Overclockable Motherboard for Phenom II X4 955BE

[youlo193]

Hi guys, I'm building a gaming computer and have settled on the 955BE as my choice of cpu. I am now looking at a suitable mobo to match it, and provide some overclocking potential. I'm not talking "extreme" overclock, but would be interested in playing around with it to see what I can get and still stay reliable.

I have read good things about Gigabyte's UD mobos, so that has been where I have been looking. I wanted the AM3 socket, for future proofing, too. I had settled on the Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3 since it was bang on budget (approx $150NZD), but I am reading mixed things about how well it can overclock the 955. I'm not super computer literate, I rely on what I read and my ability to understand what is being said. It seems like this mobo limits the 955's potential somewhat? (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mainboards/display/gigabyte-ma770t-ud3p_7.html)

I live in New Zealand, so we don't have the best range at the best prices, unfortunately. For a 790 chipset I am looking at another $60-70, which is kinda hard to justify. Does anyone have any idea about this combination, and how it overclocks? Any help would be greatly appreciated. www.pricespy.co.nz is what I have to go by.


CPU: Phenom II X4 955BE
Mobo: ??
PSU: Antec Neo Eco 620C 620W (might change this for something smaller)
RAM: Still unsure on specifics, but 2x2gb DDR3
Case: Antec 900 2
GPU: Radeon HD4850

 

[wadethegreat]

MSI 790FX-GD70
Spendy but good

My Rig
-CPU Phenom II X4 955BE (Stock heat sink is crappy and loud)
-CASE Cooler master 932
-RAM patriot ddr3 pce-12800 1600mhz (4X2gb) -two kits- advertised as AMD black edition ready
-MOBO MSI 790FX-GD70
-PSU Corsair 850 wat
-GPU 2X XFX HD 4850 1gb (go for the 5000 series if possible)

 

[youlo193]

Thanks for your reply. The problem is that that motherboard costs about $290 NZD. That's quite a bit higher than our budget will allow.

I should also say that we are not looking at crossfire or anything like that. We'll be looking at only using one video card.

About your suggestion on using the 5000 series video card, we'll look into it more. Right now, we found a Sapphire Radeon HD5670 512MB in our price range. Is this a card that other people would recommend?

 

[youlo193]

As an update, I am now considering the Asus M4A785TD-V EVO. It has the same features that the GB does but I saw it as a recommended board for overclocking, and seems to do pretty well in reviews. Any thoughts on this board?

 

[hundredislandsboy]

First find out your store's return policy. Here the customer always right with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Or ask the store, hey if this motherboard doesn't perform as I think it should can I return it for one that overclocks better?

My gut feeling is with particular CPU you can get to 3.7 GHz and be very stable with no extra or very little additional voltage. Beyond that and you'll probably be going close to 1.47 or 1.5 or even further in extra volts. From what I've read all those new 785 boards will overclock about the same regardless of brand.

 

[youlo193]

Thanks for the reply. We'll be researching that later today. From the reviews we've read, it seems fine. We just worry that it will limit us in some way, but we're just looking at a very stable, mild overclock anyway.

 

[wadethegreat]

Your budget seams to be around 400-600 dollars. At that price range i would get the HP firebird. It looks and performs very well. I say it on fry's website for $500. Pulse you get costumer support and a warranty

 

[youlo193]

Best answer selected by youlo193.