790GX or 780a SLI ?

Why not go with this board ?? SLI and AMD dont go very well together...So better off getting that is highly compatible and which performs well...
ASUS M4A78T-E AM3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

have you considered boards without the onboard graphics? If you plan on adding a video card anyway you can get better options without the IGP.

Since you have a 4870 GPU I'd get the Asus M4A78T-E. I have that board with a 4850 and you can crossfire the 4850 GPU with the on board graphics. That onboard graphics can be over clocked to 900Mhz and is actually stong enough to run most games by it's self. Here's an older article of what they did with the 780G chipset. They actually crossfired it with a $30 graphics card and it ran well.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-780g-chipset,17...




Mel

I'm also looking for a CPU mobo combo. This board looks like it is right in my price range. I'm trying to get the mobo, cpu, and memory for around $300 - $400. I have everything else except the video card, also looking for suggestions for around $100.

I will be mostly using the PC for gaming.

Regarding crossfire and SLI -- I am a network admin so understand the terms, but haven't built a gaming PC in over 5 years. Is crossfire basically chaining two video cards? They don't have to be the same card? So the 4850 mentioned above, can I put two of them in this ASUS M4A78T board?

I have used ASUS boards in the past and have had great experiences with them.

Finally, what is the difference between the CPU's? I see on newegg they have 2 3.0 x4 cpu's. One lists 95w and the other is 125w. They're the same price too. What's the difference? Here's the link to the CPU's on Newegg:

Nonsense....

It is as easy as this....

If you are going to get rid of that ATI card and buy dual Nvidia cards the get the 780a (I have one, trust me it pwns...)

If your smart and want to save money you will go with the GX anyways due to the fact that you already have an Ati card and you only need one more to x-fire.....

So in the end it is up to your GPU's.... I have used dual 250's in Sli with an x2 550 and they murder anything I throw at it....Its a matter of taste....

You gotta be kidding me.... First you say that SLI and AMD dont go well together??... And then you recommend an AM3 board when it clearly states that he needs a motherboard for his " x4 940BE " (AM2+)....???

In my book that is a -2 (thumbs down)  


Ps: "" So better off getting that is highly compatible and which performs well...""  

gkay09 you should know this you are a "REGULAR" here on toms........not trying to bust your nutz but that is misleading info....

^ I agree it was my bad posting that AM3 mobo...mistook that for the AM2+ version...

From what have seen, more than SLI, crossfire scales well on an AMD platform...

Misleading ugh  
Please do point out some more of my misleading info...
To err is human...No one can be right all the time...  

Getting better so called "Rating" doesnt mean you have to be so arrogant and start bossing around...

I didn't mean to be bossing around nor have I been arrogant....

Just giving you a heads up as to what you are typing.... You gotta know what you are saying....

I could care less what my " Status" is here on tom's.... I am here to help and learn....

^ So am I...
And do read you post again...maybe you would understand by what I meant...

And frankly I have seen many posts of yours that helped people and I did learn a lot from them...but this one was a turn off for me...

But anyways I would see too that I read and understand better before I post...
Cheers...  

I'm sorry, heh didn't mean to offend you or anything.....

My bad.... I shoulda PM'ed you.......

We good?

  We cool...
I realy dont mind accepting my mistakes...  

Keep up the good work...  

Anyways back to the subject......

Like gkay09 said, get a board that has an SB750 and dual x16 pci-e slots.....

In the end you will save and have an awesome "Dragon" to play with......

This is the AM2+ version of the board that I was talking about...
ASUS M4A78-E AM2+/AM3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

yeah, i think that was a bad idea only putting a T in the difference, couldn't pu like A3 or even AM3 in the name

So just confirming: The only difference between the M4A78T-E and the M4A79T is that the M4A79T with FX chipset does not have built in graphics, but can crossfire 4 video cards?

Whereas the M4A78T-E can only do 2 cards, but has built in video?

I'll never have more than 2 video cards and would rather save money if this is the main difference.

Don't get neither of those boards, if you are gonna spend almost 200.00 on a mobo you should consider this board :

ASUS Crosshair III Formula AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

as far as AM3 goes, this board is #1 ......... You dont want built in video if you are considering x-fire in the near future....

Boards that have built in video are low-end and not considered for gaming.....

Here is a list of the best AMD boards out ATM :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=E...

Just curious what makes that a better board? Does the FX chipset make that much of a difference in performance?

The M4A78T-E ends up being $125 after rebate which is $75 less. I definitely want ASUS though, so it's between those 2 boards.

I don't plan to do crossfire right away. Will probably wait a year or so until I can get a better deal on a 2nd video card. I will never add a 3rd or 4th card though.

Thanks for your help!

The FX's are considered AMD's flagship boards.

SB750, xfire, DDR3, etc.......

For the extra cash the FX's are worth every penny (price to performance wise)....

^ True the FX boards are the best out there for the AMD platform...

Though looking at your requirements, and if you are a moderate overclocker, then even the 790GX chipsets/ 790X chipsets are more than suffice...

But if you like overclocking and want to constantly push the chip to get maximum performance, then the 790FX are no doubt the best option...
And just a heads up...You would have to change the CPU to either 955/ 945 in order to use the AM3 boards...The 940 BE has DDR2 memory controller, whereas the AM3 requires DDR3...

So decide in what category you fall and get that board...

Yeah, I'm having trouble deciding. I'd like to save the $75 and get the GX, but don't want to regret it later. I also noticed many vendors don't carry the Crosshair III board. All have the M4A79T. But the Crosshair III seems to be a no brainer at $12 more if I go with the FX.

Will both boards run on a 350w power supply? Or will I need to replace that too? I have a Cooler Master 350w.

I would not use a 350w PSU on a 199.99$ motherboard, specially the Crosshair III... you might want to get something cheaper if you are on a budget......

After a lot of consideration, you're right. This isn't going to fit my budget. I was hoping I could use some of the parts from my old PC. Turns out I could really only use the tower, HD, and DVD RW.

I started a new thread:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/264921-28-core-quad-s...

Let me know what you think. After the rebate, it's just inside my budget.