K10N78FullHD-hSLI R3.0

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   Hi guys,
I just found an old K10N78FullHD-hSLI R3.0 sitting almost unused and thought I'd do a quick build for a PC at my parent's place. Have a very old Athlon with 1gb ram, but would be looking at something a lot quicker than that.

What would be the best CPU/ram combo for this motherboard?

Should I be looking at the x6 phenoms or a x4 965 would be a better choice? Considering the DDR2 on 800mhz might be the best performance anyway, I'm not sure I need a x6, but I'm open to your suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

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millennium Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 30 Sep 2015 Status: Offline Points: 6	Post Options Post Reply Quote millennium Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: K10N78FullHD-hSLI R3.0 Posted: 30 Sep 2015 at 8:10pm
	Hi guys, I just found an old K10N78FullHD-hSLI R3.0 sitting almost unused and thought I'd do a quick build for a PC at my parent's place. Have a very old Athlon with 1gb ram, but would be looking at something a lot quicker than that. What would be the best CPU/ram combo for this motherboard? Should I be looking at the x6 phenoms or a x4 965 would be a better choice? Considering the DDR2 on 800mhz might be the best performance anyway, I'm not sure I need a x6, but I'm open to your suggestions. Thanks in advance!

millennium Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 30 Sep 2015 Status: Offline Points: 6	Post Options Post Reply Quote millennium Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30 Sep 2015 at 8:12pm
	Mods, if this is not in the right category, would you please move it? Thanks.

parsec Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 04 May 2015 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 4996	Post Options Post Reply Quote parsec Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Oct 2015 at 12:00am
	Any of the AM3 Phenom II x4 or x6 processors would be the best performance. Check the CPU support list, here: http://www.asrock.com/mb/NVIDIA/K10N78FullHD-hSLI%20R3.0/?cat=CPU But you must be careful regarding the BIOS version in the board, and the BIOS version required by the various processors. Usually a board won't start/POST with a processor when the necessary BIOS version is not installed. You'll need a processor supported by the BIOS in the board in order to change to a different BIOS version. You can check the BIOS version on the board (if it was never updated) by checking the sticker on the BIOS chip. That chip is near the board's battery, next to the "SATAII" text on the board. The amount of memory used is more important than the memory speed for a basic PC user. Using at least 4GB is more important than using 2GB of faster memory.


millennium Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 30 Sep 2015 Status: Offline Points: 6	Post Options Post Reply Quote millennium Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Oct 2015 at 12:31am
	Thanks a lot for the quick response. I got 2.10, which would support the x4s. Only the x6s require 2.30, so don't even have to upgrade. My question regarding RAM has more to do with potential bottleneck. I will be installing 2x2gb, which would be enough for my needs. I just wonder if x6 makes sense when the max supported RAM speed is 1066. And reading around the internet, people complaining they're having issues sometimes, so I guess 800mhz memory with a x4 965 would be my best bet? Cheap too. Main uses of the PC would be photo editing in Photoshop, watching HD streaming and low graphic level games like FIFA for example.

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 25028	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Oct 2015 at 12:38am
	Totally agree with Parsec, any of the Phenom II x4 or x6 line will do the trick. Depending on cost I would avoid the 955/965 as it is basically just a higher binned 945 and of all the Phenoms IIs I have used they all pretty much overclock about the same, in fact my 945s tended to overclock better than the 955s I used but I wouldn't read anything into that given the silicon lottery probably had more to do with that than actual binning. If you can find a decent x6 for a good price then I would go that route as the x6 Phenoms were fantastic CPUs and still hold their own against quad and hex core FX CPUs. DDR2 RAM can be hard to find and will only get harder so try and get as much as you can into the board, if you can find 4x2gb or even better 4x4gb I would go for it if the system is intended to last for a while though I am not sure what RAM that board will support given its memory support list is only 3 models long and does not list anything over 1gb so you may be safer going with 4x1gb to avoid incompatibility. If you are lucky whatever RAM you find will list your board under it's supported list, to be safe I would advise against buying RAM that does not list your board on it's product page or is not listed by ASRock as supported. Given that DDR2 is a little less diverse than DDR3 the odds are good that it would work but that board is rather old so it could cause issues. RAM speed as Parsec said is not really important for home/office use. If you can find larger capacity DDR2 (no more than 4gb) then make sure wherever you get it from will allow you to return/exchange it if it does not work with your system just to be safe

millennium Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 30 Sep 2015 Status: Offline Points: 6	Post Options Post Reply Quote millennium Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Oct 2015 at 1:00am
	I just think the list is incomplete. Places like mrmemory and amazon for example sell 2gb or 4gb memory advertising it as: "ASRock Motherboard K10N78 Memory Upgrades", so if it doesn't work I'd be right in their ear!

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 25028	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Oct 2015 at 1:03am
	Perfect