for my budget build, I am looking at two MSI boards, the A88X-G43 (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-a88xg43) and the micro ATX A88XM-E45. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-a88xme45
I know the former has a class 3 or 4 military grade rating, but aside from that and the form factor, Im not seeing a lot of features that would make a $20+ difference. Am I wrong?
Biggest diffrence between those 2 boards will be the powerphase design, the G43 ATX version has has a 8 pin cpu power connector, with a 6+2 powerphase digi vrm´sn and the E45- m-atx only has a 4 pin cpu power connector with a 4+2 powerphase and digi vrm. that are basicly the most technical diffrences. further the E45 has 2 more usb3.0 ports, But the G43 does have 3 pwm fan connectors, the E45 only 2.
Most Awesome! Thank you. I think I will go with the less expensive 4 USB 3 (I have a LOT of terabytes of karaoke and FLAC files.) recently also found out the on-board audio has a small volume bump compared to the full ATX. The G43 has S/PDIF out on it. But I have never realyl found myself using it. Thanks again for the help and help saving $20+!
yeah if you not realy into overclocking, then it does not realy matter indeed.
Is there a reason why you look for an Fm2+ build?
FM2+, from what I am reading, is where AMD is headed. Im not hard core for this particular board, but Id like to do some gaming soon. I will build up later with an MSI Hawk GTX 760, While I like higher graphics, they are not the end all-be all to my gaming. Besides, Right now, I am focusing on games like Mass Effect series and Skyrim. From what I see, an A10 6800k will be fine at 720 and maybe some 1080. I just wanted to build a computer I could do my DJing and music creation and also do some halfway decent gaming. By the time I see any games that really catch my eye, I should have a respectable card. The Richland should work fine for now. Do you happen to have a better suggestion for a mATX or ATX board that has at least 2 USB 3.0 slots AND can do some better overclocking. also, I would really like to stay sub $100 (USD) If you can point something out, I am more than happy to hear it. I am still studying motherboards and learning
The main reasons for the FM2+ build though, is cost. viability, and value FM2+ provides a lot of what i want to do (games), mixed with the power to do with what I NEED to do (work) Based against Intel boards and chips it is too costly time wise due to cost prohibitions to get what I am looking for. I could have spent less on a cheaper CPU, and put that money into a GPU, but I would then lack power to run Albeton Live, Propellerhead, sonar ,cakewalk and virtualDJ pro so, sorry for all the detail, but it comes with being a wedding DJ. If you need to know, My case is an NZXT H230, I thought it was a great pro-looking case, and would look great with a mod for a window and white cathode.
Asrock FM2A88x Extreme6+ maybe?
That board has a nice 8+2 powerphase yes ☺
i was also thinking about the Asrock Fatal1ty FM2A88X Killer, this particular board is a littlebit more expensive arround $100, but it does have an realtek alc1150 chip onboard, with an headphone amp for headphones upto 600ohms, this could maybe be interessting for his DJ needs. The 4+2 powerphase is a bit of a shame, but still you should be capable of doing some overclocking on it. cause its powered by a 2x4pin
Edit: i just saw on the Asrock site that the Extreme 6+ also does have this alc1150 audio chip with onboard amp for 600ohm headphones. So this combinated with the 8+2 powerphase would be an ideal board. for arround $95
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/FM2A88X%20Extreme6+/
Told you, I learn fast lol
Thats very good ☺
just to play devils advocate... and I have no idea the budget or form factor of case, etc...
while a 760k can certainly handle audio editing, it won't do it fast... AM3+ / FX 6300 would be a better choice if OP isn't overly concerned with future upgrade paths and case can house ATX form... it'd be about $20-40 more... certainly worth that for the boost in productivity...
You are correct, but I am looking into a rounded system for now, With the AM3+ socket, I ran into a few Price V performance issues. The FX6300 was a great choice, but left me having to buy a separate GPU, The 6300K is fast enough, even without overclocking to do what I need done AND go home and do a little gaming. While my case is a NZXT H230 and handles a Full ATX just fine, I still wanted upward mobility and overclocking. Live sound is MOSTLY the work that this machine will do, It is just the software that takes up a lot of resources. Even so, it should be fine. With editing, I have all the time in the world.
As far as games go, My immediate budget will not allow for a GPU, so my best path was an APU.Faster Ram (more important in APU's) was cheaper than a Decent GPU But I am getting one in the future, Still stuck between MSI'sHAWK N760 Or some R9 270x
well... I'm just gonna go ahead and say it... if you plan on getting a GPU anyways... soon as you do the APU becomes obsolete... so if you save a couple extra weeks and just get what you want to end up with anyways you'll end up saving $70-150 on the system, depending on the RAM you buy... but hey man... ur build... I'm big on getting what I want the first time so I don't have to incrementally upgrade...