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f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  Gaming  |  Topic: The 'Build Me A PC' Thread 0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.
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Author Topic: The 'Build Me A PC' Thread  (Read 853608 times)
Sheepherder
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Reply #175 on: June 29, 2010, 11:08:58 AM

Link

I'd say no.  18 Amps @ +12V is probably cutting it very close even for a new PSU.  That number should probably be closer to 30.

Seasonic and Silverstone are very good brands.  Corsair rebrands Seasonic PSU's.  A 550 watt from any of these brands will run most SLI systems.
Trippy
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Reply #176 on: June 29, 2010, 11:45:50 AM

Link

I'd say no.  18 Amps @ +12V is probably cutting it very close even for a new PSU.  That number should probably be closer to 30.

Seasonic and Silverstone are very good brands.  Corsair rebrands Seasonic PSU's.  A 550 watt from any of these brands will run most SLI systems.
Not all Corsairs are/were Seasonics. Some are/were CWTs (I haven't checked recently to see who Corsair is using for what models).

The GTS 250 draws 150 W power max. So on the +12V line(s) that works out to 12.5A, just for the GPU. As said Sheepheader that's cutting it pretty close considering all the other devices that will draw +12V from that line.
Lounge
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Reply #177 on: June 29, 2010, 11:48:47 AM

Right! Thanks for the info.  I'll grab a 550w from Frys on the way home.

Also... I just found this which helped clear things up for me:
http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html
« Last Edit: June 29, 2010, 02:16:13 PM by Lounge »
rrazcueta
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Reply #178 on: June 30, 2010, 11:12:34 PM

And is neweggs return policy for monitors still the no less than 5 dead pixels BS that it used to be? I looked and didnt see it anywhere.

I've heard newegg is real shitty about monitor replacements. I bought all my parts for my PC at newegg except the monitor which I got at Buy.com because of their dead pixel policies. Amazon replaced my brothers 42" Samsung HDTV for free, so check them out, too.
Engels
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Reply #179 on: July 21, 2010, 12:19:29 PM

So, the GF's 4 year old Dell's PSU's fan is giving out, so instead of replacing the PSU, we were thinking of just me building her a system. She plays Dragon Age and will be playing Fallout Vegas till doomsday, so she's gotta have a fairly decent gaming rig. Goal is decent gaming with legs but with an eye on the pocket book.

She already has a GPU, and we have a case and DVD drive. We would have to purchase the rest. How does this look to you guys?



Looking at Dell, it looks like I'd have to spend more, even tho I'd get a new GPU and monitor with the deal. We really really don't need those.

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
Trippy
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Reply #180 on: July 21, 2010, 12:43:19 PM

What's the GPU she has now?
fuser
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Reply #181 on: July 21, 2010, 01:05:48 PM

How does this look to you guys?

What OS? Because the 4GB will not be visible to the OS without a 64bit OS.
Engels
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Reply #182 on: July 21, 2010, 03:07:26 PM

Trippy, she currently has a Core Duo. Yep, without a 2 in it. One of the first dual cores out there. It does ok, but her Dell PSU (the one with the failing fan) is just barely able to meet the power needs of her 9600GT card, so its in our interest to upgrade her system to have a more powerful PSU for a video card in her not too distant future.

Fuser, we have access to both 64 and 32 bit Windows 7. We will probably go with 64 bit. She doesn't do anything more demanding than gaming, so I figure 4 gig is fine for her. We can always buy more ram later.

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
Trippy
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Reply #183 on: July 21, 2010, 03:09:10 PM

Why not get a new GPU now too then? The 9600GT is pretty gimpy by today's standards. What resolution does she run at?
sinij
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Reply #184 on: July 21, 2010, 04:53:32 PM

Building new PC, since my starving-student friend managed to munch old one off me:

CPU: AMD HDT55TFBRBOX Phenom II 1055T Six Core Processor
Mobo: ??? Strongly prefer ASUS and willing to pay premium for it
Video Card: ASUS Geforce GTX480
Sound: Creative Labs SB0886 PCI Express Sound Blaster
Memory: Corsair or Kingston Triple Channel 12GB
Power Supply: ??? Strongly prefer Antec and willing to pay preminum for it
Caste: Antec-300 or ???

Goals: Gaming on high-resolution monitor, movies and very occasional matlab number crunching.

I need help with motherboard selection. I don't plan on ever going 2x (or 3x) video cards, yet I need something that will be reasonably future-proof.

Any help is appreciated.

Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
MisterNoisy
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Reply #185 on: July 21, 2010, 05:00:40 PM

Building new PC, since my starving-student friend managed to munch old one off me:

CPU: AMD HDT55TFBRBOX Phenom II 1055T Six Core Processor
Mobo: Huh Strongly prefer ASUS and willing to pay premium for it
Video Card: ASUS Geforce GTX480
Sound: Creative Labs SB0886 PCI Express Sound Blaster
Memory: Corsair or Kingston Triple Channel 12GB
Power Supply: Huh Strongly prefer Antec and willing to pay preminum for it
Caste: Antec-300 or Huh

Goals: Gaming on high-resolution monitor, movies and very occasional matlab number crunching.

I need help with motherboard selection. I don't plan on ever going 2x (or 3x) video cards, yet I need something that will be reasonably future-proof.

Any help is appreciated.

GTX 480?  I think you'd actually get better performance (and spend just a little less money) by running 2 of the new 1GB GTX 460s in SLI, but apparently SLI isn't supported on AMD mobos (sorry - I've been shopping Intel pretty much exclusively).

As for the mobo, might as well go bleeding edge if you're willing to drop $500 on the gfx.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2010, 05:16:22 PM by MisterNoisy »

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Engels
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Reply #186 on: July 21, 2010, 05:16:03 PM

Why not get a new GPU now too then? The 9600GT is pretty gimpy by today's standards. What resolution does she run at?

She's got an old 4:3 aspect ratio monitor from NEC that's got a very good image quality. She loves it, so I'm not pushing that angle. You're right that she'll need a new vid card soon enough, but right now we're focusing on the core of the system.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2010, 05:18:04 PM by Engels »

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
MisterNoisy
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Reply #187 on: July 21, 2010, 05:27:58 PM

As I alluded to earlier, I'm also putting together a new PC.  Here's what I've got so far - just looking for outside opinions:

CPU:  Intel Core i5-760 ($210)
Motherboard:  MSI P55-GD65 ($160)
PSU:  XFX Black Edition P1 750W ($90)
Video:  Gigabyte GTX-460 1GB OC ($220) (may add a second down the road)
HDD:  WD Caviar Black 1TB ($90)
RAM:  G.SKILL ECO Series 2x2GB (will add a matching set if needed) ($96)

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sinij
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Reply #188 on: July 21, 2010, 05:36:43 PM

GTX 480?  I think you'd actually get better performance (and spend just a little less money) by running 2 of the new 1GB GTX 460s in SLI

I doubt it. It has to run at 1920×1080. Also my past experiences with SLI/Crossfire is that it is waste of money for 2/3 of apps/games out there. I don't want to build something that will work 'teh best' for 1-2 games today, I want system that will work well for next 2 years for all games, and something that I will be able to migrate in parts to other computers when I upgrade down the road without having.

As far as graphic card, what would be comparable setup using ATI cards? Did ATI ever fix driver issues?

« Last Edit: July 21, 2010, 05:45:46 PM by sinij »

Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
Goreschach
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Reply #189 on: July 21, 2010, 05:43:59 PM

GTX 480?  I think you'd actually get better performance (and spend just a little less money) by running 2 of the new 1GB GTX 460s in SLI

I doubt it. It has to run at 1920×1080.

As far as graphic card, what would be comparable setup using ATI cards? Did ATI ever fix driver issues?



sinij
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Reply #190 on: July 21, 2010, 05:46:49 PM

Last ATI card I owned, I ripped out of my rig and threw against the wall. I am not too eager to relive that expirience, so its pretty much Nvidia or GTFO, so in my mind real question is 470, 480 or 2x460 when running at 1920×1080 ( or was it 1920x1200? my laptop chokes trying to power it, so it waiting for new PC)
« Last Edit: July 21, 2010, 05:51:38 PM by sinij »

Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
MisterNoisy
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Reply #191 on: July 21, 2010, 05:50:17 PM

GTX 480?  I think you'd actually get better performance (and spend just a little less money) by running 2 of the new 1GB GTX 460s in SLI

I doubt it. It has to run at 1920×1080. Also my past experiences with SLI/Crossfire is that it is waste of money for 2/3 of apps/games out there.

As far as graphic card, what would be comparable setup using ATI cards? Did ATI ever fix driver issues?

I've been using an HD4850 with zero issues for some time.  

The only comparable AMD hardware to the GTX480 is either the HD5970/2x 5970 in CF or something stupid like the Asus Ares ($1200 and it weighs 5 fucking pounds).

Anand's tests seem to indicate that the revised Fermi architecture is an improvement over the GF100 cards, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when they apply it to the high end versus the midrange users they're targeting with the 460.

That said, you're starting with an AMD CPU, so any SLI discussion is largely irrelevant.

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sinij
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Reply #192 on: July 21, 2010, 05:57:39 PM

My last rig was AMD (started with X2 4800 eventually upgraded to Phenom 4x 9850 for $100-ish with bios flash) with Nvidia 280 running on M3A mobo. I was 100% happy with it throughout its life, the best PC I ever built. I want more of it.

