AM2+ Compatible Motherboard Suggestions

[Redone]

The kids are back to school and I need to put together another machine, to handle more computer homework. I have several components that I have picked up along the way but need a AM2+ compatible mother board, to tie them all together. So far I have:

Corsair 400 W power supply.
AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 (black edition).
Kingston HyperX 2x1GB 1066 DDR2 RAM.
Asus EN8400GS/256M video card (if needed).
Western Digital 500 GB SATA hard drive.
Sony DVD drive.
Existing aluminium case (accepts ATX or micro ATX).
Windows Vista 64 OS.

The machine will mainly be used for office type applications and internet browsing. They do have a few games but nothing demanding (they currently all run on a K8 Sempron with on board Nvidia 6100 graphics). I suspect we may end up with some more gaming requirements down the road, so this will likely be a hold over machine, with some upgrade possibilities. Since I have a video card available, I have been looking at mother boards without on board graphics but may well use them if they are present. Possibilities I have considered are Asrock K10N78D (Nvidia 720D chip), A785GXH/128M (AMD 785G chip), Asus M4A77D (AMD 770 chip) and MSI 770T-C45 (AMD 770 chip).

Our other machine uses an Asrock A780LM mother board, with the same AMD 7750 CPU. I have had good experience with Asrock boards (3 builds) but would appreciate any other suggestions. Is there any advantages (or disadvantages) of the AMD versus Nvidia chips? PS: The Corsair power supply is compatible with both 4-pin and 8-pin 12V CPU power connectors. Thanks!

 

[jaquith]

Welcome Newcomer!

I am not the AMD guru, but I have always seen a preference with AMD + AMD with {less} problems.

For the stated use you've listed - pretty much any current {CPU/MOBO} will work just fine. I like and always recommend Corsair PSU {single rail/Japanese Capacitors}. I assume the OS is a re-purpose from some retired PC, and if registered you'll need to register via phone.

If Asrock works then continue its use otherwise MSI or ASUS MOBO's have great track records.

I thought the AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 is no longer in production?! Also, with any x64 OS you really want 4GB.

Here's a good $539 setup {w/o OS} - http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Back_To_School_2010/ {use it as a guide}

Good Luck on your Build! Hope this helps.

 

[Redone]

Jaquith, thanks for the input. I had a gut feeling that the AMD chips may be better from a compatibility point of view. To answer your other questions:

The OS is an un-activated OEM home copy, that I originally purchased for the A780LM build. I ended up getting a good deal on the ultimate version, so I didn't use it. Since then, it has been overtaken by Windows 7, so I thought I had better use it before it is no longer supported.

The Athlon 64 X2 7750 is indeed no longer in production. I already have it sitting on the shelf in the original sealed package (another deal that was too good to pass up).

I originally ran the 64-bit ultimate version of Vista on the A780LM board without problems, using only 2GB of RAM. With a separate video card (no shared memory), I thought the home version would run fine on the new build. I could add more RAM easily if I go with a 4-slot board. If I'm buying new RAM, however, perhaps I should put my CPU and RAM up for bids and purchase an AM3 setup?

It also looks like the Egg may have dropped the M3A785GXH/128M, since it is now out of stock, and marked "Sold Out" (rather than "Auto Notify"). Thanks again.

 

[jaquith]

Thanks, I got it. Even with "Office" apps {Outlook + Word + IE + Acrobat} it won't take much to expend the RAM to the point where you'll begin to "drop anchor" {run low} and your system becomes painfully slow on 2GB. Don't mix & match your DDR; always use the identical {P/N} DDR.

There's an open box {m3a785gxh/128M} at Newegg for $68. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=m3a785gxh/128M&x=0&y=0

I too have a bunch of --stuff-- when Circuit City went bust, but we're not frozen in time and requirements just keep getting higher. -> eBay is a nice way to clear a shelf and empty boxes.

It's alway easy to spend others' money, but too sometimes they need another opinion to push them in the right direction.

Hope this answers your questions.

 

[Redone]

Update: Just odered an Asus M4A785-M using 10% off promo code. Has 4x RAM slots, so I can add to my existing 2G, without having to replace. Will probably start with the on-board graphics, since the ATI Radeon HD4200 looks reasonable. Thanks again!

 

[Redone]

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