790FX-GD70

[cerealkiller2k4]

http://us.msi.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=790FX-GD70&class=mb

So I found this MoBo while surfing around on Tigerdirect.com and NewEgg.com. After looking into it, I'm Impressed, The AM3 support, DDR3, the ease of Overclocking and the expandability as far as Quad Crossfire all have me thinking that this board is for me.

Partnered with a Phenom II 955 3.2ghz and 4gigs of Crucial Ballistix DDR3 PC1333 I think it'll be an awesome rig.

Unfortunately, most online stores seem to be sold out or the few that I have found with it in stock sell it for $30 dollars more than NewEgg.

My Question is: Is this MoBo all that it's cracked up to be? (something has to be good about it if it's been selling out, right?)

 

[r_manic]

A good indicator is the ratings on NewEgg.com. Some reviewers just ramble, but a lot share their experiences with a particular product.

Being sold out is not necessarily a good sign. Maybe the vendor has fallen back on its production schedule, or just decided to discontinue the product without updating retailers.

 

[yannifb]

I have this mobo with a 955 BE, and 8 gigs of ddr3 1600. It is pretty much all the manufacturer says it is, and definitely the best am3 board today. The only con is that the ram slots are close to the CPU, so i had to return my Enzotech extreme X-rev in order to put 4 sticks of ram. and now these mobo's ship with the newest bios so some of the problems on Newegg reviews dont apply anymore.

 

[cerealkiller2k4]

That's great to hear. I've been surfing NewEgg reviews of this MoBo for days now and most of the ones that are below 4 eggs seem pretty trivial to me.

Half of them seem to be overreacting to getting a lemon.

The other half seem to be trying to tweek too much and ending up with an unstable system.

I will be buying this this week with the 955 and 4 gigs of crucial ballistix ram. Ill be sure to post my experience here.

 

[yannifb]

That's great to hear. I've been surfing NewEgg reviews of this MoBo for days now and most of the ones that are below 4 eggs seem pretty trivial to me.

Half of them seem to be overreacting to getting a lemon.

The other half seem to be trying to tweek too much and ending up with an unstable system.

I will be buying this this week with the 955 and 4 gigs of crucial ballistix ram. Ill be sure to post my experience here.

It's a good choice, and the odds of getting a dud with MSI are very, very slim.

 

[jcknouse]

It's a good choice, and the odds of getting a dud with MSI are very, very slim.

This is good to hear. This is the mobo I am looking to put into a new gaming rig later this year.

Thanks for the info

 

[yannifb]

This is good to hear. This is the mobo I am looking to put into a new gaming rig later this year.

Thanks for the info

No problem, but just to save you alot of trouble- if you use a large Heat sink and fan CPU cooler, the first and second ram slots could be blocked. Fortunately your only using two sticks. If you decide to upgrade and get 8 gigs of ram, just PM me and i'll recommend some good CPU coolers that wont get in the way.

 

[jcknouse]

No problem, but just to save you alot of trouble- if you use a large Heat sink and fan CPU cooler, the first and second ram slots could be blocked. Fortunately your only using two sticks. If you decide to upgrade and get 8 gigs of ram, just PM me and i'll recommend some good CPU coolers that wont get in the way.

Thanks

I usually look at the HSFs, cause I know about fins hitting memory and all. I tend to try and get a HSF that stands way above the sockets, and then get the lowest profile good memory I can.

Plus, I usually shop for a case that is at least 8.2 inches wide (without plastic add-ons that make the interior *seem* wider). That way, I can put a tall HSF in and not have to worry.

I was trying to remember the case that I saw on NewEgg the other day. It was like 10" wide. I was like lol

When the time comes (or within a month), I will get on here and hit the Toms folks up for their experiences. This is one of (if not the) best places for getting info.

I've been doing PC builds/repairs since the 1980s, and I still need help sometimes...and advice is ALWAYS good from those who have used/done something before you.

Thanks again

 

[cerealkiller2k4]

I'm with you jcknouse, I've been building pc's for the past 10 years or better (since I was about 15 and my grandfather taught me how and what to do) and even after all this time, I still prefer to get help and advice from others. I find that if a fresh set of eyes looks at something it sees stuff I may have missed.

I tell you what I just got in my Antec Twelve Hundred case and this thing is roomy. Plenty of space inside and well built.

It stands almost 23 inches tall 8.5 inches wide and came with 5 120 mm fans (three in front and 2 in back)and a 200 mm fan on top.

It can be paired with an Antec Continuous power 750 watt PSU for a $30 discount. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.216218

The Mushkin RAM in the following link is pretty highly praised on newegg and is pretty low profile. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146777

I went with the Xigmatek Dark Knight and as soon as i get the MoBo in (since New Egg was out of stock until yesterday) I'll let you guys know if interferes with any ram slots. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

 

[jcknouse]

I'm with you jcknouse, I've been building pc's for the past 10 years or better (since I was about 15 and my grandfather taught me how and what to do) and even after all this time, I still prefer to get help and advice from others. I find that if a fresh set of eyes looks at something it sees stuff I may have missed.

I tell you what I just got in my Antec Twelve Hundred case and this thing is roomy. Plenty of space inside and well built.

It stands almost 23 inches tall 8.5 inches wide and came with 5 120 mm fans (three in front and 2 in back)and a 200 mm fan on top.

