Along with my own upgrades, I also upgraded my wife's system, beleive it or not she was still running an old Pentium 4/AGP 4x based system. Needless to say, horrible performance by today's standards, even for simple web use. She simply never wanted to upgrade, this year, I did not give her a choice.
Basically, I was looking for an inexpensive build that would still provide her system with more power than it would ever need. My basic requirements were it had to be AM3 with 125Watt CPU support, PCIe X16, full ATX form factor, SATA II, DDR3 1600 support with 4 DIMMS, and on-board audio and video as backup in-case stand alone cards fail.
I finally ended up settling on the Biostar TA790GXB3 T-Series Motherboard. Now I have never really been a fan of Biostar, not due to any quality concerns, just the fact I never used any of their boards in my own builds. However I decided it was time to give them a shot. They are a well established company that has been around for a long time and are pretty well known for their quality "budget" boards. So far, I am very satisfied with the performance of the TA790GXB3.
Simply put, I knew that Crossfire would never be needed, and that 125 Watt CPU support would be more than enough to meet the demands it would be put to. This board came with on-board Realtek ALC662 audio as well as on-board ATI Radeon HD 3300 DX10 video in case her stand-alone cards ever failed. This way she can still use her system while a replacement it ordered.
CPU used:
It also had full support for the processor I wanted to run in the system as well as core unlocking and overclocking ability. That processor being the AMD Phenom II X2 550 "Callisto" Black Edition. A CPU I was using for well over a year, unlocked to 4 cores and overclocked to 3.8Ghz, stable the entire time. So I wanted a board I knew I could do that on. For her needs however, I did not unlock the other 2 cores, I have left it running as an X2 and simply overclocked to 3.6GHz since there is no need to go any higher, it is just nice to know I can if the need should arise.
Video card used:
The most "demanding" game that she plays is the Sims 3. So when I purchased the XFX Radeon 6950 for my much higher end gaming needs, I gave her the HIS Radeon HD 4870 IceQ4+ Turbo 1Gb 256-bit GDDR5 card I was running. Needless to say, like the processor, a massive step up from the AGP ATI Radeon 9700 Pro 128MB she was running. The 4870 was top of the line for the 4000 series of cards, and is still more than capable of playing any games on the market today at 1080p and maximum settings with stable framerates. It simply lacks DX11 support as well as next generation architecture and tessellation advancements obviously. For the Sims 3 however, it's not even a challenge. For as long as it lasts, this card will more than meet her graphics needs without even breaking a sweat.
Memory used:
I used the same RAM on this board as I do on mine. A-Data DDR3 1600G Gaming Series. She is currently running 4GB. The memory overclocks to 1600 no problem and is prefectly stable on this board.
Operating system used:
She was running XP Pro 32. With this new build however, I upgraded her to 7 Ultimate 32. This is also why she is running 4GB and not 8GB. I did not want her to have to deal with some of the compatibility issues of 64-bit that seems to be common with some of the software she runs on a regular basis. It's running wonderfully.
Other specifications:
For the price, the Biostar TA790GXB3 seems to be a fantastic board. As long as you do not plan on Crossfire or running an X6 processor, it should have no problems meeting your budget build needs. It's great for low-end to moderate gaming, and even perhaps some high end gaming as well running a single GPU and a nice fast quad core with DDR3 1600. For what it is being used for here, it's an incredible value, especially since I managed to pick it up open box on Newegg. Great board from Biostar!
Biostar Link: http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=428
Newegg Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138163
For a quick look at the board and what I got in my "open box" package, check out this video. Again, was still fighting a nasty cold when I recorded this, so please forgive me is I sound a bit out of it.
I also meant to say "upgradable to the X4" in the video, not "X6". Like I said, nasty cold, not the best time to try and make a video. haha
Basically, I was looking for an inexpensive build that would still provide her system with more power than it would ever need. My basic requirements were it had to be AM3 with 125Watt CPU support, PCIe X16, full ATX form factor, SATA II, DDR3 1600 support with 4 DIMMS, and on-board audio and video as backup in-case stand alone cards fail.
I finally ended up settling on the Biostar TA790GXB3 T-Series Motherboard. Now I have never really been a fan of Biostar, not due to any quality concerns, just the fact I never used any of their boards in my own builds. However I decided it was time to give them a shot. They are a well established company that has been around for a long time and are pretty well known for their quality "budget" boards. So far, I am very satisfied with the performance of the TA790GXB3.
Simply put, I knew that Crossfire would never be needed, and that 125 Watt CPU support would be more than enough to meet the demands it would be put to. This board came with on-board Realtek ALC662 audio as well as on-board ATI Radeon HD 3300 DX10 video in case her stand-alone cards ever failed. This way she can still use her system while a replacement it ordered.
CPU used:
It also had full support for the processor I wanted to run in the system as well as core unlocking and overclocking ability. That processor being the AMD Phenom II X2 550 "Callisto" Black Edition. A CPU I was using for well over a year, unlocked to 4 cores and overclocked to 3.8Ghz, stable the entire time. So I wanted a board I knew I could do that on. For her needs however, I did not unlock the other 2 cores, I have left it running as an X2 and simply overclocked to 3.6GHz since there is no need to go any higher, it is just nice to know I can if the need should arise.
