"blueswitch", I think I would consider again outloud with the keyboard exactly what you will DO or how you use your computer day in and day out. If you have run what seems a mundane HTPC now as desktop for over a year and have not done any overclocking, then perhaps you don't need such controls of the system for overclocking. I know this is OverClockersForums but there are exceptions or more economical setups around if you are not really into overclocking like some of us do. IF such is the actual situation, you might do just as well with the two items linked on the second page that are Intel.
3.2 default and Turbo to 3.4Ghz. In all likelihood it would take 4.0 or even 4.1Ghz of AMD FX power to perform pretty much the same. In day to day I doubt you would have a clue you were running a "only" as they say 3.2Ghz. And a $35.00 air cooler would likely do the job in that arean.
But if you want to really run and play and do the adjusting and back and forth, then yes the AMD setup of some sort can be more fun.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113327
AMD FX-6350 Vishera 6-Core 3.9GHz Socket AM3+ 125W Desktop Processor FD6350FRHKBOX << Default speed 3.9Ghz and 6cores within 3 modules.. <>$140.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131851
ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS << Good with FX-6350 to aprox 4.5Ghz or 4.6Ghz cpu speed.
$150.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157479
ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Killer AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Gaming Motherboard << This board does nOt have CPU_LLC setting in bios but the inbuilt non-adjustable circuitry seems to work just fine. $135.00 Might be okay as well.
When you get close in monies a few dollars more can do wonders or be just some much
fluff.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan <>$35.00 Get a second fan and make push pull thru the radiator and inside a g00d case with good air
transfer should do okay up to aprox. 4.5Gish cpu speed.
Like I said above there are at least three somewhat more heavy-duty mobos that you can get for $20 to $30 more than the high fo $140.00 shown above and those more heavy-duty boards can take the guff of running even an FX-8core cpu to over 5.0Ghz on a day in and day out situation with "really" g00d cooling.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231550
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C9D-8GAB << Bought a couple of kits of this stuff and
it works to about DDR3-2000 or a little more so you can do a mite of ram overclock play and clock also. No big/tall HeatSinks to interfere with most AirCooling setups. $85.00.
I say again; good cases with g00d air-flow are for me a must today.
It will come down to what the heck you want to do. For real.
RGone...ster.
