AMD Motherboard Compatibility Help

[reddenq]

Hello, my friend is looking to upgrade his cpu, but I'm not very familiar with amd motherboard compatibility.

He owns this old motherboard: http://

What would be a good cpu that is compatible with this mobo in the 100-150$ price range?
Thanks so much!

 

[vapour]

Best is:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - FX-8370 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($55.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $195.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-30 20:08 EDT-0400

 

[vapour]

Although I highly recommend Ryzen 3 build, better performance and better upgrade path:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($107.77 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Dark Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($85.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $253.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-30 20:10 EDT-0400

 

[bignastyid]

While compatible on paper the 125w FX CPUs are problematic on motherboard like the one your friend has. VRM throttling is a common problem on such boards due to a small 4 phase VRM setup and lack of VRM cooling. I wouldn't suggest anything above 95w FX on such a board(8320e or 8370e).

What cpu does your friend have now as it may not be worth the time and money to invest in that platform.