AMD FX 8370 on a Gigabyte 970A-UD3?

[perinajbara]

Hello guys, I've seen that Tom's Hardware is the actual authority on tech, no pun intended, and with that in mind, I would like to know whether my motherboard, Gigabyte 970A-UD3, supports the AMD FX 8370 processor? I've read that flashing your BIOS might help, though I wanted to know if that was the case with this board. If it does support the processor, then I would not have to change it.
Thanks, in advance.

 

[Andrei-Florin Gogan]

Do you have already that motherboard and plan to buy the FX 8370? If that is the case, you might need a BIOS update and you should do it before installing the new CPU. With decent cooling you can even apply some mild overclock on the chip because it has 8+2 power phase.

 

[perinajbara]

Do you have already that motherboard and plan to buy the FX 8370? If that is the case, you might need a BIOS update and you should do it before installing the new CPU. With decent cooling you can even apply some mild overclock on the chip because it has 8+2 power phase.

Yes, I already have that motherboard installed, that is the exact reason I am asking, especially since a new graphic card is due to arrive soon, Sapphire R9 380 4GB GDDR5 NITRO, this one, precisely, and I would love to upgrade from my Phenom II X4 810, as it starting to have a hard time with some (almost any), of the newer games.

 

[Andrei-Florin Gogan]

In this case, make sure your BIOS is on it's latest version and your good to go installing the FX 8350.

 

[perinajbara]

In this case, make sure your BIOS is on it's latest version and your good to go installing the FX 8350.

Thank you kindly, I will get on it as soon as possible. Would you recommend water cooling for this processor, or would a more expensive air cooler do the trick?

 

[Andrei-Florin Gogan]

Unless you are trying to push the limits of your CPU, some good air cooling will do the trick. If you want to push the CPU, liquid is ideal.

 

[perinajbara]

Unless you are trying to push the limits of your CPU, some good air cooling will do the trick. If you want to push the CPU, liquid is ideal.

I'll probably run some games at a higher quality and try to see the processor's limits with my own eyes. With that in mind, I'll probably go for liquid, though not before I see how it runs with a decent air cooler. Thanks, again, for such a swift reply.

 

[Andrei-Florin Gogan]

No worries, glad I could help.

 

[Redneck5439]

Unless you are trying to push the limits of your CPU, some good air cooling will do the trick. If you want to push the CPU, liquid is ideal.

I'll probably run some games at a higher quality and try to see the processor's limits with my own eyes. With that in mind, I'll probably go for liquid, though not before I see how it runs with a decent air cooler. Thanks, again, for such a swift reply.

Andrei-Florin Gogan gave you some great advice, I just wanted to add (as someone who has had both air and water cooling) to go for a good air cooler if your case will support it. I have a FX 8370 currently clocked at 5.05Ghz (however have had it up as high as 5.5Ghz) and have had both the H100i GTX and the NH-D15. I highly recommend the NH-D15 (what I am currently using) over water cooling. With water cooling you always have the risks that the pump may fail or you could spring a coolant leak and short out your entire system. With the NH-D15 the only thing that could possibly fail is the cooling fans, which last a very long time. If you have enough clearance (160mm) for the NH-D15 it would be your best bet, it cools just as effectively as my H100i GTX did.

 

[perinajbara]

Unless you are trying to push the limits of your CPU, some good air cooling will do the trick. If you want to push the CPU, liquid is ideal.

I'll probably run some games at a higher quality and try to see the processor's limits with my own eyes. With that in mind, I'll probably go for liquid, though not before I see how it runs with a decent air cooler. Thanks, again, for such a swift reply.

Andrei-Florin Gogan gave you some great advice, I just wanted to add (as someone who has had both air and water cooling) to go for a good air cooler if your case will support it. I have a FX 8370 currently clocked at 5.05Ghz (however have had it up as high as 5.5Ghz) and have had both the H100i GTX and the NH-D15. I highly recommend the NH-D15 (what I am currently using) over water cooling. With water cooling you always have the risks that the pump may fail or you could spring a coolant leak and short out your entire system. With the NH-D15 the only thing that could possibly fail is the cooling fans, which last a very long time. If you have enough clearance (160mm) for the NH-D15 it would be your best bet, it cools just as effectively as my H100i GTX did.

Hey, I've just looked the thing up, and it's a beast, considering the size, though it looks like it could cool the Sun. I'll take measures and see whether that very beast can fit in my case, that is, whether it can even be screwed down, as I am not sure how would I even do that, before I see the thing live. Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

 

[Redneck5439]

Unless you are trying to push the limits of your CPU, some good air cooling will do the trick. If you want to push the CPU, liquid is ideal.

