NEW Asus AM3+ 970 board, with M.2 and USB3.1 (Type-A, not Type-C)

[VirtualLarry]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132713&leaderboard=1

Release Date: 01/19/2016

I posted this, because I'm surprised big-name mobo companies are still investing R&D on AM3+ mobos. Wasn't that platform supposed to be dead years ago? I wonder if Bristol Ridge has anything to do with this.

Edit: From the pictures, it appears to have an M.2 slot, like Skylake Z170 boards do. I wonder if it will support a PCI-E x4 NVMe M.2 SSD like the Samsung 950? That would indeed be sweet. I could see Asus capturing a large portion of the upgrade market with an M.2 + USB3.1 board. Though, I would have liked to see Type-C connectors on the USB3.1. I don't know how many USB3.1 devices are going to ship with the standard Type-A connectors on them.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Who gives a crap. You've got to be off your rocker to buy an AM3+ new these days.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Who gives a crap. You've got to be off your rocker to buy an AM3+ new these days.

That's why I mentioned "upgraders". By that, I meant people that already had invested in an AM3 / AM3+ rig. With this, they could upgrade their motherboard, and get M.2 and USB3.1 features, and "stay modern". (With AM3+? LOLOL.)

Edit: And there are niche performance uses for an 8-core FX. Not many, but they are there.

 

[ElFenix]

Who gives a crap. You've got to be off your rocker to buy an AM3+ new these days.

this is nothing but thread crapping.

 

[Arachnotronic]

this is nothing but thread crapping.

Sorry, let me try again...

I find it very surprising, as VirtualLarry does, that motherboard makers are investing in developing new AMD AM3+ motherboards given the availability of more modern platform from both AMD and Intel in this day and age for new builds.

I think that this is a niche product given that AM3+ is hardly the optimal choice for a new build in this day and age given the superior FM2+/LGA 1150/LGA 1151 boards that are available at this time. It should appeal to those whose AM3+ boards die and need replacement or to those who, for some reason, actually want to build an AM3+ system new these days.

ASUS is probably releasing this board because nobody else is bothering to refresh their AM3+ lineups and figures that it can "corner the market" -- to whatever extent it exists -- for enthusiast AM3+ boards. ASUS probably is jam-packing this thing with ASMedia controllers to support modern functionality so it's a win for ASUS (since ASUS owns ASMedia).

 

[VirtualLarry]

Sorry, let me try again...

I find it very surprising, as VirtualLarry does, that motherboard makers are investing in developing new AMD AM3+ motherboards given the availability of more modern platform from both AMD and Intel in this day and age for new builds.

ASUS is probably releasing this board because nobody else is bothering to refresh their AM3+ lineups and figures that it can "corner the market" -- to whatever extent it exists -- for enthusiast AM3+ boards. ASUS probably is jam-packing this thing with ASMedia controllers to support modern functionality so it's a win for ASUS (since ASUS owns ASMedia).

I agree! I didn't get the Asus / ASMedia connection at first either, thanks for mentioning that.

 

[Arachnotronic]

I agree! I didn't get the Asus / ASMedia connection at first either, thanks for mentioning that.

:thumbsup:

 

[Azuma Hazuki]

This would be excellent with an FX-8370E and a PCI-e x4 NVMe SSD if it actually supports that.

That chip is plenty powerful for most people and, aside from single-thread performance, should give the same or better experience to a similarly-priced i5. This would make an excellent video-editing/encoding workstation, or a Linux machine (where Vishera mysteeeeeeriously performs better than on Windows, especially if you compile stuff yourself with the right CFLAGS).

AM3+ gets a lot of unjustified hate and it really bugs me :/ Just use the right tool for the right job; what's so hard about this?

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I think that this is a niche product given that AM3+ is hardly the optimal choice for a new build in this day and age given the superior FM2+/LGA 1150/LGA 1151 boards that are available at this time. It should appeal to those whose AM3+ boards die and need replacement or to those who, for some reason, actually want to build an AM3+ system new these days.

Or maybe just has an older AM3+ CPU laying about. If you have something like an original 8300 or 6300, this would be a very nice platform upgrade.

 

[cbn]

Too bad the FX-63xx and FX83xx processors don't get discounted like the FM2+ ones do. In fact, for over a year AM3+ processor prices haven't changed and with the disappearance of the FX-8300 and FX-8310 (at Tiger Direct) prices have effectively increased.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Too bad the FX-63xx and FX83xx processors don't get discounted like the FM2+ ones do. In fact, for over a year AM3+ processor prices haven't changed and with the disappearance of the FX-8300 and FX-8310 (at Tiger Direct) prices have effectively increased.

Yeah. This mobo coupled with a (hypothetical) $50 FX 8-core CPU wouldn't be at all bad for daily productivity work. Maybe it's not "ideal" for gaming, but not everybody games.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

MSI released a 970A Krait board in August with USB type C. Didn't have m.2 support, but its still nice they're making new board. I built an AM3\fx6300 system last year out of boredom. It was my first AMD build and I think it's not a bad system. Intel performs better in benchmarks but honestly in use I can't tell a difference vs an i3.

 

[XavierMace]

For the love of god, why are there two PCI slots on that board? What a complete waste of board space.

That said, I'm surprised to see the onboard NIC is an Intel I211. That's a pleasant surprise.

 

[cbn]

Yeah. This mobo coupled with a (hypothetical) $50 FX 8-core CPU wouldn't be at all bad for daily productivity work. Maybe it's not "ideal" for gaming, but not everybody games.

For a cheap octocore, I've been thinking the E5-2670 might drop to near $50 in the not too distant future (maybe within 6 months?)

Going by passmark scores it is actually faster than a FX-8370 (even in single thread):

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E5-2670+@+2.60GHz

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-8370+Eight-Core

(Of course, there is the matter of the motherboards or 1P workstation needed to use it.)

 

[WT]

There are deals to be had on the AMD 970 boards. I was using an older 790 board on my workbench rig for over 5 years now, and while I had an itch to upgrade to a 970 for SATA3 and USB3.0, it was never at a good price point to make it worthwhile.

Over the BF deals, I snagged an MSI 970 Gaming and an FX6300 for $100 total. The 6300 runs at 4.5, and my SSD now runs at its full speed as well. Cheap upgrade, and as such, why not if it removes a few bottlenecks ?

I'd love M2 and USB 3.1 on my board, but there is no way I could do that for $100. I hadda laugh at the PCI slots as well, but damned if my MSI Gaming doesn't have them too. Can't even remember the last PCI card I used ... but yet there they are !! So yes, there are reasons to go with a 970 board, but there aren't that many.

PS - cbn has an immense love affair with that E5-2670 !! Thoroughly enjoyed reading his posts in the best budget CPU thread. Keep plugging it, cbn !! If you can find a board for a good price, I agree 100% with you.