Motherboard compatibility questions

I'd grab a better motherboard if I were you; this one doesn't even have USB 3.0 or SATA 3 ports.

FM2A75M-DGS, FM2A75 PRO4-M, ASUS Prime A75-M, Gigabyte GA-A75

So, this is basically it—the final list before I pull the trigger tomorrow. Last time I'll bug you all with questions, but I really need to know if this setup holds up:

ASROCK FM2A75-DGS Motherboard

Intel Core i3-2100 Processor

Sapphire PCI-E NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Graphics Card, 1GB DDR5, GDMI, 2x DVI, DP, HDTV

1000.0 GB Western Digital Caviar Blue Hard Drive, Seagate Barracuda, SATA3, 64 MB cache, 7200 rpm, desktop

PC-10666 Memory, 4GB MUSHKIN SILVERLINE STILETTO, 991770, DDR3, 1333MHZ

Pioneer BD-RE DVD+-RW, 24X, SATA, Dual Layer, Black, Bulk

XILENCE BLUE LED 120x120x25 mm CASEFAN, HYDRO, BEARING x2

Thermaltake Commander MS-I Case

450W Power Supply, XFX CORE EDITION p1-450s-x2B9, ATX, 120MM VENT, PFC
[WILL THIS POWER SUPPLY HAVE ENOUGH JUICE OR NOT?]

Larry Bailey94 said:Alright, here's the final plan for tomorrow. Last time I'm bugging you guys for advice—is this build solid?

ASUS FM2A75 PRO4-M motherboard

Intel Core i3-4130 processor

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 graphics card, 1GB DDR5, GDMI, 2x DVI, DP, HDTV

1TB Seagate Barracuda hard drive, SATA3, 64 MB cache, 7200 RPM, desktop grade

PC-10666 RAM, 4GB MUSHKIN SILVERLINE STILETTO, 991770, DDR3, 1333MHZ

Pioneer BD-RE DVD+-RW, 24X, SATA, Dual Layer, Black, Bulk

XILENCE BLUE LED 120x120x25 mm CASEFAN, HYDRO, BEARING x2

Thermaltake Commander MS-I case

450W power supply, EVGA CORE EDITION p1-450s-x2B9, ATX, 120MM VENT, PFC
[WILL THIS POWER SUPPLY HAVE ENOUGH JUICE OR NOT?]

It'll be enough.🙂

That's all there is to it.

Sudden change of plans—the PC arrived, though I ended up pivoting slightly on the specs:
1. Motherboard: ASUS FM2A75 PRO4-M
2. 8 GB Corsair Vengeance (4x2 GB running in dual channel mode)
3. 128 GB MX MYLES SSD (For macOS and a couple of heavy games)
4. 500GB HDD (Honestly, I don't really need it—I already have a 1 TB external drive lying around anyway)
5. Power Supply: Corsair VS 550W
6. Processor: Intel Core i3-4160 (Already overclocked it to about 4.0 GHz, if I recall correctly)
7. A basic DVD+-RW burner, just standard stuff
8. Thermaltake Commander MS-I case
9. *Saving the best for last* ASUS AMD Radeon HD 7770 1GB GDDR5
------> No offense intended to anyone, but if I had listened to you all, I would have ended up with what we might call an "unbalanced" build. I only realized this after looking closely—that previous motherboard only had two RAM slots, and it’s far too easy for one to fail, leaving me with nothing. Then there was the 450W power supply, which sits right at the edge of being insufficient; better to have a 100W buffer. And finally, the GPU—look, I know people obsess over benchmarks on those various random websites, but a friend of mine—who has worked for some pretty big names and holds a PhD in Computer Science—told me that any AMD cards ending in 50 are less than 10% more efficient than the class below them ending in 70, making them hardly worth the premium. In this case, we're talking roughly $117 dollars... If you don't take my word for it—or rather, his technical assessment—just head to the official AMD site and check their own documentation regarding the relationship between the "50" series and the "70" series from the tier below.

Just to be clear, I'm not trying to lecture anyone or act like a know-it-all 😉

To wrap things up, I ended up paying $117 more for this setup than I would have for the previous one

You really think we don't know what we're talking about?

