AM3+ Board for overclocking

[kitty_TAC0]

I am about to build a new gaming PC and I hope to eventually overclock the CPU. The CPU is going to be an AMD Phenom ii be 965 x4 and I hope to eventually run it at 4.0 ghz. I need a motherboard that would allow me to achieve this overclock that cost $100 or less. I am currently looking at the ASUS M5A97 R2.0, but I have read this mobo is not ideal for overclocking. Would this one do, or does anyone have any better suggestions?

 

[n1ghtr4v3n]

FX99 chipsets are what you need for decent overclocking. There are pretty cheap ones from the major manufacturers...

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-ga990fxaud3
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a99fxpror20
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-990fxextreme4

they are slightly above your budget but it will give you the idea... compare and see what you can get good luck

 

[rolli59]

For a budget of $100 the board you have chosen is just as good as any. Most 990FX boards as recommended above have better voltage regulation/power phases and normally will allow for higher overclocks.

 

[kitty_TAC0]

I may try to stretch my budget to one of the slightly more expensive ones. However, If I stick with the M5A97 do I risk damaging either the mobo or CPU if I overclock (assuming I have an aftermarket cooler)?
Sorry if that sounds like a dumb question, I'm new to all of this.

 

[rolli59]

I may try to stretch my budget to one of the slightly more expensive ones. However, If I stick with the M5A97 do I risk damaging either the mobo or CPU if I overclock (assuming I have an aftermarket cooler)?
Sorry if that sounds like a dumb question, I'm new to all of this.

Not any more than any other system. Overclocking always has that risk in the background if not done right.