AMD AM3+ Motherboard Thread

[happy medium]

That's more than probably false. Even the stock CPUs over-clock depending on how many cores are being used by the way of Turbo Boost. Coincidentally, Turbo is what actually allows these chips to use higher multipliers. The unlocked CPUs just have unlocked Turbo multipliers.

Intel would need to eliminate Turbo Boost in order to eliminate over-clocking, something I think is highly unlikely to happen.

I guess that's one thing I like more about AMD with the FX CPUs: they'll all have unlocked multipliers.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2182059

"We were disappointed to learn that Intel will only offer a single base clock option for Ivy Bridge beyond the 100MHz of Sandy Bridge, name 133MHz. For those of you that hoped to be able to overclock Ivy Bridge to your heart's content, well, it ain't gonna happen. Apparently Intel is worried that Ivy Bridge will compete with its LGA-2011 platform if it was to add more base clock options and as such things aren't set to improve much over Sandy Bridge." :'(

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2182059

"We were disappointed to learn that Intel will only offer a single base clock option for Ivy Bridge beyond the 100MHz of Sandy Bridge, name 133MHz. For those of you that hoped to be able to overclock Ivy Bridge to your heart's content, well, it ain't gonna happen. Apparently Intel is worried that Ivy Bridge will compete with its LGA-2011 platform if it was to add more base clock options and as such things aren't set to improve much over Sandy Bridge." :'(

Um, perhaps I'm reading this wrong or I don't have vast knowledge of the subject, but aren't you supposed to not use BCLK over-clocking in SB? If you use it it'll cause problems with platform instability because it raises clocks for things like the PCI-E controller. For SB you use the Turbo multiplier to over-clock. Unless they remove Turbo Boost and unlocked Turbo multipliers from IB, I don't see how it's a problem. If they did, though, it's a horrible move, and one which will turn off all enthusiasts. :hmm:

 

[PingSpike]

I haven't really been keeping up. Can some one explain to me what compatibility issues AM3+ motherboards will have with future processors (like bulldozer)?

 

[chucky2]

I would hope none, as that's what the AM3+ platform is for...

 

[JimKiler]

I haven't really been keeping up. Can some one explain to me what compatibility issues AM3+ motherboards will have with future processors (like bulldozer)?

I went to the wikipedia, which is a great resource for all things PC and I found the following link

http://www.techpowerup.com/149591/A...tform-to-Fuse-Processor-with-Northbridge.html

with the following:

Korona platform, due for 2012, will consist of a new CPU architecture called "Piledriver", that succeeds the yet to be released "Bulldozer". Nothing else is known about Piledriver, except that the first high-end CPUs based on it will be codenamed "Komodo", and will pack 10 cores. Since this is a major platform layout rearrangement, Korona will introduce a new socket called FM2, it is quite logical to assume that the new socket will be incompatible with AM3+.

Bummer, why am I waiting for bulldozer, I should just buy a Phenom 2 955 today until Piledriver is released.

 

[Mem]

I went to the wikipedia, which is a great resource for all things PC and I found the following link

http://www.techpowerup.com/149591/A...tform-to-Fuse-Processor-with-Northbridge.html

with the following:



Bummer, why am I waiting for bulldozer, I should just buy a Phenom 2 955 today until Piledriver is released.

What's the betting FM2 is delayed?....honestly there is always a newer socket down the road so you end up waiting forever,just get what is available at the time.

 

[JimKiler]

What's the betting FM2 is delayed?....honestly there is always a newer socket down the road so you end up waiting forever,just get what is available at the time.

I was not thinking delayed but you know FM2 is at least a year away.

 

[PingSpike]

I would hope none, as that's what the AM3+ platform is for...

I only asked because the last time I was reading about Bulldozer it seemed to indicate that it would require a new chipset to use, although older AM3 CPUs would still work in it. Then I started seeing AM3+ motherboards using chipsets like 760G. I'm not interesting in spending 100+ for the latest chipset on the project I'm working on, but if I could get bulldozer upgrade option for not much I was interested.

 

[chucky2]

You started seeing that because mobo manufacturers decided to drain their excess chipset inventory at the expense of the unknowing public (at least that's my opinion).

For what you say though, maybe one of those boards would be perfect for you...although since they just came out, one would think they wouldn't be discounted much...

Chuck

 

[Axon]

What's going on in the mATX market for 990x or fx, if possible? I'm thinking of selling my current mITX rig and getting that sweet Silverstone TJ08-E.

 

[DeeDot78]

Just purchased Asrock 990fx board from new egg, couldn't really see any difference between it and Fatal1ty board.

 

[jhansman]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a 990FX board, not sure which between Asus, Asrock, and Gigabyte (which would be my first). The problem with these is makers assume that if you want the latest chipset, you must also want a boatload of other features, mostly aimed at gamers. I just want to be as ready as I can for BD and use my Phenom II X4 til then.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

If Korona is gonna use a completely new socket that is incompatible with AM3+ you can count me out. I'm going Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge instead.

With that move all AMD did was make it better for them in the short term by keeping compatibility with AM3 motherboards while dismissing future compatibility and therefore future buyers. And if Bulldozer doesn't have a good IPC increase, there's no reason for gamers to get it over something like a Fusion A8-3870 BE if they're building a new system.

