Best AM3+ Motherboard

AM3+, an upgrade version of AM3 that has a total of 942 pins. In mid-2011, it was released in the market and it is compatible with piledriver architecture as well as microarchitecture. In other words, motherboards with socket AM3+ will be fit with all processors with bulldozer microarchitecture. The best feature of this is it can increase your PC performance by certain degrees and save it from getting heated. The best socket am3+ motherboard can be the reason for your processor to act like a beast and squeeze out the power for better performance.

The following processor’s FX four-thread/ six thread/ eight-thread are all going to fit with the best AM3+ motherboard. The AM3+ socket comes with other features of saving the life of your processor as well as the whole PC system.

The 5 Best AM3+ Motherboards

Model	Details	Price
ASRock 990FX Extreme9	SATA: 8 PCIe x16: 4 RAM DIMMs: 4	Check Price
ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0	SATA: 6 PCIe x16: 3 RAM DIMMs: 4	Check Price
MSI 970A-G43	SATA: 6 PCIe x16: 4 RAM DIMMs: 4	Check Price
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3	SATA: 6 PCIe x16: 4 RAM DIMMs: 4	Check Price
ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z	SATA: 6 PCIe x16: 4 RAM DIMMs: 4	Check Price

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ASRock 990FX Extreme9

What Recent Buyers Report

ASRock 990FX Extreme9 has won its users’ hearts in a jiff. It has probably got one of the highest numbers of five-star reviews. Many users stated that it has no single issue to be mentioned and they even bragged about it for being the best AMD mobo. They were satisfied with its stable performance, USB 3 count, 256GB SATA SSD, and also the visual. Though there are some things that were less than ideal, almost all of the buyers were happy with the purchase.

Our Review

ASRock 990FX Extreme9 comes with the advanced 12+2 power phase design. The first thing to notice about this motherboard is its extended heatsink and it covers the 12+2 power delivery. Most of all, it was mainly designed aiming for am3+ motherboards. Moreover, it is a user-friendly and premium mobo. The layout of the components on the motherboard is user-friendly and does not require hard work installing. This includes Gold capacitors, Hi-Density power connector, Dual-Stack MOSFET, and Digi Power VRM along with the power phase design. Furthermore, it supports 3-Way CrossFire and 3-Way SLI technology.

Who Will Use This Most

This board has been doing a great job delivering a decent power delivery which is quite good for the gamers. However, video editing and animating have greater utilization for this mobo. Especially, the photographers, as well as content creators, get the most of this one. It has an overall performance for gamers. In other words, it neither offers a bad performance nor an out-of-the-world performance in terms of gaming. It also has room for overclockers to OC it over 2450 MHz. We can say it is the best am3+ motherboard for overclocking.

Key Features & Downsides

Key Features: Extreme9 features a 12 + 2 Power Phase Design along with PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN which goes with 10/100/1000 Mb/s. It also offers 4 x DDR3 DIMM slots with 1600 MHz and 2450 (OC), 64GB max capacity of un-buffered memory. ASRock 990FX Extreme9 features PCIe 2.0 x 16- 3 of them are of x16/ x16/0 or x16 x8/x8 and 1 is of x4 mode, 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot, and 1 x PCI slot. It also includes 8 SATA3 6Gb/s, 2eSATA3 ports, 4 x Rear USB 3.1 Gen1 ports, and 2 x Front USB 3.1 Gen1 headers, and 6 x power connector (2x 4-pin and 6x 3-pin).

Downsides: The BIOS is not something to brag about and it is quite bad in terms of the other components.

Final Thoughts

ASRock 990FX Extreme9 has been a great motherboard for an am3+ motherboard. Until this time, it has got only a few critics and most of them were solved. It can be called the best board for am3+ here in this article.

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ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0

What Recent Buyers Report

ASUS Sabertooth 990FX is a TUF series motherboard and is also extremely popular at present among buyers. They mostly liked the upgraded BIOS settings along with the direct key for easy access. Moreover, almost all of them mentioned its cool-looking appearance along with small yet powerful heatsinks. The interface supplied by the UEFI BIOS is user-friendly enabling more flexible keyboard use and mouse input. Besides, the price is reasonable which they were satisfied with. Though most of them stated that they had zero issues with it, there were some random configurations that made some users reach the point of annoyance.

