What is an excellent choice of Motherboard/RAM for my new AMD X6 1055T?

[soarwitheagles]

Boy, did I have a problem getting out of that strait Jacket this morning but, it's OK now, I've escaped!  

DM, I didn't realise that you were so clever.
How can you install drivers before you install the OS?
Is this a new trick or can you only do this on the Intel platform?  

Hi Soar, now comes the exciting part, putting all the components together.  

There are a few steps to undertake BEFORE actually putting anything together and these are:

Throw the motherboard disk away. OK, I'm speaking metaphorically here but, put it to one side and don't be tempted to use it.
Go to the downloads page for your motherboard ( which if I have remembered correctly is the GA-890XA-UD3 Rev. 1.0 the download page is here: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3376&dl=1#dl ) and download the drivers for your OS. If you are going to install your OS on a Hard drive in Native IDE mode (which I would strongly recommend in your case) you don't need to download the SATA RAID drivers. You will need to download: AUDIO, CHIPSET, LAN & USB 3.0 drivers.

Whilst you are at the Gigabyte download page also download the latest BIOS F6A as you may need this sooner than you think. Once you have downloaded everything extract the BIOS Update files and load them onto a USB Drive. Check out the How to Update BIOS FAQ here: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,2441.0.html if you are not sure about using the QFlash utility. You may not need to do this but it is always better to be safe rather than sorry but DON'T go any further than loading the files onto the USB stick. You might need to Flash BIOS if your CPU isn't recognised by the Motherboard when you put everything together.

Depending on your choice of Graphics Card I would also recommend that you download the latest drivers for that from the relevant website, rather than using the ones on the Install Disk.

Once you have done that you can start your build. As Dark Mantis has said be careful. Also, remember to install a motherboard speaker, so that you can hear any POST Beeps. If you have a problem, this is the quickest and easiest way of tracing them.

Hopefully, once you have put all the parts together you will be able to start up without a problem, however, if the PC starts and you get a message saying that the CPU is not recognised then you will need to flash BIOS using the QFlash utility. (Hence the reason for going through the first steps I mentioned.) If the PC does BOOT OK, I would still suggest that you Update your BIOS at this stage using the QFlash utility, remembering to load Optimized Defaults once you have done so.

Install the Operating System

Once you have loaded the Operating System and are at the desktop for the first time you can start to load the drivers you need. I have found the quickest & easiest way is to copy the files you download from the Gigabyte Website on to the Desktop first. There is no hard and fast order for installing the motherboard drivers but I tend to go:
Chipset - REBOOT PC
AUDIO - REBOOT PC
LAN - REBOOT PC
USB 3.0 - REBOOT PC
GRAPHIC CARD DRIVERS - REBOOT PC (If you are installing an ATI card I would recommend that you do a custom install and load the Catalyst Control Centre, Graphic Card Drivers and HDMI Audio drivers only).

It is not essential that you REBOOT the PC after you install each driver but I have found this to be the most reliable method and it is less likely to cause you grief, although it will take a bit longer to do.

After you have installed the drivers then you can do your updates for the OS and install your software.

If you are considering overclocking the PC then I would suggest you download AMD Overdrive ( http://game.amd.com/it-it/drivers_overdrive.aspx ) which is a very good utility for getting the best out of an AMD System. However I much prefer to make overclock changes in BIOS as they are active from the moment you switch on the PC rather than once the OS has loaded.

Absic,

After reading all the steps to build this AMD system right, I lost my mind, started screaming and drooling, and the guys with the white suits came and put me in a straight jacket too.  I am using a voice recognition speech program to type right now...The shrink said that if I behave and go back to Intel, they will let me out...I told him no way, AMD is the way to go now.  He disagreed and told me I will be in this white padded cell for a long, long time.  I think he is a friend of Dark Mantis.

Anyway...

Thanks for all the good info.  I probably would have made a total mess of the system without such detailed and systematic steps to follow.  I appreciate all of you here...thanks again for making this an exciting and successful adventure.

I just noticed a new AMD processor on sale at my local computer super store...the price seems fairly good too.  Can you share any thoughts on this new AMD processor?  Or maybe it is not new?  I cannot find it anywhere other than Fry's Electronics...

Anyway, this is the name of it: AMD Phenom™ II X6 1075T HDT75TFBGRBOX - Socket AM3.

Here's some of the specs:

True Multi-Core Technology
Processor: AMD Phenom™ II X6
Model: Black Edition 1075T - HDT75TFBGRBOX
Core Speed (MHz): 3000
Wattage: 125 W
L3 Cache: 9MB
CMOS: 45nm SOI
Socket: AM3
Warranty: 3 YR

I am still trying to discover the differences between the 1090T, the 1075T, and the 1055T.  If I have read things correctly, many people are saying the 1090T is more comparable to Intel's i7, whereas the 1055T is more comparable to Intel's i5 .  I am presently trying to discover where this 1075T fits in.  The 1075 appears to have more L3 cache [9mb] than both the 1090T and the 1055T.

I will begin the new build next week.  I have lots of work this week, then a wonderful two week break.  So I will use the free time to continue on this wild adventure and hopefully finish this new build then.

Have a wonderful day Absic!

Soar

[absic]

Hi Soar,

not sure where you got your info regarding the 1075T but my understanding is that, it is almost the same specs as the 1090T only running 200 MHz slower. and according to AMD the Cache on all the X6 CPU's is the same.

