Decisions Decisions (AMD Mobo Help)

CodeMeRight

CodeMeRight

CodeMeRight

Associate
Joined
1 May 2011
Posts
83
Location
Blackburn, England
So, building a NZXT Build, just got my NOCTIS 450 Case & the NZXT x61 Cooler came today.

However, I just can't seem to make up my mind about which Board I'd like to use.

What I Like/Need
i7 Intel
M.2 Format for Boot Drive.
At least 2 PCIe lanes @ x16
Bells & Whistles = Looks real cool board, none of these dull boring boards.

Maybe an X99, I know some of them have M.2 format & they have many PCIe lanes x16. my last Mobo was a ROG Type.

I do like the look of the ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK S However, these type I can't find with a M.2 format on them, plus there kind of old now right.

You know the new ASUS 970 PRO GAMING/AURA board with all the Colored lights (Bells & Whistles) minus the Sabertooth plastic Shield, which i love, looks mean right lol, anyway I'm not upto date with the new boards, do they have at least 2x16 PCIe + M.2 format.

I'm still not to sure about SLI or Crossfire yet, though I do like to go SLI, cash permitting.

Please don't ask about Budget, That's not how I shop, I go with what the Board can offer & it's looks, If It's a love at first sight moment, then I go for it. I'm unable to work, so moneys tight, very tight, but please don't let that bother you. I'll go with out food for an extra week if needs be.

Anyway Lads, any advice, pointers to a great board.

Thanks Lads;)
 
Last edited:
If you are after AMD board then Z97/X99 wont be any good for you as they use intel.

Do you have a CPU already and that is why you want a suitable AMD board?
 
ASROCK have a few 990FXs that have M.2 slots.

ASROCK 990FX Extreme6
ASROCK Fatal1ty 990FX Killer
 
stulid said:
If you are after AMD board then Z97/X99 wont be any good for you as they use intel.

Do you have a CPU already and that is why you want a suitable AMD board?
Click to expand...

No, I'm thinking of going for the FX set, I would really love to go intel, However first there's the Cost right, Then less cores, So I'm leaning towards the AMD for that reason.

This time around, Not going down the overclocking road again, Done that, Came Sixth 4 years back, so I'm happy with that result and now it's Gaming hence the extra cores, as there always nice to have.
 
Gze said:
ASROCK have a few 990FXs that have M.2 slots.

ASROCK 990FX Extreme6
ASROCK Fatal1ty 990FX Killer
Click to expand...

I did look at them two boards before making this post, there ok, not so sure if there a little dull for my liking.
I guess I'm looking for something with something like the Sabertooth shielding or the New ASUS Aura (the one that lights up) though it don't have that plastic heat shield.
Though it does have the M.2 format, just not sure about the PCIe Lanes yet, as I'd like 2 lanes @x16.


Actually I just had a thought, as dangerous as that is.

AMD3+ with a M.2 and not to be so fussy over lanes @ 2 x16 just yet. My thinking is, Wouldn't an AMD that takes the FX CPU Board with DDR 4 Ram be out soon anyway ?

Or have I just made an idiot of myself and there already is one ? lol

Anyway Going to hit the Sack Lads, will return in the morning.

Thank you for the replied so far Guys.
 
Last edited:
Intels four cores usually beat out AMDs eight, they are just that much faster and do more work per clock cycle (newer vs older technology so to speak, AMD are way behind intel these days and need something new and fast).

Example - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1289?vs=1261

That is AMDs top FX CPU vs Intels last gen Devils Canyon top i5.

These two are not a world apart in terms of pricing either,

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £377.68
(includes shipping: £8.70)
​


​

Both these use DDR3

---------------------------------------------------------

Then we now have Skylake (DDR4 for the most part, there are some DDR3 boards as it has both types of memory controller) which is a bit quicker again,

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1289?vs=1544

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £388.68
(includes shipping: £8.70)
​


​

--------------------------------------------------------

These are OEM versions of the CPUs as you mention you have a NZXT cooler already (if all the mounting parts are still with it then it will fit skylake as socket 1151 is the same mounting holes as 1155/56/50).


----------------------------------------------------------

If you do want an AMD CPU and a suitable board that has m.2 and SLI support at 16x/16X,

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £135.49
(includes shipping: £10.50)
​


​

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5655#ov

2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2)
* For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16_1 slot; if you are installing two PCI Express graphics cards, it is recommended that you install them in the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots.
1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4)
* The PCIEX4 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX1_3 slot. When PCIEX1_3 is populated with a PCI Express expansion card, the PCIEX4 slot will operate at up to x2 mode.
3 x PCI Express x1 slots
(All of the PCI Express slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)
Click to expand...

