Motherboards that are easy to start off on (AM3+)

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Thin_Mint

Thin_Mint

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Oct 6, 2013
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10,510
Hello!

I am new to the community and I am looking to get back into the world of gaming. I am scavenging an old computer for parts while swapping out the motherboard, CPU, GPU, and HDDs. I was originally thinking about an i5-3570k, but recently I have stumbled across an AMD FX-6120 from a friend for very cheap.

My problem is choosing a motherboard that will be easy for me to start off on. I have looked into boards around the $100 price range but I regularly see people raving over the ASUS and Gigabyte boards in the $130-$150 range. I know very little about computers now (my last PC had a core 2 duo with a GTX 7900.) I need a board that wont require me to spend countless hours wandering the BIOS and messing with settings to bring it up to par. I would like to get to that point eventually, but I don't want to jump into the deep end of the pool.

I plan on running an MSI GTX 760 TF for now, but upgrading to SLI in a year or two. I already have two 1TB HDDs and 8Gb DDR3, but will go to 16Gb if I need.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Mint

 
Solution
Tradesman1
First thing to do would be just to search for AM3+ mobos that support SLI generally the 990FX chipset mobos, might look at the Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0
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Thin_Mint

Thin_Mint

Honorable
Oct 6, 2013
13
0
10,510


I have only looked into the 990FX mobos thus far. I started off by looking into an asrock 990fx extreme3, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to put my smallest investment into my mobo. Is it worth saving the extra $50-70 for something like the PRO R2.0, extreme 9, or the FXA UD3?

Thank you for your help!
Mint

 
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Thin_Mint

Thin_Mint

Honorable
Oct 6, 2013
13
0
10,510


I do own a Turtle Beach XP500 headset. It runs off of an optical audio cable. Is there a motherboard that offers good surround sound? The headset runs off of bluetooth chat as well, could a motherboard come stock with bluetooth? What is the benefit of USB 3.0 over USB 2.0? If I run my mouse on a 3.0 will that make my gaming experience better?
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
Jun 5, 2013
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Depends on your budget, I'd start looking at that and work your way up pricewise, checking features, i.e. one of the Realtek chipsets is most common for audio, yet most of the Asus ROG mobos often have their Supreme FX audio chipset, which is musch better
 
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Thin_Mint

Thin_Mint

Honorable
Oct 6, 2013
13
0
10,510
I'd like to have a computer completely built in the next 2 weeks. My budget on a motherboard was preferably below $150, but I'm willing to wait an additional 2 weeks if another mobo gives a better "bang for the buck" than the ASUS M5A99FX PRO 2.0, Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3, or AsRock 990FX Extreme9. The majority of my research has dictated that these are the big contenders (mostly the ASUS and Gigabyte.) Could it be more efficient to buy a sound card rather than find one with a good card that has options on it that I won't use?

Thank you,
Mint
 
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Thin_Mint

Thin_Mint

Honorable
Oct 6, 2013
13
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10,510
This might seem like a weird question, but why is there so much love toward the asus m5a99fx and other boards near $140 while the 990fx extr3 has all the same physical feastures minus a few usb ports? is there something I'm missing?
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
Jun 5, 2013
67,883
40
126,960
You mentioned looking for 'easy' which I take as 'user friendly', Of the 990FX mobos I look first to Asus, then GB then the Rock......the one I mentioned first is the most user friendly one Asus has, could have been like many and told you, No, you need something with all the bells and whistles like Sabertooth, the EX9 or even the Crosshair
 
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Thin_Mint

Thin_Mint

Honorable
Oct 6, 2013
13
0
10,510
Ohhh, ok. I think I'm starting to get the idea. I appreciate your help in chosing a mobo! I will take your advice and go for the user friendly Asus. That warranty is always so appealing too. I'll be back if I have any difficulties building my new rig.

Thank you for all your help
Mint
 
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