Need advice: AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE: motherboard/memory replacement.

[stif3fa]

I need advice. I wanna know which motherboard and RAM memory is compatible with my AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE processor. Here's the detail of my current rig and feel free to raise doubts on my setup.

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
Motherboard: ASUS M4N78 PRO
Memory: 4x2GB OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400/800 MHz/Reaper HPC Edition/Dual Channel/CAS 4
GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX 660 Ti DirectCU II OC
SSD: Crucial M4 120GB
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB
Power supply: Corsair HX 650W
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred
CPU heat-sink: Cooler Master Hyper N520

Here's how it looks like inside: http://imgur.com/b6VDV

 

[socialfox]

I believe your current motherboard is compatible with the Phenom II X4 965 BE, you would however need to update the bios to be on the safe side since some of the Phenoms work with the 1.02 update. Anyways just select the latest bios and update your firmware. If you already know that your motherboard is compatible with the Phenom and were looking for a new motherboard supporting ddr3 1600mhz let me know.

 

[stif3fa]

yeah it is compatible. The BIOS is updated and runs okay. However the motherboard is getting old and I'm thinking of upgrading to DDR3. Plus, my mobo doesn't have USB 3.0 which sucks since my case have USB 3.0 port.

Anyways, I need ideas for a new mobo and memory fro optimal performance on gaming with my processor.

 

[socialfox]

What is your price range? And are you looking to overclock?

 

[stif3fa]

I've overclocked the CPU a month ago and it's a no-go since my motherboard and memory can't hold it. Plus, the process is exhausting so I need something that is simple, fast and effective.

Mobo: max 150$. But if you suggest me to put more, feel free to sell your opinion

 

[swifty_morgan]

no matter what you do it won't be worth the 'upgrade". keep what you have the way it is.

 

[socialfox]

Here is one motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157281

And here is ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104173

Let me know if you don't want to crossfire/sli and don't need all those fancy features on the motherboard, I can find you a simpler motherboard.

 

[stif3fa]

Okay cool thanks. I don't wanna sound too picky, but is there a good mobo from Asus?

 

[socialfox]

Here is a nice normal motherboard without any flashiness but will overclock:
http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM3Plus/M5A78LMUSB3/#CPUS

on the other hand this is a real nice Asus Motherboard:
http://ca.asus.com/en/Motherboards/AMD_AM3Plus/M5A88V_EVO/

 

[stif3fa]

Thanks socialfox. Which one do you think is the best for my system?

 

[socialfox]

Well I like the M5a88-v Evo because it has the ability to crossfire video cards and the chipset is newer.

 

[stif3fa]

Perfect. What about ram memory? Any suggestions? Should I change ram vs. current rig?

 

[socialfox]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7104116&CatId=4534

I would say to change the ram since DDr3 is quite cheap, for a gaming build I recommend no more than 8gb of ram.

 

[stif3fa]

Is the Hyper X compatible with my processor? There's a huge share of opinions regarding ram memory and processor compatibility on the web.

 

[socialfox]

The deneb processors run the ram perfectly fine at 1600mhz, it may be set to 1333mhz but you can set it back to 1600 in the bios. Either way at the price of the Hyper X I have linked you are buying it for cheap, it is usually around $40 and 1333mhz ram is around $35 dollars.

 

[ocmusicjunkie]

I just started using the same processor on an Asus M5A99FX Pro R2.0 and am very happy with it. The board is a vast improvement from either my M5A88-M or M5A97 in terms of overclocking. It was stupid-easy to set the multiplier to 20.5 and run at 4100mhz stable without even starting to fine tune the configuration. I am at 4300mhz now and don't doubt I could squeeze my way to 4400 with a bit more tweaking.

My advice is just to find memory rated 1600mhz with C9 latency (9-9-9) at 1.5v. If it claims to be capable of that, it generally must be perry solid. If you see those specs on 1.65v memory, that's far less impressive to me, since most 1333mhz rated modules could easily overclock to that speed if you disk up the voltage to just 1.55 or so.

 

[stif3fa]

osmusicjunkie: thanks man. Can you suggest me some decent memory at C9 latency?

To all, thank you for your ideas. It helps a lot.

 

[ocmusicjunkie]

Hey, no worries. I can definitely say good things about this memory- I have it in one rig myself, and Crucial is generally top-notch.

8gb: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148544

16gb: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148545

I personally would go for the 16gb if it's in the budget. It's easier to get a stable overclock (generally speaking) with two memory modules than four, so it's best to make sure you have enough for your needs now instead of adding more later.

Good luck and don't hesitate to shoot me any questions you have come up!

 

[socialfox]

Hi there, could you actually state what you'll be using the computer? For normal usage and gaming no more than 8 gb is needed, 16 gb is only needed when you start doing some serious video editing and 3d rendering. Anyways if the price is nothing to you then go for it but I would suggest you invest in a better video card or maybe a bigger SSD with the extra $40.

Anyways settle for this ram, basically all ram modules perform the same when at the same frequency and class but I recommend this one for price savings:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7104116&CatId=4534