What is a good cheap AMD mobo for overclocking?

Malek Agha · Dec 3, 2015

I plan on buying a AMD FX-8320 and overclocking it up to 4.2 ghz AT LEAST. Wha is a mobo that's $80 and below that can handle that?

Luminary · Dec 3, 2015

This would be a very good match, 8+2 power phases, should be sufficient for 8320 overclocking. Just about the best you can get before going into the 990 bracket, which begins around the $95+ range.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $62.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-03 00:31 EST-0500

Malek Agha · Dec 3, 2015

Luminary :

Thnx for the suggestion man

Would you mind taking a look at my build and telling me what you think? I don't wanna go over $800 Here it is tho: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TYtD99

Luminary · Dec 3, 2015

Very solid build.

Good CPU/ motherboard pairing. Perfectly fine PSU to power the components. Nice GPU. Two RAM modules instead of 1 big 8GB stick. Looks ready to go.

Don't forget to buy an OS for the new system, that might put you slightly over the $800 cap.

Malek Agha · Dec 3, 2015

Luminary :

Don't wry about that, I already have a copy of Windows 8.1. Also, is there something that can help me learn more about installing PSUs. I feel like I can do aything connected in building a PC EXCept for connecting cables and such. I've tried watching youtube vids but I just stil don't get it.

Luminary · Dec 3, 2015

It's very straightforward so don't fret too much about it. To give you a sense of what goes where...

Here is the landing page for your PSU: http://store.antec.com/earthwatts-green/ea-650-green.html

1) Go to the 'Technical Specs' tab and scroll about half way down, you'll see a picture of all the connectors that come with your PSU. I'll describe the connections from left to right:

- The long 1 X 20+4 pin plugs directly into your motherboard, you can't miss this connection, it's big, long, and usually spaced away from anything else on the board. This is your main motherboard power.

- You have four 6+2 PCI-E cables. These are what you plug directly into your graphics card. If the card requires a 6-pin, just push the 2-pin on the connection head aside. If the card port requires an 8-pin, be sure to plug in the extra 2-pin along side the main 6.

**Don't confuse your 6+2 PCIe cables with the 4+4 ATX/ EPS connector, sometimes people do this and damage their components!**

-You have 5 SATA power cables. These are what you plug directly into your DVD drive and Hard Drives to give them power.

-You have 3 Molex power connectors. These are older power connectors which support legacy hardware, you might need them, you might not.

-The 1 floppy pin can be ignored completely.

- The 4+4 Pin ATX/EPS pin is your dedicated CPU power. It also plugs directly into the motherboard and the connection is typically located somewhere near the CPU socket. Again, don't confuse this with the PCIe power connectors, it is not the same thing. The motherboard requires both 4-pin heads to be installed side-by-side. They are split because some lower-end motherboards only need 4.

Malek Agha · Dec 3, 2015

Luminary :

It's very straightforward so don't fret too much about it. To give you a sense of what goes where...

Here is the landing page for your PSU: http://store.antec.com/earthwatts-green/ea-650-green.html

1) Go to the 'Technical Specs' tab and scroll about half way down, you'll see a picture of all the connectors that come with your PSU. I'll describe the connections from left to right:

- The long 1 X 20+4 pin plugs directly into your motherboard, you can't miss this connection, it's big, long, and usually spaced away from anything else on the board. This is your main motherboard power.

- You have four 6+2 PCI-E cables. These are what you plug directly into your graphics card. If the card requires a 6-pin, just push the 2-pin on the connection head aside. If the card port requires an 8-pin, be sure to plug in the extra 2-pin along side the main 6.

**Don't confuse your 6+2 PCIe cables with the 4+4 ATX/ EPS connector, sometimes people do this and damage their components!**

-You have 5 SATA power cables. These are what you plug directly into your DVD drive and Hard Drives to give them power.

-You have 3 Molex power connectors. These are older power connectors which support legacy hardware, you might need them, you might not.

-The 1 floppy pin can be ignored completely.

