Asus M5A88-V EVO - Help choosing suitable CPU

[dimster123]

Hello

I want to buy a new CPU for this motherboard. This mobo has 880G chipset which is old, but with BIOS updates it supports the latest 8core E cpus.

I also know that it has 8+1 power phase which is good right?

What I want is to get the maximum possible value for a gaming build. I am not an expert by no means so please correct if I am talking crap.

So after some research I see that FX 6300 is the best value cpu for gaming among the amd cpus. But to get the value from this cpu you need to overclock it right? So will this mobo be able to handle this task?

Also looking at benchmarks I see that up to AMD r9 280x there is no bottleneck for AMD cpus. Above this GPU it is a waste of money to use Amd cpus and people should go with Intel.


Also how about the new FX 8320E cpu? Are they overclocking well or it is too early to say? I suspect in the newest reviews AMD could possible gave some good cpu samples to the reviewers.

I cannot find much info from actual users regarding FX 8320E stock and overclocking performance.

-I have a Scythe Mugen 2 Rev.B cooler so I am planning to use that (still better than stock AMD cooler right?)
-Thermaltake toughpower 500W

Any information is appreciated. Thanks!

http://www.asus.com/de/Motherboards/M5A88V_EVO/HelpDesk_CPU/

 

[Wisecracker]

AMD Over-Clocking threads at Xtreme Systems
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?58-AMD

The FX-8320E as an example will run any video card you wish to pair it with. At 1080p, going beyond an R9 280X is a waste in the over-whelming majority of titles.

At resolutions above 1080p, it's pretty much all on the GPU.

 

[madmatt30]

Bang for buck (in the UK at least) the 6300 & 8320 (standard not the 'e') are the 2 to go for.
The mugen is still a top cooler even now - with your board & cooler you'll hit 4ghz+ in the blink of an eye without even trying.
I would honestly steer clear of the 8320e,some people have good results ,some don't but the older 8320 is a proven overclocker.

Decent psu too - if it's not 4 or 5 years old ,if it is old I would look at replacing dependant on what GPU you're looking at running.
The 280/280x are the best bang for buck nowdays
I'll say now that at 4ghz+ on the 6300 or the 8320 that a gtx 970 is still a viable though expensive option.

 

[boosted1g]

8320E easily is the best cpu for the money for that board.

@madmat he has to do the e series for the 8 cores as the board does not support 125w cpus.

 

[madmatt30]

8320E easily is the best cpu for the money for that board.

@madmat he has to do the e series for the 8 cores as the board does not support 125w cpus.

it does mate,Id go with the 8320 myself

 

[boosted1g]

8320E easily is the best cpu for the money for that board.

@madmat he has to do the e series for the 8 cores as the board does not support 125w cpus.

it does mate,Id go with the 8320 myself

I stand corrected, had not seen a board with less then a 970 chipset that supported the higher tdp cpus. In that case then yes the 8320 over the 8320E.

 

[Wisecracker]

The FX-8320Es were 'baked' this past Summer and are generally considered better silicon. They are not new 'steppings' compared to the original Piledrivers, but are GloFlo's second shot at the process.

 

[dimster123]

How about the fact that I want to use an FX CPU on a non 990FX (even 970) chipset?

I have posted on other forums as well and they informed me there are significant revisions made with the intro of this chipset so that they can overclock FX CPUs.

Like Bios features like DIGI+ (CPU LLC, CPU/NB LLC etc). I am confused!

They suggest to get a Phenom II which I do not really like as they are used and old.

 

[madmatt30]

An fx CPU will be fine mate ,I & many others are running them on a 760g chioset which is even older.
Anyone who recommends a phenom II is an idiot & you can tell them I said so.
You have a good board ,it will do fine - just be sure to update the bios to the latest while you have your old CPU installed

 

[dimster123]

Yeah, I mean my friends everything you write about my case is useful for me because you are more experienced. Ok so how about good balanced RAM. I do believe 8Gb are enough right? For 16Gb the price is double but I know if you are going to buy one RAM kit is better to bought at once and not later add the same extra kit (eg +8Gb).