 

[Mem]

GIGABYTE 990FXA-UD7 AMD 990FX Review@Vortez http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/gigabyte_990fxa_ud7_amd_990fx_review,1.html .

Pros
+ Great aesthetics and well-finished
+ Support for 4-way SLI/Crossfire
+ Impressive performance with AM3 CPUs
+ High quality construction

Cons
- Price
- Design compromises
- Very average feature set
- Average bundle

 

[Mem]

Another Sabertooth review here@bit-tech http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2011/08/08/asus-sabertooth-990fx-review/1 .

We were pleasantly surprised by the Sabertooth 990FX’s performance, both at its stock speeds and when overclocked. It consistently held its ground against much more expensive motherboards and put others to shame with its excellent SATA performance and nippy, easy-to-use EFI. It has an excellent PCB layout and enough ports to satisfy even the most hardware-packed systems.

 

[Mem]

wow many new arrival of motherboard come out.......but I wanna try the board that Mem mention Wow 6 slots for the memory i may right?

No AM3+ has 6 memory slots as far as I know,I think you mean 6 expansion slots for video card,sound card etc...

 

[jhansman]

Well, I ended up getting the Asrock 890FX Deluxe 5. Will use my current CPU, can take an X6 chip if I go that route, and is Bulldozer ready as well. Didn't pay the extra premium for a 990FX, which buys you a tad more overclocking and SLI, neither a factor for me. Since I decided to stick with AMD, this seemed the best bang-for-buck option. Reviews of the board are positive, on the whole. Now I just have to decide whether to go X6 now or wait to see if Zambezi materializes; my sense is to move now.

 

[drizek]

Another Sabertooth review here@bit-tech http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2011/08/08/asus-sabertooth-990fx-review/1 .

I'm so glad I bought this board now. The SATA performance on the other ones is absolutely dreadful. I would demand my money back if I bought that MSI.

 

[DeeDot78]

Finally got my Asrock 990FX board. It was really well packaged. Take some getting used to the UEFI bios, but very intuitive and has a setting for everything. Overclocked my 1090t to 4.2, my previous high was 3.9 on a Gigabyte 770 board. The chip-set fan included was a nice addition. Now just waiting for Bulldozer if it ever materializes, just hope that 8130P is competitive with 2600k, so i can be set for a while.

 

[sequoia464]

Got it mainly for it's SATA performance. I use several SSD's in my system, from the reviews it appears that the Sabertooth's SATA scores are markedly better than most other 900 and 800 series boards

 

[StrangerGuy]

I only asked because the last time I was reading about Bulldozer it seemed to indicate that it would require a new chipset to use, although older AM3 CPUs would still work in it. Then I started seeing AM3+ motherboards using chipsets like 760G. I'm not interesting in spending 100+ for the latest chipset on the project I'm working on, but if I could get bulldozer upgrade option for not much I was interested.

Those <$100 AM3+ boards only makes sense if you have a AM3 chip lying around somewhere. If you have to buy a new chip it makes little sense go AMD at all with 2500K + mobo @ ~$300 unless you are really penny-pinching.

 

[stevech]

Those <$100 AM3+ boards only makes sense if you have a AM3 chip lying around somewhere. If you have to buy a new chip it makes little sense go AMD at all ...

Thinking macro - if Intel did not have competition from AMD for CPUs, what would Intel's prices be?

 

[Mem]

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_fatal1ty_990fx_professional_review,12.htmlhttp://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_fatal1ty_990fx_professional_review.html




ASRock 990FX Professional review@Vortez.

Overall, we have a feature-rich, innovative and top performing motherboard that looks the part, but has a few niggles with overclocking and the BIOS. Should you consider it when buying into the AMD platform? Certainly. Is the competition better? Not entirely. Is this board good value for money? Definitely.

Pros
+ Great aesthetics
+ Plenty of features
+ Excellent stock performance
+ Innovation
+ Well priced

Cons
- Overclocking could be better
- BIOS niggles

 

[Mem]

Quick note on Asrock Fatality 990FX AM3+ board,I have seen this available here in the UK priced at around same price as Asrock Z68 Extreme 4 Intel board,this makes it a very good value for money,with a few BIOS updates to sort the minor issues out should be an excellent board.

I do feel once BD is released we'll probably see lot more bios updates from most of the motherboard companies.

 

[Mem]

Hothardware have their 990FX roundup including Asrock 990FX Pro board with Asus Crosshair V and Gigabyte http://hothardware.com/Reviews/AMD-990FX-Motherboard-RoundUp-Asus-ASRock-Gigabyte/ .

Performance Summary: All three of the AMD 990FX-based motherboards we tested here performed well. Although based on the same silicon as the older 890FX, all of the 990FX-based boards we tested were ever so slightly faster throughout our suite of benchmarks, perhaps due to more finely tuned BIOS / EUFI utilities, more aggressive stock clocks, product maturity, or even a combination of all three

As to the winner

Picking our favorite 990FX motherboard of the three represented here was tough, but ultimately we&#8217;ve decided to give

Read the review to find out .