- The 4+4 Pin ATX/EPS pin is your dedicated CPU power. It also plugs directly into the motherboard and the connection is typically located somewhere near the CPU socket. Again, don't confuse this with the PCIe power connectors, it is not the same thing. The motherboard requires both 4-pin heads to be installed side-by-side. They are split because some lower-end motherboards only need 4.

isnt there a section in the motherboard where you plug in like 5 or 4 cables? there are small cables and the section is usually on the bottom of the mobo. Is that like usb led, reset button snd stuff like that?

Luminary · Dec 3, 2015

Yes, that is for your case connections.

Your motherboard manual will have a big page to show you exactly where to plug in each one of those cables. They are typically all installed very close to each other onto exposed pins on the bottom edge of the board.

Malek Agha · Dec 3, 2015

Luminary :

Is it difficult to figure ou? Also are all case connections gona be mentioned in the manuel?

Luminary · Dec 3, 2015

Yes, the case connections will have an entire page in your motherboard manual. No, they aren't hard to figure out, I'm sure you'll be fine.

Malek Agha · Dec 3, 2015

Luminary :

Thnx for your help man, I've been rly excited about building this PC but the PSU installation part was the only thing hat gave me doubt in the success of this build. You've rly helped out. AlsoI have a question/ What would be more future proof, an i5 4460, or an FX-8320. I'm talking about sticking with one processor and not changing.

Luminary · Dec 3, 2015

Happy to help.

The i5-4460 is the superior CPU, no question about it.

Not only more future proof, but presently a better perormer as well. You would, of course, also need to get an appropriate LGA 1150 motherboard if you were thinking of getting the i5-4460, but it would certainly be a better investment. A little more expensive than the AMD build would be, but better hardware.

Malek Agha · Dec 3, 2015

Luminary :

What about the overclock on the AMD being a lot higher and the fact that more games and prorams will optimize all the cores of the 8320 later on? Also ill do a lot of editing with this build.

Luminary · Dec 3, 2015

If you are editing as well stick with the AMD, the extra cores will come in handy. You would want a Haswell i7 or Skylake i7 from intel for editing, and those are significantly more expensive.

For pure gaming the i5-4460 is quite solidly the better performer, but you will still get a perfectly good gaming experience with the 8320 at the moment.

All in all the 8320 sounds like a perfect fit for what you need in the available price range.

Malek Agha · Dec 3, 2015

Luminary :

How many years do you think the AMD will last me? When will I have to upgrade? Like 5 years?

Luminary · Dec 3, 2015

That would be mighty optimistic if you ask me, I'd say 2...pushing 3.

It's always hard to say for sure because it's impossible to know how every individual uses their hardware, but the AMD 8xxx line is already about four years old, so the newer hardware and more intensive games coming out in three years will probably be enough to want to upgrade.

Malek Agha · Dec 3, 2015

Luminary :

What about if I went with Intel?

senseijtitus · Dec 3, 2015

Malek Agha :

I would not suggest Intel processor for your needs. I would rather go with an FX8370E or FX8320E which has a TDP of 95Watts and has a lot of room for OCing. Intel processors are pretty Overpriced for a performance difference of 5-10% max over AMD.

When it comes to multi tasking, the performance difference decreases even more. With latest games & software possibly coming out with support for DX12 & windows 10 on the scene, I would suggest AMD FX Series and then go with a decent 970 or 990 chipset mobo & then use the rest of the money for a good GPU. That will do the trick for you.

If trying to OC, also go with Coolermaster Hyper 212x or evo. It performs just as much as any Water cooler.

Malek Agha · Dec 3, 2015

senseijtitus :

Malek Agha :

I would not suggest Intel processor for your needs. I would rather go with an FX8370E or FX8320E which has a TDP of 95Watts and has a lot of room for OCing. Intel processors are pretty Overpriced for a performance difference of 5-10% max over AMD.

When it comes to multi tasking, the performance difference decreases even more. With latest games & software possibly coming out with support for DX12 & windows 10 on the scene, I would suggest AMD FX Series and then go with a decent 970 or 990 chipset mobo & then use the rest of the money for a good GPU. That will do the trick for you.

