Mobo for AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz Socket AM3 and these parts

Hi I am building another new pc, but this one is a bit more high-end than my usual builds, and am lost as to which motherboard to get.

It needs to be able to handle nicely a quad Core Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz Socket AM3 processor, ddr2 and ddr3 ram, as i will be fitting it with 8gb (4 x2gb sticks) of ddr2 as am not prepared to shell out for ddr3 until price drops next year, but will be adding ddr3 at a later date.

It also has to have onboard sound and networking and be compatible with the following parts/software.

Windows 7 home edition

Ram 8gb (4x2gb ddr2) ram
Graphics card Asus EAH4670/DI/1GD3/V2, PCI-E, 1GB DDR3, HDMI onboard.

(http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...I-E, 1GB DDR3, HDMI onboard. ?productId=37474)

Case X-Blade MIDI Tower Case - Silver

(http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...ade MIDI Tower Case - Silver ?productId=16834)



I would not like to spend too much, I was thinking £60-£90, MUST be available on a site which sells to uk, if including a link.

ps the case only comes with a 400w psu, what kind of psu/cooling will this rig require??

A reccomendation for a cpu fan would be greatly appreciated too

Hi bob2006ty.

Firstly I don't think there is any mobo which supports both DDR2 and DDR3 RAM (I'm not 100% sure though).

Keeping that in mind, your best bet would be to go for an AM3 motherboard with DDR3 support. If you plan on a lot of overclocking an AMD 790FX chipset is recommended. The 790GX is a cheaper alternative (which also OCs reasonably well). Gigabyte / ASUS would be my preferred brands.

As a PSU : http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power Supplies/Corsair 450W VX Series PSU ?productId=28332

For a cooler what's your budget? I'd recommend an OCZ / Xigmatek / Scythe. It all depends on what best fits your case.

This would probably be a better case : http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp... Cool and Quiet Gaming Case ?productId=31087

Now with all these components, maybe you should look at at least the HD4850 in my opinion.

All the best.

thanks, in reply.

I want a ddr2 motherboard in that case.
As for cooling, Fairly cheap is best for me not planning on overdoing it, but it has to be safe and sufficient for the build.
I like the look of my case better although your option certainly has its merits.

I have never overclocked anything before, had a go once on my graphics card and the screen went all weird, i realise this is normal and that it was testing the cards boundarys to see how far it could safely be pushed, but it frightened the hell out of me and I stopped it. Not planning on ocing anything although the option to do so would be nice, as a friend has offered to do so for me.

Ps i don't plan on changing graphics card, as I want to keep the price down on that, i only want it to play gta iv.

Then an AM2+ motherboard with AM3 support is in order.

If you're not OCing then you can stick to your stock cooling. If you do OC, give a specific budget for your cooler.

k

Any suggestions on the motherboard in that case? That would be compatible with the parts listed and is am2+/am3?
And stock? the cpu doesn't come with a fan/cooler, thats why i asked about a fan.

Ps thanks for your input so far, great help.

The Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 is a decent motherboard. At your budget you may also look at a 790GX with DDR2 support.
Links:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

And how much exactly would you shell out for a cooler? I'm currently using the OCZ Vendetta 2 with my X3 720 BE overclocked to 3.6GHz.

reply

About £30?
if you can suggest a compatible cooler for that price or less please do, if not then suggest the lowest priced compatible fan please.

Thanks again Bob.

This seems fine then : http://www.dclstore.co.uk/desc-ocz-vendetta-2-cpu-cooler-ocztvend2-pid-2778.aspx

Just ensure that it fits your case. Its fairly large.

Another thought. The Phenom IIs are very overclockable. With that cooler and the beastly 955BE, it would kind of unfortunate if you don't give OCing a shot.

But that's entirely your call. Just my 2 cents worth.

ocing

k once i got all my parts compatible and listed i will call upon my m8 to have a go at ocing.


Thanks for all you help, greatly appreciated.
Bob

Best of luck with your build.

I would recommend having a look at the prices at Novatech.co.uk and eBuyer.com, since they may be cheaper (with free shipping, usually at eBuyer) and you can buy certain items OEM from Novatech, which just means they'll come in plain white boxes instead of the fancy ones, which will shave off a few quid off the price. Call Novatech to confirm this however.

thanks.

thanks i'll bear that in mind