As the 1075T isn't available in the UK yet there is very little to go on. It seems as if AMD have released this CPU along with the 1035 to expand the range of hex cores available. The 1075T looks, on the face of it, to be a very good option. Although it runs slightly slower at stock than the 1090, it also has the unlocked multiplier, making it a Black Edition processor. What does that mean? Well, it means that overclocking is much easier than it is if you are using a CPU with a locked multiplier.

Another problem, just at the moment, is that I'm not sure Gigabyte have updated the BIOS for this CPU to be recognised. A quick check for your Mobo shows that it isn't supported yet and the same goes for several others I have looked at.

[absic]

UPDATE:

It seems my initial statement that the 1075T was going to be a Black Edition, with the unlocked multiplier was a little premature. It seems as if it will be a Locked CPU like the 1055T.

For more info check here: http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=25945

This product along with the 1035T & 1045T are still not being shown on the AMD website, so proper information is a little vague at the moment.

[soarwitheagles]

Hi Soar,

not sure where you got your info regarding the 1075T but my understanding is that, it is almost the same specs as the 1090T only running 200 MHz slower. and according to AMD the Cache on all the X6 CPU's is the same.

As the 1075T isn't available in the UK yet there is very little to go on. It seems as if AMD have released this CPU along with the 1035 to expand the range of hex cores available. The 1075T looks, on the face of it, to be a very good option. Although it runs slightly slower at stock than the 1090, it also has the unlocked multiplier, making it a Black Edition processor. What does that mean? Well, it means that overclocking is much easier than it is if you are using a CPU with a locked multiplier.

Another problem, just at the moment, is that I'm not sure Gigabyte have updated the BIOS for this CPU to be recognised. A quick check for your Mobo shows that it isn't supported yet and the same goes for several others I have looked at.

Absic, thanks again for the info update.  I suppose I will be happy with the 1055T for now.  I did obtain it for a much better price than what the 1075T and the 1090T [I paid about $95 for the 1055T vs. the $179-$229 for the 1075T and $295 for the 1090T].  Now I wish I had purchased several more of the 1055T's at that price.

Fry's is the company offering the 1075T here and the specs of 9mb L3 cache.  http://www.frys.com/product/6355541

Right next to the 1075T they are offering this Gigabyte MB: Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5 890FX AM3 Motherboard

It too is substantially more expensive http://www.frys.com/product/6234170

I am not sure if that MB supports the 1075T but it makes sense that it would.

I read somewhere that the 1090T and the 1075T both have the unlocked multipliers whereas the 1055T does not.  Not to worry, I've never been much of an overclocker and I am happy with the 1055T...esp. at the price I paid.

If Fry's drops the price to under $125 for the 1075T, then I can always sell the 1055T + MB, make some extra cash, and go for the 1075T.  I very much doubt Fry's will drop it that low now.  They stopped giving the super low price deals on the CPU/MB combo's about 6 weeks ago and have not given the super deals since. They offered outrageous deals on combos for some years.  Not anymore... I think everyone is tightening their belt due to the economic pressures.

I am looking forward with excitement to building this new 1055T system Absic.

Have a wonderful day there!

Soar

[absic]

Hi Soar,

Just checked for BIOS support on the GA-890FXA-UD5 and at the moment it shows support for the1035T but not the 1075T, go figure.

Not sure why Fry's are saying it has a 9Mb Cache as all the information I have read shows it is the same die as all of the other Hex Cores and only 6Mb cache. It could be because these CPU's are so new there is a lack of real information available.

[soarwitheagles]

Hi Soar,

Just checked for BIOS support on the GA-890FXA-UD5 and at the moment it shows support for the1035T but not the 1075T, go figure.

Not sure why Fry's are saying it has a 9Mb Cache as all the information I have read shows it is the same die as all of the other Hex Cores and only 6Mb cache. It could be because these CPU's are so new there is a lack of real information available.

Absic, yes, that sounds correct.  Perhaps in all the excitement and rush of releasing a new CPU, people became overly excited and not all the info is correct.  Now I am even more happy I have the 1055T.  I suppose it is best to wait until the dust clears and by then, most of the misinformation will have been debunked.

Here are what people are saying about AMD's newest releases in the USA:

Saturday Sep 18, 2010

A few days left before AMD officially announces new refresh of Athlon II and Phenom II microprocessor line-ups. In this refresh AMD is going to introduce new dual-, triple- and quad-core Athlon II CPUs with model numbers 265, 450 and 645, and three Phenom II microprocessors - dual-core 560, quad-core 970, and six-core 1075T. Two Phenom IIs, X2 560 and X4 970, will be sold as Black Edition versions, that is they can be overclocked above rated frequency by increasing clock multiplier in BIOS. The most interesting models in this refresh are Phenom II X4 970, the fastest clocked AMD microprocessor to date, and Phenom II X6 1075T, which fills a gap between 2.8 GHz 1055T model, priced around $200, and 3.2 GHz 1090T model, priced close to $300.

Many forthcoming models were on pre-order in online stores as early as August. While some new models are still on pre-order, like Athlon II X2 265 and Phenom II X4 970, other processors can be bought online or in brick and mortar stores.

Compliments of http://www.cpu-world.com/news

Soar