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what CPU/Motherboard should i go with for the R9 280x

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October 5, 2013 8:51:50 AM

Hey guys,

So i have pretty much decided on getting the R9 280x. The question now is what would be the right CPU/Motherboard combination that will be the best to use with this card. This pc will be used STRICTLY for gaming with some web surfing...nothing much more than that. Of course i would like the most "bang for my buck" but not at the risk of having to upgrade in order to play future games 2-3 years down the line. Admittedly im EXTREMELY new to all of this stuff but from what i have been reading, my immediate concerns seem to be preventing bottlenecks, considering AMD 8350 vs Intel i5 4670k, choosing a pretty good motherboard for the CPU, and overclocking potential of motherboard and CPU.

Also my budget for the CPU and Motherboard would be about $200 - $300.

Thanks in advance for responses and im sorry if this post doesn't really belong here...im new :D 

More about : cpu motherboard 280x

October 5, 2013 9:09:44 AM

I would be looking at the Haswell CPU on an ASUS Z87 mATX board like THIS ONE, which I have used in a number of builds.

Great board and has a PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot. That said, I would wait to see benchmarks to see if the R9 280x actually benefits from using that slot compared to a 2.0. If not then the 8350 might be a great choice especially for BF4.

Open question awaiting more facts for me. :) 
October 5, 2013 9:33:00 AM

Hey thanks for the suggestion. So in term of the Haswell CPU (im very new and unfamiliar with alot) did you mean this one

oh ok never mind i see there are different haswells and i think i this is the one i was looking at. So would this motherboard allow me OC capabilities for this CPU?
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October 5, 2013 9:56:16 AM

Yes, you can OC with that motherboard and an unlocked (K) CPU. It is a good overclocking board that is smaller and less expensive than many of the ATX boards. In full sized ATX both ASRock and MSI make some nice boards that are worth consideration too.

IMO it's really the chipset that is on the Z87 boards that is the biggest improvement over the last (Z77) with some, PCIe 3.0 slots, and more SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 ports, although the CPUs are a bit faster with slight IPC (instructions per clock) improvement..
October 5, 2013 10:10:14 AM

ok i guess this sounds like a very viable option. I will probably wind up going with this...that is if the benchmarks indicate that the R9 280x actually benefits from the PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot on the ASUS Z87 mATX motherboard, as you brought up earlier. So what motherboard would i have to get for the 8350 if i had to go that route?

Also how would i go about learning about all of this stuff, as i would feel a lot better if i knew what to look for, the terms/jargon used to describe things, how to decipher the specs on cpu's, gpu's, etc. Basically, what are some resources to learn about all of these things? blogs, guides, forums, etc?
October 5, 2013 10:25:05 AM

With an 8350, I would go with a 990FX board like THIS ONE in that same price range.
October 5, 2013 10:41:06 AM

ok so now i have an option in either case. I guess its all a waiting game now to see how the R9 280x benchmarks look like. Thanks a lot RealBeast...you have been really helpful with your suggestions
!