MSI 970 gaming vs. krait [open for other brand suggestions]

[jellybutt]

Hi again,

 

I have a relative simple question, of which I thought I had the answer to up until a few hours ago when I started doubting again.

 

TL;DR: need a new AM3+ MoBo, are these MSI boards good (enough) or should I pick another brand?

 

My current ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 with a Phenom II X4 965 likely has a dead PCIe slot (and it only has one), which leaves my R9 290 out of action. Also, the MS Display Adapter does not really work that great without a graphics chip. As much as I'd like to wait until the Kaby lake and new AMD series come out, I am afraid my temporary fix with my laptop with a 3610QM and 650M simply won't suffice for my needs.

 

I have been looking for a short-term replacement MoBo, of which I have selected these three:

• MSI 970A SLI Krait
• MSI 970 Gaming
• ASrock 970 Pro3 R2.0

Of which the Krait had my preference because of the USB 3.1 and white theme. The MSI Gaming is also preferred because of the looks (compared to the ASrock).

 

However, I have been reading about both of these motherboards and people mention that the used components in both MSI boards are not that good, especially when used for overclocking. Now, I am not really planning on overclocking for now, but when I have upgraded to either Kaby or Zen, I will start to tinker around with my current Phenom II X4 965.

 

Are these boards really as bad as some people suggest? Should I pick a different brand? If not, which would be 'better'?

 

Please note that I am able to get all three of the MoBo's for € 50,- (50% off the MSI and 33% off the ASrock), NEW.

And that I am planning to upgrade anyway to one of the newer generations, so this a 'temporary' fix.

 

Thanks in advance,

JB

 

[Stardar1]

2 minutes ago, jellybutt said:

Hi again,

 

I have a relative simple question, of which I thought I had the answer to up until a few hours ago when I started doubting again.

 

TL;DR: need a new AM3+ MoBo, are these MSI boards good (enough) or should I pick another brand?

 

My current ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 with a Phenom II X4 965 likely has a dead PCIe slot (and it only has one), which leaves my R9 290 out of action. Also, the MS Display Adapter does not really work that great without a graphics chip. As much as I'd like to wait until the Kaby lake and new AMD series come out, I am afraid my temporary fix with my laptop with a 3610QM and 650M simply won't suffice for my needs.

 

I have been looking for a short-term replacement MoBo, of which I have selected these three:

• MSI 970A SLI Krait
• MSI 970 Gaming
• ASrock 970 Pro3 R2.0

Of which the Krait had my preference because of the USB 3.1 and white theme. The MSI Gaming is also preferred because of the looks (compared to the ASrock).

 

However, I have been reading about both of these motherboards and people mention that the used components in both MSI boards are not that good, especially when used for overclocking. Now, I am not really planning on overclocking for now, but when I have upgraded to either Kaby or Zen, I will start to tinker around with my current Phenom II X4 965.

 

Are these boards really as bad as some people suggest? Should I pick a different brand? If not, which would be 'better'?

 

Please note that I am able to get all three of the MoBo's for € 50,- (50% off the MSI and 33% off the ASrock), NEW.

And that I am planning to upgrade anyway to one of the newer generations, so this a 'temporary' fix.

 

Thanks in advance,

JB

 

MSI's 970 boards are terrible, I have had the misfortune of using 3 of them, and had the VRMs literally fry. 

 

TBH, I wouldnt invest in a new AM3+ bard right now, especially with Zen around the corner. 

[Guest]

I had a MSI 970 Gaming. Was great. First one was DOA. But the second one was extremely stable for the type of OC I was pushing and the board that it was. 

 

No issues with VRMs. 

[Sintezza]

If you are looking for the best 970 chipset board out there today.

Then the Asus 970 pro gaming/Aura is where its at.

[jellybutt]

Just now, Stardar1 said:

MSI's 970 boards are terrible, I have had the misfortune of using 3 of them, and had the VRMs literally fry. 

 

TBH, I wouldnt invest in a new AM3+ bard right now, especially with Zen around the corner. 

Thanks.

 

I know, it isn't the best time to do this. But my laptop is not functioning properly as well, as I get BS all the time with anything related to performance needed from the 650M (not a driver problem). I'm willing to invest in a new MoBo for around that price. Like I mentioned, it is just so that I have a functional PC again. I do need it for my current and future graphics related study works. Plus a bit of gaming again would be nice as well...

 

So ignoring the fact that this is one of the worst times to get a new component for a 6+ year old AMD architecture, what would you suggest?

[Stardar1]

3 minutes ago, jellybutt said:

Thanks.

 

I know, it isn't the best time to do this. But my laptop is not functioning properly as well, as I get BS all the time with anything related to performance needed from the 650M (not a driver problem). I'm willing to invest in a new MoBo for around that price. Like I mentioned, it is just so that I have a functional PC again. I do need it for my current and future graphics related study works. Plus a bit of gaming again would be nice as well...

 

So ignoring the fact that this is one of the worst times to get a new component for a 6+ year old AMD architecture, what would you suggest?

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/t7hj4D/asus-motherboard-m5a97plus

[samcool55]

I have an asus motherboard (can't remember the model, a cheap one :p)for my old-ass am3 build and that is still working fine.

 

Just don't go gigabyte, they cheap out on VRM

[jellybutt]

19 minutes ago, Alexokan said:

I had a MSI 970 Gaming. Was great. First one was DOA. But the second one was extremely stable for the type of OC I was pushing and the board that it was. 

 

No issues with VRMs. 

Alright, thanks!

18 minutes ago, Sintezza said:

If you are looking for the best 970 chipset board out there today.

Then the Asus 970 pro gaming/Aura is where its at.

That does look cool, but it adds another € 25,- to the price. I am not aiming for a new, spectacular MoBo (like this one is). I would draw the line at around € 50,-, like the rest is. While looks are cool, functionality and convenience of the fact that I actually have a functioning PC come first.

15 minutes ago, Stardar1 said:

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/t7hj4D/asus-motherboard-m5a97plus

Cool, thanks. Problem is, I cannot get the PLUS one from the retailer that I have the coupon for. They only have the M5A97 R2.0, which at first glance looks like it has more features. Doesn't have the looks of the above mentioned ones (MSI, ASUS). But then again, the most important aspect is functionality, the looks would have been a great bonus. But I guess I can invest the money I saved up on a nicer, future MoBo for the next build.

 

Downside of this one is that it is not as up-to-date as the MSI ones (USB 3.1 etc.).

13 minutes ago, samcool55 said:

I have an asus motherboard (can't remember the model, a cheap one :p)for my old-ass am3 build and that is still working fine.

 

Just don't go gigabyte, they cheap out on VRM

Yeah, mine is around 6+ years old now. No idea why the PCIe slot gave out all of the sudden (if that is even the case), but it has been rock solid up until that point.

About the Gigabyte stuff: noted.