Video card used:
The most "demanding" game that she plays is the Sims 3. So when I purchased the XFX Radeon 6950 for my much higher end gaming needs, I gave her the HIS Radeon HD 4870 IceQ4+ Turbo 1Gb 256-bit GDDR5 card I was running. Needless to say, like the processor, a massive step up from the AGP ATI Radeon 9700 Pro 128MB she was running. The 4870 was top of the line for the 4000 series of cards, and is still more than capable of playing any games on the market today at 1080p and maximum settings with stable framerates. It simply lacks DX11 support as well as next generation architecture and tessellation advancements obviously. For the Sims 3 however, it's not even a challenge. For as long as it lasts, this card will more than meet her graphics needs without even breaking a sweat.
Memory used:
I used the same RAM on this board as I do on mine. A-Data DDR3 1600G Gaming Series. She is currently running 4GB. The memory overclocks to 1600 no problem and is prefectly stable on this board.
Operating system used:
She was running XP Pro 32. With this new build however, I upgraded her to 7 Ultimate 32. This is also why she is running 4GB and not 8GB. I did not want her to have to deal with some of the compatibility issues of 64-bit that seems to be common with some of the software she runs on a regular basis. It's running wonderfully.
Other specifications:
- Supported Socket AM3 processors AMD Phenom II X4 / Phenom II X3 / Phenom II X2 / Athlon II processor
- AMD 125W processor support
- AMD 790GX Chipset with ATI Radeon HD 3300 Graphics
- Dual-Channel DDR3 -1600(OC)/1333/1066/800
- ATI Hybrid Graphics Support
- Integrated DVI interface with HDCP Support 1080P HD Video Experience
- AMD OverDrive Utility Support
- AMD OverDrive™ with ACC feature (Advanced Clock Calibration) supported
For the price, the Biostar TA790GXB3 seems to be a fantastic board. As long as you do not plan on Crossfire or running an X6 processor, it should have no problems meeting your budget build needs. It's great for low-end to moderate gaming, and even perhaps some high end gaming as well running a single GPU and a nice fast quad core with DDR3 1600. For what it is being used for here, it's an incredible value, especially since I managed to pick it up open box on Newegg. Great board from Biostar!
Biostar Link: http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=428
Newegg Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138163
For a quick look at the board and what I got in my "open box" package, check out this video. Again, was still fighting a nasty cold when I recorded this, so please forgive me is I sound a bit out of it.
I also meant to say "upgradable to the X4" in the video, not "X6". Like I said, nasty cold, not the best time to try and make a video. haha
Artikel Terkait:
T-Series
TA790GXB3
Biostar
Review%3A
- Review: The Playstation Vita, Sony’s Portable Powerhouse
- Intel SSD 520 Review: Cherryville Brings Reliability to SandForce
- Review: Asus G74SX
- Review: HP dm4-3000ea Beats Edition
- Review: Disgo Tablet 7000
- Review: AMD Radeon HD 7950
- Review: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 OverClock Edition
- Review: Nextivity Cel-Fi RS2 3G
- Review: X-Rite Colormunki Display
- Review: Gigabyte Aivia M8600
- Review: LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series 240GB SSD
- Gadgets Week in Review: Picture Book
- Review: Iomega TV with Boxee
- Review: Samsung Series 8 S27A850D
- Review: Microsoft Security Essentials
- Review: BenQ EW2730V
- Review: ViewSonic VP2365-LED
- Review: Philips Brilliance 248C3LHSB
- Review: BenQ RL2240H
- Review: Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition
- AMD Radeon HD 7970 Review: 28nm And Graphics Core Next, Together As One
- Review: Asus GTX 560 Ti 448 Core DirectCU II
- Review: Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich
- Review: Updated: Apple TV
- Review: Sony Tablet P
Motherboard
- Sin0822 give us his take on the G1.Assassin 2 motherboard
- Legit Reviews appreciate mSATA SSD motherboard bundle
- GIGABYTE Z68X-UD7-B3 Intel Z68 Motherboard Review
- ASUS F1A75-M Pro AMD APU Motherboard Review
- IGP performance world record smashed on overclocked GIGABYTE Llano motherboard
- Bitfenix USB 3.0 connectors pass GIGABYTE motherboard compatibility testing
- Gigabyte 990FXA-UD7 Motherboard has Hardware Heaven on cloud 9
- Bit-tech take a tour of our motherboard factory
- Computex 2011: Danshui Bay Concept Motherboard
- ASUS M4A77TD Pro AM3 Motherboard Mini-Review
- ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Motherboard Review
- New ASUS P6Z68 Pro Z68 Chipset Motherboard
- ASUS P8H67-M PRO/CSM LGA 1155 H67 SATA 6 GBps and USB 3.0-Supported Corporate Stable-Model Micro ATX Motherboard (Electronics)
- Gigabyte Announces 6-series Motherboard Replacement Program
- ASUS AMD AM2 690G-SB600 M2A-VM MOTHERBOARD
- ASUS AMD AM2 NVIDIA nFORCE 560 SLI MCP M2N-SLI MOTHERBOARD
- ASUS AMD AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP M2N-SLI DELUX MOTHERBOARD
- ASUS AMD AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP M2N-E MOTHERBOARD
- ASUS AMD AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP CROSSHAIR MOTHERBOARD
- ASUS AMD AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP M2N32SLI DELUX WIRELESS EDITION MOTHERBOARD
- No Video, Has Power on a P4VM - MX Motherboard
- P5PE-VM Motherboard Dead?
- No Display, Continuous Short Beeps , All Fans Spin, No Keyboard Response on a P4GE-MX Motherboard
- Motherboard and Peripheral Driver Solution
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment