1055T build for NLE and x264/Xvid encoding

[dOdGE dIZ]

Hello to all.

Quick question.

Considering I'm seriously contemplating a return to AMD, with its "people's hexacore", the 1055T, I wonder what would serve me best:

1-Buying a AM2+ MoBo [GA-MA790X-UD4P (http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3038#ov)] with support for DDR2, thus keeping my current 2x2GB kit, a modest PC2-8000(1000MHz), 5-5-5-15@2.1V (http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_ddr2_pc2_8000_4gb_platinum_edition_dual_channel-eol) (OCed DDR2-800 actually), and switching to a DDR3 platform when it becomes more affordable (though there are little or no signs of that happening any time soon);

2-Going for the latest AM3 socket [GA-MA790FXT-UD5P (http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3005#ov)] and buy some DDR3 modules, prolonging the lifespan of the system into AMD's nex-gen micro-architecture (the much talked about "Bulldozer" or other);

In the first case I'll be saving now to spend more (even if DDR3 falls in price I'd have to buy a new MB anyway) later (18 months at the most), in the second I'll be "all in" now (CPU+MB+RAM) committing to this platform for the next 4-6 years.

Will the switch to DDR3-1600 (OCed) yield noticeble gains over the non-OCable DDR2-1000 to make it worth while, right now?

(please take into account the 1055T is "locked" and therefore can only be OCed by tweaking NB+HT speeds which, I suspect, will be severely hampered by the DDR2 limited bandwidth, and, I know this not an "OC" forum but I'm not going for anything resembling x-treeem anyway, I'd just like to get best "bang" for the hard earned "bucks" spent, and not waste it in a dead-end).

I hope I made myself clear.

Thank you.

[Przemek_Sperling]

I had similar dillema some months ago and decided to keep my DDR2 modules.
Some random thoughts:
- DDR3 gives nothing if you think about x264 coding http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/CPU/AMD-Phenom-II-X4-810-DDR3-vs.-DDR2/Page-4.html It gives around 7-8% if you use WinRAR or 7-Zip. Other perfomance gains are negligible (2-3%). There are some apps which prefer DDR2 low latency rather than DDR3 high bandwidth so DDR2 runs faster.
- rememeber that some mobos lower HyperTransport to 1.8 Ghz by default. Bump it in the BIOS
- nobody knows if AMD Bulldozer (AM3+) will support current AM3 (DDR3) mobos. It will not support AM2+ (DDR2) mobos. On the other hand the upcoming CPU will arrive in Q'3 or Q'4 2011
- there are some damn cheap and good DDR2 mobos. I bought my Gigabyte GA-M720D-US3 for 50 bucks. Remember to apply F7k BIOS if you want to use hexa-core CPUs.

[Przemek_Sperling]

Some other links:

- some other benchmarks, the site is Polish but everything is selfexplanatory http://nvision.pl/Najszybszy-procesor-od-AMD-Phenom-II-X4-955-BE--Articles-240-ndetails-26.html

- some more info about the mobo:
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/motherboards/268903/gigabyte-ga-m720-us3
http://www.trustedreviews.com/motherboards/review/2009/04/16/Gigabyte-GA-M720-US3/p1
The mobo is truly amazing if you concern the price.

[dOdGE dIZ]

[bunch of some useful info]

First of, thank you for taking the time of doing something I should've done myself.

Interestingly, putting an AMD CPU on a nVidia chip(set) MoBo was something I never really considered, mostly because I assumed AMD would do a far better job pairing its CPU with its chipset than its (graphics) arch-nemesis nVidia ever could. Coming to my senses I realize it was prejudice (as in "pre-judgement") that led me to that alley, and should have had the facts straight first.

And the facts are: buying a "fit-to-purpose" computer is either a), very, VERY expensive, or b), one of the most infuriating, frustrating things anyone will experience in their lives. As things are, route a) is a no go (unfortunately), so I'm left with b) and that's why only upgrade every 5 years, with the odd update or two (one of the reasons I'm leaving Intel for AMD). It is too time consuming and mentally draining.

Case in point: That GA-M720D-US3 has a dream layout, the right amount of external connections (eSATA support would have made it perfect) and usable expansion slots. My three gripes are the narrow-ATX form factor (no biggie), the (somewhat biggie) 12V four-pin connector location (at least not as bad as several of ASUS current boards, with the FULL ATX connector near the back I/O panel :eek:), and the rather weak VRM stage (I have my doubts I can handle an OCed 1055T, even the 95W TDP model). But it can be had for €65 here in Portugal, half of what I'd pay for the GA-MA790X-UD4P [DDR2], and nearly 1/3 of the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P [DDR3].

But here lies the problem: from many posts, reports, I came to the conclusion GigaByte's support for the new hexa-cores is truly behind the curve. Even sifting through the usual (therefore, expected) "Fanboydom" and diss-information, there are simply too much complaints about GB support for AMD's Hexas. And if, like I said, choosing a new computer is rather exhausting, trying to arm-wrestling it afterwards is out of the question (that's why real professionals buy AVIDs and Mac Pro's, in other words, take route a)).

The other choice I have for (mostly) decent "1xxT" support is ASUS. At least it seems they've been getting it more right than wrong. Unfortunately their board design is nothing short of appalling: from the above mentioned ATX plug location, to boards with NO PCIe x1 slots, unusable/blocked PCIe x1 and/or PCI slots (I need both), I/O panels with LPT/COM ports still, and on, and on.

This is so frustrating sometimes I have to refrain myself from picking the KB up and smashing the monitor, and every thing in sight, with it (which would accomplish nothing besides hasting the purchase).

Well, for now I'll wait and see if GB's BIOS issues are all ironed-out or if the people at ASUS layout design dep take their blindfolds off.:rolleyes:

Once again, thank you for taking the time to try and help me. The DDR2 vs. DDR3 articles are quite interesting, even the Polish one (like you said, self-explanatory).

Cheers.

[aegisofrime]

dOdGE dIZ, I wasn't aware that BIOS support for the Hexa cores were bad. Even my Biostar TA790GXE 128M, a AM2+ board from what most would consider to be a third-tier motherboard manufacturer, has support for it.

You also seem to have missed out MSI in terms of support for the Phenom II x6s...

While buying an AM2 board just so one can reuse old DDR2 RAM is tempting, do consider that because most good RAM out there come with a lifetime warranty, depreciation for them is not as bad as most components. At least, that's the case here in my country. Thus, you can probably sell it on the second hand market for quite a good price.

[mariush]

I'd really recommend looking at some AsRock motherboards, they're basically made by Asus though they're now independent divisions.
They're cheap and usually have good CPU support just see the specs on the site.