New motherboard for FX-8120?

Uzair007 · May 7, 2013

I have paired my FX 8120 with Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P. Recently I read that the motherboard supports processors only upto 95W, but my FX has a max TDP of 125W according to cpu-z. Its been a year now since my purchase and everything is running fine.

But today when I removed the motherboard for cleaning I saw burn marks on the left side of the cpu socket. Link to image http://postimg.org/image/p0u7lagyx/

Now I am worried about this. My PC is still running but I am concerned whether to get a new motherboard or not? Will this damage other components of my PC?

Previously I posted a thread about high temperatures of my processor around 80C under load but it was not solved. I think this was the reason behind it.

Please give some suggestions for a new 125W motherboard. A cheap one because I am currently saving for a graphics card. I am interested in Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3. Will this be fine?

PC specs:
AMD FX-8120
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-78LMT-S2P (Socket M2)
1024MB GeForce 210 (XFX Pine Group)
Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64-bit
4.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 669MHz (9-9-9-24)
Cooler Master extreme power plus 550W

ingtar33 · May 7, 2013

yeah... those are your mosfets... they don't have a heatsink on them on that motherboard, and you're pushing way too much juice through them. So they're likely on the edge of burning out.

Of course i think i recall your temp issues (i might be mistaken but this was sorta recently wasn't it?), and i seem to recall advising you to get a new cpu cooler, as the stock one is insufficient for cooling that cpu. Getting a new mb then burning up your cpu would be unwise (which is what might happen when the mosfets actually blow)

ok... now that i'm done with the lecture on protecting your investment properly, here is a mb and cpu cooler which can handle your cpu.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $123.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-07 04:44 EDT-0400)

Uzair007 · May 7, 2013

ingtar33 :

yeah... those are your mosfets... they don't have a heatsink on them on that motherboard, and you're pushing way too much juice through them. So they're likely on the edge of burning out.

Of course i think i recall your temp issues (i might be mistaken but this was sorta recently wasn't it?), and i seem to recall advising you to get a new cpu cooler, as the stock one is insufficient for cooling that cpu. Getting a new mb then burning up your cpu would be unwise (which is what might happen when the mosfets actually blow)

ok... now that i'm done with the lecture on protecting your investment properly, here is a mb and cpu cooler which can handle your cpu.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $123.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-07 04:44 EDT-0400)

Do I really need a cooler, because I am not overclocking. Also the motherboard is a bit expensive and has extra features which I will never use such as Quad-GPU CrossFireX Support

avjguy2362 · May 7, 2013

I'd really like you to spend just a little more, the Asus M5A97 R2.0 is $99. The MB is too important to skimp and you already have a discrete GPU. The M5A97 is a slightly lower performance version of the much more expensive M5A99X and Sabertooth. The reason I am recommending this board is I just looked at it on NewEgg and I see that it has the same two features I like most about my M5A99x: the EPU and TPU swithes. At first I used the TPU switch and overclocked my 8350 and it was easy and there were many features to further overclock it, but it was really the EPU switch that I decided to experiment which really impressed me. It is supposed to lower voltages and speeds throughout the system to conserve electricity and keep the system running cooler. After switching it on and then going into Asus's AI suite I made some further simple icon based adjustments and I got it to behave like "Cool n Quiet" on steroids. The first thing you will notice is much better utilization of all four CPU speeds available: ( for my 8350 ) 1.4, 2.8, 3.6 and 4.1. It would be the same for your 8120, just slightly lower. The vcore varies between .852 and 1.34. But the impressive part is that without being any slower than stock, due to instant full speed whenever necessary, on average my CPU runs 6C cooler than the stock mode. The only real limitation is only one 16X PCIe slot, but if your not running two high end GPU's it's not relevant. My M5A99x is an older model year, but I could not be happier for my needs. I like Gigabyte, very high quality, my last computer had a Gigabyte MB and it worked great, no problems, but the feature set and BIOS on Asus's boards are hard to beat.
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A97_LE_R20/#gallery ( oops, i had the wrong version on here at first! )

Uzair007 · May 7, 2013

avjguy2362 :

