Phenom II System Buyers' Guide

Phenom II Overclocking

It has been quite a while coming, but AMD fans can once again put together a screaming overclocking system with Phenom II. There are two apparent CPU candidates for the Phenom II OC system. The obvious choice might appear to be the 940BE, but the new 720BE has many charms at a lower price.  Personally we would prefer the upcoming 945BE as the CPU for a monster Phenom II OC system, but that CPU is not currently available though it should appear beginning in April.  For those reasons the 720BE is the heart of the Phenom II OC system.

As discussed in many overclocking articles here, there are normally two types of overclockers. First are those who overclock for value, which are those that select cheaper parts rated at lower specs for their ability to overclock to much higher performance levels. Second, there is the overclocker who is trying to reach the highest overclock possible, and who usually chooses the highest priced and higher-performance parts to overclock even further. This last group should likely wait for the 945BE for the flexibility if nothing else.

Generally, parts were selected because they are a good value that becomes an outstanding value when overclocked. Since the newer Phenom II processors, like the 720BE, support either DDR3 or DDR2 there are two Phenom II Overclocking systems - DDR3 and DDR2. They only differ in the motherboard and memory choice.

The choice of the $145 Phenom X3 720BE for the Overclocking System pushes our OC perspective toward the value side of the overclocking equation. That means we have paired the 720 with a new DDR3 $135 motherboard instead of the very best $200 ASUS M4A79 Deluxe. It also means we matched the Full HD monitor with a cheaper video card that can deliver performance as good as you will likely get on a 1920x1080 monitor. It makes little sense to suggest a higher performing video card or CF or SLI graphics system if you can only see the better performance on a 30" monitor that is not part of this system.

Phenom II DDR3 Overclocking PC
Hardware	Component	Price
Processor	AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE (2.8GHzx3, 3x512KB L2, 6MB L3 Cache)	$145
Cooling	Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail	$40
Video	MSI R4850-512M OC Radeon HD 4850 512MB ($30 Rebate)	$125
Motherboard	Asus M4A78T-E	$135
Memory	OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Model OCZ3RPR16004GK ($40 Rebate)	$65
Hard Drive	Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB	$100
Optical Drive	LG BD/HD DVD / 16x DVD+/- RW GGC-H20L - Retail	$115
Audio	On-Board Audio	-
Case	COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-SKN2-GP Black/Silver Aluminum & Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower	$50
Power Supply	BFG Tech LS Series LS-550 550W Continuous@40C SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified ($20 Rebate)	$60
Base System Total		$835
Display	ASUS VH222H Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor (1920x1080)	$180
Speakers	Logitech X-540 70 Watts 5.1 Speaker System ($20 Rebate)	$59
Keyboard	Logitech G11 USB Gaming Keyboard	$59
Mouse	Logitech MX518 8-Button/1 Wheel USB 1800dpi Laser Mouse	$40
Operating System	Microsoft Vista Home Premium OEM	$99
Complete System Price		$1272

With the careful selection of components there is no real penalty in choosing DDR3 for your Phenom II OC system. Some already have very good DDR2, however, and they may prefer a mature DDR2 board. Below are the component selections for a Phenom II DDR2 OC system. The only real changes are the motherboard and memory.

Phenom II DDR2 Overclocking PC
Hardware	Component	Price
Processor	AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE (2.8GHzx3, 3x512KB L2, 6MB L3 Cache)	$145
Cooling	Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail	$40
Video	MSI R4850-512M OC Radeon HD 4850 512MB ($30 Rebate)	$125
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-UD4H	$139
Memory	OCZ Reaper 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2-1150 (PC2 9200) ($15 Rebate)	$66
Hard Drive	Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB	$100
Optical Drive	LG BD/HD DVD / 16x DVD+/- RW GGC-H20L - Retail	$115
Audio	On-Board Audio	-
Case	Cooler Master Centurion 534 RC-534-SKN2-GP Black/Silver Aluminum & Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower	$50
Power Supply	BFG Tech LS SERIES LS-550 550W Continuous@40C SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified ($20 Rebate)	$60
Base System Total		$840
Display	ASUS VH222H Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor (1920x1080)	$180
Speakers	Logitech X-540 70 Watts 5.1 Speaker System ($20 Rebate)	$59
Keyboard	Logitech G11 USB Gaming Keyboard	$59
Mouse	Logitech MX518 8-Button/1 Wheel USB 1800dpi Optical Mouse	$40
Operating System	Microsoft Vista Home Premium OEM	$99
Complete System Price		$1277

As mentioned in the Phenom II X4 810 & X3 720 launch review, the new 720BE is something of a value overclockers dream. For just $145 you get an unlocked multiplier, three cores each with 512KB of L2 cache, and the same 6MB L3 cache used in the X4 Phenom II processors. Rated speed is 2.8GHz, which basically makes this an unlocked 920 with a disabled core. In bench testing we easily reached 3.8GHz, about the same as the most expensive 940BE Phenom II, and you will only miss that forth core in the few applications that actually take advantage of parallel processing. All in all the 720BE is a value overclockers dream CPU.

