phenom ii x2,ms-7376 k9a2 motherboard

peterh88

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Feb 4, 2014
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hello all im trying to find out the best crossfire graphics cards that support the phenomIIx2 cpu and the ms7376 mobo, any more info u need just ask
 

clutchc

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That was a nice MB in its day. X8, X8 CF. Most had an X4 2nd slot. The best pair of cards will depend on the make/model of your power supply. And what Phenom II X2 do you have? It won't pay to go with dual cards if the processor can't keep up.
 

clutchc

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Good PSU. No problem using any card you can afford with it.
The PHIIX2 550BE has 2 disabled cores. Have you tried unlocking them to see if they are stable? Does your board have that feature?

If you're going to keep the dual core 3.1GHZ Phenom II, you might be better to just stay with a single card. That processor will bottle neck any pair of cards faster than HD 7790's or GTX 650ti's. And a pair of those would be problematic because low end AMD cards are known for their micro-stutter. Nvidia's, not as much. But still present. If you do go with the AMD cards, be sure to use the 13.12 driver or later to make use of Frame Pacing that AMD has developed just for that issue.
 

peterh88

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Feb 4, 2014
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thanks for the info, yeh i read about bottlenecking trying to find out all the info i need, and i have read about unlocking the cores etc but not sure i could do it, im not that great at stuff like that, i can do basic builds then boot and run lol, which is why im also trying to find out if i can try and download windows 7 ultimate and somehow run it on this computer, i have the key from a broken sony vaio laptop
 

clutchc

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If that copy of Win7 is an OEM, it will be "illegal" to use it on a machine with a different MB than it was originally installed with. Sometimes you can get it activated, sometimes not. If not, you will have to call a MS number they will provide to answer some questions.
If you pass the automated Q&A, you get a new license and have to key in some new numbers to get the activation renewed.
If not, you will be connected with a MS tech to explain why you want to use an OEM license on a 2nd machine.

You can go into your BIOS setup and snoop around for something called "ACC". I think that is what it was called back then. Here's a little article on the subject: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/unlock-phenom-ii,2273.html
 

peterh88

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Feb 4, 2014
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ok thnks again, and yes its an OEM i have just got they key no disk, but the lappy died, hence why i have dug this machine out and looking at bringin it to life but it has no OS i also thought about just puttin the sata drive into the machine from the lappy but somehow it seems the OS has been wiped and i read somewhere it wouldnt have the right files, and thanks for the link ill have a read

but basicly i cant afford to buy a new licence for windows atm
 

clutchc

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In that case...
I would then suggest trying a clean install of Win7 on the new drive with the OEM copy when you get the system built. You will have 30 days to use the OS with all the features enabled. When the 30 days is up, you will be told you need to activate it to continue using all the features. Otherwise you will be presented with a black desktop and limited features of Windows.

At that time (or earlier) you can try entering the product key you have and see if it is accepted. I've had it work about 50% of the time. If it doesn't, you will have to follow their instructions for renewing the license. Sometimes it's painle$$, sometimes you get rejected. Worse case, by that time you may have saved enough to purchase another OEM copy with a legit license to use to activate... or you can buy one from MS while on the phone.

Btw, why do you need a new copy of Win7? Don't you have one from the MSI MB originally? Or did you just want to move to Ultimate?
 

peterh88

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Feb 4, 2014
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i dont remember what happened to it but there is no OS on that machine, i think i may have switched out the hard drive or formatted it and used it for something then returned it to the machine and i have downloaded the full version of ultimate for the trial and i will try like u say to enter the key and hope for the best (and hopefully i can then afford 1 like u say if it doesnt work) now i need to put this version to dvd or flash as an iso right?? its been a while lol
 

clutchc

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If you downloaded the .ISO file, yes. Just burn it to a DVD and it should be just like the one you buy from a retailer. But MS has a way to tell how many times you've installed with that .ISO. So expect to use it only once. Any other uses of that same ISO file are discouraged.