AM3+ Board to unlock a 960T

[NTMBK]

I'm looking for an AM3+ motherboard which will unlock my Phenom II X4 960T- in more ways than one. I'm looking for something with

- a core unlocker which works with a 960T
- the ability to get at least a semidecent overclock, with voltage control
- support for at least 8GB RAM, potentially 16GB in the future
- SATA-III
- full sized ATX

My current AM2+ motherboard has none of these things! Sigh. I'd prefer it to be AM3+ simply because it gives me the potential to upgrade to an 8350 (or 8370 if that comes out) at some point in the future, if they ever become really cheap. I'm not looking to spend absolutely shedloads of money on a top end board to squeeze out the last couple of 100Mhz of overclock, but I'm not looking for a bargain basement pile of junk (that's what I already have...) So, any recommendations?

(And before anyone says it, yes, I know I could just replace the whole thing and go with an Intel setup... but I like getting the most out of hardware, and I just plain feel like doing it this way. )

 

[Icecold]

Asus M5A97 seems to fit the bill perfectly. Just don't accidentally buy the 'LE' version for a few dollars cheaper, it's missing the heatsink on the VRM's. I've got it running with 16GB of ram without issue currently(and a Phenom II X6), and I've ran 32GB in it before.

Just keep in mind unlocking cores is hit or miss(I unlocked the 4th core on an Athlon X3 no problem, but had an issue unlocking the 2nd core on a Sempron)

 

[holden j caufield]

990fxa-ud3

 

[AnonymouseUser]

I haven't tested it's ability to unlock a chip, but my M5A97 (non LE, non EVO) has my X6 1045T overclocked from 2.7GHz to 3.7GHz and very stable. It has done 3.9GHz, but it was a bit hot for regular use. This is without an unlocked multiplier, which means I am pushing a 272MHz FSB.

 

[alexruiz]

Any 970 board will do.

Personally, I recommend the Biostar TA970XE, and yes, I have used practically all the 970 boards (MSI 970A-G43/G46, Asus M5A97 & M5A97 R2.0, AsRock 970 extreme 3 & 4 and gigabyte GA-970A-UD3). There is no bad choice in 970 boards to be honest, but the TA970XE is probably the best performing of them.

If you don't need the USB 3.0 front header, the TA970X is the best fit. If you need the front USB 3.0 header, get the GA-970A-UD3.

I had 4 machines at home with the TA970XE and 960T, all unlocked.

 

[guskline]

I'm looking for an AM3+ motherboard which will unlock my Phenom II X4 960T- in more ways than one. I'm looking for something with

- a core unlocker which works with a 960T
- the ability to get at least a semidecent overclock, with voltage control
- support for at least 8GB RAM, potentially 16GB in the future
- SATA-III
- full sized ATX

My current AM2+ motherboard has none of these things! Sigh. I'd prefer it to be AM3+ simply because it gives me the potential to upgrade to an 8350 (or 8370 if that comes out) at some point in the future, if they ever become really cheap. I'm not looking to spend absolutely shedloads of money on a top end board to squeeze out the last couple of 100Mhz of overclock, but I'm not looking for a bargain basement pile of junk (that's what I already have...) So, any recommendations?

(And before anyone says it, yes, I know I could just replace the whole thing and go with an Intel setup... but I like getting the most out of hardware, and I just plain feel like doing it this way. )

I have a 3 month old Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 for sale in the for sale forum for $90 shipped. Here's the link:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2305774

 

[jaqie]

I totally love my gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3, and it can handle very serious overclocks. It can be had regularly for $135 shipped if you look.

without voltage adjustments, my phenom II zosma (thuban with two locked cores) is unlocked and running hard-clocked to 3.6ghz turbo disabled. I can get 4 very easily with this, but I prefer less heat output and 6 real cores at 3.6ghz is plenty for me for now.

I actually love it so much I bought a second one, which is incredibly rare for me.