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

[kemlab]

Hmmm, I might grab the micro atx case from front page yesterday and put together a system with this MOBO and CPU. I already got the 400W corsair PSU from a couple of days ago, then all i need is some ram, and i'll use some of the old dvd drives and hd's i have around the house and I'll have a sweet rendering system.

[volatilepenguin]

MicroATX is holding me back. I bought the Arctic Square cpu heatsink from ZZF way back, and I doubt there will be space for it on this mobo.

Quote from dahkillah : is this mobo good for gaming? it looks like it only support memory with 1.8v.

That's a pain in the bollocks too...
Looking to pay $25 more to get that board's full size counterpart [newegg.com] and pair it with some DDR2 1066 to take advantage of paypal's 20/200. What do you think?

[ryguy]

Quote from MOkoFOko : Unlocking the cores on these things = too unreliable. Decent deal though

Only if you don't know what you are doing.

[dahkillah]

Quote from volatilepenguin : MicroATX is holding me back. I bought the Arctic Square cpu heatsink from ZZF way back, and I doubt there will be space for it on this mobo. That's a pain in the bollocks too... Looking to pay $25 more to get that board's full size counterpart [newegg.com] and pair it with some DDR2 1066 to take advantage of paypal's 20/200. What do you think?

i was going to get this combo + ocz reapers but it is not valid for paypal cashback. it should have been $150 (cpu/mobo) + $68 (ram) = $218 - $21 bing - $20 paypal - $20 mir = $157 but it didn't work out in paypal. the 20 off 200 in paypal is over anyways.

[goibhniu]

Quote from stayslick2006 : 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.

Well, considering that on AMD CPUs the memory controllers are built into the CPU rather than on an external northbridge chipset it's pretty safe to assume that this isn't "the issue here with this MB". If an AMD CPU is 64-bit (and they are all 64-bit at this point) then the memory controller is also 64-bit.

[krazyatom]

Is this processor faster than my core 2 duo E6700 OC'ed to 3.2ghz?
I wonder if this is worth upgrading... anyone?

[my2k2zx2]

I currently have an IP35-E w/e2180 @ 2.4.

I have $170ish. Would this combo be a good upgrade or shouldI just replace the e2180 with an e8400 or q8400?

[nesman90]

Yea I was hoping to add the combo with the full size Gigabyte board and a Linksys router (would have worked out nicely with the 20 off 200 Paypal), but I chatted with the Newegg rep and they said the promotion expired because the funds ran out

[jdansng]

Quote from dahkillah : i was going to get this combo + ocz reapers but it is not valid for paypal cashback. it should have been $150 (cpu/mobo) + $68 (ram) = $218 - $21 bing - $20 paypal - $20 mir = $157 but it didn't work out in paypal. the 20 off 200 in paypal is over anyways.

did
haha that's exactly what I did. Couldn't be happier

[dahkillah]

Quote from jdansng : did haha that's exactly what I did. Couldn't be happier

lucky you.. it did say on my paypal checkout page that the transaction is not valid for cashback. weird...

[DiMAn0684]

Placed order @ 7:44:26 AM Pac. Time today, and just confirmed with the rep that I'm getting PayPal cashback.

[ravioli]

Quote from ryguy : Only if you don't know what you are doing.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I have built 8 systems with the 550 on 3 different motherboards and all have unlocked to x4.

Most common unlock mistakes made:

1. Cool 'n Quiet not disabled

2. stock CPU voltage not raised before unlocking

Do some simple research guys before you boot right into your BIOS and attempt to unlock the Phenom II 550 to x4. Wealth of information on HardOC and overclock.net forums.

[Trikat]

I heard about the unlocking for a while now, but i'm bored and unlocking the 550 BE seems to fun. If I am successful it will replace my E8400.
Too bad there isn't a rebate to knock down the price just a tad bit more.
I also picked up the Sunbeam core-contact freezer 120mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6835207004 for $25 AR (also has free ship).
I'm just kind of sad I did not order the mini P180 deal from yesterday!

[PocketSmiley]

Stepping: 0928BPMW
Motherboard: GA-MA790X-UD4P
BIOS: F5
OS: Windows 7 x64

SUCCESS!

Stepping: 0922MPMW
Motherboard: GA-MA790X-UD4P
BIOS: F7
OS: Windows 7 x64

SUCCESS!

This is how I successfully unlocked two Phenom II X2 550's into two Phenom II X4 B50's:

1. DISABLE "AMD COOL & QUIET" setting under Advanced CMOS setup. This is always enabled by default in every BIOS of all Gigabyte motherboards I owned, and your system will not POST if it is not disabled.

2. Set EC Firmware Selection to "Hybrid", Advanced Clock Calibration to "Auto". This has an equivalent feature in ASUS motherboards, and this is the key to the extra cores.

3. Set System Voltage Control to Auto, and disable Hardware Thermal Control and CPU Fan Control under PC Health Status. I believe in the ability of my motherboard to minimize voltage requirements dynamically for me. I disabled automatic thermal controls for they might interfere with the Non-Particular AMD firmware being used to run the unlocked quad-core, and to have the fan running at maximum speed always.


Important notes:

My first 550 unlocked successfully, but can not boot nor install Windows XP and Vista x86. When my second 550 arrived it unlocked successfully and was able to install and boot Windows 7 x64. When I popped my first 550 back in, it booted Windows 7 with no problem, too.

I ran Prime95 for 24 hours for each, using the Blend setting for Torture Test. Core Temp could not read core temperatures but EasyTune6's HW Monitor provided an accurate overall reading of CPU temperature.

I used the stock fan that came with my DOA Phenom II X4 940. (I was not able to replace it through RMA because I kept returning the motherboard, which I only discovered to be fully functional after 30 days, using an old $25 X2 Brisbane. The X2 550 is my emotional reimbursement. Now, I consider it a better investment.) The X4 stock fan is much larger than the X2's, and has a copper base with copper pipes connected to the heatsink. The X2 stock fan is much smaller, and does not come in complete contact with the CPU, just within a circle within the square surface of the processor.

I have not tested the X4 B50 using the X2 550 stock fan, and without overclocking my Prime95 readings were stable on 63-67 degrees Celsius. I believe the stock fan can safely allow you to unlock, but I will definitely not run all four cores on all fours without a jetpack on its back!

Refer to the dedicated X2 550 unlocking and overclocking community for an extensive survey and discussion of different stepping, motherboard and BIOS combinations that worked:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=227004 [xtremesystems.org]

and

The Official Phenom II X2 550 Club!!! [overclock.net]

LOL,
PocketSmiley

[legopacific]

Looks like a good deal. I'm in for one. Thanks!