[rshaffer61]

You are very welcome.
If you need assistance with building the system there is a great guide here at GTG partially written by the little ninja guy Troy that can give you step by step instructions.
The guide is located HERE

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Actually, just for future reference, I wrote the entire guide, Artellos did the pictures.

[Troy]

Actually, just for future reference, I wrote the entire guide, Artellos did the pictures.

[rshaffer61]

Actually, just for future reference, I wrote the entire guide, Artellos did the pictures.

Show off

[jdawg183]

Will any AM3 motherboard work with an AM3 CPU, or do they only work with certain AM3 boards? Newegg and Tiger have me confused because the egg has the ability to sort by processor, but that doesnt show all the AM3 boards, and tiger only lets you sort by socket type. Also, will DDR2 RAM work in DDR3 slots? I know I wouldnt get DDR3 speeds, but would it work ok?

Edited by jdawg183, 31 October 2009 - 11:10 PM.

[edge2022]

All AM3 boards should support all AM3 processors, but some will need a BIOS flash in order to detect the processor correctly... to check just see the CPU support list of the mobo you are looking at.

DDR2 RAM will NOT work in DDR3 slots.

[rshaffer61]

Tigerdirect all AM3 cpu and MOBO combo sets HERE

[jdawg183]

Ok, so here is what I ended up with. I went back and forth between the Phenom x3 720 and the Phenom x4 9850 which were comparably priced. I ended up going with the X3 because it has quite a bit higher clock rate (2.8 VS 2.5), the fact that motherboards for this processor support DDR3 RAM, and a larger L3 cache (6MB VS 2 MB) which I understand helps gaming quite a bit. I went with the SAPPHIRE 100295HDMI Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 on the recommendation of the nice guys above, GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard, 4 GB of GSkill dual channel DDR3 RAM, a WD 320 GB HDD and a LOGISYS Computer Area 51 CS51WBK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case for a grand total of $430, $453 shipped. I just received the case today and am waiting for the rest of the parts to come tomorrow. Thanks again for all your help, you really pointed me in the right direction and helped me understand better what to look for. Thanks!

[rshaffer61]

Good job jdawg183
Let us know when you are ready to start assembling.
Try to take pictures of the system being built and post them. We would enjoy the progress watching as you build it.

[jdawg183]

I will (hopefully) begin assembly tomorrow before I go to work. It will all depend on MR UPS. He came early today, but usually doesnt come until about 5, I leave for work at 4. I ripped out the CD burner and floppy from my old machine and have thrown them in already. I will try to contain my excitement enough to get some good pictures while I assemble, but honestly I am so flippin excited, there might only be pictures before the mobo, with the mobo, cards and RAM installed, and then completed Thanks again!

[rshaffer61]

Remember if you need some guidance don't forget about this tutorial HERE.
I can understand your excitement but take your time and make sure everything is connected properly.
You don't want to go through all this to have something short out when you first turn it on.
As always we are here to help if you are second guessing something or not sure.

[jdawg183]

Thanks man, you are the best! I already have your guide all bookmarked and ready to go! Thanks

[rshaffer61]

[jdawg183]

Ok, HELP!!! I got everything installed and I thought everything was going well, but when I went to power it on, it didnt work right. The LED's on the front came on, the fans came on (so I know the motherboard has power) the issue is that I plug in my VGA monitor, and while the "No Signal" disappears from the monitor, nothing replaces it. Also, I did not plug in a mouse or keyboard when I first powered it on, and it did not beep to indicate that it was posting and did not find the hardware. The fan on the video card is also not spinning. Everything else from the hardware side seems to power on from the power switch, but the power switch will now not turn it off. The only way to power it down is to unplug it. Man, I really screwed up!

[rshaffer61]

Is this the new build?
IS there power to the video card?
Did you make sure there are no stand offs under the motherboard except where a screw goes into one?
Is the cpu seated completely?
Is the memory in the correct slots?
Is there power connected to the mobo?

[jdawg183]

Is this the new build?
IS there power to the video card?
Did you make sure there are no stand offs under the motherboard except where a screw goes into one?
Is the cpu seated completely?
Is the memory in the correct slots?
Is there power connected to the mobo?

Yes, it is the new build,
I dont know about the power to the card, there is no dedicated power connector to it though.
The standoffs are correct
The CPU is seated completely and the CPU fan is turning
I installed the memory in the 1 and 2 slots
The connector is connected to the mobo, and all the fans and lights that are working are only connected to the MOBO, so there has to be power getting to it. If it was just an issue with the video card, wouldnt it still beep at me for not having the keyboard and mouse during the post?