Which one of two 990fx motherboards?

[lazyboy947]

Looking to buying a 990fx motherboard for my x6, since my current motherboard has the chance for vrm failure and a fire. Ones an open box item which im okay with, used same OB sabertooth with a 8150 for another pc that isnt mine
$131 - ASUS Sabertooth 990fx - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131736R
$150 - MSI 990 FXA GD80V2 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130649

 

[gamingboy]

The Sabertooth is an excellent board, one of the best actually.
But that particular one is an open box, so apparently it could be missing some accessories.

 

[warhead0]

They are both very similar in almost every way possible, at the end of the day it's going to come down to ascetics, which one looks better to you?

Both a very reliable brands and will do the job, I would personally go with the MSI board, just because I prefer the colours of the Black and Blue.

 

[abbadon_34]

Normally I'd choose the sabertooth, but they are on rev2.0, this appears to rev1.0. Also it is open box, which I'm ok with sometimes, but never motherboards. So I'd go with the MSI.
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My open-box mobo schpiel: Somebody buys it, and has trouble (who know what) and sends it back. Mobo issues are hard to diagnose, so the board goes up as open box. Maybe its fine, maybe its not, but you'll be just a hard pressed to figure out it as anyone else.

 

[lazyboy947]

They are both very similar in almost every way possible, at the end of the day it's going to come down to ascetics, which one looks better to you?

Both a very reliable brands and will do the job, I would personally go with the MSI board, just because I prefer the colours of the Black and Blue.

Yeah partial reason why id choose the MSI one too plus im liking the heatsinks and THX, but the sabertooth has lots of features that im familiar with, but since they r basically the same i guess it'll prob b a whats available when and for what price.

 

[gamingboy]

Normally I'd choose the sabertooth, but they are on rev2.0, this appears to rev1.0. Also it is open box, which I'm ok with sometimes, but never motherboards. So I'd go with the MSI.
----
My open-box mobo schpiel: Somebody buys it, and has trouble (who know what) and sends it back. Mobo issues are hard to diagnose, so the board goes up as open box. Maybe its fine, maybe its not, but you'll be just a hard pressed to figure out it as anyone else.

That's an excellent point on the open box. The Sabertooth is slightly better though, but now that I think about it, I'm not sure if it's worth the risk.

 

[lazyboy947]

Or could get a used ASUS Crosshair IV Formula from my friend who is going to the Crosshair V soon for $100

 

[gamingboy]

Or could get a used ASUS Crosshair IV Formula from my friend who is going to the Crosshair V soon for $100

Sounds like a good deal. Make sure that the board is in good condition though.

 

[abbadon_34]

if you trust your friend, go for it

 

[lazyboy947]

i believe he hasnt overclocked much, mainly used for the features like game first for his slower internet, so i believe its in good condition, only issue is no upgrade path as its am3. I know it can be am3+ and use bulldozer but havent seen anything past BD used on 890fx am3 motherboards

 

[abbadon_34]

just make clear what the terms are if you value the friendship, like once it's up and running is the deal done, or is there some expectation to fix/troubleshoot/refund later one if something pops up.

 

[gamingboy]

i believe he hasnt overclocked much, mainly used for the features like game first for his slower internet, so i believe its in good condition, only issue is no upgrade path as its am3. I know it can be am3+ and use bulldozer but havent seen anything past BD used on 890fx am3 motherboards

That board does have beta support for Bulldozer. But it's not that important, as Bulldozers are a bit crap, and you shouldn't waste money on them anyway.

If you are fine with your current CPU, and you won't be upgrading it in a while, then go for the Crosshair. However, you might want to reconsider getting an AM3+ board, if you'd like to upgrade your CPU in the near future.

 

[lazyboy947]

Well if i do want am3+ it'd be steamroller since yes im quite happy with my PII X6, but with the other boards its a matter of time and cost, as i only got $50 saved towards a new board and hes yet to buy the Crosshair V, but the Crosshair IV is basically the best of the AM3 motherboards and has the supreme x fi or whatever sound chipset and a great overclocker, but messes up my color scheme!! lol i got blue cooler and ram but its not an issue.

I'd be keeping my current motherboard is anything would happen, which i dont think anything will so doesnt hurt to be prepared.

Prob going with the Crosshair if he buys his new motherboard some time soon, if not then prob the MSI one

 

[gamingboy]

Well if i do want am3+ it'd be steamroller since yes im quite happy with my PII X6, but with the other boards its a matter of time and cost, as i only got $50 saved towards a new board and hes yet to buy the Crosshair V, but the Crosshair IV is basically the best of the AM3 motherboards and has the supreme x fi or whatever sound chipset and a great overclocker, but messes up my color scheme!! lol i got blue cooler and ram but its not an issue.

I'd be keeping my current motherboard is anything would happen, which i dont think anything will so doesnt hurt to be prepared.

Prob going with the Crosshair if he buys his new motherboard some time soon, if not then prob the MSI one

By the way, why do you think that your current board would go up in smoke?

 

[lazyboy947]

Reviews, mentioned some starting on fire, glowing red hot etc, but usually to vrm failures. I'm not worried about it actually happening but I also just want a new nicer motherboard lol

I ran the same setup with a cheap raidmax 500 watt psu that came with a case with the same .4Ghz OC and it had no issues so def not worried lol more to stop hearing about "oh at least my pc wont start on fire" lol

 

[gamingboy]

It has probably been with you a while, and it's still intact. So you're probably gonna be fine.

Instead of buying a new motherboard, you could invest in a new graphics card. There's no real benefit from getting a better motherboard, unless if you really need some feature that you currently don't have.

 

[lazyboy947]

Im happy with my gpu, it plays what i need when i play them. I play bf3 but not often enough to want an improvement and save and spend around $200 plus on a 7850/7870 or 660 ti

 

[gamingboy]

If you're happy with your build, then stick with it.

You can, of course, switch the motherboard if you want some peace of mind.

 

[lazyboy947]

basically it and wat ill do, a new video card is after the motherboard

 

[lazyboy947]

Best answer selected by lazyboy947.