This is a recently released motherboard (hard to imagine that new AM3+ boards are still being designed to be honest).


There is also a board that doesnt do SLI,

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £90.49
(includes shipping: £10.50)
​


​

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5654#sp

1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16)
* For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.
1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4)
* The PCIEX4 slot shares bandwidth with the M2F_10G connector. The PCIEX4 slot will operate at up to x2 mode when a PCIe SSD is installed in the M2F_10G connector.
2 x PCI Express x1 slots
(All of the PCI Express slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)
2 x PCI slots
Click to expand...

According to the specs both these boards m.2 run at a maximum of 20GB/S rather than 32GB/S of the new intel Z170 boards.

So still fast but not as fast as an intel board.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

As the CPU is what has the memory controller (for both intel and AMD) then you will not get a DDR4 version until AMD releases something new to try and compete with intel (and that will mean a new socket type+chipset and so a new bunch of boards that are not backwards compatible with current CPUs).

-------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to make the jump to DDR4 and intel then there is a board+RAM bundle available for a short period of time (until stocks last).

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...therboard-with-free-8gb-memory-mb-546-gi.html

In fact it does say not available anymore so I guess the offer has expired.

This board does not support SLI, review here - http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/mainboard/90929-gigabyte-z170-gaming-k3/

----------------------------------------------------------

With a board such as that you would buy a Skylake i5 (again a four core CPU) that I am willing to bet even the slowest version intel offers is a better choice than the fastest AMD FX CPU,

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £344.68
(includes shipping: £8.70)
​


​

£25 less but I reckon its as fast, runs cooler, uses less power and as it's the latest and greatest you have boards with DDR4 and m.2 32GB/S.

-----------------------------------------------------

There is a CPU+board skylake bundle,

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £319.48
(includes shipping: £10.50)
​


​

That saves some money when bought together VS separate.

This board does support SLI at 8X/8X which is only a few % slower than 16X/16X.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Skylake "K" CPUs (6600K and 6700K) do not include a heatsink as intel aim it at enthusiasts that should have/buy something superior to the intel stock heatsink as these two CPUs are aimed at overclocking as the K designates an unlocked multiplier.

All the rest of the Skylake family do include a stock intel heatsink, but again you do mention you have a NZXT cooler.

Once overclocked imagine what a difference there is between a Skylake CPU vs AMD FX considering the FX is mostly behind even at stock speeds.

I have done a review of the board included in that bundle above,

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18690667

Including how to overclock the CPU to a decent speed.


----------------------------------

If you dont want all the bells and whistles (SLI support, proper m.2 speed etc and dont mind owning Devils canyon and DDR3),

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £379.49
(includes shipping: £10.50)
​


​

As that is an i7 CPU (4cores with Hyperthreading so 8 effective cores) it will lay waste to an AMD FX totally.
 
CodeMeRight said:
That's not how I shop, I go with what the Board can offer & it's looks, If It's a love at first sight moment, then I go for it
Click to expand...
Sorry but, Lol!

Recently switched from AMD to Intel & as much as AMD is cheaper, Intel have them floored. But that's because they've not really released anything high-end in the last few years (Bulldozer micro-architecture as been out since 2011). Chipset-wise they're also lagging behind e.g. lack of native support of M.2 slot, etc

A budget is really good to have even if rough & would help see what's possible.

Not seen any mention of intended use of the system, is it gaming?
 
hp7909 said:
Sorry but, Lol!

Recently switched from AMD to Intel & as much as AMD is cheaper, Intel have them floored. But that's because they've not really released anything high-end in the last few years (Bulldozer micro-architecture as been out since 2011). Chipset-wise they're also lagging behind e.g. lack of native support of M.2 slot, etc

A budget is really good to have even if rough & would help see what's possible.

Not seen any mention of intended use of the system, is it gaming?
Click to expand...

Not to sure what your laughing at, However, No Budget ;)
Again that's not how I like to shop, I go for what the board can offer me in features and how it looks.

I'm unable to work, though I've never let that stop me from getting what I need & want, If I like the look & the features, I save up & buy it, despite the cost, within reason of course lol.

Moving forward, after reading the very well formatted post by @stulid and yourself mentioning that you also turned to intel and after seeing the price & performance of the AMD FX 9+++ with an intel, I'm now leaning towards buying an intel.


I swear down I thought I mentioned what I was using the system for this time around.
Anyway after coming Sixth in the ROG-AMD class with Oclocking about 4-5 year back, I'm not doing any more Oclocking this time and it's just gaming & streaming & HD Videos etc, this time around.

