Best mATX board for fx6300

[nick8876]

Hey guys,

I finished my build about a month ago and have been satisfied so far with the performance. I'm planning on upgrading to the FX-6300, which I have heard is marginally better than the FX-6100, which I'm currently using. The motherboard I'm currently using is the Asus M5a78-m lx plus with the AMD 760g chipset. Would this board work well with the 6300 or should I find a different one? If I do get a new motherboard it has to be mATX. I'm also currently using the gigabyte GTX 660ti.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[redheat2010]

Here is a really good µATX AM3+ motherboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Keep in mind that this only supports 8GB RAM and SATA II.

 

[radekmm]

The asrock 960gc-gs FX would be a nice mATX mobo and it souldn't really cost you that much

 

[DonQuixoteMC]

Probably the best and only mATX AM3+ board I would use: the GA-78LMT-USB3 (r4.1 or higher). Great price, better power phase design than most, heatsinked VRMs.

However, I personally would switch to Intel and a decent mATX board if you're buying a new motherboard and processor anyway. mATX AM3+ boards are notoriously unreliable, especially for overclocking. An i3 would likely deliver greater performance (beats/matches 8350 and 6350 in BF4 multiplayer, shockingly) and be a much better fit for the mATX environment.

You also would be looking at roughly the same price, plus you could upgrade the i3 to an i5/i7 and get a significant upgrade, where upgrading to the 8320 would be 1) risky using mATX AM3+ boards 2) not much of an upgrade.

I'm not trying to espouse Intel fanboyism, I just think an Intel i3 would be your best option.

If you'd be interested, let me know and I'll make an Intel CPU/Motherboard recommendation.

 

[nick8876]

I understand. I chose AMD because I was on a tight budget and intel was out of the question when I purchased my barebones. Me personally, I'm in the process of saving and if i were to switch to Intel (which I might; kinda leaning towards vishera at the moment) I would pair and i7 3770k Ivy Bridge with a Gigabyte board. But what do you recommend in terms of intel mATX boards?

 

[DonQuixoteMC]

What's your budget? Keep in mind that you don't need to save up ridiculous amounts of money to go the Intel route, in fact the 4130 is priced almost identically to the 6300. The benefit of going Intel would be the upgrade path.

Either way, what's your budget?

 

[nick8876]

Well to be honest I was going to ask for an intel CPU plus motherboard since my birthday is coming up, but if I were to buy it myself, I'd say my budget would be about 350$ for the CPU plus the board. I'm just saving money on the side for that since I'm about to go to college and need all the cash I can for books and tuition .

 

[DonQuixoteMC]

I feel you about saving money for College. I'm in the same boat!

This is the optimal combo you can get for $350:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $348.97

Now, you could save some money and possibly get a better motherboard if you went Z87, however you will not be able to use the next generation of Intel processors (Broadwell). If that's not something you plan on doing, then let me know and I'll pick out a mATX Z87 board.

That combo right there will get you one of the fastest CPUs for gaming that you can buy.

 

[nick8876]

That sounds like a good buy. Although now that devil's canyon is out I might as well go the extra mile and get the 4690k. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

 

[DonQuixoteMC]

That sounds like a good buy. Although now that devil's canyon is out I might as well go the extra mile and get the 4690k. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

I definitely agree that the 4690K is the better choice. A lot has happened since May!