Different power ratings on my motherboard and CPU

[msankadi]

Hi

I am not really sure of what I am asking here but its extremely important that I clarify this before I buy the system I am planning to. Basically, I am thinking of buying the motherboard msi 880gma e45 and along with it the Phenom II X4 945 CPU (AMD Phenom II 945) ....


Basically the problem is that on the motherboard the power rating is written as 95W and on the CPU its written as 125W..Although the motherboard lists that the CPU is supported, will this difference cause any problems? Will I be able to install my 4GB DDR3 memory along with this on my mobo (Read on Chip forums that this might be a problem...am not sure why though..)

Please clarify my doubts since its of utmost importance that I dont get anything wrong in my excitement to get my PC

Thanks in advance
MnVn

 

[coderunknown]

^^ are you talking about maximum supported TDP of processor or something else? if about TDP, that motherboard will support all AM3 processors upto 140W TDP (X6 1090T).

also the processor you told, X4 945. yes it got 125W TDP. but i'll suggest to take the Phenom II X4 955. it got 95W TDP (C3 batch maybe) & is a black edition processor.

also the ram shouldn't cause problem. yes if the ram is designed for Intel i* processor or is of low voltage, than it may cause trouble or if the ram is 1800Mhz or so. than you need tweak its voltage & timing. other than that, i don't think any problem should come. & also new Bios usually brings compatibility, resolving these memory errors.

 

[msankadi]

Hi

Can you please explain what TDP means?

The X4 955 might be a bit more costly ... wouldnt the 945 be supported by this motherboard? what is the difference between 945 and 955 black edition..since i am not going to play games on my comp (will connect my xbox) i dont think i would need a lot of processing power apart from 945...how do i find the batch?

the motherboard shows 95W as the TDP but you are saying 140W am I reading something wrong?

I was thinking of buying 2 x Gskill 2GB 1333 DDR3 (Gskill 2GB 1333 DDR3) ...will this be supported by the motherboard? Also, I have seen Gskill being recommended over Kingston? Do you think I should go for Gskill?

Sorry for the lot of questions but I am really a n00b at pc configs

MnVn

 

[coderunknown]

^^ Thermal design power. its the power a processor needs under full load.

if not for gaming, you can also go for Athlon II X4 series. cheaper & not slow if you don't game. also they run way cooler than Phenom IIs.

945 = 3Ghz. 125W
955 = 3.2Ghz, 95W & 125W. unlocked multiplier (raise multiplier to raise the processor clock).

well it isn't easy to find the batch. the code printed on the processor tells the batch number. not directly written as C2 or C3, but you need to Google a bit.

are you sure the motherboard indeed is MSI 880GMA E45? cause i check newegg charts about this board & its TDP is 140W.

it should be supported. though not have much info about this board as not many have brought it here.

well both ram are same. if you compare Kingston value & G.Skill value, get the one which costs less. but no idea about service provided by any of them. but if you get them from SMC, SMC should replace them on spot if they are found to be faulty.

 

[msankadi]

Yeah I was doing a bit of research myself...and the model number for the board is correct but it doesnt advertise 140W on the manufacturer's website...

so I have decided to go with the Gigaybyte GA-880GMA which advertises that it supports 140w TDP...also both the 945 and 955 C2 and C3 are listed in the supported CPUs on the manufacturer's website...so it shouldnt be a problem..do you have any info on this?

Also will google the difference between Phenom and Athlon...I will be running High Def and Blu ray movies on my system and do want it to be future proof...so most probably will stick with Phenom since it falls within my budget

MnVn

 

[Ishu Gupta]

so I have decided to go with the Gigaybyte GA-880GMA which advertises that it supports 140w TDP...also both the 945 and 955 C2 and C3 are listed in the supported CPUs on the manufacturer's website...so it shouldnt be a problem..do you have any info on this?

Also will google the difference between Phenom and Athlon...I will be running High Def and Blu ray movies on my system and do want it to be future proof...so most probably will stick with Phenom since it falls within my budget

MnVn

That Gigabyte is an equally good board. And for the same price.

An Athlon X4 635 @ 4.5k is a great processor. VFM.

945 and 645 are both fairly equal as far as future proofing goes. Good enough for almost everything for 2 yrs.