If trying to OC, also go with Coolermaster Hyper 212x or evo. It performs just as much as any Water cooler.

Untill what ghz do you think the cooler can handle?

senseijtitus · Dec 3, 2015

you can get 4.5 - 4.7 GHZ with ease on that cooler. I have heard people reaching upto 5.2 Ghz with it on ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 & GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 R5 mobos.

Malek Agha · Dec 4, 2015

senseijtitus :

Are you sure a lot of people say if you're going higher than 4.5 ghz, you need a water cooler, especially with AMD.

senseijtitus · Dec 4, 2015

Malek Agha :

It will depend on the temperature of your room and how much air flow is there inside your Case. It is true Water coolers are the best option to go further up in GHZ for OC. But most of the Low-mid range affordable Water coolers are expensive. There is a thread in Overclocker.net about a guy with FX6300 on a GA 78-LMT-USB3 Rev5 Mobo getting 4.7GHZ stable.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1418383/fx-6300-ga-78lmt-usb3-rev-5-0-overclocking-so-far/20
I think that was on Hyper 212 Evo. And that mobo even though only having 4+1 power phase & old chipset, is completely capable of handling this because of high quality Heat sinks on the VRMs & a completely stable bios platform. + the FX6300, FX8320E & Fx8370E have TDP of 95Watts. GA 78-LMT-USB3 Rev5 can handle upto 125Watts. Though it is suggested not to use any 125Watt CPU on it for better stability.

The thing is, with FX6300, after the speed of 4.7 GHZ, you will need to increase the voltage. The FX Vishera series processors to which these belong to, are cool running chips even at high GHZ up to 4.7Ghz. After that, you will need to increase the Voltage and consequentially heat will increase. But still, it is reasonably handled by high performance Air coolers like Hyper 212 Evo or those from Noctua.

Malek Agha · Dec 4, 2015

senseijtitus :

Malek Agha :

It will depend on the temperature of your room and how much air flow is there inside your Case. It is true Water coolers are the best option to go further up in GHZ for OC. But most of the Low-mid range affordable Water coolers are expensive. There is a thread in Overclocker.net about a guy with FX6300 on a GA 78-LMT-USB3 Rev5 Mobo getting 4.7GHZ stable.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1418383/fx-6300-ga-78lmt-usb3-rev-5-0-overclocking-so-far/20
I think that was on Hyper 212 Evo. And that mobo even though only having 4+1 power phase & old chipset, is completely capable of handling this because of high quality Heat sinks on the VRMs & a completely stable bios platform. + the FX6300, FX8320E & Fx8370E have TDP of 95Watts. GA 78-LMT-USB3 Rev5 can handle upto 125Watts. Though it is suggested not to use any 125Watt CPU on it for better stability.

The thing is, with FX6300, after the speed of 4.7 GHZ, you will need to increase the voltage. The FX Vishera series processors to which these belong to, are cool running chips even at high GHZ up to 4.7Ghz. After that, you will need to increase the Voltage and consequentially heat will increase. But still, it is reasonably handled by high performance Air coolers like Hyper 212 Evo or those from Noctua.

Alright man thnx for the info

So I think it's safe to say that I can overclock with this motherboard and cooler as high as the CPU will allow me right?

senseijtitus · Dec 5, 2015

Malek Agha :

Exactly. Every CPU chip is different from each other when it comes to OC. The main thing is to test the limits to which your CPU can handle without loosing stability. Start from the lowest level, say like 3.3 Ghz. Then work your way up. This is just to be in the safe side. Use programs like Prime 95 to test the stability of your OC for each OC change, put the test for 1 hours. See if this is stable then move on to the next one. If you see any indication of an unstable OC with stock voltage, raise the voltage a little on NB & then try again. If that is stable, go further. Be careful not to increase the voltage too high. That may fry the chip. Stop at the moment, you get unstable behavior after raising the Voltage. Then revert back to the last stable settings. There you have the maximum stable OC for your chip.

Always be careful when you OC with any chip. Always follow guidelines set by OC tutorials for your particular model of CPU.

What is a good cheap AMD mobo for overclocking?

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