Which MOBO best for OC'ing FX8350 on Budget! I got blindsided :(

[zaneusb]

Hi, I got the FX8350 cpu as a birthday present to add to my computer I built about 5 mos ago with the fx6200. Originally I had planned to simply drop in the cpu into the existing mobo and be done with it. However, surprisingly I found out that the current mobo I am using doesn't even support the Fx6200, let alone the 8350 (i have no idea how its working) so I need to get a new motherboard so I can put in the 8350. I want to overclock it to (hopefully) 5 ghZ. I also got a h60 water cooler for my bday as well so cooling shouldn't be a problem. I want to install it today and Fry's only has these available. WHich one would be best and also least expensive option for overclocking?
Frys has these:
Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 AMD Motherboard - 179$
MSI 990FXA-GD80 V2- 149$ after mail in rebate
ASUS M5A99X EVO R2.0 - 139$
MSI 990FXA-GD80- 70$ after mail in rebate
ASUS M5A97 - 99$

My current Rig was
FX6200, EVGA GTX 660ti, 8 gb ram, 750 w psu.

Thanks so much guys!

 

[logainofhades]

I would probably go with the cheaper MSI board if willing to mess with MIR. The cheaper Asus board isn't bad either.

 

[bartholomew]

The H60 will not get you 5Ghz(24/7). You'd need at least the H100i.
The H60 would get you 4.5~4.8Ghz depending on your chip & your ambient temps.

I would recommend the M5A99X Evo R2.0, if you'd settle for a lower clock.
With the 99X +H60, I would expect you to hit 4.5~4.8Ghz.

For 70$ the MSI 990FXA-GD80 is great. But it has no LLC option. till a good overclocker.

 

[zaneusb]

I would probably go with the cheaper MSI board if willing to mess with MIR. The cheaper Asus board isn't bad either.

Are you talking about the Asus M5A97 one? Do you think I could push it 5 ghz?

 

[zaneusb]

The H60 will not get you 5Ghz(24/7). You'd need at least the H100i.
The H60 would get you 4.5~4.8Ghz depending on your chip & your ambient temps.

I would recommend the M5A99X Evo R2.0, if you'd settle for a lower clock.
With the 99X +H60, I would expect you to hit 4.5~4.8Ghz.

Oh ok so then the h60 would be perfect for the 4.8ish ghz oc on the evo r2? I would probably have to update the bios too right?

 

[bartholomew]

Oh ok so then the h60 would be perfect for the 4.8ish ghz oc on the evo r2? I would probably have to update the bios too right?

The R2.0 boards support the new FX CPUs out of the box, But updating the BIOS to the latest version is recommended.

A 4.8Ghz oc isn't guaranteed, But I believe 4.6Ghz should be easily achievable.

 

[zaneusb]

Oh ok so then the h60 would be perfect for the 4.8ish ghz oc on the evo r2? I would probably have to update the bios too right?

The R2.0 boards support the new FX CPUs out of the box, But updating the BIOS to the latest version is recommended.

A 4.8Ghz oc isn't guaranteed, But I believe 4.6Ghz should be easily achievable.

i believe the cooler is the 2nd generation h60, so maybe better cooling? Also, what do you think about the sabertooth? Am I basically limited to my OC'ing ability by the cooler? It doesnt matter if I get the sabertooth or the one you recommend correct?

 

[bartholomew]

Yes you will be limited by your cooler, especially if you have high ambient temps.
Some 8350s hit a wall after 4.6/4.7/4.8ghz, a relatively high vcore is required to oc further, hence I said 4.8 is not guaranteed.
The H60 2013 is good, you might get 4.8Ghz with it, if your chip is good & your ambient temps are low.


Sabertooth is a better overclocker than the M5a99x evo R2.0.
The 99x evo would have a hard time going past 4.8Ghz.
If you are buying sabertooth for better overclocking, then a better cooler is surely recommended.

 

[lilshawn]

I would probably go with the cheaper MSI board if willing to mess with MIR. The cheaper Asus board isn't bad either.

Are you talking about the Asus M5A97 one? Do you think I could push it 5 ghz?

the problem is the cooling pump in the h60. the h60 doesn't flow very fast. it's efficient at removing heat, but the coolant doesn't flow fast enough to keep the temps down. the coolant saturates with heat. the h60 is fine for a 4 core but the 6/8 core need more. I also used the H60 (modded with an external reservoir to double the coolant content) and found it fine with my old fx-4100, but after upgrading to the 8350 it's just too hot. the pump is slow as all hell simply does not pump fast enough is the main problem.