I *really* like the fact that AMD doesn't do 'socket dance', so with AMD you have mobo/ram setup that is very upgradable down the road. Intel pretty much un-upgradable, hotter and not nearly as stable.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2010, 06:02:59 PM by sinij »

Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
sinij
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Reply #193 on: July 21, 2010, 06:06:12 PM

As I alluded to earlier, I'm also putting together a new PC.  Here's what I've got so far - just looking for outside opinions:

CPU:  Intel Core i5-760 ($210)
Motherboard:  MSI P55-GD65 ($160)
PSU:  XFX Black Edition P1 750W ($90)
Video:  Gigabyte GTX-460 1GB OC ($220) (may add a second down the road)
HDD:  WD Caviar Black 1TB ($90)
RAM:  G.SKILL ECO Series 2x2GB (will add a matching set if needed) ($96)

I would go with at least 8GB of RAM.

Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
MisterNoisy
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Reply #194 on: July 21, 2010, 06:07:05 PM

Aha!

SLI-capable AMD board!

Tragically, any of the nForce AMD boards don't seem to also support Crossfire (that I can see) so you'll have to pick a side and stick with it.

As for the 8GB thing, I plan on it since it's cheap.  Just figure since I can get a solid gaming PC with 4GB, I can add that after the initial build.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2010, 06:10:31 PM by MisterNoisy »

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SnakeCharmer
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Reply #195 on: July 21, 2010, 06:14:42 PM

As I alluded to earlier, I'm also putting together a new PC.  Here's what I've got so far - just looking for outside opinions:

CPU:  Intel Core i5-760 ($210)
Motherboard:  MSI P55-GD65 ($160)
PSU:  XFX Black Edition P1 750W ($90)
Video:  Gigabyte GTX-460 1GB OC ($220) (may add a second down the road)
HDD:  WD Caviar Black 1TB ($90)
RAM:  G.SKILL ECO Series 2x2GB (will add a matching set if needed) ($96)

I have that same basic rig, and with the exception of some issues with my mobo (which is being RMA'd next week) that seem to be the exception rather than the rule, you'll LOVE it.  I would pop for the GTX470, though.

MAKE SURE YOU GET RAM THAT HAS BEEN VETTED BY MSI'S QVL.
sinij
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Reply #196 on: July 21, 2010, 06:16:23 PM

Aha!

SLI-capable AMD board!

Tragically, any of the nForce AMD boards don't seem to also support Crossfire (that I can see) so you'll have to pick a side and stick with it.

Interesting.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-geforce-radeon,2646-6.html

Tom's hardware suggests Two Radeon HD 5830 in CrossFire Configuration as current the best setup/cost with honorable mentions to 480. What is the difference between 5850 and 5830?

Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
sinij
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Reply #197 on: July 21, 2010, 06:21:04 PM

As for the 8GB thing, I plan on it since it's cheap.  Just figure since I can get a solid gaming PC with 4GB, I can add that after the initial build.

In the past I had issues finding matching dual-channel memory, surprisingly enough, not all dual-channel memory even from the same manufacturer will work well together as dual-channel pairs.

I would also go for more reputable brand - Kingston, OCZ, Corsair. Server guys I work with swear by Kignston, not sure how well that translates to consumer market...

Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
MisterNoisy
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Reply #198 on: July 21, 2010, 06:29:43 PM

MAKE SURE YOU GET RAM THAT HAS BEEN VETTED BY MSI'S QVL.

I spent ages searching MSI's site for the QVL list to no avail.  I can't imagine that G.Skill is not on there somewhere.  I just like the low voltages that the ECO series will acceptably run at, which gives lots of headroom for fucking around at more extreme settings.

I also admit that anything with a 1" talll metal comb attached to it was immediately DQ'd for being both retarded and blocking me from using a huge CPU cooler.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2010, 06:32:34 PM by MisterNoisy »

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sinij
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Reply #199 on: July 21, 2010, 06:56:09 PM

Another question:

Western Digital 300 GB VelociRaptor SATA 10,000 RPM (I have nothing but good things to say about WD Raptors, my first one 74G one is still running strong and fast!)

or

Kingston SSDNow V Series 128 GB

?

Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
MisterNoisy
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Reply #200 on: July 21, 2010, 08:07:02 PM

Another question:

Western Digital 300 GB VelociRaptor SATA 10,000 RPM (I have nothing but good things to say about WD Raptors, my first one 74G one is still running strong and fast!)

or

Kingston SSDNow V Series 128 GB

?

If you're on a board that supports SATA6, get the SSD and drop your OS and games on it.  Otherwise I'd just get Caviar Black drives for pretty much everything.