Our Review

Although ASUS has qualified this board as a “mid-range†motherboard, it shows and offers better performance than that. You are going to get a bunch of excellent tech features. It detects real-time temperature through the TUF thermal radar and helps remove the excessive heat. TUF CeraM!X Heatsink Coating Tech comes with a larger area and it offers the best heat dissipation. This feature conducts away from the heat easily. With ASUS’ latest hardware and software design, Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 shortens the system boot-up time which happens within a couple of seconds. This quickens the window start and offers much better efficiency.

Who Will Use This Most

The ability to withstand more heat and intensive abuse makes it a great choice for gamers. Moreover, the elements it holds are what the gamers are looking for. It provides better flexibility for the customization of your PC system. You can expect a powerful performance during your gameplay or intense work sessions.

Key Features & Downsides

Key Features: Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 offers 4 x DIMM slots with 1866MHz frequency and the maximum 32GB of memory. It features 3 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 with dual x16 or x16/x8/x8 mode, 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 with x4 mode, 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1, and 1 x PCI. ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 also includes 6 x SATA 6Gb/s, 6 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, and 12 x USB (2.0/1.1) ports. Moreover, it includes 8 +2 Digital Phase Power Design, and 6 x 4 – pin fan connectors.

Downsides: Some materials of this motherboard are of old tech. Also, its military certificates are not that much of a quality for what you are paying.

Final Thoughts

As we know, not all the things in the world are totally perfect. Like that way, this motherboard also may have some drawbacks which are natural. Nevertheless, we can hope for the best, right? On top of all, It works like a beast and offers a powerful performance.

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MSI 970A-G43

What Recent Buyers Report

Many of the buyers claim it to have an easy installation, an amazing click & user-friendly BIOS, and lastly good overclocking abilities. Also, it is of a great deal for an all-purpose computer. Hookups were also done in a jiffy. It is a decent mobo and a good value for money. Not all the purchases were satisfied obviously but most of them reviewed it as a good motherboard and worthy of purchase. Mostly SATA3, plenty of USB ports, and the BIOS have attracted them to do a purchase.

Our Review

MSI 970A-G43 has an intuitive BIOS for quick changes to important settings and Functions and it also is easy to navigate. It has a good OC ability with amazing desktop accessibility. Also, its cheap price made us look into it. It really is a great choice of price. The SATA3 works well with its 6 Gb/s delivery. Although it doesn’t have a heatsink on its MOSFET chip, you can easily overclock it by selecting OC genie mode into the BIOS. However, this overclock can be as minimal as you can imagine. It has 8-channel HD audio (Realtek ALC892) & Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek controller).

Who Will Use This Most

970A-G43 has all you need for gaming as well as PC surfing. The RAM, audio quality, power delivery are just right for decent gaming performance. And, it is also reliable during your gaming sessions.

Key Features & Downsides

Key Features: MSI 970A-G43 offers 4 x 1.5 volt DIMM DRAM slots with 1866MHz, 2133MHz(OC) frequency, and 32GB maximum memory. It has 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots, 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots, 2 x PCI slots, and 3.3V/ 5V PCI bus Interface. It also includes 6 x SATA3 6Gb/s, 2x USB 3.0 rear I/O ports, 1x USB 3.0, and 3 x fan connector. In addition, it has 6 x USB 2.0 ports & 3 x blue USB 3.0 ports. It also supports CROSSFIRE technology.

Downsides: There are especially nothings that can be sound as drawbacks. This can be most likely not ready for heavy overclocking.

Final Thoughts

MSI 970A-G43 can be considered as a budget am3+ motherboard as well as the last stop for our article. It is overall a good motherboard, though it has a little room for overclocking. However, it does not have the drawbacks or downsides to completely ignore it. It is worthy of the price you are paying.

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Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3

What Recent Buyers Report

Something worthy of note according to the buyers is decent onboard audio, digital out via Toslink, great flexibility for overclocking, excellent connectivity, and obviously the reasonable price. Another point is, many of them stated about some of the more than components, so take notes. There are a number of USB 2.0, eSATA, and Fire-wire which may be useful to you or maybe not. The capacities are of top quality and they said it is the sign of the long durability of this mobo.

