The number of motherboards and other components is increasing every year. Now the market has become more clearly differentiated. Now you can clearly see the budget variations, multimedia and gaming. Manufacturers want to create an increasingly advanced device that would conquer the market. But this is impossible, because users have different goals and desires.
Chipset
Based on the AMD 970 chipset, a large number of motherboards from top manufacturers have appeared. They are generally almost the same. The difference can be found in the appearance, parameters, interfaces. Despite the fact that the Socket AM3 + logic set has long appeared, still this platform is relevant, it builds a lot of gaming motherboards that implement high performance.
Asus
The Asus AMD 970 motherboard got the big words PRO GAMING / AURA in the name. The manufacturer immediately made it clear to the buyer that he was facing a gaming product with high potential. The option was delivered in a regular cardboard box. The board itself was displayed on the front, since it had a very attractive appearance.
There was a lot of information behind. Some features, an interface panel, and supported technologies are shown. Inside the box there is a disk with “wood” and software, an instruction manual, a cover for the interface panel, a bridge for combining several video cards, a set of stickers, cable ties and two wires with a SATA interface.
Appearance Asus
It’s hard to say something about objectivity when you have such beauty. The board is made in the latest trends in gaming fashion. Black textolite with elements of bright red color. There is even a backlight that they love to connect in cases with a transparent cover.
If you look closely, the Asus AMD 970 motherboard is somewhat overloaded with components. One of the parties received a large number of slots. Radiators bulge strongly above the surface, and therefore there is a chance to hook them during installation in the housing.
Asus Options
It is easy to guess that in front of us a pair of server and south bridges is represented by AMD 970 / SB950. The processor socket here is Socket AM3 +, which is dictated by the crystal model. The board supports the connection of several processors at once, including the popular Phenom II, Sempron, FX, and Athlon II.
It is possible to overclock the motherboard to improve system performance. As a result, the processor can operate at a speed of 4.7 GHz. This is a stable option for chips like AMD FX-9370. The system bus also accelerated by 330 MHz, and RAM can operate at 2.1 GHz.
Asus Reviews
Asus 970 PRO GAMING / AURA is an excellent gaming option that has won the trust of users. Firstly, it is a manufacturer who uses quality materials for their products. Secondly, these are initially good declared parameters. Thirdly, attractive appearance does the advertising business.
Users noted a reliable digital power subsystem, an interesting backlight, which, although it turned out to be useless to many, still looks pretty. The interface panel has all the necessary slots, a sound card with special technologies that improve the sound. Buyers liked the availability of bundles of video cards not only for AMD, but also for NVIDIA models. As a result, there are so many advantages that the disadvantages were leveled and it is extremely difficult to find them.
Msi
Released a couple of options based on AMD 970. One was shown back in 2012, the latter was released relatively recently. Just about him and it’s worth talking, because, unlike the first, he refers to gaming models.
The motherboard was delivered in black and red packaging. In front of the model, nothing is indicated. There is more information behind: special technologies, availability of interfaces, features. Inside, in addition to the motherboard, all the necessary documentation fit, including drivers and utilities. There is a stub on the panel, a pair of SATA cables and bridges for a pair of video cards. To everything else, as a gift there is a metal company badge and a plate on the door.
Appearance of MSI
The MSI 970 Gaming looks just as cool as the previous model. Red components are visible on the black textolite. Large AMD heatsinks are seen around the perimeter of the AMD Phenom II x4 970 processor . Each component takes its place, so connecting to them is easy to find intuitively.
The interface panel has all the necessary connectors, including four pairs of USB 2.0, another pair of USB 3.0. Combined slot for keyboard and mouse, slot for Internet connection, etc. The power subsystem is built on an 8 + 1 circuit.
MSI Options
Like the previous version, this one runs on the AMD 970 chipset paired with the SB950 south bridge. It supports a large number of processors, including Phenom II, Sempron, FX and Athlon II. The board housed four slots for RAM type DDR3.
The overclocking potential of the board is high. It allows in the BIOS settings to increase system performance. The maximum frequency of the chip reaches 4.6 GHz, the voltage shows 1,500 V. The speed of RAM rises to 2.1 GHz.
MSI Reviews
Users left positive reviews regarding the MSI 970 Gaming. This was also due to support for AMD Phenom x4 970, with a low heat dissipation rate, and a good audio system. Buyers noted the convenient location of the components on the board and the stable operation of the chipset.
Gigabyte
This motherboard was shipped in a bright box. The model is indicated on the front, more information on the back. It describes the main advantages of this option over others. There are some useful accessories in the box. In addition to the documentation and driver disks, the developers immediately put two SATA pairs, an adapter for the G-Connector, system buttons and indicators. There is a sticker with the logo of the manufacturer as a gift.
Appearance GIGABYTE
GIGABYTE GA-970-Gaming - this is another gaming "motherboard", which stood out for its appearance. She is very similar to the previous two. Again we have a black textolite, on which there are components with a bright red color. There is a matte finish that helps hide the copper lines. There is an aluminum radiator near the processor socket. So that the AMD Phenom x4 970 does not overheat, the dispersion area is increased, and additional ones are installed next to the main radiators.
The interface panel is full enough. There is a place to connect a keyboard or mouse, three pairs of USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0. USB 3.1 appeared, which are implemented as type A and C connectors. They immediately connect an Internet cable, and you can synchronize the acoustics.
On the board, you can immediately see the connectors for the fans, which are represented by four-pin slots and two three-pin. Interestingly, you can control the speed of the fans if they are placed in a 4-pin slot. If you install the cooler on a 3-pin, then the voltage across this connector is 12 V, and additional adapters and potentiometers are needed to control the speed of revolutions.
GIGABYTE Options
To track the work of the AMD 970 chipset, special UEFI software was developed. It has many sections in which this or that information is located. Immediately you can try to make overclocking. Overclocking in this case is represented by a simple adjustment. The application has an automatic overclocking option. We managed to raise the frequencies to 4 GHz, if we consider crystals of the FX-8320 type.
There are several modes that allow you to raise the operating frequency by certain values. In light mode at 100 MHz, on average - at 200 MHz and in extreme - at 300 MHz. Such a step is unlikely to lead to the release of one of the components. There are more refined parameters and their improvements. But for them it is necessary to rummage more in settings. In general, as usual, the AMD 970 can be overclocked to 4.4 GHz.
GIGABYTE Reviews
This is a good system platform, which received more positive reviews. Users grabbed a good arrangement of elements on the board, the quality of their implementation. Value for money is really justified. There are all the necessary ports on the board. PCI Express x16 slots decided to strengthen.
Despite the fact that there are more advantages, there were also dissatisfied users. For example, there were some speed limits, and questions remained about controlling the fans. The users considered the most important advantage to be the cost. For only $ 100, the buyer received an excellent gaming motherboard, which had an attractive appearance, all the necessary components and overclocking potential. Although without overclocking, all components showed good performance. The AMD Phenom 970 chip provided especially many opportunities. Thanks to it, it was possible to create a really powerful productive gaming system.