Which mobo/cpu combo?

[freakaccident]

I currently have a Gigabyte ep45-ud3p/q9440. I am looking to upgrade next week to a new combo.

What would be the best mobo/cpu combo I could get for under $700? Must be Crossfire.

I am currently air cooled but will be looking to go to liquid soon if that makes any difference.

 

[enzo matrix]

That's a huge budget for just a CPU and motherboard. There are a lot of options but unless you tell us what your uses are and anything else important, All I can do is link you to stuff like this, which could just be a waste of money for you or might be lacking things you need that you haven't mentioned. Also, everything I have linked to is void if you want to reuse the DDR2 memory you already have. We really need more information from you, man.

INTEL:
CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225
Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386

AMD:
CPU:
wait for Phenom IIx6 3.2GHz black edition, which I believe will be released in retail this or next month and retail under $300
If you can't wait, the 965 is still awesome:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631
Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631

 

[freakaccident]

That's a huge budget for just a CPU and motherboard. There are a lot of options but unless you tell us what your uses are and anything else important, All I can do is link you to stuff like this, which could just be a waste of money for you or might be lacking things you need that you haven't mentioned. Also, everything I have linked to is void if you want to reuse the DDR2 memory you already have. We really need more information from you, man.

INTEL:
CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225
Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386

AMD:
CPU:
wait for Phenom IIx6 3.2GHz black edition, which I believe will be released in retail this or next month and retail under $300
If you can't wait, the 965 is still awesome:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631
Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631

Ok. I mainly use the PC for gaming. If I can fit newer memory into the mix then all the better.

PSU is a Corsair 650w

Memory is Kingston HyperX khx8500d2k2/4g

HDD is a Corsair 60g SSD.

GPUs are Gigabyte 5770s.

I think that's about it. If I am missing anything please ask and I will post up the specs.

EDIT - Oh and would I be as knowledgeable on an ASUS MB as I am on a Gigabyte board? I'm new regardless and no expert but I kinda know my way around the Gig now.

Thanks a ton
Aaron

 

[enzo matrix]

Well with that setup I think the AMD setup is best for you. The 965 would be more than sufficient for those cards but the phenom IIx6 at it's supposed $300 price will also be a good deal with 2 extra cores.
The 955 is also a solid option for $20 less than the 965. At 3.2GHz, the best bang for $$$ AMD has in the high end right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=phenom_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product
If you get either the 955 or the 965, ensure they are C3 stepping. the 965 125W is C3, while the 140W is not. It's harder to know with the 955 but the one I linked you to is the C3 stepping. C3 stepping is newer and uses a bit less power with more overclocking potential.

If you would like to save some money and keep your current ram, you can use an AM2+ board instead. the x4 and the x6 will both be compatible and there will be little performance hit.

If it were me I would get new DDR3 memory and a board with the 8xx series AMD chipset:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226101

And in my experience, mushkin is a very reliable brand.

"Oh and would I be as knowledgeable on an ASUS MB as I am on a Gigabyte board? I'm new regardless and no expert but I kinda know my way around the Gig now. "
Not quite sure what you mean by that. If you are asking about the bios, they are generally the same, sometimes with things renamed or put in a different spot but everything is in the motherboard manual so you should be fine.

I like your other specs. Sounds like you're getting yourself a solid system

 

[freakaccident]

Well with that setup I think the AMD setup is best for you. The 965 would be more than sufficient for those cards but the phenom IIx6 at it's supposed $300 price will also be a good deal with 2 extra cores.
The 955 is also a solid option for $20 less than the 965. At 3.2GHz, the best bang for $$$ AMD has in the high end right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=phenom_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product
If you get either the 955 or the 965, ensure they are C3 stepping. the 965 125W is C3, while the 140W is not. It's harder to know with the 955 but the one I linked you to is the C3 stepping. C3 stepping is newer and uses a bit less power with more overclocking potential.

If you would like to save some money and keep your current ram, you can use an AM2+ board instead. the x4 and the x6 will both be compatible and there will be little performance hit.

If it were me I would get new DDR3 memory and a board with the 8xx series AMD chipset:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226101

And in my experience, mushkin is a very reliable brand.

"Oh and would I be as knowledgeable on an ASUS MB as I am on a Gigabyte board? I'm new regardless and no expert but I kinda know my way around the Gig now. "
Not quite sure what you mean by that. If you are asking about the bios, they are generally the same, sometimes with things renamed or put in a different spot but everything is in the motherboard manual so you should be fine.

I like your other specs. Sounds like you're getting yourself a solid system

So your suggestions for me are?:

ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model 996781



Will my current heatsink/fan fit or will I need to buy a new one?

Thanks a ton for the advice.

 

[enzo matrix]

Yep, that's my recommendation.

As for the heatsink and fan, If it came with the bracket for the AM2/AM2+/AM3 socket, then it will work. But if it was just made for socket 775, then it won't.