Advice for a Beginnner: MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard

[cwb50]

I have made a few posts asking for wisdom on my first gaming rig, because I am 100% new I have said I need simplified advice and just help... However they always become just a big argument. So I am changing my strategy.


Tell me what you think of this one part: MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard


If you need it for reference here is my whole build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mZKtQ7

Expectations of my rig:
1. Great for gaming at high quality
2. Online ready (wireless/ethernet)
3. Preferred to be under $800 (currently over my "budget")
4. Types of games: Minecraft, Sims 4, Elderscrolls, Valve (half-life, portal), some others.
5. Also I do lots of video editing!

PLEASE do not argue, it just makes me so confused. And PLEASE keep the language simple. Avoid abbreviating cause I never have any idea what they mean.

 

[clutchc]

That's a decent MB. Not the best for overclocking, but if most of your OC'ing is raising the clock multiplier it should be OK. I've built with several MSI boards (not that one) and never had an issue. Keep in mind that the 2nd PCIe X16 slot is only X4 lanes bandwidth and not suitable best performance in CF or SLI if you were thinking of adding a 2nd card.

 

[cwb50]

That's a decent MB. Not the best for overclocking, but if most of your OC'ing is raising the clock multiplier it should be OK. I've built with several MSI boards (not that one) and never had an issue. Keep in mind that the 2nd PCIe X16 slot is only X4 lanes bandwidth and not suitable best performance in CF or SLI if you were thinking of adding a 2nd card.

do you mind stupefying that??

 

[clutchc]

The voltage regulators that sit next to the socket on the MB have no heat sync. That is usually a sign that they will not take much increase in voltage for overclocking the processor by raising its vcore (core voltage). But your FX-6300 has an unlocked clock multiplier, so it can be overclocked quite a bit by increasing that alone. But if overclocking isn't your thing, the above doesn't matter.

For best performance with dual gfx cards, the PCI Express lanes should be no less than x8, x8. Your board has x16, x4. The x4 lanes will cause performance loss and other issues that may not make adding a 2nd card worthwhile. If you have no plans for adding a 2nd gfx card, the above doesn't matter. The single card will still function at full performance.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card ($188.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer V226HQLAbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($109.29 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.18 @ B&H)
Total: $845.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

[cwb50]

The voltage regulators that sit next to the socket on the MB have no heat sync. That is usually a sign that they will not take much increase in voltage for overclocking the processor by raising its vcore (core voltage). But your FX-6300 has an unlocked clock multiplier, so it can be overclocked quite a bit by increasing that alone. But if overclocking isn't your thing, the above doesn't matter.

For best performance with dual gfx cards, the PCI Express lanes should be no less than x8, x8. Your board has x16, x4. The x4 lanes will cause performance loss and other issues that may not make adding a 2nd card worthwhile. If you have no plans for adding a 2nd gfx card, the above doesn't matter. The single card will still function at full performance.

Wow! Thank you so much ^_^ so well said I actually am starting to understand a few things now. So if I change my MOBO, will some of my other parts become incompatible?

 

[clutchc]

The voltage regulators that sit next to the socket on the MB have no heat sync. That is usually a sign that they will not take much increase in voltage for overclocking the processor by raising its vcore (core voltage). But your FX-6300 has an unlocked clock multiplier, so it can be overclocked quite a bit by increasing that alone. But if overclocking isn't your thing, the above doesn't matter.

For best performance with dual gfx cards, the PCI Express lanes should be no less than x8, x8. Your board has x16, x4. The x4 lanes will cause performance loss and other issues that may not make adding a 2nd card worthwhile. If you have no plans for adding a 2nd gfx card, the above doesn't matter. The single card will still function at full performance.

Wow! Thank you so much ^_^ so well said I actually am starting to understand a few things now. So if I change my MOBO, will some of my other parts become incompatible?

From your original list above? No, everything will be fine as long as you get another AM3+ socket board.

 

[cwb50]

What is the difference between a MOBO whose form factor is ATX and another which is Micro ATX?

ATX: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-ga970aud3p
Micro ATX: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-ga78lmtusb3

 

[clutchc]

ATX is "full" size. mATX is shorter... fewer expansion slots. Example: http://www.buildcomputers.net/images/micro-atx-vs-atx-motherboard.jpg