MOBO Recommendation for FX8320

[mcbgun]

Hi Guys,

I've looked on a variety of forums for information relating to this. I seem to have made the dubious choice of an Asrock 970 Extreme3 mobo which I have since discovered has a 4 + 1 power phase design which makes it pretty poor when considering overclocking. I have the following build:

CPU

AMD - FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor

Motherboard

ASRock - 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard

Memory

Corsair - Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

Storage

Samsung - 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Video Card

Sapphire - Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card

Case

NZXT - Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply

EVGA - 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
£58.95

Nothing spectacular I can appreciate but I have no issues playing games so it does me just fine. I do however wonder whether my current MOBO is holding back stock performance as I have heard some horror stories!

In terms of overclocking, I have pressed X to enable X boost but the system crashes after about 5 minutes unfortunately which is line with what people have said about the power phase and lack of stability.

I wouldn't want to spend out a huge amount on an upgrade, but I do feel replacing the MOBO will allow me to safely squeeze out a fair chunk of performance without comprising too much the longevity of my rig.

I would say budget wise something along the lines of £75 - £100 would be my limit. Obviously any cheaper boards that offer the ability to sensibly overclock without going over the top would also be welcomed.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!

Many thanks!

Marc

 

[Blaylock]

Generally speaking software overclocking like ASRock X-Boost is not a great option. Even when it does work it tends to dump voltage to the CPU to keep it stable. The best way to overclock is through the BIOS. (Though I will say things are getting better recently with the new Ryzen Master overclocking tool, but that's a different topic for a different CPU)

The most recommended overclocking board for the FX line is the ASUS 990FX Sabertooth. It's price to performance places it right where most enthusiasts are willing to go. Other options that may be available to you are the ASRock 990 FX Extreme 9, ASRock 990FX Extreme 4, Gigabyte 990FXA-UD7. Lastly I would say to stay away from pairing MSI with AMD's FX series processors. Especially the 6 & 8 core CPU's. There have been some success stories, but over all it's just a horrible marriage with nightmares on every forum I've been to.

As for your budget you'll need to shop around. Keep in mind that CPU released 5 years ago and is now considered to be outdated. I wouldn't spend too much for a replacement board just for a few hundred Mhz of performance on an already under performing CPU, but if you do you'll be fine with any of the boards I've listed above.

Best of luck

 

[mcbgun]

Generally speaking software overclocking like ASRock X-Boost is not a great option. Even when it does work it tends to dump voltage to the CPU to keep it stable. The best way to overclock is through the BIOS. (Though I will say things are getting better recently with the new Ryzen Master overclocking tool, but that's a different topic for a different CPU)

The most recommended overclocking board for the FX line is the ASUS 990FX Sabertooth. It's price to performance places it right where most enthusiasts are willing to go. Other options that may be available to you are the ASRock 990 FX Extreme 9, ASRock 990FX Extreme 4, Gigabyte 990FXA-UD7. Lastly I would say to stay away from pairing MSI with AMD's FX series processors. Especially the 6 & 8 core CPU's. There have been some success stories, but over all it's just a horrible marriage with nightmares on every forum I've been to.

As for your budget you'll need to shop around. Keep in mind that CPU released 5 years ago and is now considered to be outdated. I wouldn't spend too much for a replacement board just for a few hundred Mhz of performance on an already under performing CPU, but if you do you'll be fine with any of the boards I've listed above.

Best of luck

Thanks for your kind response and noted. The main game I play is Football Manager which is very CPU and RAM intensive. I bought a fair few parts second hand and saved a fortune on my initial build. Funnily enough my research has thrown up the Sabertooth as an option. I'm currently watching a few on ebay etc.

I appreciate this is very much a how long is a piece of string question but if I were to go with the Sabertooth....roughly how much of a performance gain would I get by doing a sensible overclock in your opinion? I don't want to overdo it but if there is a good performance gain to be had then I would definitely consider purchasing the Sabertooth!

Many thanks,

Marc

 

[Mandrake4565]

Sabertooth is a great board just not the REV 3 IIRC. Though, I did not see what you're cooling the processor with. You will need to address cooling options if you haven't already.

 

[Blaylock]

Just be sure you are not buying the Gen3 (a,k.a. R3.0) variant. They were only made for a few months and most have been pulled recalled but when dealing with eBay you just never really know what you're getting until it's in front of you. There was a ton of issues with sound and bios flashing IIRC. The R2.0 Non-Gen 3 is the one to get.

As far as how far you can push has a lot of factors involved. First and for most is the silicon lottery. Some CPU just overclock better than others and some are dogs. There's no getting around that. The earlier series chips were binned a little looser and we were seeing better OC potential. As AMD refined this processor though the binning became tighter and there was less headroom. Still a great OCing CPU though. Second, is cooling. You must have a decent to great cooler to get a good OC. I notice you did not list an aftermarket cooler. Without one you will get very little overclocking. Even a budget cooler like the Cooler Master 212 EVO will give a decent overclock.

 

[mcbgun]

Just be sure you are not buying the Gen3 (a,k.a. R3.0) variant. They were only made for a few months and most have been pulled recalled but when dealing with eBay you just never really know what you're getting until it's in front of you. There was a ton of issues with sound and bios flashing IIRC. The R2.0 Non-Gen 3 is the one to get.

As far as how far you can push has a lot of factors involved. First and for most is the silicon lottery. Some CPU just overclock better than others and some are dogs. There's no getting around that. The earlier series chips were binned a little looser and we were seeing better OC potential. As AMD refined this processor though the binning became tighter and there was less headroom. Still a great OCing CPU though. Second, is cooling. You must have a decent to great cooler to get a good OC. I notice you did not list an aftermarket cooler. Without one you will get very little overclocking. Even a budget cooler like the Cooler Master 212 EVO will give a decent overclock.

Many thanks again for the reply and again all is noted. Completely forgot to add that I do have exactly that....A Cooler Master 212 EVO currently. The case I have is also pretty good in terms of fans....it's got a 120mm fan directly above the Coolermaster and one sucking the hot air out at the back in line with the coolermaster as well as a fan sucking air in at the front of the case.....obviously you are the experts so you may even think I need to add a couple more fans which the case allows me to do.

I am very tempted to buy a second hand sabertooth board especially at a decent price.

Again, any more thoughts and advice welcomed!

Marc

 

[Blaylock]

The best way I've learned to tell if you need additional fans in a case is to game for a few hours while monitoring the temp. Then take the side panel off and continue gaming for a few hours. If the temps drop (more than 1-2c) with the side off, you need more fans and/or better cable management.


Oh, and to the forums!

 

[Mag10]

For what its worth, i have been using my motherboard(in signature) paired with my 8320, and have had good results with it thus far going on 4 years now and no major issues as of yet.

 

[Mr.Scott]

8320/Sabertooth owner here. 5 gig 24/7 on good water. On your 212, probably 4.6-4.8
Great board.

There is nothing wrong with a 970 Aura either if you can get it cheaper than the Sabertooth.