AM2 all set to buy on newegg

[hoxlund]

Motherboards

AM2 Processors

wow, that was also fast of zalman:

http://www.zalman.co.kr/usa/product/vie ... 2&code=005

asus is the only one that has the full huge 590 sli mobo chipset

[Ian]

Yeah, ASUS's mobo is expensive too. I want an AM2 system, but I'm probably going to wait until there's more selection.

[LoneWolf]

I'm waiting for a year to a year and a half. Got enough DDR ram in my system, got an X2 processor, got one of the better S939 mainboards out there, so I just can't justify the switch.

I agree for people building a new system from scratch that AM2 is the way to go, but I'm already hearing preliminary reports (from Damage at the Tech Report, among others) that the nForce5xx chipset runs incredibly hot for a chipset (active cooling required), a little concern for me. The new ATI chipset doesn't have this problem (doesn't need more than passive cooling), but only has 4 native SATA ports as opposed to the 6 of the nForce 570SLI and 590SLI chipsets, and also doesn't have integrated gig Ethernet. I think they'll do well in the OEM market, but someone will have to add additional engineering to make a true enthusiast-level ATI board.

[hoxlund]

the asus board does come with a northbridge fan

but also the heatpipes on the mobo should be helping tons also

[Boba_Fett]

I'm waiting for a year to a year and a half. Got enough DDR ram in my system, got an X2 processor, got one of the better S939 mainboards out there, so I just can't justify the switch.

Is there ANY justification to switch right now (with the exception of building from scratch)? From reports I've read, A64 939s still slightly beat AM2. I totally agree with waiting a year for the tech to mature...

[hoxlund]

the problem is i don't think anyone has done and real benchmarks

with high end parts just like the asus board, with the best ddr2-800 memory:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145035

[Ian]

From the reviews I read at HardOCP and Anandtech, the performance increase is minimal. The biggest improvement it seems is in power usage, which no one seems to really care about.

[LoneWolf]

I'm waiting for a year to a year and a half. Got enough DDR ram in my system, got an X2 processor, got one of the better S939 mainboards out there, so I just can't justify the switch.

Is there ANY justification to switch right now (with the exception of building from scratch)? From reports I've read, A64 939s still slightly beat AM2. I totally agree with waiting a year for the tech to mature...

939's no longer beat AM2...but the race is a dead heat. AM2 CPU's consume less power and thus dissipate less heat, but DDR2 provides no benefits yet, although I'd guess in the next six months we'll see DDR prices rise as vendors lower its production and increase DDR2, making AM2 a better buy when building a new system.

While I love AMD, if I were planning on building and could hold off for just a little longer, I'd wait to see what Core 2 Duo (Conroe) has to offer as well. In my case though, there really isn't anything I can't run.

[hoxlund]

thats always the case with me, my computer is always 3x more then what i use it for

but as long as you can buy the latest technology in an HP at best buy, I have to stay ahead of what customers can buy