Which is the best MOBO?

jmgo

Reputable
Oct 1, 2014
5
0
4,510
Hi!

I bought the following PC:
Processor : AMD FX 8320
MOBO: Motherboard Asus M5A97 R2.0
PSU: XFX Pro 750w
RAM: Gskill Ares 2x8GB
Graphic card: MSI GTX760 OC
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

I´ve realized when I got the PC that the MOBO does not support SLi, which was something that I wanted. I still have not opened it so I will be asking the store to trade it for another MOBO.

These are the MOBOs that they have in store:
MSI 990FXA-GD65 - 108 € (seems that there are some issues with FX processors)
Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 - 125€ (seems it is not designed for SLi)
Asrock Fatal1ty 990FX Killer - 130€
(there is also the sabertooth, but I was hoping to avoid it since it costs 160€)

I'm planning to overclock the CPU up around 4.2~4.5Ghz, which board do you think it is best for my case?

BTW, I noticed that the Hyper 212 EVO already comes with a thermal compound and I bought the Noctua NT-H1. Do you think I can use the stock compound and return the Noctua?
 
Solution


Yes you are correct, M5A99FX EVO R2.0 has two PCIe (x16 each) but it only runs x8 with two graphic cards. While Fatal1ty 990FX Killer's top two PCIe x16 always run x16 even with two graphic cards SLI/Xfire. . Both motherboards support PCIe 2.0 slots, running two cards on either dual x16 lanes or dual x8 will give slight difference in performance.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/308684-30-dual-nvidia-please

Although, Fatal1ty Killer's M.2 PCIe module is a plus factor.


CORRECTIONS...

Rybo

Honorable
Nov 4, 2013
421
0
10,860

I would suggest the ASrock motherboard.
Only problem is the chipsets can overheat on that board due to poor heatsinks so make sure you have good airflow.

As for the stock compound, it will work fine. I've used it a couple of times, it does the job well enough for me not want to spend 8$ until it's gone.
 

Abmario

Reputable
Oct 1, 2014
525
1
5,360
The M5A99X EVO (http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A99X_EVO/) supports SLI/Crossfire..

Here a list of other Asus motherboards that also supports SLI/Crossfire, good reviews in OCing:
The M5A99FX PRO is around $130 in newegg.

1. M5A99FX PRO R2.0 (http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A99FX_PRO_R20/)
2. SABERTOOTH 990FX (http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_990FX/)
3. CROSSHAIR V FORMULA-Z (https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/CROSSHAIR_V_FORMULAZ/)

I hope this could help you.
 

jmgo

Reputable
Oct 1, 2014
5
0
4,510
From what I've seen the M5A99FX EVO R2.0 runs at dual x8 PCI when in SLi and the Asrock Fatal1ty 990FX Killer runs in dual x16 PCI. is this very significante difference? (if I expand to a SLi config, my aim will be to use CUDA for programming)
 

Abmario

Reputable
Oct 1, 2014
525
1
5,360


Yes you are correct, M5A99FX EVO R2.0 has two PCIe (x16 each) but it only runs x8 with two graphic cards. While Fatal1ty 990FX Killer's top two PCIe x16 always run x16 even with two graphic cards SLI/Xfire. . Both motherboards support PCIe 2.0 slots, running two cards on either dual x16 lanes or dual x8 will give slight difference in performance.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/308684-30-dual-nvidia-please

Although, Fatal1ty Killer's M.2 PCIe module is a plus factor.


CORRECTIONS:
M5A99FX EVO R2.0 = 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual x16)
M5A99X EVO = 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)

 
Solution

jmgo

Reputable
Oct 1, 2014
5
0
4,510
Is the MSI 970 GAMING a good MOBO? The SLi is 8x/8x?
If it has this characterics, I guess this will be my choice since it has a better price than the other ones and fulfills my needs.

 

Abmario

Reputable
Oct 1, 2014
525
1
5,360



My apology, corrections:
M5A99FX EVO R2.0 = 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual x16)
M5A99X EVO = 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)
 

jmgo

Reputable
Oct 1, 2014
5
0
4,510
In the ASUS website it states that the MOBO only runs SLi at 8x:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A99X_EVO_R20/specifications/

Tradesman1, how do you know that it runs dual x16?
 

Abmario

Reputable
Oct 1, 2014
525
1
5,360
Sir Tradesman1 mentioned "Asus M5A99FX EVO R2.0" does run dual x16 and he is correct it does support dual x16.. But Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 support single x16 or dual x8

I personally got confused between Asus M5A99FX (with FX-suffix) and Asus M5A99X (without F), that is why I made a correction on my reply earlier.

Have another look on Asus M5A99FX EVO R2.0:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A99FX_PRO_R20/specifications/

You may use Asus product comparison for easy viewing... :)
 

jmgo

Reputable
Oct 1, 2014
5
0
4,510
Thanks for the clarification, Abmario!

So as rule of thumb, the 990X chipset supports dual x8 and the 990FX chipset supports dual x16.

What do you think about MSI 990FXA-GD65 - 108 €? At first glance, it seems as a good board to OC the FX 8320 up to 4.5 Ghz. From what I've read it has good enough quality, it supports dual x16 (FX990 chipset) and it has a good price.

 

Abmario

Reputable
Oct 1, 2014
525
1
5,360


Yeah, MSI 99FXA-GD65 supports SLI/Xfire and runs dual x16, has OC Genie for OCing. It also complete with stuffs you are looking for in a good price..