 

We've paired the Phenom II 720BE with one of the first AMD DDR3 motherboards to emerge as a fast and stable computing tool in our test labs. With the latest BIOS the ASUS M4A78T-E is very stable at standard speeds and a prolific overclocker with good quality DDR3 memory. This is quite an accomplishment for a new technology motherboard that sells for just $135. The Socket AM3 790GX M4A78T-E easily reached 3.9GHz in our testing with the Phenom II 720 and quality DDR3 memory. That is as good as speeds we have achieved with the best Phenom II DDR2 motherboards.

 

You may be surprised to find that the Phenom II Overclocking system can be fitted with 4GB of high performance DDR3 memory for just $65. OCZ has a $40 rebate on their DDR3-1600 Reaper, but the normal price of $105 is still competitive. DDR3-1600 gives you headroom and flexibility in high overclocks. To keep the comparisons as fair as possible the DDR2 OC system is equipped with 4GB of OCZ Reaper DDR2-1150, which has performed very well in overclocking tests. There is a $15 rebate on this memory that drops the net price to $66. This is about the same price as the premium DDR3 kit.

 

The DDR2 version of the 720BE OC system is powered by the well-regarded Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-UD4H at $139. This Gigabyte is one of the best overclocking boards in this price range. The $200 ASUS M4A79 Deluxe, chosen for the Performance Phenom II build, is a slightly better overclocker but you will pay a good deal for the small increase in OC ability. Those who want the very best overclocker, however, will not be disappointed in the abilities of the ASUS M4A79 Deluxe.

 

While the stock AMD cooler is adequate for modestly overclocking a Phenom II, better cooling is needed to push the CPU to its limits. The Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm did very well in the lab and it is a good match to the Phenom II 720 BE at a price that won't break the bank. You also will not need to remove the motherboard to attach the Dark Knight since it uses a push clip to mount to the existing AM2/AM2+/AM3 CPU cage.

 

The Cooler Master Centurion 534 is a good value no matter how you look at it. It does come in different configurations, and the RC-534-SKN2-GP case is a good choice since it comes with three 120mm fans (front, side, and back) for cooling and installation requires no tools other than a screwdriver for mounting the motherboard. There are also plenty of drive bay options with five external 5.25" bays, one external 3.5", and four internal 3.5". Front USB/Firewire/Audio connectors are also available. Builders report smooth edges and no sharp pieces to cut your hand during assembly. Even the expansion slots are screwless in this design. Our selection at $50 is black with a brushed aluminum and mesh front, but the case is also available in all black if you prefer at $55.

 

The power supply for the Phenom II OC system is the winner of the recent 500W to 550W PSU roundup. The BFG Tech LS-550 grabbed our Gold Editors' Choice in the roundup for its great balance of performance and value. The BFG delivered good performance in every aspect, with tight voltage regulation and ripple well within specifications. Efficiency was through the roof, with 86% efficiency at 20% load. It also generated the highest maximum efficiency of 88% on 230VAC and 86% on 120VAC. With a good selection of connectors and reasonable cable lengths, the LS-550 is a great PS for a value-oriented overclocking system.

 

We have paired the R4850-512M OC Radeon HD 4850 512MB with the Phenom II Overclocking systems. As pointed out in the recent Two-way Multi-GPU comparison, the 4850 is one of the best values in resolutions up to 1920x1080. At the value price of just $125 after a $25 rebate the MSI 4850 was hard to resist, particularly when you consider MSI's excellent reputation as a video card manufacturer. If you want more performance you can add a second 4850 in CrossFire mode and you can even drive a 30" monitor very adequately for gaming (though the 1GB cards or 2GB 4850X2/4870X2 are the better route for such resolutions). For a total investment of just $250, the 4850 CrossFire will provide performance for the price that nothing else can really touch. That is a very good match to the goals of a Phenom II value overclocking system.

 

The hard drive used in the OC Phenom II system is the Samsung SpinPoint 1TB (1000GB) with true 7200RPM speed, 32MB cache, and a 3-year warranty. Samsung drives have performed well in our recent hard drive roundups and the 1TB should perform well in the OC system.

 

The Logitech X-540 has been a perennial favorite of users as a reasonably priced but decent performing powered 5.1 computer speaker system. It will certainly not challenge the performance of a separate Dolby amplifier powering audiophile speakers, but it will provide surprisingly good sound for the price.

 

The last major component to discuss is the display, and here the tilt was toward best value at full 1080p HD (1920x1080) resolution with the ASUS VH222H. The new class of 16:9 21.5" LCD monitors provide true 1080p resolution at the break-through price of just $180. That stellar value shows just how far LCD technology has progressed. If your budget allows, or you just prefer a slightly bigger screen at the same resolution, you can move up to a 24" 1080p LCD that is selling today for around $300. Alternately, you can downgrade the resolution to 1680x1050 for slightly larger pixels (i.e. more readable text) if you purchase a 22" LCD and save a bit of money.

 

The last area to discuss is input devices, where we went with gamer value favorites in the Logitech G11 USB gaming keyboard and the MX518 8-button mouse. Both are very well regarded devices that fit well with the capabilities and concept of the Phenom II Overclocking system. If gaming is not your goal you could easily move to the $16 Microsoft OEM keyboard and mouse used in the Entry Phenom II build and get the complete system price down to $1194. If you will use your OC system for graphics and photo editing but not gaming, you can also drop the G11/MX518 and select precision input devices that better fit your needs.