I'll probably run some games at a higher quality and try to see the processor's limits with my own eyes. With that in mind, I'll probably go for liquid, though not before I see how it runs with a decent air cooler. Thanks, again, for such a swift reply.

Andrei-Florin Gogan gave you some great advice, I just wanted to add (as someone who has had both air and water cooling) to go for a good air cooler if your case will support it. I have a FX 8370 currently clocked at 5.05Ghz (however have had it up as high as 5.5Ghz) and have had both the H100i GTX and the NH-D15. I highly recommend the NH-D15 (what I am currently using) over water cooling. With water cooling you always have the risks that the pump may fail or you could spring a coolant leak and short out your entire system. With the NH-D15 the only thing that could possibly fail is the cooling fans, which last a very long time. If you have enough clearance (160mm) for the NH-D15 it would be your best bet, it cools just as effectively as my H100i GTX did.

Hey, I've just looked the thing up, and it's a beast, considering the size, though it looks like it could cool the Sun. I'll take measures and see whether that very beast can fit in my case, that is, whether it can even be screwed down, as I am not sure how would I even do that, before I see the thing live. Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

If it will fit (you need 160mm of height clearance) it is incredibly simple to install on an AMD system. The NH-D15 uses the stock back plate of your motherboard, just have to remove the plastic clamps of the stock cooler from the back plate and screw in the mounting pegs of the NH-D15 right to the stock back plate. Installing the NH-D15 was way easier than installing the H100i GTX, the total install time for me was only like 10 minutes.

 

[perinajbara]

Unless you are trying to push the limits of your CPU, some good air cooling will do the trick. If you want to push the CPU, liquid is ideal.

I'll probably run some games at a higher quality and try to see the processor's limits with my own eyes. With that in mind, I'll probably go for liquid, though not before I see how it runs with a decent air cooler. Thanks, again, for such a swift reply.

Andrei-Florin Gogan gave you some great advice, I just wanted to add (as someone who has had both air and water cooling) to go for a good air cooler if your case will support it. I have a FX 8370 currently clocked at 5.05Ghz (however have had it up as high as 5.5Ghz) and have had both the H100i GTX and the NH-D15. I highly recommend the NH-D15 (what I am currently using) over water cooling. With water cooling you always have the risks that the pump may fail or you could spring a coolant leak and short out your entire system. With the NH-D15 the only thing that could possibly fail is the cooling fans, which last a very long time. If you have enough clearance (160mm) for the NH-D15 it would be your best bet, it cools just as effectively as my H100i GTX did.

Hey, I've just looked the thing up, and it's a beast, considering the size, though it looks like it could cool the Sun. I'll take measures and see whether that very beast can fit in my case, that is, whether it can even be screwed down, as I am not sure how would I even do that, before I see the thing live. Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

If it will fit (you need 160mm of height clearance) it is incredibly simple to install on an AMD system. The NH-D15 uses the stock back plate of your motherboard, just have to remove the plastic clamps of the stock cooler from the back plate and screw in the mounting pegs of the NH-D15 right to the stock back plate. Installing the NH-D15 was way easier than installing the H100i GTX, the total install time for me was only like 10 minutes.

Yes, I've spent the night looking at how to install it, and it does seem really simple. Yes, I've noticed that about the backplate, though I'd have to remove everything and check for my RAM height, (whether it is over 32mm or not) which is going to be a fun experience, I hope. I'll probably ask you sometime in the future for a guide on overclocking, as I've seen that it is deceptively simple.

 

[Redneck5439]

A guide to get you started: http://www.overclock.net/t/1348623/amd-bulldozer-and-piledriver-overclocking-guide-asus-motherboard

Now that guide is for Asus motherboards but the settings will be the same, however may be located in different areas than with Asus bios. Another great guide to look at is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MckeAmnDeTk

-love that guy, cracks me up and in this guide he shows examples of overclocking with fsb. Overclocking with a combination of fsb and multiplier is the best way of doing it. Other than that I would suggest reading up on any FX overclocking discussion with Flanker or the Stilt. Most of what I know with overclocking I learned from reading posts from Flanker and the Stilt who are true masters. Here is a video from Flanker (also known as FlanK3rCZ):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnM07DAyqZI

Now every processor is going to overclock differently and need different voltages, and these guides were done on Asus motherboards, however it should give you a basis to get you started. I personally recommend the old tried and true starting with base Vcore, increasing the multiplier till it becomes unstable, bumping up the Vcore and taking it slowly step by step till you find your thermal limits. At that point I usually back down the multiplier by 300Mhz and overclock the last 300Mhz using the fsb instead of the multiplier and adjust RAM speed and latency, NB speed, Cpu NB voltage. When you get into overclocking we will of course be here to help if you need it.