Unlockable AMD x2 550 with GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H for $150 or less

[whorge]

Quote from DiMAn0684 : I was under impression that OP somehow knew what batch the CPUs were from and that they're more likely to work as quad-cores....maybe AMD labels chips based on how close they were to the center of the wafer Sorry for OT, but is there a guide on how to test the chip and functionality of all 4 cores? Is there a load test people run for that?

I used Linx and Prime95 to stress test all 4 cores. If you get errors on some cores, it's probably not a functional quad-core.

As for my experience with the 550, I was able to unlock all 4 on my Gigabyte 790fx board... gave a very slight bump to the voltage, and now i have a stable 3.5ghz quad core. Lovin' it.

[Angry]

Quote from Mangykid : Somebody using linux would already know the answer and/or be running 64-bit. Somebody using OS X wouldn't have that problem.

Yes, excellent point - my bad.

[Angry]

Newegg doesn't seem to have the memory for this motherboard - at least not that I see using their little memory tool. Does anyone have a link for a lowest price on 4GB (or more if it'll take it) of memory?

[kemlab]

Hmm, I really need the DDR3. I was looking at this combo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Com...mbo.237636

Still got the SB750 so it should be able to unlock the cores. Anyone have experience/info about this mobo? Anyone want to point out something stupid I missed and laugh at me?

[Mangykid]

Quote from kemlab : Hmm, I really need the DDR3. I was looking at this combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Com...mbo.237636 Still got the SB750 so it should be able to unlock the cores. Anyone have experience/info about this mobo? Anyone want to point out something stupid I missed and laugh at me?

Unless you have DDR3 sticks laying around, I don't think it's really worth it to spend $100 more plus $10 more per memory stick to make a low end cpu a few % faster:

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles...ndex9.html

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles...dex11.html

[kemlab]

Repped for great references. They really had me sold on the DDR3 as a complete game-changer. Hmmmm, Maybe I will get this combo deal.

Quote from Mangykid : Unless you have DDR3 sticks laying around, I don't think it's really worth it to spend $100 more plus $10 more per memory stick to make a low end cpu a few % faster: http://www.tweaktown.com/articles...ndex9.html http://www.tweaktown.com/articles...dex11.html

[7 VII 7]

lol, also if you put any "decent" video card in there and it will block the SATA ports on the MoBo

another draw back to this MoBo

[Xer34]

In for one. Thanks for the deal OP.

[drealiT]

Quote from 7 VII 7 : Micro ATX? riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight For $10 more you can a real motherboard [newegg.com]

Could you please explain yourself because I am seeing absolutely no reason why you should choose that less reputable ECS over this board?

Was it just an ignorant outburst for attention or do you really believe that and just don't want to state your reasons?

[jeckll]

Just want to throw in my $.02 in favor of this mobo. JUST put together a box using it last night and it's great. I don't have (nor do I plan on having) an aftermarket video card, so the issue of it blocking SATA isn't really relevant to me. But it installed flawlessly, I was able to easily install Win7 from USB, etc ...

I got the 3.0GHz Athlon II combo for $128 and it's perfect for me. I don't game or encode video so the extra cores won't really do much for me

[stayslick2006]

Quote from Mangykid : Somebody using linux would already know the answer and/or be running 64-bit. Somebody using OS X wouldn't have that problem.

1) The ~3gb vs. 4gb issue is not always just an OS issue. Some hardware memory controllers are 32-bit and only allow ~3gb of ram regardless of using a 64-bit OS. I would hope that's not the issue here with this MB, but if it is, I would assume people would want to know.

2) "Somebody using OS X wouldn't have that problem" that's only true if you are suggesting that Mac users are ignorant of what they are doing. Ever heard of OSx Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger? Those Pretty much ran in 32-bit and had all sorts of memory limitations based on hardware and software. Some G5's running OSx could only see ~2gb. It took Apple 6 Editions of OSx (not even counting pre-OSx world) to get full 64-bit support and that only worked well for some of their users' hardware.

Full 64-bit support was not introduced until Leopard, though users of Photoshop on the Mac may not even realize that since you can only do Photoshop 64-bit on Windows. Don't worry, CS5 is on its way. Even recent MacBooks experience strange limitations where the hardware shows 8 gigs and OSx Leopard shows 4gb due to the fact that there are still traces of 32-bit memory issues even in Leopard. So this memory issue is very much an Apple issue as it is everyone's issue.

My point is, don't start throwing stones in the glass house of Apple or you might break your own "Windows."

[superccs]

Quote from 7 VII 7 : Micro ATX? riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight For $10 more you can a real motherboard [newegg.com]

I have been enjoying the heck out of my ASUS 780G mobo and its a micro ATX. Works great with a 720BE OCed to 3.5 all over the place.

WTF would you want an ECS board over a Gigabyte board? Gigabyte is on a roll the last few years with quality and performance being top notch.

[IamKing]

I bought the GA-MA785GM-US2H combo with Phenom II 545 3.0 Ghz for around $140 along with other parts for my build. After unlcocking the cores, it's now same as Phenom II X4 940 3.0 Ghz. I have tried overclocking upto 3.75 Ghz. Multiplier is locked in mine but i can push the FSB and adjust voltage.

Phenom II will cause Intel 8XXX series prices to drop soon as they are better and very competitive with existing core 2 duos.

I think they are selling fully functional 4 cores as dual-cores due to the demand.

I built the entire system from scratch for around $230 (cashback is pending and got the paypal $20 today).

Specs : Phenom II 545 3.0 Ghz , A-Data 2x1GB, GA-MA785GM-US2H , WD 80GB 7200 rpm, Apex micro-ATX case, HEC 585W power supply, Samsung DVD burner .

Total cost $275. minus cashback minus $20 = Approx $230.

Windows experience rating for the processor is 7.3 (same as Deneb 940 X4 that retails for $180). I am very satisfied with build.

[MOkoFOko]

Unlocking the cores on these things = too unreliable. Decent deal though

[dahkillah]

is this mobo good for gaming?

it looks like it only support memory with 1.8v.