AMD chipset. 990 over 970

[Snow0296]

I am going to build an AMD system very soon, I tried to post in the 'Builds and Planning' section for feedback but no reply yet as of now. I am on a budget around RM3000/$963 ( currently staying in Malaysia). Now, I'm stuck in the middle of deciding wether to save the extra RM130+($30-40) choosing a MSI 970a-G46 over MSI 99FXA-G65. I will be using an FX-8320 and most probably going to overclock. Is it worth the save and spend it in something else? or I will be fine using the 970 chipset?

[iSuzak]

I think you will be fine with the 970 chipset, i'm using one (Asus M5a97 Evo) and i overclocked my Phenom 965 BE up to 4Ghz pretty easily.

[Jay123]

I would stick with 970, I have a 965BE @ 4GHz on a 760G chipset so 970 will be fine.

[Snow0296]

It doesnt have USB 3.0 Header right?

[christoi]

In terms of the chipset itself, you should be fine with a 970 to be honest. That doesn't tell you the entire story though, the chipset has nothing to do with things like overclocking capabilities.

However, I would not recommend the G46. That board uses dpak mosfets, I've heard cases of throttling with an 8-core at stock settings. If you are going to be overclocking, I'd recommend at least a 970 UD3. The GD65 would also work fine, though you may be able to find cheaper alternatives.

[Snow0296]

In terms of the chipset itself, you should be fine with a 970 to be honest. That doesn't tell you the entire story though, the chipset has nothing to do with things like overclocking capabilities.

However, I would not recommend the G46. That board uses dpak mosfets, I've heard cases of throttling with an 8-core at stock settings. If you are going to be overclocking, I'd recommend at least a 970 UD3. The GD65 would also work fine, though you may be able to find cheaper alternatives.

The local reseller has 970-DS3, is it good? according to newegg rating its not as good. I will check with them if they have the UD3.Any thought about this one ASROCK 970DE3/U3S3?

[TechFan@ic]

The only 970 chipset that I'd personally buy is the Asus M5A97, as it's packed full of features including internal USB headers for the front panel of your case, decent build quality and power phase design which should help with overclocking.

I've witnessed people complaining about the MSI 990FX boards such as the GD65 and the GD80 due to their "nerfed" BIOS which doesn't allow enough overvolting to achieve good overclocks.

[Snow0296]

The only 970 chipset that I'd personally buy is the Asus M5A97, as it's packed full of features including internal USB headers for the front panel of your case, decent build quality and power phase design which should help with overclocking.

I've witnessed people complaining about the MSI 990FX boards such as the GD65 and the GD80 due to their "nerfed" BIOS which doesn't allow enough overvolting to achieve good overclocks.

I will consider in getting that one. How about the asrock board that I mention above?

[TechFan@ic]

The only 970 chipset that I'd personally buy is the Asus M5A97, as it's packed full of features including internal USB headers for the front panel of your case, decent build quality and power phase design which should help with overclocking.

I've witnessed people complaining about the MSI 990FX boards such as the GD65 and the GD80 due to their "nerfed" BIOS which doesn't allow enough overvolting to achieve good overclocks.

The Asrock board is good, but you might face some compatibility issues with the bios not recognizing the CPU, so if you do get the Asrock board locally, make sure that the BIOS is up to date to support the FX 8320.

[Snow0296]

The only 970 chipset that I'd personally buy is the Asus M5A97, as it's packed full of features including internal USB headers for the front panel of your case, decent build quality and power phase design which should help with overclocking.

I've witnessed people complaining about the MSI 990FX boards such as the GD65 and the GD80 due to their "nerfed" BIOS which doesn't allow enough overvolting to achieve good overclocks.

Got it. Ill just get the Asrock then. Thanks TechFan@ic :)

[TechFan@ic]

The only 970 chipset that I'd personally buy is the Asus M5A97, as it's packed full of features including internal USB headers for the front panel of your case, decent build quality and power phase design which should help with overclocking.

I've witnessed people complaining about the MSI 990FX boards such as the GD65 and the GD80 due to their "nerfed" BIOS which doesn't allow enough overvolting to achieve good overclocks.

