MSI 785GM-P45 vs Biostar A785G3 (Microcenter mATX mobos)

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badboyeee

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I'm trying to decide between these two mATX motherboards from Microcenter for my budget HTPC/casual gaming build..

MSI 785GM-P45: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0342512
Biostar A785G3: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0334738

Both should unlock and overclock.. Which one is better built / has more features for overclocking??

The specs of the MSI mobo from the MC website looks like it has better features: 7.1 vs 5.1 sound, more DDR3/SATA slots, can handle 1600mhz ram, etc (i actually dont need most of that extra stuff, but why is the Biostar $10 extra for the bundle?? what am I not seeing?

edit: found another difference, MSI has HDMI/vga video ports ... Biostar has DVI/vga.. doesnt really matter tho, I have a discrete video card..
 
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I got the MSI for a secondary build, worked very well, unlocked a Phenom II 555 to quad core and OC'ed to 3.6GHz on stock volts...

the other is bleh! :p
 
EricFX1984 said:
I got the MSI for a secondary build, worked very well, unlocked a Phenom II 555 to quad core and OC'ed to 3.6GHz on stock volts...

the other is bleh! :p
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okay thanks for your response :) is there anything you ran into that got you restricted from overclocking more? how are the voltage adjustments?
 
badboyeee said:
okay thanks for your response :) is there anything you ran into that got you restricted from overclocking more? how are the voltage adjustments?
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heat... the VRMs do not have cooling... add a heatsink and it should make for a decent OCer
 
badboyeee said:
sorry dumb question, what's VRMs??
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voltage regulators... usually they are locate near or around the CPU... in your case

MSI785GM-P45vrm.jpg
 
badboyeee said:
wow thanks! do u know where i can get the heatsinks for cheap? or can i jus put in an extra or stronger fan around that area..
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you can use these (might have to cut them down) and arctic silver Epoxy/adhesive

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0253133

but you know that they are giving you $40 off any AMD motherboard right?

well maybe you should consider this motherboard instead, it is already cooled and will hold up much better to a quad...

after rebates and stuff the price it not much more... but by the time you upgrade the cooling on the lesser board the price might even be cheaper

$10 for heatsink, $10 for adhesive

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0342511
 
EricFX1984 said:
you can use these (might have to cut them down) and arctic silver Epoxy/adhesive

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0253133

but you know that they are giving you $40 off any AMD motherboard right?

well maybe you should consider this motherboard instead, it is already cooled and will hold up much better to a quad...

after rebates and stuff the price it not much more... but by the time you upgrade the cooling on the lesser board the price might even be cheaper

$10 for heatsink, $10 for adhesive

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0342511
Click to expand...

thanks for the recommendation, but i need an micro atx board... i see so many better regular atx boards around at good prices but oh well, ill just settle for this one, its "free" anyway.. and ill probably hold off on the heatsinks, i just wont overclock the Phenom II X2 555 too high and ill keep an eye on my temps.. thanks again.. will be at microcenter this weekend, will be a mini road trip! :D
 
I'm in need of a AM3 board with integrated video. Where do you see this $40 off any AMD motherboard? I have a Micro Center nearby and $40 off sounds great.
 
You get $40 off if you buy an AMD processor. I think the boards he's listed are free after rebate. Count me as another vote for the MSI. My brother is using the p45 and I'm using the E53; both of which have been excellent to work with.
 
shilent said:
I'm in need of a AM3 board with integrated video. Where do you see this $40 off any AMD motherboard? I have a Micro Center nearby and $40 off sounds great.
Click to expand...

http://www.microcenter.com/specials/promotions/AMDbundlePROMO.html

I got the MSI 785GM-P45 motherboard on Sunday :-D it comes with integrated video and is free after rebate like Kuromizu said.. The Biostar A785G3 I listed is "$9.99" more. I was kinda confused why it was considered an "upgrade", seems like a downgrade to me, hehe.

Cant wait to put my system together over the weekend :D
 
I added some heatsinks to the VRMs on my buddies MSI 785GM-P45, now instead of burning my fingers when I touch them it is simply warm...
 
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