First time PC builder using X4 965 Black Edition

[Goko]

What motherboard would you recommend to go with the 4GB DDR3 1600 ram and AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition. I was originally going to get the GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX to go with the
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz but decided the 965 BE would be better for gaming and havnt dicided to go with another motherboard.. I might just get this one because if you get any cheaper i cant do sli/crossfire in the future because the cheaper boards PCIe have 16x and x4 not 8x and 8x like this one (Im also pretty sure I want to go with a Gigabyte motherboard)

2nd question is can the motherboard i picked clock to 1600mhz with the ram or only "DDR3 1866 (OC)/1333/ 1066" like the specifications say

also I just wanted to kind of tell people what I was getting cause this is my frist time building a computer and just wanted some reassurance I was doing ok :]

so currently System specs are:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
MB: GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX
GPU:MSI nVidia n260GTX
PSU:Vantec VAN-420A 420w (+ 3.3v 26A, +5v 42A, +12v 18a)

I realize the psu isnt that great and will upgrade it within a month or something. but it should be able to handle the things plugged in considering those things are the only things plugged in along with a 250gb hd.

as a side note I dont plan on overclocking until i get a new psu and might get a new cpu fan

ty for helping

 

[joelmartinez]

Do you already have the 965 or are you going to purchase it?

If you're going to purchase it get the 955 instead same as the 965 just amd overclocks the 965 a little for you

 

[Goko]

Do you already have the 965 or are you going to purchase it?

If you're going to purchase it get the 955 instead same as the 965 just amd overclocks the 965 a little for you

well im not sure if it's the same chip just clocked up but i think ill just stick to it because it's only 15$ and then i dont have to mess with overclocking. and yes i realise BE is for overclocking im just not doing it now.

my real question is about the ram speed with motherboard or if i should get a different motherboard but ty for the suggestion

 

[suteck]

You can go inexpensive on the psu but not cheap! HERE'S a decent OCZ OCZ500SXS2 StealthXStream 2 500W Power Supply - 500W, ATX, 80 Plus, 120mm Fan for only $40 plus shipping. One thing you should look for is the power connectors for the video card. It looks like you will need 2-6 pin power connectors. The 500w only has one so you will need an adapter. Check the one you're looking at. It might need one or two itself.
Usually with the ram if it's labeled at 1600 you will find that it's default speed is 1333MHz and you will need to go into bios to (my gigabyte board gives me options like profile 1 for 1600 MHz and profile 2 for 1800MHz) choose - yours probably does the same thing, then your profile 2 will probably be for the 1866. If you give the exact model number I might can check it for you. And it is an overclock so the voltages will go up along with the increased memory speed.

 

[Goko]

You can go inexpensive on the psu but not cheap! HERE'S a decent OCZ OCZ500SXS2 StealthXStream 2 500W Power Supply - 500W, ATX, 80 Plus, 120mm Fan for only $40 plus shipping. One thing you should look for is the power connectors for the video card. It looks like you will need 2-6 pin power connectors. The 500w only has one so you will need an adapter. Check the one you're looking at. It might need one or two itself.
Usually with the ram if it's labeled at 1600 you will find that it's default speed is 1333MHz and you will need to go into bios to (my gigabyte board gives me options like profile 1 for 1600 MHz and profile 2 for 1800MHz) choose - yours probably does the same thing, then your profile 2 will probably be for the 1866. If you give the exact model number I might can check it for you. And it is an overclock so the voltages will go up along with the increased memory speed.

the ram is CORSAIR XMS3 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) and i cant buy another psu no matter how cheap atm, but will be upgrading soon..

but my board only says DDR3 1866 (OC)/1333/ 1066 does that mean i cant go to 1600? and it needs 1.65v not 1.5v will i have to change that too?

edit: im going with Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) because of the better timing, only 10$ more, and apprently a lot of people didnt get their rebate it'd be better for me to not mess with voltage and over clocking/ setting bios

 

[suteck]

Thanks for the link - this (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) was the number I was looking for which is on that page. What DDR3 1866 (OC)/1333/ 1066 means is that your board will support memory from 1066 stock speeds to anything up to 1866 overclocked speeds. It mentions 1333 because that's also a stock speed. You should be able to to run at the 1600MHz speed just by going into bios and choosing profile 1. It will automatically bump up the voltage for you so you shouldn't have to mess with anything else.

Have you already bought the memory? If not I would recommend CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP4GX3M2A1600C9. I know it's a little more but the reason for this is because I like to do things the simple way. I like to use memory that is listed on the QVL or the memory's manufacturers' memory configurator for the motherboard I'm using. That way I never have any compatibility issues or tweaking to get it just to work. Of course, these lists aren't in any way all inclusive, many other brands and model numbers will work as well. But I tend to stick to the "dummies lists" provided by manufactures.

If you do already have your memory I would still try it. As I said, many other model numbers will work in that board.

 

[Goko]

i think im going to go with what i said at the bottom of the last post as my friend agreed it was a better choice in terms of what i needed, i'd like the bit faster ram but im content with it working as i havnt had a computer for like 2 months + :[

i think my questions are answered and im going to order the parts, ill also be going with a more expensive power supply when i have the money, i just had the psu i listed so that's why im using it

TYz

 

[Goko]

Best answer selected by Goko.

 

[Maziar]

This topic has been closed by Maziar