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Which AM2+ board to get?

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I need a board with SB750 and 790X/GX. I want a board that is good to overclock with and is stable. I'll probably be running two cards in Crossfire in the future.

This is my setup:
Phenom II 955
Radeon 4870 1GB
4x2GB DDR2 1066 RAM
Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B 0A38016 1TB
LG GH22LS50 SATA DVD Burner
ENERMAX ELT620AWT-ECO Liberty ECO 620W or CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX CMPSU-620HX 620W

The boards I've had in mind thus far are:

Foxconn A7DA-S - $86.61

MSI DKA790GX - $84.2 - 4-Pin CPU power connector.

Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P - $94.33

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H - $96.22 - Some SATA ports will probably be blocked when adding a card to the second PCI-E 16x slot which I don't like.

I don't need integrated graphics although it would be a handy temporary solution if my card ever died.

Which board is preferable between the MSI and Foxconn? And between all of them? Are the Gigabyte boards worth the price difference compared to the Foxconn and MSI?

I don't like that you get one SATA cable with the MSI, and I don't think a ZEROtherm Zen CPU cooler and RAM with heat spreaders in the first slot will fit on the Gigabyte.

Gigabyte RAM clearance thread: [Gigabyte] Will ZEROtherm Zen cooler block RAM slot on Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4?

More about : am2 board

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Motherboard Authority

There's no chance of any answer here matching the quality of the specifics you'll find in the forums on the motherboards brands found in these forums.

Most builders prefer one brand over the other based upon their experience. Any board can be bad out of the box and if your one occasion to buy a brand was a DOA you'll likely swear off that brand forever. I have always liked Gigabyte, it's a major brand and has been around for a long time. MSI is often said to be a "cheap" brand and I don't know Foxconn - but I don't actively build anymore either.

I know there are several good threads on the Gigabyte forum regarding the MA790 series. I am awaiting delivery of a MA785 series this week - for the reasons listed in my thread there.

Good luck! And SATA cables cost $2-3, don't sweat it. And don't let a price spread of less than $10 affect your decision on a product you hope to last for 3 years.

What is really making me not want the Gigabyte is how close the RAM slots are to the CPU socket. I won't be able to fit any RAM with heat spreaders along with my ZEROtherm Zen CPU cooler. So that pretty much eliminates it as a choice. :( 
Motherboard Expert

Avoid MSI plain and simple (MSI is gonna Die, remember this). The gigabyte board is a good buy, there is enough clearance to put the RAM in, then the HSF. I have to do that with my ASUS board (I have the Noctua NH-U12P cooler). The 790X would be the best low cost board (a $10 difference is negligable).
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TuxedoBond said:
I need a board with SB750 and 790X/GX. I want a board that is good to overclock with and is stable. I'll probably be running two cards in Crossfire in the future.

This is my setup:
Phenom II 955
Radeon 4870 1GB
4x2GB DDR2 1066 RAM
Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B 0A38016 1TB
LG GH22LS50 SATA DVD Burner
ENERMAX ELT620AWT-ECO Liberty ECO 620W or CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX CMPSU-620HX 620W

The boards I've had in mind thus far are:

Foxconn A7DA-S - $86.61

MSI DKA790GX - $84.2 - 4-Pin CPU power connector.

Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P - $94.33

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H - $96.22 - Some SATA ports will probably be blocked when adding a card to the second PCI-E 16x slot which I don't like.

I don't need integrated graphics although it would be a handy temporary solution if my card ever died.

Which board is preferable between the MSI and Foxconn? And between all of them? Are the Gigabyte boards worth the price difference compared to the Foxconn and MSI?

I don't like that you get one SATA cable with the MSI, and I don't think a ZEROtherm Zen CPU cooler and RAM with heat spreaders in the first slot will fit on the Gigabyte.

Gigabyte RAM clearance thread: [Gigabyte] Will ZEROtherm Zen cooler block RAM slot on Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4?



Go with the GA-MA790FX-UDP5 it will let you use your ddr2 and supports all AMD cpu's plus it has 2x16 PCI-E slots,using one here right now ..:) 

dokk2 said:
Go with the GA-MA790FX-UDP5 it will let you use your ddr2 and supports all AMD cpu's plus it has 2x16 PCI-E slots,using one here right now ..:) 

That is far out of my price range. :/ 
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