Thank you
 
stulid said:
Intels four cores usually beat out AMDs eight, they are just that much faster and do more work per clock cycle (newer vs older technology so to speak, AMD are way behind intel these days and need something new and fast).
Click to expand...

@stulid
Wow, Now that is a post I really enjoyed reading, Thank you.

Also I have to admit, I've been out of the loop for some years, but I'm saddened that AMD still haven't gotten there act together with the New technology that's out there,
also some of the i5 CPUs outperform the top FX 9 series.

So after reading & seeing all the charts you produced I'm now 90% sure I'll be going for an Intel board.

Just the last time I had intel, 6 years ago, I wasn't impressed at all, and I had trouble getting over the fact that AMD have twice as many cores & wrongly thinking there much better for gaming.

I think I'll go for an Intel board this time, I guess if I'm not happy, I can always wait to see what AMD bring later this year. I know they have plans for a new CPU AMD4 or something & they plan on never changing the socket again, but making all new later CPU's with the new socket there thinking of making.

Anyway after reading what you put & seeing an Intel CPU with only 4 cores can in deed outperform the Best FX AMD have to offer, I'll be buying an intel.

Thank you for the post man, just what I needed.;)
 
Hi

@hp7909

@stulid

Ran some numbers & I'll be able to afford £450 thereabouts just for the Motherboard & CPU, meaning I'll be able to get the i7 type & a pretty good one at that.

I'll buy the Ram 2 weeks later, as that's how I have to shop, due to income issues.

Thank you so much Lads,

you made an Intel Believer out of me :D
 
i dont think you need an i7, buy i5 6600k or i7 5820k.
dont go for an 6700k


for 99% of ppl 6600k is more than they will need for years to come
 
An i5 should be enough.

Plus just maybe intel will release another set of CPUs that are still compatible in socket1151 boards and all you need to do is update the BIOS to be ready.

So in a few years time you might fancy swapping over to a i7 and all you need to do is swap the cpu and not the whole platform.
 
stulid said:
An i5 should be enough.

Plus just maybe intel will release another set of CPUs that are still compatible in socket1151 boards and all you need to do is update the BIOS to be ready.

So in a few years time you might fancy swapping over to a i7 and all you need to do is swap the cpu and not the whole platform.
Click to expand...

Forgot to mention, this is a VR Rig I'm building, and I know some i5 cpus will be enough, however I'm somewhat surprised to see people actually saying that may be to much going for a i7 6+++/k.

The only other issue I'm reading about some z170 boards is that a lot of M.2 NVM SSDs are not booting, due to lack of NVM Support, though there is a windows update adding support, it's not always a 100% fix.


anyway Lads,
Thank you so much for all your input, and making me an intel converter. :p
 
CodeMeRight said:
Forgot to mention, this is a VR Rig I'm building, and I know some i5 cpus will be enough, however I'm somewhat surprised to see people actually saying that may be to much going for a i7 6+++/k
Click to expand...
If you look at reviews & benchmarks (see here), the i7 Skylake (6700K) performance-wise doesn't offer much more over the i5 (6600K) especially considering its £100 more expensive.

Here's a spec based on your budget:


Total: £450.96
(includes shipping: £0.00)
​


​


Gone with an ordinary SSD mainly due to cost. You can always change/upgrade to M.2 later when more funds are available.

Assume also you don't need a PSU?

& apologies for the lol earlier :)
 
hp7909 said:
If you look at reviews & benchmarks (see here), the i7 Skylake (6700K) performance-wise doesn't offer much more over the i5 (6600K) especially considering its £100 more expensive.

Here's a spec based on your budget:


Total: £450.96
(includes shipping: £0.00)
​


​


Gone with an ordinary SSD mainly due to cost. You can always change/upgrade to M.2 later when more funds are available.

Assume also you don't need a PSU?

& apologies for the lol earlier :)
Click to expand...


Hey, Thanks for the reply Pal,

No need for any apologie man,It just confused me is all.

I like that board, a lot, Though the £450 is JUST for the board & cpu alone!

Case cost me 100, that's the NZXT Noctis 450, Water cooler NZXT X61 Kraken was 99.98.

I'll be spending same on each part, apart from the PSU and 2 x GPU's, which will have to be over 100 for each & VR Compatible.

Crap, the M.2 SSD will be over that also, the Samsung pro M.2.

I guess for 450 though, I should be able to get a real good board & cpu, intel of course :).


Anyway Thanks for the list man, That board as been added to my list of which to pick.

Appreciate the time you spent researching this for me.

Thanks again.

Gary
 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom