Asrock AOD790GX/128M AMD790GX - Advice on system build please

[funkster1]

Hi all,

long time no talking here. Been kinda busy and a little down (sniff...).
Well, things look a little better again and I'd like to upgrade my PC.
My budget is extremely tight, so I had to carefully choose components.
So far, here's what I researched and which should look quite good compared to my old Athlon XP2200+/2 GB/5 HDD's (2xSATA, 3xATA):

CPU:
• AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition, 2x 2.70GHz, boxed AD775ZWCGHBOX) - €68,21

• Cooler:
• Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro PWM - €16,65
• http://www.arctic-cooling.com/cpu2.p...0&data=1&disc=

• Mainboard:

• Asrock AOD790GX/128M AMD790GX - €84,03
• http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.as...=AOD790GX/128M
• alternatively:
• Asus M3N78 NV-GF8200 AM2+ HTB 5200MT/s PCIe ATX (Int. Graphics, Dual Display capable -DVI+VGA) - €64,46
• http://www.asus.de/products.aspx?l1=...11&modelmenu=1

• Memory:
• 2x2048MB Kit OCZ Platinum XTC 1066MHz CL5 - €44,87
• http://www.ocztechnology.com/product..._ready_edition

• Power Supply:
• RASURBO GaminX & Power GAP565 - 550 Watt - €43,95
• http://www.rasurbo.de/netzteil_gap565.html

Anybody knows the MoBo mainly (ASROCK)? Is it a good performer? Can I use the 2 monitor ports simultanously?
It just fits my budget (ca. €250,00) just right. I'll use my old drives for the time being, the SATA being of the SATA-II kind, and the IDE drives are mainly WDC JB editions.

I'd be greateful for any advice you could give. It's been a long time that I'm out of the Chipset business, and there's such a multitude of different ones today, I'm loosing my head.

Cheers,

Raphael

[Warpticon]

I know the ASRock board is pretty good, and it's running on the 790GX platform, which is a really good platform. The integrated graphics are the best ever made, and it's tweaked for multimedia performance. This board even has built in memory for the integrated graphics, which is nice. I didn't even know they made an X2 7750...dual core Phenom, huh? Interesting. I may go that route while waiting for the Phenom II AM3 processors to come out.

You can do dual display on that board. One limitation of the 780G/790GX integrated video is that you have one built in digital and one analog port, so even if the board comes with separate HDMI and DVI connectors, only one can be used at a time. It doesn't appear this is an issue with this board, as it comes only with a DVI connector and a DVI/HDMI converter. You may need to get another adapter to convert the VGA connector to DVI if you're using two digital monitors, or you may have some lying around, but displaying on two monitors otherwise would be no problem.

Another thought...do you know if that chip is available OEM? The retail chips generally cost more and come with a fan, which you won't be using anyway. Just a consideration.

[funkster1]

Originally Posted by Warpticon

I know the ASRock board is pretty good, and it's running on the 790GX platform, which is a really good platform.

Great to know I made a decent choice

The integrated graphics are the best ever made, and it's tweaked for multimedia performance. This board even has built in memory for the integrated graphics, which is nice.

That's why I choose this one finally

I didn't even know they made an X2 7750...dual core Phenom, huh? Interesting.

And it's multiplier is unlocked. he he, plenty of potential to OC (if other parts are up to par)?

You can do dual display on that board. One limitation of the 780G/790GX integrated video is that you have one built in digital and one analog port, so even if the board comes with separate HDMI and DVI connectors, only one can be used at a time.

That's very good. I only need 1 DVI & 1 Sub-D port (2x19" CRT).

Another thought...do you know if that chip is available OEM? The retail chips generally cost more and come with a fan, which you won't be using anyway. Just a consideration.

You surely mean CPU instead of Chip, don't you?
From what I can gather around here, it's not available as a non-boxed version. At least not in the same shop. And I won't go looking elsewhere since what I would save for the Non-Boxed CPU, I'd have to spend it for p&p.

Thank you very much for the given advice. Really appreciated.

