. Just wait another month or so and hopefully more info will get released on that platform. I could've sold my 890FX board awhile ago, but I figured I might as well see if I can just get a BD processor to drop in instead of a new mobo too.

[tbone8ty]

could do a 1090t OC to 1100t levels save $30 and grab a on-board video mobo like the new Asrock 880g, then u could swap it out for another build when BD comes out it would make it a good solid work horse machine for somebody or an HTPC.

dont forget X6 thubans are still fun to play with :p

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

Impossible question to ask, but for the money...

If I went BD, is it worth keeping my Mugen 2 HSF or getting something better? (is 2 or 3 degress lower a justification?)

[god_43]

ok i just bought this board last week and i am having a really hard time ocing with it. i am using an 1100t x6 (just bought), and i am trying to oc it too 4ghz; nb at 3ghz.every time i try to oc it works for a couple of minutes and then it crashes (prime and occt). idk wtf to do! my voltes are as follows, cpu is at 1.42 - 1.47, nb is at 1.35, the only way i can get it too boot is by setting the nb cpu voltage as well, which i have at 1.42....i even tried my 1090t x6 just to make sure its not the cpu. my cooler is a corsair h70.

any thoughts?

thanks.

[Hemi]

which board did you buy

[BeepBeep2]

ok i just bought this board last week and i am having a really hard time ocing with it. i am using an 1100t x6 (just bought), and i am trying to oc it too 4ghz; nb at 3ghz.every time i try to oc it works for a couple of minutes and then it crashes (prime and occt). idk wtf to do! my voltes are as follows, cpu is at 1.42 - 1.47, nb is at 1.35, the only way i can get it too boot is by setting the nb cpu voltage as well, which i have at 1.42....i even tried my 1090t x6 just to make sure its not the cpu. my cooler is a corsair h70.

any thoughts?

thanks.

First of all lower that northbridge voltage to stock. I've got no idea why you are running it at 1.35
1.42 is really really high for 3 Ghz CPUNB...with a good CPU you should need about 1.3v...I need about 1.34v

Take it a step at a time...try 3.8 at say 1.375v. with CPUNB at stock...then work your way up.

[god_43]

which board did you buy

i got the asrock deluxe5, the one discussed in the op.

First of all lower that northbridge voltage to stock. I've got no idea why you are running it at 1.35
1.42 is really really high for 3 Ghz CPUNB...with a good CPU you should need about 1.3v...I need about 1.34v

Take it a step at a time...try 3.8 at say 1.375v. with CPUNB at stock...then work your way up.

thanks beepbeep, i had originally started out that way, but every time i did tried it would crash. i figured out the problem though, it had to do with LLC being enabled, once i turned that off; things started working again.

[Hemi]

god 43 did you get the new bios

[hieuhef]

So what OCs were you able to achieve once you figured out what was wrong? And is the board everything you'd hope it would be?

[Hemi]

I have no complaints with the deluxe5 except the bios still need a little work. It is almost the same as my deluxe3. I am running at 4mhz/ fsb at 200 / mem set to xmp profile 7/8/7/24/40. these are g skill eco ram at 1.35 volts. 1090 voltage set at 1.4125 and will run with llc 1.46. mem and cpu volts are lower than the deluxe 3. The problem i have now is when i set the fsb to 250 mem volts must be set to 1.475/ cpu nb volts 1.3 I can still run prime stable at 4mhz same as the deluxe3 at fsb 250. The bios will hold my settings when i adjust them and continue. When i shut down and start up it does not like it and will default the cpu to 3.2 mhz. restart and enter bios exit and save back at 4mhz. I have not found a way to solve this problem. May need bios update or i am missing a setting when I adjust. All in all i would rate this board very very good. If i was to buy another board today it would be a deluxe5 or in the future a deluxe6.

[perkam]

I would wait for 990X or 980G/970 chipsets at the very least.

Remember that in order to properly make use of the new features BD and Llano will bring (especially with improved memory controllers), buying a 9-series chipset will be imperative.

Granted that compared to the 800-series they will be brand new and therefore prone to bugs, it would be better to deal with a few bugs and realize the full potential of BD than to invest an older tech that will be obsolete within 6 months.

I, myself, am looking forward to the fact that all the new chips from AMD (Llano and BD) now come with integrated DDR3 1866 memory controllers, which won't probably be utilized until we have 900-series chipsets (stock frequency will still be limited to DDR3 1333 on 800 series chipsets).

This, hopefully, will help drive DDR3 1866 as the next universal memory standard. (So we can get 4GB DDR3 1866 CL8 for $50 )

[hieuhef]

That's the plan Biding my time for another month is hard when there are so many tasty bits available now [NOW!]. My income isn't so disposable to being able to buy parts now and getting rid of them in a month's time to swap out for the latest and greatest in mobos and CPUs.

[god_43]

god 43 did you get the new bios

yeah i had 1.30 at the time of my overclocking spree, i just upgraded to 1.40 a couple of days ago; but i havn't tried to OC.

So what OCs were you able to achieve once you figured out what was wrong? And is the board everything you'd hope it would be?

yeah i really like the board and the features, file transfers are great! i sure love all the cool things that asrock packed in here. my oc's were about the same that other thuban ppl have had, 4.6 at 1.46 i believe it was. temps stayed around 38 c (h70 cooler). i mainly got this board for BD and i really needed to upgrade from the old am2+. i was kind of hoping for better oc's though. i could do 3.8 on stock...but...its like the warp barrier apparently, its really hard to jump from one factor to another?

I have no complaints with the deluxe5 except the bios still need a little work. It is almost the same as my deluxe3. I am running at 4mhz/ fsb at 200 / mem set to xmp profile 7/8/7/24/40. these are g skill eco ram at 1.35 volts. 1090 voltage set at 1.4125 and will run with llc 1.46. mem and cpu volts are lower than the deluxe 3. The problem i have now is when i set the fsb to 250 mem volts must be set to 1.475/ cpu nb volts 1.3 I can still run prime stable at 4mhz same as the deluxe3 at fsb 250. The bios will hold my settings when i adjust them and continue. When i shut down and start up it does not like it and will default the cpu to 3.2 mhz. restart and enter bios exit and save back at 4mhz. I have not found a way to solve this problem. May need bios update or i am missing a setting when I adjust. All in all i would rate this board very very good. If i was to buy another board today it would be a deluxe5 or in the future a deluxe6.

its still a great board, i like it and i am sure bd will preform better than the thubans.



ps. the line in the names seems to hide the underscore in my name. its god_43 ; ).