Phenom II 940 best config

[Srourg]

Was planning to buy next week a c2d 8500 but after some readings switched to Phenom II 940 for better gaming and same price 189.99 $
Below are two mobos I found:

1- Gigabyte GA-MA790GP supports DDR2 @ 1200Mhz price=129.9$
2- Gigabyte GA-MA790X supports DDR2@1333Mhz price=109.9$

Does the CPU support 1200 DDR2 ? what about DDR3 can we found them or we have to OC ?

Is it worth it to pay the difference or shall I go for decent DDR2 800/1033 and buy additional 2 MB with the extra money?

Appreciate your input...

 

[LoneNinja]

Phenom II X4 940 is DDR2 only, speeds above 1066 require overclocking. Personally I paired mine up with a Biostar TA790GX XE because I got both of them in a combo for $229.

 

[Sylvanas]

P2 940= DDR2. Just get a some decent DDR2 and you'll be rocking- 1066mhz is supported out of the box, you'll find the MA790X is actually a DDR3 board. As for motherboards there are alot of good choices around DFI, Biostar, Giga, MSI are some of the commonly recommended options around- very pleased with my DFI board + P2 955.

 

[baddog60]

Just to clarify, the Gigabyte MA790X is DDR2 the MA790XT is the DDR3 board. Also the biggest difference between the OPs choices is the onboard video. The MA790X does not have video. The MA790GP does.

 

[Srourg]

Thanks for your reply already the picture is clearer; will the onboard video be an issue as I have a 4870 1 Gb?

I think would go for mobo= Asus M3A78-T for 92 US$ and 2x2 Mb of DDR2 1066

Planning to OC up to 3.4 Ghz any specific cooling fan to buy (please specify) and kindly advise on the voltage and other settings I should do as it is the first time I OC and how to evaluate if systeme is stable?

 

[BLaber]

I should let u know that folks @xs have had bad experience when it comes to overclocking with Asus M3A78-T.But if you don't overclock its a very good mobo.

 

[heyheybooboo]

3.4GHz at stock volts and HSF with the 940BE will not be a problem unless you have really crappy Karma.

If your mobo/cpu budget is in the $280 range you should consider the PhII 720BE / Asus 790FX and the HDT-SD964 cooler.

 

[baddog60]

Since you already have the 4870, I would go with the PII 940 and stick with the Gigabyte GA-MA790X. You can still get a good combo deal on these from the Egg ($270 for both). I am running that combo very stable at 3.6 with the ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro.

 

[Srourg]

Thanks, think would go same like you; was targetting 3.4 and here you are 3.6 even better !!!

Please could you indicate what to do and how as it will be my first experience with OCing?

Hungry for info and details

 

[baddog60]

There are two basic methods for overclocking these systems. One way is with AMD's OverDrive Application. This is software based and actually can monitor your board very well. I however did the overclock in BIOS. The first option in the BIOS screen is called MB Intelligent Tweaker. Basically you can go in and up the CPU voltage in 0.025 volt increments. Mine is bumped by 0.125. You then go in and change the CPU Clock Ratio to x18 and you have a 3.6ghz processor. I would install everything at stock to start out with. Make sure you have a program that can monitor temps (The ODA does this well). Then make your adjustments and test away.

Once you are all excited about your new blazingly fast system, you realize that there are several other settings that may or may not have a large affect on how fast you can load the fancy new Solitaire. Hopefully some of the other guys can pooint you in the right direction when it comes to overclocking the uncore and Memory.

Maybe we can compare/contrast our achievements once you have built your system.

 

[Srourg]

Ok so let me rephrase:

I increase the voltage through bios by 0.025V and then go to CPU clock ratio and change it to x18.

The above steps would be done after putting all the system together and first turn on.

Shall I also change the fan speed or the Ram speed (1033 Mhz) and how, what should be the temperature and waht are the risks?

 

[Srourg]

Ok so let me rephrase:

I increase the voltage through bios by 0.025V and then go to CPU clock ratio and change it to x18.

The above steps would be done after putting all the system together and first turn on.

Shall I also change the fan speed or the Ram speed (1033 Mhz) and how, what should be the temperature and waht are the risks?

PS: can the phenom II 940 support DDR3? http://www.newegg.com/Product/...k=Gigabyte%20GA-MA790X

 

[pcsavvy]

The Phenom II 940 supports DDR2 only since it is a AM2+ cpu and the motherboard MA790X is also a DDR2 board. AM3 Phenom II cpus support both DDR2 and DDR3 memory. Anandtech wrote an article awhile back comparing DDR3 and DDR2 performance and the result was farly close in numbers. If you want to use DDR3 motherboards then a 790FX is your best bet since that is what memory they support. So an AM3 Phenom II can go into a board that supports AM3 and AM2+ cpus. The motherboard you picked is excellent for those on an extremely tight budget since they can get a cheap AM2 CPU and when money allows replace the cpu with an AM3 at a later date without having to upgrade other parts.

 

[Martimus]

Originally posted by: Srourg
Ok so let me rephrase:

I increase the voltage through bios by 0.025V and then go to CPU clock ratio and change it to x18.

The above steps would be done after putting all the system together and first turn on.

Shall I also change the fan speed or the Ram speed (1033 Mhz) and how, what should be the temperature and waht are the risks?

Test the system for stability bevore you overclock it. This way if you have a bad part, you can find out right away and RMA it.

I would run a few runs of Memtest86+, and Orthos/Prime 95 for at least 8 hours (ovenight) at a minimum to check basic stability.

 

[baddog60]

Just to clarify, you can increase voltage in increments of 0.025V, but mine is actually increased by 0.125V. Also, no overclock is guaranteed and your actual settings may not be the same as mine. Once you get yours up and running we can help you with the other settings.

 

[Srourg]

Million thanks, I will travel to the States on Friday (Boston) will bring then hardwares from there and will come back to you in this thread...