Raphael

[_Devin]

I've had decent experiences with Asrock in the past, but TBH, I'd be far more inclined to recommend this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128376 (requires a discrete graphics card, but preferable IMHO)

or..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128373 (integrated graphics)

and I'd say go for the quad, hands down. If you could possibly come up with the money for a Phenom II 940, I'd say that's the best route, but even if not, you could still get a 9600 for just a little more than the dual-core you chose:

[Edit: link doesn't work for some reason, a X4 9600 is ~$100 on newegg]

[funkster1]

Cheers Devin,

unfortunately, I can't spend anymore than what I have said above. The cheapest Phenom is at least €30,00-€40,00 more expensive here in germany.
This Dual XP7750 is actually a Kuma core (K10-Phenom).
Also the ASRock is "AM3 Ready". Btw, it has a wealth of div. connections, incl. FW et all.

I've had Gigabyte boards in the past, and I've always been satisfied with them. But actually I also use an ASRock (entry level model K7NF2-RAID) which is really a solid perormer. I was actually quite surprised of it's performance and stability. It's better than my previous GA7-VRXP. No need for fancy stuff, I just need a board that runs, and runs, and runs....

I'd really love to spend more for my new box, but I really can't.
But thank you for your recommandations.

Raphael

[_Devin]

I'd still recommend even an X3 over an X2(truly negligible price difference, X3s are cheap), Reaper scales very well with more cores, you mentioned overclocking, but you won't get much of an overclock with that X2, unless you invest in a $50+ aftermarket heatsink, which still won't approach the power of a triple-core. Also, the 790gx is aimed at gamers who want to run multiple graphics cards in Crossfire, for audio and most mainstream uses, the 780g or 770 are just as good, and cheaper. I'd also question that boards OCing ability, as the chipset heatsinks are tiny, whereas most other motherboard manufacturers 790gx/790fx boards have large chipset heatsinks with heatpipes and mostfet coolers.

[Warpticon]

Originally Posted by _Devin

I'd still recommend even an X3 over an X2(truly negligible price difference, X3s are cheap), Reaper scales very well with more cores, you mentioned overclocking, but you won't get much of an overclock with that X2, unless you invest in a $50+ aftermarket heatsink, which still won't approach the power of a triple-core. Also, the 790gx is aimed at gamers who want to run multiple graphics cards in Crossfire, for audio and most mainstream uses, the 780g or 770 are just as good, and cheaper. I'd also question that boards OCing ability, as the chipset heatsinks are tiny, whereas most other motherboard manufacturers 790gx/790fx boards have large chipset heatsinks with heatpipes and mostfet coolers.

It's funny you said that, because after learning of that processor's existence, I JUST read a review of it. They took it from 2.7 to 3.1 at stock voltage, and then to 3.4 with voltage boosts, all on the stock cooler. Seems like a pretty good overclocker there.

And your idea of negligible price difference is interesting, especially considering he just gave a specific budget. A quick scan of my favorite retailers shows he'll likely be paying a 50% premium just to jump to a triple core (projected, considering he's not dealing with an American e-retailer), and those are parts that run at slower clock speeds and don't overclock well (also: greater power consumption). Sure, there are benefits, but that would certainly push him over budget, so it's in no way "negligible."

What's more, your rec of the 9600 not only would induce a 40% price penalty but also would give him the TLB eratum to deal with--and the patch for that tends to introduce around a 12% performance penalty. And there's no purpose in linking to something that runs a discrete video card when he's already stated his budget. It's easy to aim higher when it's not your money.

And no, that's not really factual what you're saying about 790GX vs. 780G. I mean, if it was aimed specifically at gamers, why would it have powerful integrated graphics and Hybrid Crossfire on it? Beyond that, there are several other tweaks that went into the 790GX beyond the faster memory of the integrated graphics board. Onboard RAID 5 as standard is one, though how importan that is will vary person to person. Mandatory sideport graphics memory is another. ACC (Advanced Clock Calibration) and the new Overdrive software are yet another, and they make overclocking a lot easier and safer. It's just a 780G with additional features, power-ups, and better overclocking support. There's not a lot of difference between the prices of the boards you're referencing, and what difference there is isn't going to get him any extra cores, so it's better to be on the newer, more advancec chipset for whenever new stuff (like new AM3 Phenom IIs down the line) drops.

