Phenom II X4 Recommendations

[masop]

Good morning/afternoon/evening to all:

I've been capping myself recently at $200 for an upgrade. In light of the latest morning news today here at Tom's, I may splurge and go high-end on the AMD side of the fence. The Phenom II X4 955 (3.2GHz Quad) Black Edition was just made available on NewEgg either yesterday or this morning. I may upgrade my system with the following:

ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131363

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

I have 2 important questions regarding this setup. First of all, I need to determine if my PSU will provide enough power to run and to be stable at that.

My power supply is an Ultra XVS 700Watt from 2007, which has only one 12v rail @ 40 Amps. See the link below at tigerdirect for pictures and details on the specifications. Note it is no longer manufactured or sold at this point.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2974454&Sku=ULT33183%20K

Secondly, I am trying to determine the best memory to add to the mix. I currently am running Windows XP SP3 (32-bit) so I am limited to 4GB (3.5GB Accessible) at the moment. I would assume 2 sticks of 2GB would be good for now. I am not interested in overclocking, but I would like to maximize "stock" performance. I've read that PC3-12800 (DDR3 1600) is standard on the M4A79T, at least according to the web site for Asus and the PDF manual.

I keep seeing the reference of (O.C.) in regards to DDR3 1600 memory which obviously means overclock. Does that mean DDR3 1600 is an overclocked speed, or that DDR3 1600 memory can be overclocked?

Again, I'm just concerned with having the most optimal "stock" system. I'd like to match the memory with the processor clock to maximize efficiency. Any input would greatly be appreciated. Thanks!

-- MaSoP

 

[fullmetall]

It's memory standards are DDR3 1600 so it will be stable to run ddr3 1600 instead of getting ddr3 1333 and oc'ing the ram.

PSU is low on amps for a 700w but, it will be enough to power the system.

a 650tx has 52a on a single.


You want to keep the 12v rail at single railing untill you plan to sli/cf at gtx 280 + or something in that range for ATI. which would give you 1000w to look at for split railing.


Everything you've picked is on the dot.

Heres some ram to look into:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146871
mushkin

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146777
mushkin

 

[masop]

It's memory standards are DDR3 1600 so it will be stable to run ddr3 1600 instead of getting ddr3 1333 and oc'ing the ram.

PSU is low on amps for a 700w but, it will be enough to power the system.

a 650tx has 52a on a single.


You want to keep the 12v rail at single railing untill you plan to sli/cf at gtx 280 + or something in that range for ATI. which would give you 1000w to look at for split railing.


Everything you've picked is on the dot.

Heres some ram to look into:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146871
mushkin

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146777
mushkin

Thanks for the reply. I don't plan on going sli or cf, as I don't game enough to justify it, so that's no problem. I was considering this ram before I read your reply...

CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145200

However, the last thing I want is to have is voltage issues or posting/compatibility issues due to choosing the wrong memory. I was looking at the tested memory list in the manual, though we all know that is never complete and there are others out there that will work fine in most cases.

With my M2N-E, I have been unable to run my OCZ memory at CL4, as the board doesn't support 2.0V or higher voltages, so it auto-clocks to CL5. I suppose it makes little difference in the real world, aside from memory benchmarks and synthetics.

-- MaSoP

 

[Helloworld_98]

@fullmetal, it's memory standards are 1333mhz but it can only run that on one dimm per channel, the other runs at 1066 unless the memory controller is oc'd.

since 1333mhz x2 = 2666mhz not 2132mhz which is the memory controller's speed.

 

[masop]

@fullmetal, it's memory standards are 1333mhz but it can only run that on one dimm per channel, the other runs at 1066 unless the memory controller is oc'd.

since 1333mhz x2 = 2666mhz not 2132mhz which is the memory controller's speed.

That is just confusing, especially after looking at the asus specs. Why would Asus call the board ddr3 1600 standard, if overclocking was required in order to get to 1600? The standard memory speed should be whatever stock is that matches the processor, non-oc'd.

According to the M4A79T Deluxe Manual and Web Specification List:

Dual-channel memory architecture
- 4 x DIMM, max. 16GB, DDR3 1600 (O.C.)/1333/1066,
ECC and non-ECC, unbuffered

According to Asus Web Site M4A79T Deluxe Overview:

This motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM3 multi-core processors with
unique L3 cache and delivers better overclocking capabilities with less power consumption. It features dual-channel DDR3 1333 memory support and accelerates data transfer rate up to 5200MT/s via HyperTransport™ 3.0 based system bus. This motherboard also supports AMD® CPUs in the new 45nm manufacturing process

This motherboard supports native DDR3 1600(O.C.) that provides faster data transfer rate and more bandwith to increase memory computing efficiency, enhancing system performance in 3D graphics and other memory demanding applications.
* DDR3 1600(O.C.) is supported by AM3 CPUs only. Refer to www.asus.com for the supported CPU models.


I wish this type of information would be more clean cut for us consumers, lol.

-- MaSoP

 

[fullmetall]

Yea, most motherboards under memory standard point out the O.C in the ram but, that board didnt.

DDR3 1333 will probably be at stock 1066 and can oc to 1600.

 

[masop]

Yea, most motherboards under memory standard point out the O.C in the ram but, that board didnt.

DDR3 1333 will probably be at stock 1066 and can oc to 1600.

So then 1066 is native for the board, though 1333 and 1600 support is available? I'd probably elect for whatever the fastest native, non-oc speed for memory the board supports. It sounds like 1066 is native, default, compared to 800 for previous boards.

-- MaSoP

 

[ryusei]

So then 1066 is native for the board, though 1333 and 1600 support is available? I'd probably elect for whatever the fastest native, non-oc speed for memory the board supports. It sounds like 1066 is native, default, compared to 800 for previous boards.

-- MaSoP

Aye. Same here. I'm speccing out a system right now, and this OC thing in the labels is really annoying.. I want to know the stable stock level in the name that the warranty covers, and then if they feel like it, they can add on a verified OC value.