MotherBoard question

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Basically I am getting a new PC. Here is my Current Setup:

Note: I am not buying each part and building this myself. Im ordering from cyberpower.

CPU: AMD Phenom™II X4 955 Black Edition Quad-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology

HDD: 500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD

MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)

MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] ASUS M5A97 AMD 970 Chipset CrossFireX Support DDR3 Socket AM3+ ATX w/ 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III, RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1, & 2 PCI

FAN: XtremeGear Ultra Triple Heatpipes Cool Copper Heatsink CPU Cooling Fan (Extreme Silent at 20dBA & Overclock Proof)

POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts - XtremeGear Gaming Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready

VIDEO:AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card (Major Brand Powered by AMD)

I am looking at 2 other Motherboards, which one is better?

Asus M4N68T-M V2 AM3 DDR3 NVIDIA Geforce 7025/nForce 630a Chipset mATX w/ Onboard Graphics and Core Unlocker, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB 2.0, SATA-II RAID, 1 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (this is the cheapest one)

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/spec/ge... SATA-II RAID, 1 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI

GigaByte GA-870A-USB3 AMD 870 Socket AM3/AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ Ultra Durable™3, CPU Auto Unlocker, ON/OFF Charge, 7.1 Audio, GBLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1, & 3 PCI

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/spec/ge...III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1, & 3 PCI

I just want to know which will support the 1600MHz RAM i am using. Someone told me that i would have to go into the BIOS and choose to support the 1600Mhz, is that true and how difficult would that be. Would that cause any performance issues? (sorry i know nothing about this stuff).
 
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my advice, would be the first one. and my second advice, would be to get everything you are getting with ibuypower, and go to newegg or tigerdirect or pricewatch, and get the exact same parts, and see a $500 difference, then have a geeksquad build it for $20
 
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Both of those should support 1600. However, the first is a micro atx board which has only one pcie x16 slot so you can never upgrade to two video cards in the future. The other board is a full ATX board which has 2 pcie x16 slots. However, one of them only runs at x4. I would look for one that has at least 2 both at x8 or x16. The second board is also AM3+ which is the new socket for bulldozer allowing you to upgrade your computer in the future if you want. So feature wise, the second board is the better choice, though there should be better choices. As to the actual quality of the respective boards, reflex would be the one to comment on that.

As for setting the ram to 1600, you will probably have to do this, though it is not that hard. Sometimes they have profiles which you simply enable allowing you to get the correct speed and timings in one click which is nice.

You also may want to look at getting a lower wattage QUALITY power supply. Even if you add a second 6850 and overclock your cpu, 800 is more than you will need. However, that unit is probably not a reliable one which means it probably can't even output that much power. Efficiency is also another feature to look at to save on your power bill. I like to get at least 80+ bronze, though you are obviously limited to the choices of cyberpowerpc.

Lastly, are you completely opposed to building yourself?
 
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You should go with the gigabyte.... I just made a system with gigabyte

Zalman z9 mid tower
mainboard gigabite GA-Z68X DDR3 ATX -
INTEL I5 2500K UNLOCK CPU 3.3GZ
G.SKILL SNIPER2X4GB DDR3-1600
CRUCIAL M4 SSD MICRON 64GB - HARD DRIVE FOR OPERATING SYSTEM
SEATGATE HDD 1TB X 2 HARD DRIVES
LG SATA 24X DVD+RW
WINDOWS 7 HOME PREMIUM 64
ASUS 23.6 INCH MONITOR 2 MS LED LCD HDMI DVI VGA
CORSAIR 750W 12V 80 A 24 PIN POWER SUPPLY
2 POWER/COLO/RADEON HD 6850 1 GB PCI-E GDDR5 - VIDEO CARD - CROSSFIRED

came to just under $1700 CDN tax and monitor included
 
Ya this setup im getting (not including a monitor or OS, as i already have that stuff) comes in around 750 bucks after Mail in rebates. So i will settle for the gigabyte. Are coolermatser and Corsair reliable/stable PSUs? I don't want to get one that will crap out in a few months or mess up my pc.
 
Alright. So i will get the Corsair 750 Watt and the gigabyte. Will the 6850 be able to run most game maxed (EX: Dead island, BF3)?
One last thing. If i decide to get another 6850 and crossfire them, will i need a bigger PSU?
 
I don't know if the 6850 will run BF3 maxed at good framerates. I kinda doubt it. But 2 in CFX should do a decent job. And no a 750w corsair PS should do 6850s in CFX but I would go with a 850 if you can swing it. It seems counterintuitive but a larger PS with more headroom will actually draw less power from the wall than a 750 running closer to max while gaming. However the 750w will draw slightly less while in normal use. So it is a tradeoff.
 
fixitquick79 said:
I don't know if the 6850 will run BF3 maxed at good framerates. I kinda doubt it. But 2 in CFX should do a decent job. And no a 750w corsair PS should do 6850s in CFX but I would go with a 850 if you can swing it. It seems counterintuitive but a larger PS with more headroom will actually draw less power from the wall than a 750 running closer to max while gaming. However the 750w will draw slightly less while in normal use. So it is a tradeoff.
Click to expand...

Pfft. The 750W is already overkill for even crossfire 6850s. No need to go more overkill.
 
All the info y'all can give me is great, haha. I may go with a gigabyte CFX ready motherboard, that way if i decide to, i can use both cards. Though that board is a little more :( I hate being on a budget.

How well is the 6850 for games today? Should i go with a 6770? I have heard that the 70s are better than the 50s even if they are older.
 
6850 is a great graphics card but the 6770 is a great card as well
 
Why are you buying a 750w psu for 1 6850, maybe 2. (although it is unlikely that you will ever upgrade to two cards as 99% of the people that say they will never do)

You could run even two of them safely with plenty of headroom off something like 550w.
 
Ok so this set-up will run most games today? And thanks for all the help. If i have any further questions i will post here again.
 
reflex99 said:
It will "run" anything.

With all settings turned up, not a chance.
Click to expand...

Wait so you are saying it cant play most games even on high? I just watched several videos and they ran Crysis 2, ARMA 2, Dead Space 2, Crysis- Real life Mod, etc on high/max with a 6850. If it can run those, it would be able to play most games that i play on high/max. Also i am running the games on a 19' monitor so my highest resolution is 1440x900 so that will impact my game performance.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6UXY-HSikU&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bD_ktdNZHM&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CheyW9aYlMc[/ame]
 
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