It can be paired with an Antec Continuous power 750 watt PSU for a $30 discount. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.216218

The Mushkin RAM in the following link is pretty highly praised on newegg and is pretty low profile. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146777

I went with the Xigmatek Dark Knight and as soon as i get the MoBo in (since New Egg was out of stock until yesterday) I'll let you guys know if interferes with any ram slots. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

Those are all really good items, especially the Mushkin RAM. One of 2 or 3 RAM makers u pay a premium for, but they deliver consistent quality.

Of course, I've had good luck with G.Skill too (put it in my Dell laptop).

For me, I just can't bring myself to buy a huge case like the Twelve-Hundred case. Paying $125+ for a case just seems...sorta weird. If I was wanting to do 8-drive arrays and all, I'd do it. I was looking at the Scout line of cases from (i think it is) Coolermaster and the V9 from Thermaltake. Basically the same design, and lots of space to add fans.

I created a build on NewEgg the other day...just under $2250 total...and it even included both a 955BE and a 550BE CPU since I wanted to see if I could still get a 550BE to open 4 cores/OC like a bandit. I'll synopse the machine real quick
MSI mobo
PII 955BE
8GB Crucial Ballistix ram
1 64GB SSD for boot/windows
4 Hitachi 7k1000B 320GB HDs to put in RAID-0 (for speed of apps)
Blu-ray reader/dvd burner
2nd DVD burner
Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro 64 HSF
2x 4870 XFX cards
Rosewill Wind Knight case + extra fans (1 140, 3 120, 1 80mm slimline)
Silverstone 1500W PSU
...and much more other little pieces...

I love NewEgg. I bet I've bought $15k-20k of stuff from them for me and others over the years. Plus, I can go there and daydream about a new rig when I get bored and have downtime at work and still say it's tech related.

I should have been a PC tech. :lol:

 

[dwmoss]

No problem, but just to save you alot of trouble- if you use a large Heat sink and fan CPU cooler, the first and second ram slots could be blocked. Fortunately your only using two sticks. If you decide to upgrade and get 8 gigs of ram, just PM me and i'll recommend some good CPU coolers that wont get in the way.

yannifb,

Could you list the good CPU coolers that wont get in the way using 4 sticks of ram??

I'm looking at adding an after market cooler, but have 8 gb on this board

thanks in advance

dm

 

[yannifb]

yannifb,

Could you list the good CPU coolers that wont get in the way using 4 sticks of ram??

I'm looking at adding an after market cooler, but have 8 gb on this board

thanks in advance

dm

Ok, here are the best ones that won't block:
1.Corsair H50 (i got this one) - best performance compared to air coolers (even ones you cant fit), trust me i tried it after the TRUE, but its $65

2. ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler- good for the money, and wont block ram long as you orient it parallel to the ram- you'll understand when you see the picture (theres also a 110 mm version too)

3. Titan TTC-NK35TZ/RPW/V2 95mm Z-AXIS BEARING CPU Cooler- also good for the money, but will fit depending on which AM3 or AM2 or AM2+ mobo you plan to use, and which RAM (as long as the ram doesnt have a tall heat spreader your ok)

 

[dwmoss]

Yannifb,

Thanks so much, i'll check them out.

dm

 

[Terry1212]

I just bought this motherboard. So far I like everything about it except the onboard audio. I mean, the sound is really good, but through headphones, the sound just isn't very loud, and I like my music loud. Also, I posted a thread about the onboard audio not being very loud:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261964-30-volume-790fx-gd70-onboard-audio-realtek-alc889

Perhaps one of you guys who have had this same issue and somehow resolved it could chime in on that thread. It would greatly be appreciated.

 

[Dirty Durden]

I have the 790FX & I just finished the install (very good looking board). This is my very first build & 2nd PC ever owned. I have been looking at this open case all day making sure everything is connected & right. Do you guys have any advice before I power it up for the first time, The M.O. is not very clear on a flew things like phasing (system, CPU, memory, HDD & N.B) My set up is;

CPU-
AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

RAM-
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBPI

PSU-
COOLER MASTER RS-700-AMBA-D3 700W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Case-
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP

GPU-
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

HD-
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

 

[dwmoss]

I have the 790FX & I just finished the install (very good looking board). This is my very first build & 2nd PC ever owned. I have been looking at this open case all day making sure everything is connected & right. Do you guys have any advice before I power it up for the first time, The M.O. is not very clear on a flew things like phasing (system, CPU, memory, HDD & N.B) My set up is;

Motherboard manual indicates to first boot with one stick of ram initially.

Most likely you don't have the most recent bios on the board, I'd have a usb stick with the latest motherboard bios to update after first boot. (looks like the most recent official bios is 1.4) The bios update process was pretty simple.

I know when I put mine together, I had a copy of the "read before posting new build won't boot" (Homebuilt sticky) next to me.

Good Luck....


As far as a cpu cooler I went with a smaller unit (92mm) then the ones yannifb recommended. I probably should have gone with your recommended ones. I felt the 120's would be just a little too big for my mid tower (centurion)

I ended up getting the Xigmatek nepratak s983. Nice unit seems to be doing well keeping the temps down (i'm not currently overclocking). My only problem is that it's 90 degrees from the optimal direction. Instead of mounting and pointing the fans towards the rear exhaust, it's pointing up towards my power supply (top mounted ps). I added a larger and higher cfm rear exhaust fan and added an additional intake fan to help, but I'd perfer if i could rotate my socket or fan mount 90 degrees.

Good luck with your build and let us know how it goes.

dm