Good Board to go with AMD Phenom II X3 720

[damirk]

Made this thread in a different sub forum but then deleted it since it was misplaced, hopefully that is not against the rules.


Hi there, I currently have a M2NPV-VM board.

It is not compatible with a AMD Phenom II X3 720

I'm looking to upgrade from a AMD X2 6000+ since it has been running hot lately.

I'm not super interested in unlocking the 4th core but I would like to be OC it by just raising the multiplier (something that I read is very easy with this chip).


So I'm looking for a board that is Phenom II compatible. Will take my 4x1Gb of DDR2 800 Ram, Has 1 PCIX 16 slot. And will be able to Multiplier OC.

What are my options for a new board I can use the rest of my system with, the cheaper the better obviously?

Thanks so much for the help.


Current System
AMD 6000+ AM2 (125 W)
Thermaltake VENUS 12
Radeon HD 4870 1GB
4 GB DDR2
550W PSU



The reason for the upgrade/change is because my 6000+ has been thermally throttling itself when it hits about 63C (according to core temp) and making games unplayable during hectic times. To give you an example in WoW I can be at 70FPS before a boss pull and once combat starts I'll drop down below 5FPS for the whole fight.

Side question, will my current heatsink be adequate or should I change that as well?

I know my current heat issues aren't caused by improper HS seating. I've done the whole clean, new paste, reset thing 3 times and temps stayed the same. It's just the room ambient temps being at probably 80-85F.

I don't really want a AM3 only board because that means I'll be building a whole new system pretty much and I'm trying to save some money and seeing whats out there.


Anyway sorry for the wall of text but let me know what you think my options are and thanks again.

 

[Squadfer]

I'm using the gigabyte ga-ma790xt-ud4p and I got the same processor. I got it to overclock to 3.4ghz with just adjusting the multiplier to 17.5 (or 16.5) and upping the voltage by 1 click...i think it is +.025. Upgrading to the f4g bios allowed me to unlock the 4th core and then I redid my overclock to get it to 3.5ghz but I had to change the FSB in order to get above 3.4ghz. I'm sitting at 250mhz FSB and 14 multiplier. I had to lower the multiplier on the HT link? so that it would stay at 2000mhz. If I didnt lower that multiplier then HT link would of been something like 2849mhz.


if your upgrading to the 720 and you need a new board anyways then adding ram to the equation is just another 60-70 bucks or so. If your on a budget for this upgrade I can agree that adding new ram might seem like a lot but the new ram will run faster. The ram I got is the g.skill ddr3-1333 (pc3-10666) dual channel, its running 75 bucks on newegg right now.

Your current cooler isnt compatible with the 720. The stock HS probably wont cool it if you overclock it either...I dont know if changing the multiplier creates any heat or not... I know upping the voltage does. The cooler I have is the Xigmatex HDT s1283. Its a huge cooler so make sure you have room if you go with it.

 

[dirtmountain]

I used this 780G microATX motherboard in a build recently with a 720 and was very happy with it's overclocking and glitch-free performance.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157154

I also used the same Gigabyte 790X board as Squadfer in another build and was happy with it, a few minor glitches, but worked those out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

 

[damirk]

Will my DDR2 800 work in a board that is made for DDR2 1066? (first board) I assume it should be fine but I probably shouldn't assume anything.

 

[dirtmountain]

Yes, it will work just fine.

 

[damirk]

thanks. i think ill go for the first board.

 

[damirk]

Followup question:

I assume the stock HS will not be enough for a 3.3-3.6 OC?

If not which cooler does anyone recommend. Keeping in mind that it has to fit on the Micro board and not block the RAM slots.

XIGMATEK HDT-RS1283 looks really good bit it will block the first 2 ram slots on that first board it looks like. So any other options out there?


Also I thank everyone for the help so far.

 

[dirtmountain]

The Xigmatek is a very good choice. It's usually positioned vertically so the fan on the heatsink blows towards the back of the case where the exhaust fan is, it shouldn't have any problem fitting and shouldn't block your RAM slots.

 

[damirk]

Went ahead and ordered the 720 the AsRock board as well as the Xigmatek cooler.


Can't wait and i really really really hope it all fits together.

 

[dirtmountain]

U used this old Scythe Katana 2 cooler (the Xigma is better), the Asrock motherboard and the 720 on the build. No problems at all.
http://www.compsource.com/ttechnote.asp?part_no=SCKTN2000&vid=2338&src=F