The official site says

4 x DIMM, Max. 16GB, DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz Memory
* AMD FX Series CPU on this motherboard supports up to DDR3 1866MHz as its standard memory frequency.
* When overclocking, some AMD CPU models may not support DDR3 1600 MHz or higher frequency DIMMs

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A88V_EVO/specifications/

 

[madmatt30]

For gaming??
2x4gb is plenty
1600mhz cl9 or 1866 cl10 dependant on price - performance is near identical .
Asus is incredibly good on compatibility even on older boards.
Corsair xms3 1600
Kingston hyper x blue 1600
Gskill ripjaw red 1600

Will all work on your board no problems- the corsair is what I'd go for if available to you.
No outlandish heatsinks but just excellent quality solid stable ram

 

[madmatt30]

Out of interest ,I'm assuming you already own this board ?? What are you currently running in it cpu/gpu/ram wise?

 

[Wisecracker]

The FX-8320Es were baked this past Summer and while not a new stepping, do feature minor core revisions (C0-j to C0-k).

How about the fact that I want to use an FX CPU on a non 990FX (even 970) chipset?

No worries.
8+2 motherboards with 'digital' management are really (4+1(x2)) and add stability at higher over-clocks. They are not a 'requirement' but simply help smooth things out.

Disabling Turbo and APM (if available to you) while taking manual control of your voltages will smooth things out just dandy with an FX-8320E, which will push any modern video card just dandy.

 

[dimster123]

Lol I am a console (peasant XD) gamer. CFW PS3, Xbox 360 etc.
Since PS4 is released all games in last gen are just really bad. So I said why not PC.

I use a 5 yo pc. Don't laugh XD

-Phenom II X3 720BE with Scythe Mugen 2 Rev.B
-AsRock M3a790GxH/128m (I use the Radeon HD3300 IGPU)
-Thermaltake Toughpower 500W
-Western digital black
-Asus Chassis

Since one month I have in my hands this Asus mobo and use it with this Phenom 2 CPU. Since I can go for an FX cpu I want to give it a try.
I know Intel is better (and expensive) but I want to stick with AMD.

 

[madmatt30]

Lol I am a console (peasant XD) gamer. CFW PS3, Xbox 360 etc.
Since PS4 is released all games in last gen are just really bad. So I said why not PC.

I use a 5 yo pc. Don't laugh XD

-Phenom II X3 720BE with Scythe Mugen 2 Rev.B
-AsRock M3a790GxH/128m (I use the Radeon HD3300 IGPU)
-Thermaltake Toughpower 500W
-Western digital black
-Asus Chassis

Since one month I have in my hands this Asus mobo and use it with this Phenom 2 CPU. Since I can go for an FX cpu I want to give it a try.
I know Intel is better (and expensive) but I want to stick with AMD.

not going to laugh at you mate,I still have a x2 4000 amd setup knocking about upstairs as a backup - its not worth anything sale wise so I just kept it in case one of my other systems break down.

go for a fx6300 mate if you grabbed that asus board cheap/free - its a damn good board still ,your cooler is still one of the best around imo, & a cheap 6300 will be a massive upghrade over that old x3 youre running.Ignore the guys over at overclockers - they are talking absolute rubbish recommending a phenom x4.
gpu wise,anything from a 270x/gtx 760/280/280x & even a gtx 970 are all viable buys with a 6300 at 4ghz (& you will hit 4ghz easily trust me)
you have exactly the same mindset as me ,Ive owned every console around upto the ps3/360 (my wii U still gets some playtime) but since grabbing a cheap 280x from an ex mining build last year Ive gone full hog on pc gaming - the cheap cd key sites for steam games & sites like humblebundle make it a cheap way of building up a legitimate games colelction prety quickly.
Farcry 4 cost me 17 pounds & just bought lors of the fallen for 19 pound too,
Both 40-50 pound titles on the ps4 or xbox one.

 

[Darren Green]

I have this exact board and it has been solid.
Any of the FX will be fine except the 9xxx.
My only bit of advice is to get a 95W chip if you plan on OC'ing it hard. The 6300 will hit 4.7 or 4.8ghz if you get a good one, but you can safely run it at 4.4 - 4.5Ghz with decent airflow and a good cooler.