Which AMD AM3+ 970 board?

If you can stretch your budget a little further, the Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 would be worth considering due to it's better VRM setup and cooling:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128519

Out of those three definitely the AsRock 970 extreme 3. It's the only one with heatsinked vrms and the one I personally use with my FX-8120@ 4.0Ghz.

Very true. My friend has a 8150 at 4.3ghz in a AsRock 970 Extreme 3.

I have a few of the asrock 970 extreme 3's and they are nice boards.
however despite the above poster running a 8120 on one I would seriously consider reading up on vrms
simply its the voltage regulation on the board.
most boards in this price range are best suited for up ot 4 core chips.

But for stability and longevity try to find a motherboard with at least 8+2 power.
Also with the fx chips the power supply becaomes crucial.

Im in the sabertooth 990fx forum as well as a few others. I cant tell you how many times i have talked to people having random issues with boards and mad at the manufacturer when they have 4+1 or 4+2 power and they are trying to run the new chips.

From personal experience I can say that a good power supply with tight voltge regulation matched with
a motherboard with appropriate voltage regulation makes awesome combination.

On the othehand i have heard stories and seen photos of burnt boards that have taken out expensive components.
Im not one of those guys that reccomends something more expensive because everyone else does it.
instead they are based on numerous problems and a poor customer experience.
Thats why some of the above posters recconend good heatsinks on vrms and possibly going up a notch for a motherboard for this chip. They are a great board for 4 core chips. Just not the fx in my humble opinion.
Either way good luck and i hope you enjoy your system.
On a side note newegg has had some awesome sales in the last week and i was just reaing the latest... there is a antec 520 (not sure of all the specs) for about 25.00 after promo code and rebate.
Sunset1

+1

Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3
Edited by malmental - 11/12/12 at 4:55am

If your getting a Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 make sure it is revision 1.4 or 3.0. Any other revision isn't that good for overclocking.

Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 has had its VRMs heatsinked since revision 1.3 but the VRMs used on that revision will not allow you to overclock very far.

I have the GA-970A-D3 that came without heat sinked VRMs. I bought an aftermarket heat sink for them and I have been able to both push my 960t from a 3.0 to a 4.0, as well as unlock the two extra cores. I usually leave it at the 4.0 and after gaming for a few hours and then checking the temp the highest I have seen is 42*C. They idle at 29-31*C and are usually at about 35-37*C when gaming.
This is the cooler I have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835708016

All that aside, if you are looking to OC 24/7 for a few years, I wouldn't recommend any of those boards. I would suggest looking for a board that has 8+2 rather than 4+1. You will be able to OC farther and safer for an extra ~$30.