You're quite welcome .

[Swatboss]

The Asrock is a decent board... not a fan on the lack of high-speed connectivity, but it has Solid Capacitors, a black pcb, and a good brand. Only 1 PCIe 16x, 2 USB-3.0, and 2 SATA3 ports and no USB 3.0 header. I personally purchased a 990fx board because of the extra connectivity. Purchased a Gigayte GA-990fxa-ud3 board for $110 on Amazon.com. It has 2-16x PCIe x16 slots (4 x16 slots toal), a USB3 header, and 6-SATA3 ports. Going with a 990fx board makes expandability and upgrading in the fuure easier. Getting a 970 now cuts expense, and you can always upgrade to a better board at a later time :-) Good luck with your build!

[TechFan@ic]

The Asrock is a decent board... not a fan on the lack of high-speed connectivity, but it has Solid Capacitors, a black pcb, and a good brand. Only 1 PCIe 16x, 2 USB-3.0, and 2 SATA3 ports and no USB 3.0 header. I personally purchased a 990fx board because of the extra connectivity. Purchased a Gigayte GA-990fxa-ud3 board for $110 on Amazon.com. It has 2-16x PCIe x16 slots (4 x16 slots toal), a USB3 header, and 6-SATA3 ports. Going with a 990fx board makes expandability and upgrading in the fuure easier. Getting a 970 now cuts expense, and you can always upgrade to a better board at a later time :-) Good luck with your build!

The 990fx UD3 is about 140$ on amazon & everywhere else, how did you get it for 110$ ?

[Snow0296]

The Asrock is a decent board... not a fan on the lack of high-speed connectivity, but it has Solid Capacitors, a black pcb, and a good brand. Only 1 PCIe 16x, 2 USB-3.0, and 2 SATA3 ports and no USB 3.0 header. I personally purchased a 990fx board because of the extra connectivity. Purchased a Gigayte GA-990fxa-ud3 board for $110 on Amazon.com. It has 2-16x PCIe x16 slots (4 x16 slots toal), a USB3 header, and 6-SATA3 ports. Going with a 990fx board makes expandability and upgrading in the fuure easier. Getting a 970 now cuts expense, and you can always upgrade to a better board at a later time :-) Good luck with your build!

I need to cut expenseaw much as possible but not compromise too many things. Although in this case upgradability, I planned to upgrade further in the future. Most probably too Intel, was on a tight budget so AMD for now. Thanks for your feedback though, appreciate it :)

[Swatboss]

The Asrock is a decent board... not a fan on the lack of high-speed connectivity, but it has Solid Capacitors, a black pcb, and a good brand. Only 1 PCIe 16x, 2 USB-3.0, and 2 SATA3 ports and no USB 3.0 header. I personally purchased a 990fx board because of the extra connectivity. Purchased a Gigayte GA-990fxa-ud3 board for $110 on Amazon.com. It has 2-16x PCIe x16 slots (4 x16 slots toal), a USB3 header, and 6-SATA3 ports. Going with a 990fx board makes expandability and upgrading in the fuure easier. Getting a 970 now cuts expense, and you can always upgrade to a better board at a later time :-) Good luck with your build!

If you are planning to upgrade in the future, then go with a 970 and a 4300 0r 6300 series AMD.. save the cash, and spend it on things you won't have to upgrade when switching boards... things like the RAM, GPU, PSU, Case, etc. And purchase a CPU cooler that has hardware for both sockets... It'll cost a little more now, but a year down the road you'll save a ton. You could also save a little by buying a 7770 or a 650TI GPU, and wait until the next generation rolls out before purchasing a more highend card. There are SOOO many options..... just take a look, find what you like, and go for it :-). Another option would be to go Intel ((since you want to in the future anyways) and buy a good Intel board, and a cheap CPU like an i3 or heck.. even a $75 Pentium with the same socket to hold you over for a few months while you save up for a beast like a 3770k. That would save you about $250-$300 of extra cost in the long run.. unless you plan on putting the AMD gear in another rig or selling it.

[asusfan]

990FX is what i would go for. its worth it with that CPU you have.