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SnakeCharmer
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Reply #201 on: July 21, 2010, 09:41:47 PM

I spent ages searching MSI's site for the QVL list to no avail.  I can't imagine that G.Skill is not on there somewhere.  I just like the low voltages that the ECO series will acceptably run at, which gives lots of headroom for fucking around at more extreme settings.

I also admit that anything with a 1" talll metal comb attached to it was immediately DQ'd for being both retarded and blocking me from using a huge CPU cooler.

Here you go.  It's under the Test Reports tab.
Engels
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Reply #202 on: July 22, 2010, 10:37:18 AM

Intel Core i5 661 3.33 GHz Clarkdale: dual core with HT. I picked it because it uses 35 nm tech and that's hot, or actually, less hot than the 45nms I'm seeing. At least I think it is. Also like that with the board I picked, it'd have onboard graphics so there's no panic in the streets if the dedicated GPU blows up.

Opinions on that CPU?

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
sinij
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Reply #203 on: July 23, 2010, 06:36:05 PM

Feedback please:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 - I like AMD sockets since I know it will be reasonably future-proof
Mobo: ASUS Crosshair IV - it has good on-board sound, so I don't need discrete sound card; otherwise it has to have SATA 6GB, DDR3 and USB3
Video: ASUS  HD 5850 x2 - not much price difference between 5830 and 5850, my preference is a single card; but all mobos with features I want come with SLI/Crossfire.
Ram: Kingston HyperX T1 DDR3 - 2133 MHz x4 8G; mobo VQL doesn't explicitly states it supports 4Gig 2000 or 2130 ram... strange still to be using 2G sticks in year 2010
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750-Watt  ;i s this enough?
HDD: Kingston SSDNow V Series 128 GB
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 - something big enough to no need water cooling

Is there a way to get comparable performance cheaper? Ended up more than I wanted to spend.

What happened to Hybrid SLI or Hybrid Crossfire technology? Would something like M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 used with single ATI card force it into 8x mode or slower speeds? Any benefit to using it?
« Last Edit: July 23, 2010, 07:37:21 PM by sinij »

Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
Engels
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Reply #204 on: July 24, 2010, 09:34:19 AM

Why are you getting crossfire, if you don't mind my asking? Have you had good luck with it in the past? Why not go for a single 5970, for instance? Price is about the same, and you sidestep potential compatibility issues, not to mention the blocked airflow and additional heating issues.

Also, it seems that you want a lot of video firepower. Do you have a huge monitor, or various huge monitors?

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
sinij
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Reply #205 on: July 24, 2010, 09:54:38 AM

I have 24 inch 2ms display and I play FPSs competitively, so keeping frame rate up at all times is crucial for aiming.

I have not had luck with crossfire or sli in the past, my latest experiences was 2x 260 Nvidas that I ended returning for 280 that I used ever since. You'd hope things matured over last couple years.

I am getting crossfire because mobo supports it. Maybe I should reconsider.


Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
Engels
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Reply #206 on: July 24, 2010, 10:05:22 AM

When you say competitively, do you mean you turn down all eyecandy to get maximum performance? I'm no expert, but I think you'd do fine with a 5870. Then I'd go for dual SSDs SATA 6 in Raid 0.

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
sinij
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Reply #207 on: July 24, 2010, 02:36:06 PM


Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
JWIV
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Reply #208 on: July 30, 2010, 07:42:56 AM

Here's the case mod you need -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcpHV318gxo
 DRILLING AND MANLINESS DRILLING AND MANLINESS DRILLING AND MANLINESS DRILLING AND MANLINESS DRILLING AND MANLINESS DRILLING AND MANLINESS DRILLING AND MANLINESS
ffc
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Reply #209 on: August 01, 2010, 11:41:34 PM


What a beast.  

Based on Engels' advice I picked up a 5770 to replace my 4850.  That quickly turned into an excuse to replace my motherboard since one of its PCI slots died.  Nevermind I had another slot available.

I picked up a Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H because I wanted to reuse my AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor and DDR2 RAM but I wanted the AM3 upgrade option.  Which was a mistake for my wallet because now I realize I can get $40 off a processor with this motherboard which compels me to look at an AMD Phenom II X2 555.

Update:  this Gigabyte motherboard is pretty great and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an upgrade path with older system parts.  Micro ATX, 4 DDR2 slots, AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 compatible, and all the drivers loaded in Windows 7 automagically.  Coming from an old AsRock board this is fancy town.

This board got my Athlon to 3.2ghz stable and I'm going for 3.4ghz next.  This setup will do just fine until I find out if Diablo 3 will noticeably benefit from a quad-core.
« Last Edit: August 04, 2010, 11:02:16 AM by ffc »
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