That PSU is definitely a step down from the one we suggested. Why? It’s basically the bottom-of-the-barrel option from Corsair, so you're getting cheap capacitors. I'd love to know what the actual 12V rail output is on that thing...

GPU performance is pretty straightforward. The 760 is way faster than the 7770, and by a good margin, too. If you don't trust the benchmarks, maybe just borrow a 760 from someone and see for yourself...

fadedorca66 said:And you think we have no idea what we're talking about?

That power supply isn't nearly as good as the one we suggested. Why? It’s the cheapest option from Corsair—meaning it uses inferior capacitors. I’m genuinely curious—how much is it actually delivering on the 12V rail?

GPU power is all about the numbers. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 crushes the 7770—it's not even close. If you don't believe the benchmarks, just borrow a 760 from someone and see for yourself...

I’m telling you—it wasn't balanced. You can't just look at the raw numbers; that's a mistake. Take a closer look at what the manufacturer actually specifies for those 50 models.

Look, I’ve gone through all five options—but honestly, I have no idea how many of you actually suggested an SSD, if anyone even bothered.

Regarding the graphics card—I never actually said it was identical or even inferior—but rather that it just isn't delivering. $100—higher performance, at a premium price— $100So—I ended up dropping a decent amount of cash just to downgrade to a smaller HDD and pick up a single SSD.

I wouldn't even trust your "computer science expert" friend to grade a high school paper after hearing those takes.

And you? Way to come here seeking advice just to turn around and buy a worse setup than anything suggested. Real smart move there.

You’re exactly the kind of customer businesses love to prey on. 👏👏

I don't want to clutter things up by starting a whole new thread, so just a quick question here.
Will this RAM http://ark.intel.com/products/27733/...ory-Controller
actually work with this motherboard
?
The specs say the board supports DDR2, but only at lower speeds (DDR2-533), whereas this memory is rated for 800.
Will it just run at the slower speed—like a sports car stuck in a school zone—or will it fail to boot entirely?

If it's a no-go, does anyone have suggestions on where I can pick up some DDR2 with a lower clock speed?😁

7770 and 7850 are not in the same league—it all comes down to that second digit. There is a noticeable gap there, easily over 10%, and since you mentioned you need this rig specifically for gaming, let's be real: I'm not sure you'll see a meaningful performance boost from an SSD. For $1167, you simply cannot build a decent gaming PC paired with a high-quality SSD like an OCZ Vertex 4. You haven't mentioned a higher budget or any other specific preferences.

The VS series is Corsair's entry-level lineup, so your power supply is almost certainly lower quality than an EVGA unit, and likely weaker too. Just look at the pricing for the CX series or the W/TX models at a store like Best Buy. Those price tiers and model variations exist for a reason; they aren't just arbitrary numbers. Don't get me wrong—it isn't a total disaster, and that VS unit will technically keep your system running without issue.

Regarding the motherboard, we already confirmed that the ASUS FM2A75 PRO4-M is a solid choice (largely due to having four RAM slots). Then, you ended up digging up the ASUS GA-F2A55M-HD2 S. FM2—probably just to shave some dollars off the cost—and then fadedorca66 pointed out perfectly well that it lacks USB3 and SATA3 ports (which you're going to need eventually for an SSD). We suggested you at least go with the FM2A75M-DGS or one of the others we listed...

Besides, I honestly don't know what the odds are of you snapping a RAM slot or even the RAM itself. Good grief—they put 8 to 10-year warranties on RAM because it's considered a "sure thing." It’s incredibly rare for it to fail; we're talking 1 in 10,000,000 odds. If we used that kind of "what if" logic, we could have recommended a dual SLI setup and a $10 $0.00 rig just in case one card dies. We were simply sticking to the budget you provided.

Your take on the graphics card is shocking. Go to YouTube and watch some gameplay footage, or better yet, find someone using that GPU in person to see the actual difference. Ultimately, it's your money and your choice. But you've jumped from zero to making all these massive conclusions in just a few days. I really hope you aren't the type of person who was advised to use an ASROCK N68-GE3 UCC for a Phenom 🙏 along with three sticks of 2GB RAM... That guy clearly doesn't understand dual-channel memory at all...

