Piss on AM2
 

AM2 is plagued by the retarded issue of not being compatible with RAM that has a voltage of higher than 1.9V.

I'm trying to build a cheap 3800+X2 AM2 system to use while I save up for Conroe. (I'll sell this AMD system later.) I have everything picked out except for a motherboard. I plan on using this RAM: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...Z%20Technology

That RAM will be fine for my Conroe system, but will refuse to work in like 95% of the new AM2 boards. Or will either need to be clocked down to 533MHz.

Is there any DECENT motherboard made by a reputable company that will work the way it's supposed to? I've looked at online stores all day and my eyes frickin hurt. :/ [edit] any board that ISN'T $150+

you can probably set the voltage in the motherboard's BIOS to 2.0V or above.

Unfortuantely, that's not possible. You have to buy a board that supports VDIMM above 2.0V or else your RAM runs at 667MHz (unstable) or 533MHz (stable).

Wish I could help render, but RAM timing stuff is not a specialty of mine. GL and hope it doesn't break the bank!!

Stuck with a socket 939 X2 3800+ system my dad bought near the beginning of this year. Don't have to worry about DDR2 RAM yet.

I wish you luck, but you know.. you could just build a socket 939 system since AM2 offers few advantages so far.

S939 is dead. The only reason I didn't choose S939 was the fact it only runs DDR and not DDR2. The RAM I linked to above is the stuff that's dirt cheap and is what will work with any Conroe/Kentsfield down the road.

Although, good news. The ASUS M2N-E released a BIOS update which fixes memory support for 2.1Volt memory which most DDR2-800 is.

Between that board and the 3800+X2, that will cost me $195 + $114 = $309CAD. Not bad in my book. Too bad that 256MB X1900XT couldn't be released sooner. :/

Let us know when you order and how the build goes!

The processor socket itself has nothing to do with the memory voltages, so there should be no problems regarding compatibility with high-voltage RAM. In all case, what happens is that the motherboards you've seen are not designed for overclockers. Have you seen the higher-end boards?

Yes, I have, and I'm not willing to pay the extra $60-100 for them. I don't even plan to OC much, if, at all. AM2 boards are designed to handle DDR2-800, and the X2 dual cores are able to utilize that power. Also, as I mentioned above, the RAM will be used in my Conroe system once the ridiculous prices start to fall.