Our Review

GA-990FXA-UD3 supports the new generation of AMD AM3+ multi-core processors. It supports both 32nm and 45nm AM3+ processors with the support of its Split Power Plane, and 8+2 phase VRM. And, this feature alone is enough for excellent performance and hardware scalability. It holds no major issues on boot and can support faster ram service. The 3 USB power boost helps it deliver more power and outstanding compatibility with the USB devices. The lower resistance fuses ensure reduced voltage drops as well as a stable and powerful delivery. We see many motherboards which are extremely great for specific fields or areas. But Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 is an excellent choice of a motherboard in general.

Who Will Use This Most

Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3, a great choice for overclockers as it has tremendous flexibility for OC. Those who love to do multi-tasks should know that this motherboard offers one of the best multi-tasking platforms. Moreover, the stable power delivery makes sure a stable performance for the gamers or even other work professionals.

Key Features & Downsides

Key Features: The GA-990FXA-UD3 offers 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM slots that offer 1866MHz of frequency, 2000MHz (O.C), and 32GB of maximum memory. It comes with 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16, 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x4, 2 x PCIe x1 slots, and a PCI slot. The GA-990FXA-UD3 includes 6 x SATA3 6Gb/s, 2 x eSATA3 6Gb/s, more than 14 USB 2.0/1.1 ports, and up to 4 USB 3.0/2.0 ports. Furthermore, it has a Realtek ALC889 codec and 4 fan connectors.

Downsides: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3’s software could have come with some other better options.

Final Thoughts

The Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 is another great choice of am3+ motherboard with which you won’t be disappointed. Moreover, it manages power balance & delivers well, thanks to its stable and sturdy build.

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ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z

What Recent Buyers Report

According to the users, ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z has a very easy installation and hookup. It was a great UEFI BIOS compared to old-style BIOS, is what one of the buyers said. They also strongly recommended this board for the am3+ socket. It provides a powerful performance even without tweaking the BIOS.

Note: There may be some reviews for it being trash and it obviously may be the truth. But not all motherboards can be compatible with every CPU or socket out there. That’s why research before you buy anything like what you are doing now. You won’t be in disappointed if you buy it for your am3+ socket. Rather, it is worthy of it.

Our Review

Crosshair V Formula, this thing is just great in terms of the build quality. With a solid build, great weight (which is not too light or not too heavy), it can crush possibly everything you throw at it. It itself feels premium and significant along with significant performance. It is a perfect one if you build your PC/desktop on your own. Moreover, the features it holds such as a fast boot system, windows hardware optimization, and DirectKey for easy BIOS Access provide faster optimization. And it makes the performance more stable and faster. Also, it supports both AMD CROSSFIRE and Nvidia SLI technology.

Who Will Use This Most

As we stated before it itself can do heavy work without even tweaking the BIOS, surely you can do gaming as well as content creating. We can say it is the best am3+ motherboard for gaming. It is also a great choice for workstations as well as graphics design. Moreover, the works that need better memory, good power delivery are also compatible with the mobo. In short, you can do almost every other work that needs high power efficiency along with stability.

Key Features & Downsides

Key Features: Crosshair V Formula Z comes with 4 x DIMM slots with a maximum memory of 32GB and 2400MHz (O.C) frequency. It features 3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 with dual x16 or x16/x8/x8 mode, 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 with x4 mode, and 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1. ASUS Crosshair V Formula Z offers 6 x USB 3.0 ports, 6 x SATA 6Gb/s, and 12 x USB 2.0 ports. Also, it has 8 + 2 phase power design, 2 -phase Memory power design, 5 x 4- pin fan connectors, and 3 optional fan connectors.

Downsides: The Molex supplemental power connector it holds could have been much better.

Final Thoughts

ASUS Crosshair V Formula Z is our second choice for this processor because of its stable performance, and reasonable price. Also, it offers a great approach for the money you are offering. Although we have picked our choice already, this one is also perfect and we strongly recommend it if you do not get the other one.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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