This reminds me of that guy on Kaloori, or whatever his name was, who asked a mountain of questions only to dump a custom build on us at the end—he blew his budget by $1000$667 and ended up with an absolute epic fail of a 🙏 configuration. Compared to that, your build is actually quite good. This is just a matter of miscommunication, differing expectations, budget constraints, and a lack of component knowledge.

I’m not even going to touch the subject of stripping slots or causing damage... if that actually happens, I'll just send the motherboard back for a warranty claim and call it a day.

copperharbor35 said:I don't want to start a whole new thread, just a quick question.
Can I use this RAM http://ark.intel.com/products/27733/...ory-Controller
on this motherboard http://www.amazon.com/memory-modules/b?node=12345

The board specs say it supports DDR2 but at lower speeds (DDR2-533), whereas this RAM is rated for 800.
Will it work at the slower speed, or will it fail to boot entirely?

If it won't work, does anyone have suggestions on where to find DDR2 with a lower clock speed? 😁

You'd probably have to hunt for it on eBay or elsewhere (check forums like this one, bugzilla.org, or PCMag if you can).
DDR2 RAM is insanely overpriced in retail stores. For instance, 4GB at a big-box retailer like Best Buy would cost over $133, while used stuff might go for $67
Getting 1GB used for maybe 50-$20 would be a realistic target.

And yes—it should work, it'll just downclock to the lower frequency.

Timothy Kim60 said:7770 and 7850—they aren't in the same class (the trick is in that second digit)—the difference is noticeable (more than 10%), and you mentioned needing a PC for gaming. For games—I’m not sure you'll see much performance gain from an SSD. For $1167—you simply can't get a machine capable of decent gaming paired with a quality SSD like an OCZ Vertex4. You didn't mention a higher budget or any other preferences.

The VS series is Corsair's cheapest line; your power supply is almost certainly lower quality than an EVGA unit, and likely weaker too. Look at the price difference for the CX series or those W or TX models, for instance. All those prices and various models actually mean something—it’s not just random labeling. Don't get me wrong—it's not a catastrophe, and that VS unit will hold up fine.

As for the motherboard, we already confirmed the ASUS FM2A75 PRO4-M is solid (partly due to having 4 RAM slots), then you went and dug up that ASUS GA-F2A55M-HD2 S. FM2 (likely to shave off some cost)—and then > pointed out perfectly well that it lacks USB3 or SATA3 ports (which you'd eventually need for an SSD)—suggesting you should at least go with an FM2A75M-DGS or one of the others we listed...

- Besides, I honestly don't know what the odds are of a RAM slot or even the RAM itself snapping. Good grief—they put an 8 to 10-year warranty on RAM because it's considered a reliable component. It rarely breaks—the odds are 1 in 10,000,000—if we followed that "what if" logic, we could have recommended a dual SLI setup with ten $0.00 components just in case one dies. We were sticking to your budget.

This thing about the GPU is a shock—go to YouTube and watch gameplay clips, or better yet, find someone running that GPU live so you can see the difference for yourself. I mean, it's your money, your choice. In just a few days, you've jumped from zero to all sorts of conclusions. I really don't know what kind of guy this is—I just hope he isn't the type who suggested that ASROCK N68-GE3 UCC for a Phenom 🙏 along with three sticks of 2GB RAM... That guy clearly doesn't understand dual-channel at all...

This reminds me a bit of that guy from Kaloori, or whatever his name was, who asked a ton of questions only to dump a specific build on us at the end—blew his $1000 $667 budget and built an absolute epic fail 🙏 of a configuration. Yours is good compared to that. Just a misunderstanding—desires, budget, and a lack of component knowledge.

No, it's not the same guy; he's more experienced. Anyway, a real person actually showed me what AMD says regarding those 50-series cards—I'll find the link tomorrow because I'm heading to bed now... Basically, the question is: did those $117 units actually improve the computer according to you guys?