I'd really like you to spend just a little more, the Asus M5A97 R2.0 is $99. The MB is too important to skimp and you already have a discrete GPU. The M5A97 is a slightly lower performance version of the much more expensive M5A99X and Sabertooth. The reason I am recommending this board is I just looked at it on NewEgg and I see that it has the same two features I like most about my M5A99x: the EPU and TPU swithes. At first I used the TPU switch and overclocked my 8350 and it was easy and there were many features to further overclock it, but it was really the EPU switch that I decided to experiment which really impressed me. It is supposed to lower voltages and speeds throughout the system to conserve electricity and keep the system running cooler. After switching it on and then going into Asus's AI suite I made some further simple icon based adjustments and I got it to behave like "Cool n Quiet" on steroids. The first thing you will notice is much better utilization of all four CPU speeds available: ( for my 8350 ) 1.4, 2.8, 3.6 and 4.1. It would be the same for your 8120, just slightly lower. The vcore varies between .852 and 1.34. But the impressive part is that without being any slower than stock, due to instant full speed whenever necessary, on average my CPU runs 6C cooler than the stock mode. The only real limitation is only one 16X PCIe slot, but if your not running two high end GPU's it's not relevant. My M5A99x is an older model year, but I could not be happier for my needs. I like Gigabyte, very high quality, my last computer had a Gigabyte MB and it worked great, no problems, but the feature set and BIOS on Asus's boards are hard to beat.
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A97_LE_R20/#gallery ( oops, i had the wrong version on here at first! )

I am on a very tight budget as I am saving for a gtx 660. Please suggest motherboards under $50 like the Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3.

ingtar33 · May 7, 2013

Uzair007 :

i'm not gonna suggest it only because i don't think it's robust enough. a 4+1 phase system... no. I won't advise it.

It does have heatsinks on the mosfets, but there is no difference from those mosfets which you nearly blew up on your mb, and the ones on this one. I know with the proper bios update you can use your cpu on it, but i think this is a case where can and should intersect.

do what you wish. you want to run around with the stock heatsink on your cpu, with your cpu burning itself up at 80C, when everyone tells you it's not good enough. go ahead. just don't be surprised when you blow up your cpu. if you want to use a dirt cheap mb 2 years older then your cpu, go ahead.

I'm not sure why you're even asking our opinion.

you're gonna spend $300 on a gpu when you could spend $200 on an HD 7870 and get the same performance, you're gonna spend $40 on a mb which is technically only slightly better then the one you're using now, which is not good enough. and you're gonna skimp on your cpu cooler because you know better then us anyway.

have fun, i wish you the best. good luck.

Uzair007 · May 12, 2013

ingtar33 :

I didn't mean that I know better than you. I was just curious whether the gigabyte motherboard will be enough for me. But after searching on the internet for power phases I found out that an eight core processor needs at least a 6+2 power phase motherboard even for smooth stock operations.

Thanks for your suggestion of the ASUS M5A97 R2.0. Its a very good motherboard with features similar to that of Sabertooth and 99X but it has a 4+2 phase power. Will it be enough or should I go for ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0 which has a 6+2+2 phase power? Note that both are of the same price in my country.

Anyway whereas for the graphics card I think I should wait for the next GTX 700 and the Radeon HD 8000 and 9000 series.

ingtar33 · May 12, 2013

4+2 is enough to easily and smoothly overclock a 95W tpd cpu. and it should be robust enough to run a 125W cpu smoothly... though you might struggle at higher overclocks... the real issue with 4+2 is the heatsinks on the board and case airflow. with the right mosfet heatsinks, and case airflow, a 4+2 board can overclock a 125Wtdp chip pretty well. That mb has a good mosfet heatsink and some awsome bios overclocking utilities.

you should get a solid overclock out of your fx8xxx series cpu. The only reason i suggested that motherboard, besides its reputation as a good mb for overclocking, is because its cheap and you seem to be aiming for cheaper stuff.

not the best oc board you can get, but much better then what you have or are looking at. and far cheaper then pretty much any board you can find with a 8+2 mosfet phase power design.

Uzair007 · May 13, 2013

ingtar33 :

Which one will be better then ASUS M5A97 R2.0 which has 4+2 phase power design or the ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0 which has 6+2+2 phase power design. Both are of the same price in my country.

ingtar33 · May 13, 2013

Uzair007 :

the Evo would be better. the evo's design means it's got 6 mosfets for the cpu (2 more then the base r2.0), 2 mosfets for the ram (1 more) and 2 for the northbridge/hypertransport (1 more)... this should give you more stable voltages, and allow higher voltages for your overclocks and as a result allow you to push the cpu higher and farther.

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