[_Devin]

By all means, do whatever you think is best... Be sure to report back what kind of stock OC you got, then we'll do a benchmark comparison to my 2.2ghz stock quad with my $30 cheaper motherboard and a TLB errata patch.

[funkster1]

Thank you Warpticon for the support here

@Devin: This is the most future proof system I can afford at this time.
It's not like I'm a total clueless tech idiot, I think I use computers since long enough to know appr. what I want or need. And I have researched parts and chipsets for a while now.

Unfortunately I can't go shopping in the US or elsewhere in the world. I'd be paying a premium for import & taxes to bring in (often really cheaper) parts from Non-EU countries. And I'm not even talking about shipping costs.

And even though I was talking about overclocking, it's highly unlikely that I'll ever do or need to. I do plan though to aquire other parts later on, like a separate graphic card, a better CPU etc.
But for the moment I have to stay in this very tight price range.

Better is always possible, if you can afford it.
And besides Reaper, there aren't as many applications out yet that really support multicore CPU's, or scale all that well. So the benefit of a quad is IMHO marginal (at this time) if you're building a multi purpose machine.

Cheers

Raphael

[rickjames7]

I just wanted to mention that I bought the Asrock AOD790GX for an older AMD X2 6000+ Windsor when my last motherboard died. This may be the best motherboard I have ever purchased. I like the ability to unsync the PCIe and CPU FSB.

I was able to overclock my 6000+ to 3.37GHz stable (225MHz X 15), which is much more than I ever could before. Even the CPU temps went down, possibly due to better system board heat dissipation. Now they max at 53 C under load, when they used to get to 68/70 C at stock clocks on the last MB.

The onboard video works well, but I'm not using it because I have an ATI HD 4850.
So far I have been really impressed with the Asrock motherboard, and I paid $109 for it on Newegg.
Good luck and happy overclocking with your new CPU, whichever you get .

[funkster1]

Hey Rick,

thanks for reporting. Great to hear you're fully satisfied with this board.
I'm so glad I found out about it.
Guess my choice is done. I've read nothing but good things on this board.
And like I said before, it's ready for AM3 CPU's, has many connection possibilities (incl. FW et all) etc.

Hope you enjoy this board for a long time to come.

Cheers,

Raphael

[manning1]

funkster1
just as an el cheapo alternative...for a ton of traks.
for 150 buks or so here one can find refurbed dual amd's all day.

with xp on. put a nice 7200 rpm drive with a fat cache in for another
80 buks. bout 230 buks total. bout 130 euro according to the currency convertor i used on the net.
addd more for a raptor drive of course.

[funkster1]

Hi manning (just call me Ed)

long time no speak, heh?
Thanks for your idea, but I prefer a new system, with full warranty on all parts etc..
I know that €250,00 won't buy me the BEST system around, but this MoBo seems (quite) future proof. So when prices for Phenom II CPU's go down, and I have a little cash again, I can buy me a better CPU and some more RAM (this board supports up to 16GB of RAM).
I'll use it as a REAPER DAW (of course), but also as a Dual-/Triple-Boot workstation (2 separate 32 + 64-Bit Linux systems).
And this CPU has a K10 architecture with integrated virtualization extension and all the SSE stuff (SSE2, 3, 4a etc)., which hopefully will all be beneficial for VMware/Virtual-Box applications.

Enjoy your time and make some good riffs,

Raphael

[manning1]

funkster1
HAVE A GREAT YEAR MATE.
yes i see your position.
but do yourself a favor ..
32 mb cache 7200 drives are just a likkle bit extra dough.
here dirt cheap.
well worth it imho. use one for win boot n one to record to.
you should find win boots faster the more cache in the drive.
i dont know bout asrock now...but in the past ive known a few
people use em in a daw...n seemed to work well.
in fact in one case someone i knew who spent oodles on the mainboard took the micky outta someone else i knew who went asrock .
guess what ?? the guy with the asrock just kept on rockin,,,
n the guy with the elite expensive mainboard had lotsa probs.
obviously this was an isolated incident...but ive never been sold on buying expensive mainboards...anyway cos the tech changes so fast. just watch the capacitors on mainboards.
you want good types/no leakage over time.


god bless.

[funkster1]

Howdiy mate,
well, have a nice year too.

