Motherboard questions.

Mclovinash · 20 Apr 2015 at 20:41

Hello. I am looking for a new motherboard. Requirements: AMD. AM3(+)? Socket. DDR3 Ram which supports 1600MHZ. USB 3.0 support. Preferably standard ATX size. Budget: £50-£75. I am thinking either an M5a78l-mx USB 3, or MSI 970. Also a question, if I get a new motherboard, do I have to reinstall windows completely, or what? Thank you.

stulid · 20 Apr 2015 at 20:59

Hi.

Can you list everything you have at the moment.

Mclovinash · 20 Apr 2015 at 21:03

stulid said:
Hi.

Can you list everything you have at the moment.

As in specs? These are my current specs:
Sapphire 270X graphics card
4GB Ram (looking to upgrade anyway)
II Phenom 840 x4 3.2GHZ processor (could also upgrade. Do I NEED to upgrade anyway when getting a new motherboard?)
120GB Kingston SSD
Samsung optical drive
500W Antec Power Supply
320GB Samsung Hard Drive

Motherboard: M5A78L-MX

Cheers, Ashley.

RJC · 20 Apr 2015 at 21:07

Do you have a complete budget in mind for the complete upgrade?

Mclovinash · 20 Apr 2015 at 21:09

RJC said:
Do you have a complete budget in mind for the complete upgrade?

Damn. Does this mean I do have to upgrade my CPU, Motherboard and Ram? If so, I guess It'll have to be like £250... Although I would prefer £200 if possible. Depends on the quality for the price.

RJC · 20 Apr 2015 at 21:16

Mclovinash said:
Damn. Does this mean I do have to upgrade my CPU, Motherboard and Ram? If so, I guess It'll have to be like £250... Although I would prefer £200 if possible. Depends on the quality for the price.

Don't panic just yet

, I thought your current board was DDR2 but your DDR3.

Motherboard option below for your current which you can then add more memory and a newer AMD cpu in the future:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte 990XA-UD3 AMD 990X (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £81.95
Total : £91.55 (includes shipping : £8.00).

Edit:

Cheaper Motherboards:

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI 970 Gaming AMD 970 (Socket AM3+) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £72.95
1 x Gigabyte 970A-UD3P AMD 970 (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £71.99
Total : £154.54 (includes shipping : £8.00).

Intel build below with Memory:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus H81M-K Intel Core i5 DIY Micro ATX Motherboard, CPU & RAM Bundle £222.97
Total : £232.57 (includes shipping : £8.00).

Mclovinash · 20 Apr 2015 at 21:19

RJC said:
Don't panic just yet , I thought your current board was DDR2 but your DDR3.

Motherboard option below for your current which you can then add more memory and a newer AMD cpu in the future:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte 990XA-UD3 AMD 990X (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £81.95
Total : £91.55 (includes shipping : £8.00).

Intel build below with Memory:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus H81M-K Intel Core i5 DIY Micro ATX Motherboard, CPU & RAM Bundle £222.97
Total : £232.57 (includes shipping : £8.00).

You are a star. Bit of a noob question, but the difference between intel and AMD is the processor, right? Or is there more to it. I have a quick look at reviews for that mobo, and it seems okay. Do you know if it's a sold mobo? (the bundle one). The other mobo looks nice too.

RJC · 20 Apr 2015 at 21:27

Correct, the Intel can not be overclocked but does offer performance boost over the AMD, and the motherboard is gold - I think thats what your asking

Mclovinash · 20 Apr 2015 at 21:30

RJC said:
Correct, the Intel can not be overclocked but does offer performance boost over the AMD, and the motherboard is gold - I think thats what your asking

Ah, I'm not really into overclocking anyway! The price difference is quiiiite big. Is it really worth it, or do you think sticking with AMD is fine? Oops, I meant to say solid as in a good motherboard haha! sorry.

RJC · 20 Apr 2015 at 21:36

Ha ha no worries

Sticking with your current AMD will be fine, I though I add the Intel build into the mix to give a comparison (just re-read your reply in post 3 and thought you were looking in upgrading the cpu later as well)

Mclovinash · 20 Apr 2015 at 21:38

RJC said:
Ha ha no worries

Sticking with your current AMD will be fine, I though I add the Intel build into the mix to give a comparison (just re-read your reply in post 3 and thought you were looking in upgrading the cpu later as well)

Alright sounds good I appreciate the help

Scurburg · 22 Apr 2015 at 14:53

Out of the boards recommended, I would advise to pick one of the gigabyte boards. The MSI is lacking in some areas (lacking LLC options I believe), although they may not be important if you are not OC, but MSI are not that great for AMDs unfortunately. However since you are not OCing, it is probably better to save up for an Intel setup at later date as OCing is where AMD make up some of the gap.