ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 - AM3 - AMD 890GX - DDR3 - USB 3.0 SATA 6 Gb/s - ATX Motherboard Review

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(More customer reviews)This is actually my first ASUS board. I have been using MSI products for the last few years with no issues, so why the change? Upon reading the specifications of the new MSI, I liked the fact that ASUS has more features including the core unlocker that allows all cores to achieve full performance capabilities, also I've heard from friends that ASUS makes some really good bios chipsets. This board has some really noticeable features like USB 3 and SATA 6 which don't have so much of an impact on users now, but will soon in the future. Another feature which I have not seen before is the easy bios upgrade feature that allows a user to upgrade bios in bios and checks the file to be sure its compatible with the chipset. There are many other feature which I haven't had the chance to mess around with yet, like the Hybrid CrossfireX technology and ASUS TurboV EVO, not to mention even more overclocking features, however, I must admit I'm not one to overclock even with liquid cooling installed, mostly since I'm not a millionaire and can't afford to overheat a cpu, but if you have the money and experience this board will definitely take advantage of what your processor can do, also this will support the new 6 cores; also this new chipset features the Radeon HD 4290 onboard GPU that supports 512mb and has direct X 10.1 features and comes with multiple VGA outputs, HDMI, DVI, RGB. I only used the onboard when first firing her up, so I didn't get a chance to see what it could do in games like Bioshock or Battlefield Bad Company, but I can imagine being able to play at 1920 X 1080p with just about every setting maxed. If there is one negative thing about this board it would have to be that it has no floppy drive support, and while you don't really need one anyways, I did buy a brand new one, along with floppy disks, but that's just being to used to older tech since it was required to have a floppy disk to create partitions and for RAID drivers in the past.Overall, the price and technology in this board is more than exceptional and had it up and running with the first power on without any problems, ASUS also gives you some pretty good software on their driver CD like ASUS Probe 2 which has a great interface and shows motherboard and cpu temperatures. Now I just need to save some money for another Radeon card then I can give crossfire X a test run. -Great board.

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Product Description:
ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 - Unlock the Potential, Turbocharge your Performance features Core Unlocker - Intelligently Unlocks True Core Performance, Turbo Key II - Switch on the Potential, Turn up the Performance, ASUS GPU Boost - Instant iGPU Level Up, TurboV EVO - Ultimate O.C. Processor, MemOK! - Any Memory is A-OK and USB 3.0 support

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AMD HDZ965FBGIBOX Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHZ Central Processing Unit (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)After buying pre-built systems for several years, I finally broke down and built my own this time. I think it is important to establish how I am using the processor, so here is my system.

I paired this processor with an MSI 790GX-G65 motherboard as the basis of my new system. The other portions are 1 GB Hitachi HDD, LG DVD RW, PNY GEFORCE GTS 250 video card, Windows 7 Professional, 8 Gb DDR3 memory, Antec 300 case, and Antec Truepower Trio power supply. I have five case fans, four input and one output.

Now, on to the processor itself.
- It comes with an "Approved" AMD heat sink. With aftermarket heat sinks, one has a separate tube of lubricant that goes on top of the CPU to seal the connection with the sink, but on this heat sink the sealer is applied to the base of the heat sink, which is very convenient. This sealant looks a bit like thin cardboard at the base of the heat sink; don't be fooled, it is supposed to be there and no additional paste is needed. The heat sink is large, with lots of copper.

- Installing the processor is quite simple, so long as you remember to line up the "notch" on one end of the processor with the "notch" on the CPU mount. Instructions are provided with the retail kit. Between those and the instructions that come with motherboards, you should have no problem installing the CPU.

- The CPU has a "Cool N Quiet" mode, if your motherboard supports it. Mine does, and in this mode the processors (there are four processor cores on the chip) work at varying speeds, depending upon the task loading of each core. From what I can tell the speeds are 800, 2400, and 3400 Mhz. Using this feature, my CPU temperature is generally around 30 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature I have seen the chip at is 51 C. Note that the "cool N quiet mode is NOT used when overclocking. The maximum operating temperature is 62 degrees C.

- Most motherboards have two memory modes: "Ganged" and "Unganged". The default seems to be unganged. The difference is that in "unganged" mode the memory is split up such that each CPU core gets a certain amount of memory, in my case, 2Gb per core. This mode is optimized for multiprocessing, whereas "Ganged" mode optimizes for one application. I mention this here because this CPU excels at multiple tasks, by which I mean that I have noticed a vast difference in performance from my last (single core) CPU, also a 3.4 Mhz. Running multiple applications is very smooth. This makes it great for business applications where one is multi-tasking constantly.

- The CPU pulls 140 watts at maximum speed, considerably less at the slower speeds. The point is that you need a good power supply; mine is a 550w version.

- This model is a "black" version, which means that the cores are unlocked and can be easily overclocked. I ran mine up to 3.8 without problems, but the temperature went to 40 degrees C at idle. Since I didn't really see any overall improvement, I went back to stock speeds and "cool n quiet". But if you are into speed, this model can go to 3.9 or so stock - after that I would recommend more aggressive cooling.

- The processor clocks at 7.4 on the Windows 7 "Calculations Per Second" ratings. This rating didn't change regardless of the over clocking, one of the reasons I went back to stock settings.

I actually looked for this unit when buying, although the lower models of the Phenom II X4 run at only slightly lower speeds, and would make a good buy. But for the price, the performance is great.

I highly recommend this product for anyone who needs a solid, dependable business processor. Pair it up with a good supporting system and it will do very well.

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Product Description:
Visual Experience:Live your life in HD. AMD Phenom II is for high definition entertainment, gaming, creativity, and beyond. With AMD Phenom II processors as the foundation, you will enjoy a new level of responsiveness and visual intensity. AMD puts high definition computing within everyone's reach.Superior technologies for HD video. Enjoy a superior high definition experience for HD videos on you PC. AMD Phenom II processor are the powerful engine behind your fidelity, high definition video entertainment experience. Only AMD puts the Ultimate Visual Experience for HD video within your reach.Enjoy entertainment beyond your media library. Get HD content online, offline, wherever you want it, however you want it. Your system can handle whatever you dish out - and serve it up on screen in full, high definition glory.Perfect chemistry. Combine AMD Phenom II processors and ATI Radeon HD graphics to really see the difference. Enjoy smooth video, brilliant videos and immersive games. AMD unleashes visual clarity and responsiveness for what you want to do.Performance:Do it all. AMD Phenom II processors have the power to do it all. Featuring next-generation quad-core design, they crush even the most demanding tasks. So design it, render it, play it, create it, stream it, HD it. With AMD Phenom II processors, if you can imagine it, you can do it.Energy Efficient:Make a choice you can feel good about. AMD Phenom II processors were designed with energy efficiency in mind. Capitalizing on AMD's leadership in energy efficiency, they incorporate all of the latest technology that gives you performance when you need it and save power when you don't.Look for ENERGY STAR with AMD. Thanks to AMD's power-saving innovations, you can count on machines based on AMD Phenom II processors for the energy efficiency you want and the performance you need.HD monitor required.

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Amd Phenom 9650 Quad Core Review

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(More customer reviews)Ok, I have to say, that this processor is very cool, but the best way to enjoy it is with an 64 bit OS, which is still difficult and I don't know why... There's some problems with windows and the compatibility of the programs (I have to say Windows Xp), I haven't tested my processor on Vista or Seven, maybe I'll try to install in a near future the seven, I hope there's available a new version of msn messenger for 64 bits... The processor is cool, but if you install a 32 bit OS maybe you can't feel the difference. Cheers for AMD!

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PHENOM QUAD CORE 9650 AM2+ CHIP2.3GHZ 4MB 65NM 95W 3600MHZ PIB

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ASUS Crosshair IV Formula - AM3 - AMD 890FX - DDR3 - Republic of Gamers - ATX Motherboard Review

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(More customer reviews)I ordered this through Amazon with 2 day shipping and it showed up the next morning. I use this board in conjunction with an AMD PII 1090T Thuban, 4gb of DDR3, a BFG Nvidia 9800 GTX+ OC, 32 gb high speed ssd and a 500gb 6gbs pair of data drives raided together.

This motherboard is awesome, it's excellent for gamers but is tuned for over-clocking. I have actually used almost every feature on the board and have to admit, they are REALLY useful.

