New AM3 MoBo - 880G or 890GX?

[Narsil]

Sorry for the long post, and it doesn't have anything to do with windows 7 as such, but I hope you'll bear with me

I'm going to swap out my current 770G motherboard (MSI 770-C45) for one with integrated graphics so I can use the AMD SurroundView feature to run a third monitor. Rather than going for a like-for-almost-like switch, I thought I might as well spend a wee bit extra to make it a bit more future-proof. So I'll be going down the 8xx chipset route.

The board has to be ATX as I have two PCI cards (wireless and TV tuner) and the double slot graphics card (ATI HD4770) means a mATX board is a non-starter. Basically, I've come down to a choice between two ATX boards, almost exactly the same price in the UK (£90) and both with good reviews and seemingly similar performance:

AsRock 890GX Extreme 3 - 890GX, SB850, ATI HD4290
Asus M488TD-V EVO/USB3 - 880G, SB850, ATI HD4250

The AsRock has the newer northbridge chipset and slightly better graphics. However, the Asus has my DDR3 RAM (Crucial 2x2Gb 25664BA1339) on its qualified vendor list, AsRock doesn't. Normally I'd just take a chance but this RAM has given me problems on my current board and it only runs stable at 1066MHz rather than the 1333MHz it is supposed to (it wasn't on the MSI list either). It could be a RAM problem or a board problem, I never got to the bottom of it.

So, which board would you buy if you were me :huh:

Any advice is gratefully received

 

[stormy13]

If Crossfire isn't in the cards then the Asus (or any 880G) board will do. If Crossfire is a consideration down the road then you'll want the Asrock (or any 890GX) board. Other than Crossfire support (not to be confused with Hybrid Crossfire X) there isn't a whole lot different between the 880G and the 890GX,

AMD 800 chipset series - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Other than the possible ram issue you mentioned, it basically comes down to any features from one board to the next.

 

[Narsil]

If Crossfire isn't in the cards then the Asus (or any 880G) board will do. If Crossfire is a consideration down the road then you'll want the Asrock (or any 890GX) board. Other than Crossfire support (not to be confused with Hybrid Crossfire X) there isn't a whole lot different between the 880G and the 890GX,

AMD 800 chipset series - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Other than the possible ram issue you mentioned, it basically comes down to any features from one board to the next.

Cheers.

I have no plans for crossfire so I guess I'd be happy with either. I think I'll go with the Asus then, as it may be more likely to solve the RAM issue I have with my current board.

Thanks again!