Do I really need a 990 motherboard if I'm not going to overclock just yet?

Taafe · Jul 28, 2014

I'm trying to cut down on as much as possible when buying my new CPU, I opted to go for an
Asus M5A99X Evo R2.0 purely because of it's reviews. Now I'm wondering if I'm not going to overclock my 8350 for at least a year or so do i really need this motherboard if I always have enough money to change it anyway?

I was thinking of going for the latter of the same series, the Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0

TheLastof Me · Jul 28, 2014

I would get a decent mobo for future upgrading. The best part of the 990fx boards is that many come with dual x16 pcie lanes for adding another GPU later. Keep in mind that when you change motherboards, you have to reinstall Windows and re-format your HDDs. You say a year, but overclocking the FX cpu's is literally super-easy.

Here is one of the more popular mobos for the FX line, especially 8 cores. GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514&cm_re=990fx_motherboards-_-13-128-514-_-Product

This board is better with the dual x16 lanes for future GPU upgrading.

TheLastof Me · Jul 28, 2014

As long as you have a decent cooler (Hyper Evo 212 anyone?), you can overclock the 8350 to 4.5GHz just by increasing its multiplier and voltage.

Taafe · Jul 28, 2014

TheLastof Me :

I have a ton of external HDD's so I don't mind re-formatting, I also have a retail windows so I'm not really bothered about re-installing.

I will never be using dual-graphics so I really don't care much about that. The problem with overclocking with me is that the risks involved (in case I screw up) are too great for me as the PC is really important to my College course.

Gorgonzer · Jul 28, 2014

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zWWsXL
If you only plan on having a single GPU, I recommend this one. All the same feature of the 990 board except the 2nd 16x pci slot. Save you 45$. If a second card is an option I would go with with the 990 version Last of me offered up!

Taafe · Jul 28, 2014

Forgot to mention I'm British

Newegg is a no go for me right now

TheLastof Me · Jul 28, 2014

What college course? Also, as long as you have good case cooling and a good aftermarket CPU cooler (like the Hyper Evo 212), then you can't "screw up" as long as you increase the multiplier and voltages in small increments (0.5 or 1ghz and .0125 voltage increase).

I had no intentions of overclocking my 8350 either. However, after building I quickly got bored and gave it a try. It was fun and there was a noticeable (but not super-large) increase in performance.

Also, one GPU will be good. However, if you go to college and get financial aid, then you will have a few hundred or thousand dollars at the start of the semester. So you could buy another one of your GPUs and max out all games throughout your college career! LOL

But I do not know your financial situation or if you will be getting fin aid or if your parents are paying out of pocket. However, that is something to consider. Further, I am speaking from personal experience as I am a college graduate.

TheLastof Me · Jul 28, 2014

Taafe :

Disregard last statement about college financial aid...I surmise that the systems are completely different between the US and UK.

Taafe · Jul 28, 2014

I highly doubt I'll ever get a second GPU unless I need to, even then I doubt i'd pair my current R9 270 with it, I'd rather sell it.

I'll have £300/m to spend on whatever I like so getting the motherboard when i need to is no problem whatsoever.

Gorgonzer · Jul 28, 2014

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/zWWsXL
Here is the uk version. Amazon is worldwide baby! ;-)

Taafe · Jul 28, 2014

Will it work with my FX 8350?

TheLastof Me · Jul 28, 2014

Taafe :

I have two 270x in CFX. Two 270s are a great Crossfire setup. You get the performance of a 290, but by spending less. It would be a waste to sell the 270 and buy, say a 280x or a 780, when you can just get another 270 and get performance that easily beats one 280x or 780. But it is your build.

Gorgonzer · Jul 28, 2014

Taafe :

Yes it will work great with the 8350. 8+2 power phase with good heatsinks for the future OC'ing.

Calnin · Jul 28, 2014

+1 to 970a UD3P, if you want the option to overclock in the future, it's still one of the cheaper boards that'll support the fx 8350 anyways.

Dark Lord of Tech · Jul 28, 2014

8+2 Power phase and a great thermal design great for now and overclocking when you want to.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $69.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 14:37 EDT-0400

Taafe · Jul 28, 2014

I guess I'm getting the Gigabyte

Dark Lord of Tech · Jul 28, 2014

Great board best 970 on the market.

TheLastof Me · Jul 28, 2014

The funny thing is that I had picked the Gigabyte 970 for my 8350 build. But as I began to think ahead in upgrading, I went with the ASRock Killer Fatal1ty 990FX because it had dual x16 pcie lanes and I already had a 270x and it was awesome! So I got the Killer Fatality mobo knowing I was going to CFX (and I am happy I did!).

It is a great board for your needs.

Do I really need a 990 motherboard if I'm not going to overclock just yet?

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