I'm planning to upgrade my aging PC (an old AMD dual-core) sometime in the next couple of weeks. Currently I am leaning towards an AMD FX-8350 CPU paired with an Asus motherboard. Though raw performance isn't as high as the Intel solutions, the AMD configuration supports ECC RAM, which I'd like to switch to later on. (I will be using normal RAM at first, then upgrading later.) The video card will be a Radeon HD 7870, at least at first. Neither the video card nor the CPU will be overclocked.
From a feature standpoint, it looks like the Asus M5A97 R2.0 should do most of what I'm looking for. It has a nice clean layout without too much unneeded junk, and the BIOS supports ECC (as with all Asus AM3+ boards). And it isn't too expensive. But yesterday, when I was at Micro Center, I saw something that gave me pause. There was a table where they had returned/refurbished motherboards and other parts... and a large proportion of these were M5A97 R2.0s. I don't know where these came from, whether they were returned to the store or if they are factory refurbs, but it concerns me. Does anyone know if this board has reliability issues, or if it would be inadequate for the large power consumption demands of a FX-8350? Newegg's reviews seem OK, but this isn't always conclusive. Most review sites focus on top-tier boards rather than mid-range ones like the M5A97 R2.0. Should I be going for a M5A99FX Pro or even a Sabertooth instead?
From a feature standpoint, it looks like the Asus M5A97 R2.0 should do most of what I'm looking for. It has a nice clean layout without too much unneeded junk, and the BIOS supports ECC (as with all Asus AM3+ boards). And it isn't too expensive. But yesterday, when I was at Micro Center, I saw something that gave me pause. There was a table where they had returned/refurbished motherboards and other parts... and a large proportion of these were M5A97 R2.0s. I don't know where these came from, whether they were returned to the store or if they are factory refurbs, but it concerns me. Does anyone know if this board has reliability issues, or if it would be inadequate for the large power consumption demands of a FX-8350? Newegg's reviews seem OK, but this isn't always conclusive. Most review sites focus on top-tier boards rather than mid-range ones like the M5A97 R2.0. Should I be going for a M5A99FX Pro or even a Sabertooth instead?
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