Their are a couple of issues though. You MUST update the BIOS (this is a no brainer and should be done regularly) and there is a bug with Vdroops and LLC= Load Line Calibration. Right now if you turn LLC off, the system suffers a MASSIVE V-droop. IE: set the system at 1.47v and it return 1.356v at load. Turning LLC on can cut back on the Vdroop, however it also raises your operating temperature a bit and is unstable with a high overclock. ASUS is working on this already, a fix should be on the way shortly, until then you can compensate by finding how large the Vdroop is and over-volting the difference. Not what I recommend doing, but it works.

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ASUS Crosshair IV Formula - AM3 - AMD 890FX - DDR3 - Republic of Gamers - ATX Motherboard

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Phenom II X4 965 Black AM3 3.4Ghz 512KB 45NM 125W 4000MHZ Review

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(More customer reviews)I decided to take my grad money to the local computer store!After getting suggestions from my fellow computer nerd friends I decided to, among other things, pick up this CPU(AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition AM3 125w)NOT the 145w version.

Just Cause 2 was stable in high resolution settings when outputting to my 40" LCD HDTV in 1360x768.Crysis Warhead runs great on enthusiast(max details) with Anti-Aliasing turned OFF.I'm running the CPU overclocked at 3.85Ghz.Ran Prime95 for 4 hours and it never restarted or hiccuped.When I had it at 3.96 it was not happy and restarted a minute into the stress test.At [...] they got it stable at 3.86.You can go higher but you are taking risks even with a better cooler.I have a Cooler Master hyper 212 Plus.

It runs about 53 degrees at stress.My motherboard (Asus M4A79xtd EVO unlocked all 4 cores)

The CPU seems to handle everything I can throw at it.Video Encoding speeds are decent.A two hour DVD movie ripping to h.264 in 720p will take about 25 to 30 minutes.Sherlock Holmes is a 25gb Blu-Ray disc and it ripped that in roughly 4 hours Full HD movie files are hot.And the file was only 4gb.

My friend has an i7 and I am sure he can encode Blu-Ray faster but at what cost?His i7 core still runs for around $600 and I got this CPU for less than $200!!!

Coolermaster HAF922
Coolermaster hyper 212 plus
Asus m4a79xtd evo am3
A-Data Gaming 4gb (2x2gb)
700w ocz stealthxstream
AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition(3.4Ghz overclocked to 3.85)
Gigabyte Radeon HD5770
Barracuda 2tb + 2tb external

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Phenom II X4 965 Black AM3 3.4GHz 8MB 45NM 125W Retail Box

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Corsair Hydro Series H70 High Performance CPU Cooler CWCH70 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a Crosshair III Formula MB with a AMD Phenom II 965X4 BE 140w CPU.Starting my computer my CPU temp would be 32c after a few minutes it would raise to 45c doing normal things like playing music and surfing the net. I couldn't play games like Call Of Duty Modern warfare 2 or Battlefield Bad Company 2 without the CPU overheating past 60c in a matter of minutes. If I tried to run Prime95 it would overheat my CPU in a matter of seconds.

I install the H70 in about an hour,luckly I watched the video a while back on installing the H50 because the instructions for this thing are useless! Starting my computer for the first time it was at 32c after about 5 minutes it when to 34c. I started checking everything because this thing has never ran this cool. I ran prime95 about 45 minutes and the top temp was 45c(what? that's what I use to idle at). I went back to music and this review while running Spybot S&D and I'm at 37c.

I would have given this product only 4 stars because of the poor installation instructions but I'm so darn happy with the performance that I have to give it 5 stars. The instructions say to set the fans to draw in cool air from outside the case but that can cause a rise in temps for your other chip sets I have mine set as exhaust. Make sure you have room for this because the radiator is twice as thick as the H50.

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Product Description:
The Corsair Hydro Series H70 is the best choice for high performance CPU cooling. A worthy big brother to the already excellent Hydro Series H50, the H70 improves upon the design in every way. A low profile pump and improved cold plate allow for even easier mounting to your CPU. Compatibility with all modern AMD and Intel desktop CPU sockets is included in the box. A higher-performance radiator with nearly twice the surface provides even more room for liquid to get cool before it returns to the cold plate. And as if that weren't enough, the Hydro Series H70 comes with twin high-performance 120 mm fans, optimized for a push-pull configuration, to allow maximum airflow through the radiator. The Corsair Hydro Series H70 is the best choice for a high performance CPU cooler on the market, bar none.

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