AMD 870 vs 880G Chipset?

Q

qwertyaas

Gawd
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Jun 25, 2007
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Just got my X6 and looking to get a board in the $110 area. The two chipsets that work out are the 870 and 880g (would prefer to stick to 800 series for USB3.0 and Sata3). Both will run an X6 natively which I need as well.

The two boards I'm considering now are the MSI 870a-G54 (or the Gigabyte 870 but noone knows the release date on it) and the ASRock 880G Extreme3.

I don't really need onboard video or Crossfire. Is there any other real difference between the two chipsets? Overclocking? That and I'm a bit weary about going for ASRock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130275
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157191
 
chipsets are pretty much the same except the onboard video and the crossfire.. i think the 880 supports 8x/8x in crossfire and the 870 supports 8x/4x in crossfire which is what the 770 supported.. they should both overclock about the same.. but id go MSI before i ever buy an asrock no matter how good it looks on paper..
 
I emailed Gigabyte about the GA-870A-UD3 last week and they said they were being shipped out that week so I should be able to find them in about 2 weeks, so hopefully next week.
Of all the 870 boards its definitely the one I'm most interested in due to the 2 extra sata ports compared to pretty much every other 870 board.
 
Sp0rkG0d said:
I emailed Gigabyte about the GA-870A-UD3 last week and they said they were being shipped out that week so I should be able to find them in about 2 weeks, so hopefully next week.
Of all the 870 boards its definitely the one I'm most interested in due to the 2 extra sata ports compared to pretty much every other 870 board.
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Yep same here but also because I usually always get GB. But when I emailed Newegg yesterday, they said they have no ETA at all when it's supposed to get in.

Also wonder if the GB will keep the $110 price tag like the other 870s. I have a feeling it will be a bit more. The MSI is $100 with free shipping now after rebate... pretty good deal.
 
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The one problem I just found out on the Gigabyte board is that the pcie x1 slots are not usable when the pcie 4x slot is using being used by a 4x card. Which should be ok for me as while my video card will block one of the 1x slots and I have a 1x card for the other one I think the only other card I might add anytime soon would likely be another 1x card, though after I add that I'm going to be pretty much screwed for pcie slots.
 
Sp0rkG0d said:
The one problem I just found out on the Gigabyte board is that the pcie x1 slots are not usable when the pcie 4x slot is using being used by a 4x card. Which should be ok for me as while my video card will block one of the 1x slots and I have a 1x card for the other one I think the only other card I might add anytime soon would likely be another 1x card, though after I add that I'm going to be pretty much screwed for pcie slots.
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Yep that's what page 8/9 of the manual says.
http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-870a-ud3_e.pdf

Looks like more of an 870 chipset limitation than a Gigabyte design problem though.
 
Gigabyte's 890GX board is $125 at NewEgg and I've seen it on sale for less. It costs a tad more but no compromise is required.
 
Yep, right now the MSI 870 is $100 AR which is a pretty nice deal for it. The 890GX, while being a nice board still offers 'extras' that many don't need. Onboard video and two 8x PCIE lanes. I would prefer to save the $30 and go for the MSI/GB 870.

Too bad I'm still waiting for the GB870 to be on sale... I had my 1055T for over 2 weeks already!
 
ecmaster76 said:
Gigabyte's 890GX board is $125 at NewEgg and I've seen it on sale for less. It costs a tad more but no compromise is required.
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The advantages the 870 board has over that are more back panel usb ports (and yeah I probably actually do use that many sometimes), back panel esata ports, and an 8+2 phase power design vs 4+1 for the 890gx (I have to admit to not totally understanding how much something like this actually matters and how much is marketing bs).
 
Sp0rkG0d said:
The advantages the 870 board has over that are more back panel usb ports (and yeah I probably actually do use that many sometimes), back panel esata ports, and an 8+2 phase power design vs 4+1 for the 890gx (I have to admit to not totally understanding how much something like this actually matters and how much is marketing bs).
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They both have 8-pin CPU power connectors so there shouldn't be a real difference unless you are an extreme overclocker who needs major stability. Both are rated for 140W CPUs.
 
Sp0rkG0d said:
The advantages the 870 board has over that are more back panel usb ports (and yeah I probably actually do use that many sometimes), back panel esata ports, and an 8+2 phase power design vs 4+1 for the 890gx (I have to admit to not totally understanding how much something like this actually matters and how much is marketing bs).
Click to expand...

Even between boards from the same manufacturer, more phases isn't always better. Component quality and cooling play a large part as well.

Assuming two circuits have the same maximum power rating (140w is the highest published TDP but a heavy OC could push 200w), the circuit with more phases should be more power efficient (there are articles that show why).

For the longest time the regulators were 1-2 phases, even some of the P4s still used single phase IIRC.
 
I'm surprised. Newegg just got the Gigabyte 870 in for $105 + shipping. I know what I'm buying now!

Edit: That's odd. It says it supports X6 on the GB website but doesn't list it on the supported CPUs...
 
Sp0rkG0d said:
The one problem I just found out on the Gigabyte board is that the pcie x1 slots are not usable when the pcie 4x slot is using being used by a 4x card. Which should be ok for me as while my video card will block one of the 1x slots and I have a 1x card for the other one I think the only other card I might add anytime soon would likely be another 1x card, though after I add that I'm going to be pretty much screwed for pcie slots.
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if you dont have anything running in the 4x slot you can run a 1x card in it.. which is probably why its using a shared pci-e lane with the 1x slot next to it..
 
Just ordered the board and then noticed Gigabyte removed the X6 from the compatibility list. One rep told me it will post with an X6 (stated the he tested it while putting me on hold, or so he claims) and the other said it will require a BIOS update...

Do I refuse shipment (newegg said I can refuse shipment or RMA for full refund if I decide to do so as GB just changed the CPU support list) or try the board as I don't have an older AMD chip... I was under the impression that all 800 series boards will atleast post with an X6 even if it isn't 'recognized'. Hmmm...
 
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