Based on several reviews I read, looking at the original CPU MuffinMan listed for me was the Phenom II X2 550BE Callisto that everyone raved about having the ability to unlock the 2 cores, making it a 4 core @ 3.1Ghz which was BLAZIN FAST out of the box!! We changed it because they dropped the combo. I want to be careful not to choose components just because of the combo deals! Could that be my best bet for a CPU??? Grrrrr I'm getting analysis paralysis and need to finalize my selections so I can place my order by Mon or Tues!! I've narrowed it down to these CPU / MOBOs:
CPU:
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
So If the Phen II X2 had unlocked cores would it blow the oher 2 CPUs away, since the benchmark testing is done on stock CPU (2 cores)???
MOBO:
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
It seems the difference is with the Ati Radeon on board video : 3300 (790) vs 4200 (785)
Chipsets are also different (SB710 vs. SB750). Does the SB750 give more in terms of ability to unlock cores or overclocking ability???? The 790 also has more PCI Express slots.
I probably will add the ATI 4850 video card later on, so would it make sense to get the inferior MOBO to get the better onboard graphics???
What would you purchase
PS: I just found this article that may shed some light on the subject!@
AnandTech: Gigabyte's GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H - AMD's 785G is Here, Sort of...
CPU:
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
So If the Phen II X2 had unlocked cores would it blow the oher 2 CPUs away, since the benchmark testing is done on stock CPU (2 cores)???
MOBO:
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
It seems the difference is with the Ati Radeon on board video : 3300 (790) vs 4200 (785)
Chipsets are also different (SB710 vs. SB750). Does the SB750 give more in terms of ability to unlock cores or overclocking ability???? The 790 also has more PCI Express slots.
I probably will add the ATI 4850 video card later on, so would it make sense to get the inferior MOBO to get the better onboard graphics???
What would you purchase
PS: I just found this article that may shed some light on the subject!@
AnandTech: Gigabyte's GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H - AMD's 785G is Here, Sort of...