I know what you mean for the HDD's. But they'll have to wait a little.
For the mo, I'll be using my old ones (2x SATA II - 160MB/8MB/7200, 1xSATA II - 80GB/8MB/7200 and 2x PATA WD Caviar 80GB JB Edition for docs/personal files and backups).
I'll be buying better ones later on. My ressources are really more than tight, since I can't work anymore because of medical reasons. So my income is on the lowest possible side here in germany.

In regard to the capacitors, it seems for this board ASRock is using better ones than usual, designed and build in Japan instead of Taiwan or other low cost countries.
And btw, my actual MoBo is also an ASRock, which performs better than my previous, 2 times more expensive, Gigabyte board. It also lasts already longer. The Gigabyte board effectively had problems after not even 2 years, capacitors went up in smoke. You see? So much for well known brands being better than the rest.
I don't believe that hype. Of course, you always have to look carefully for whatever you buy in the tech domain.

Anyway, when I have my new system built, I'll let you know how it performs. Compared to what I have now, I think I'll be more than amazed.

Nice talking to ya again,

Raphael

[mtl777]

Originally Posted by rickjames7

I just wanted to mention that I bought the Asrock AOD790GX for an older AMD X2 6000+ Windsor when my last motherboard died. This may be the best motherboard I have ever purchased. I like the ability to unsync the PCIe and CPU FSB.

I was able to overclock my 6000+ to 3.37GHz stable (225MHz X 15), which is much more than I ever could before. Even the CPU temps went down, possibly due to better system board heat dissipation. Now they max at 53 C under load, when they used to get to 68/70 C at stock clocks on the last MB.

The onboard video works well, but I'm not using it because I have an ATI HD 4850.
So far I have been really impressed with the Asrock motherboard, and I paid $109 for it on Newegg.
Good luck and happy overclocking with your new CPU, whichever you get .

Looks like the Asrock AOD790GX is a winner. Asrock now has the new M3A790GXH/128M for AMD AM3 with DDR3 support that I'm interested in. I wonder if it's also good. Can I rely merely on the track record of the AOD790GX and be confident that the M3A790GXH/128M is just as good? What are the chances of Asrock producing a bad board after making a good one? I've been trying to find real world reviews on the M3A790GXH/128M but so far no luck. It seems that my only basis at this time is their track record with the AOD790GX.

[funkster1]

Just as an update to my initial post on this:

The AOD790GX/128M is really a nice board. So far it runs very stable here under Windows as well as under Linux. I've gotten a AMD X2 7750 BE with it & 4 GB OCZ XTC Platinum 1066 RAM. For the moment I'm using the OnBoard graphics with UMA+SIDEPORT enabled and 512 MB of RAM allocated to it. Windows doesn't see more than 3.25 GB anyway under 32-bit.
I haven't really got the time to test as many Audio apps yet, since I'm very busy with other stuff for the time being, but Reason 4 runs very good, the CPU diff. between my old and my new PC for the same projects is really BIG. I can run a couple of Thor racks without sweating.
Haven't installed Reaper yet, as I say, I have very little time atm.

OC potential seems very good as well, I replaced the boxed CPU fan with an Arctic Cooling Freezer64 and so far even under heavy load, the temps stay under 50° C.

All in all, I'm very pleased and satisfied with my purchase decision. Next I'll replace the OnBoard GF with a PCIe Card and at some time I'll probably change my SATA II HDD's as well for something bigger and faster.. For now I run 3 of them + 1 IDE drive for backups and personal files. Works a treat. And maybe I'll get myself a Quad for this board sometime next year.

HTH somebody out there,

Raphael

P.S.: Just for info, clockspeed is 3.1 (stock 2.7) by just adjusting the multiplier to 15.5 and the VCore/NB to 1.35 volt

[SiKo]

But I bet you, you won't regret running Vista x64, or at least Windows 7 x64 ... Not just so you know you'll be utilizing that memory. Faster in general, stable, ... swift ...

For the rest ... nice toy!!

[funkster1]

I'd love to run a x64 system, but no drivers for my BCR2000 MIDI Controller.
I've tried XP Pro_x64/SP2, but didn't notice such an improvement.

Raphael