It’s not really meant for heavy gaming since that GPU is a beast
But you still get an SSD (faster boot times for macOS and all that)- just heaven help you if you're dealing with that MX MYLES
That 128GB Vertex 4 SSD is $300 so you have to wonder why. Some people actually complain about it

In most stores, there isn't much of a price gap between a 500GB hard drive and a 1TB hard drive $23- so I'm not sure if that saving is even worth it

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/536?vs=549

☕

Timothy Kim60 said:—you’d likely have to hunt for them on specialized forums or sites—like this one, maybe some tech enthusiast boards or old PC hardware forums if you can find them.
ddr2 RAM is insanely overpriced in retail stores. For instance, getting 4GB at a shop through $133 would be a total rip-off, whereas buying used on $67
for 1gb, maybe $50-$20 used would be a fair price.

And yes—they should work—though they might just run at a lower frequency.

ddr2 is pricey, and ddr1 is even worse.

I was checking Craigslist; there's some available for $20, but even then, I see prices around $33 for a single 1gb ddr2 stick 🙂
plus, it's hard to find people selling multiple sticks at once—I actually need 3x1gb for three different machines. Honestly, my biggest worry with buying off Craigslist is the lack of security—if I just buy new from a store, I get that 3-year warranty, which provides much more peace of mind.

Thanks for the help! 🙂

copperharbor35 said:DDR2 is getting pricey, and DDR1 is even more of a stretch.

I was browsing through eBay, and man, there are tons of them out there. $20 But then again, you can find them scattered here and there, too. $33 What’s the asking price for 1GB of DDR2? 🙂
Most people rarely buy multiple units at once, but I need three 1GB setups for three separate machines. Honestly, my biggest hesitation with buying through sites like eBay is the lack of security; if I just walk into Best Buy and pick up new ones, I get that full three-year warranty. That peace of mind is exactly what I’m looking for.

Thanks for the response. 🙂

If you want to deal with people who are straight-up lying about their prices, honestly, just head to a brick-and-mortar store instead. At least there, you have some level of consumer protection and the peace of mind that you won't get scammed. Those cheap deals aren't exactly flying off the shelves anyway. Besides, by today's standards, that hardware is pretty weak. If those are old single-core machines, no amount of savings will save them. You're better off tucking that money away and saving up for one decent, modern PC. 🙂It’s even taking aim at the internet now.
$170 for 4GB of DDR3? That’s highway robbery.$60 At least they're rolling out some new dual-core Celerons.$100At least if you go with a cheap motherboard, you'll have something to show for it—it’s not like we’re talking about a massive amount of money here.

Greetings, I am currently in the process of planning a new computer build and find myself somewhat adrift regarding the selection of a motherboard; essentially, I find myself in need of some guidance... To be precise, my intention is to acquire an i5-4460, yet the question of which motherboard would best suit this processor remains elusive, given its socket 1150 architecture, and I have allocated a maximum budget of approximately $500-$183 for the board itself. Since the processor possesses the capacity to be overclocked from 3.2GHz up to 3.4GHz, I am searching for a sufficiently robust motherboard that can facilitate such a task without hesitation. My primary concern is whether one can truly secure something of high quality within that price bracket, or if, perhaps, such a sum proves insufficient for my requirements? If anyone might be so kind as to locate a suitable motherboard on USA.gov and provide a link in their reply, I would be most grateful...

Much obliged,
LP 🙂

Steven Mendoza8 said:Hey, I'm looking at picking up a new PC and could use some help choosing a motherboard. I'm eyeing an i5-4460, but I'm stuck on the board. It needs to be a socket 1150, and my budget for the motherboard is around $500 max. $183 Since the CPU can boost from 3.2GHz to 3.4GHz, I want a decent enough board to handle that. Can I actually find something high-quality for that price, or am I dreaming? If you guys see anything good on USA.gov, please send a link.

Thanks,
LP 🙂

http://www.usa.gov/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=13878

Here you go. 🙂

Robert Rodriguez2 said:http://www.amazon.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=13878

There you go, 🙂

Thanks a million. Do you honestly think the quality holds up, or should I be looking at something more high-end? 🙂