Overclocking and CPU compatibility for MSI 760GMA-P34
Overclocking and CPU compatibility for MSI 760GMA-P34
The MSI 760GMA-P34 board is described as handling the 8xxx series/8 core CPUs, but the power consumption claim of 125w seems questionable. The user notes stable temperatures at around 40-55°C and expresses interest in upgrading to a cooler for higher performance. They also mention wanting a better fan for reaching 5GHz speeds.
MSI motherboard (your socket especially + 970) paired with an AMD 8 core CPU and OC setup creates a lot of chaos. The board supports an 8 core CPU, which works fine if you don't overclock. If you plan to overclock, consider a Gigabyte 970A - UD3 or Asus M5A97 R2.0 EVO. For maximum performance from the 8 core, use a 990FX chipset. A 5GHz clock speed with the motherboard and CPU (ignoring the cooler) is just unstable—overclocking isn't recommended.
Well, if we installed an 8-core processor and didn't overclock at all, would the performance improvement be significant enough to justify it? It seems like a 970 board would really help make the most of the 8-core CPU, though the older chipset might not handle it well. I'm still impressed with the old FX4300, though—I wonder if a 6300 with 6 cores would be better? Once I have my R9 270 and a good PSU, I think performance would improve a lot, xD
970 board really benefits from not overclocking, while 990FX offers maximum performance. Depending on your setup, it could significantly boost speed, though you won't be able to OC. The problem isn't age—it's that the chipset wasn't built for overclocking. If you have an FX 8150, the top 8-core option is worth considering. A 990FX board would cost around $105 on Newegg and includes a great ASRock 990FX PRO3.
It would be really interesting to install one of the FX 8xxx series 8 cores and see what improvements it brings, for sure. Then later you could upgrade to a 990 board, which would make a great rig for Battlefield 4 paired with a solid R9, definitely! It would also help with Elder Scrolls online, though it’s not as demanding as some other systems. The FX4300 is much slower than I expected, especially compared to ESO, so I made a few changes just to make it work better. I’ve kept the old 5750 model around for most of its life—it’s still pretty reliable, only getting temps up to about 60-65°C and hasn’t needed any new thermal paste. It feels really old, but it’s still functional.
Feel free to grab the FX 8150 right away—it's a solid CPU and will boost performance significantly. As long as you stick to the original specs, you're good. Keep your eyes on getting a 990FX chipset soon, plus a powerful R9 295X2 with dual R9 290X coolers, which would set you back about $1500USD. But if you ever land on something like that, I'm all in.
it's not that the Titan R9 295 etc are too much, man. Even a normal 290 feels like overkill to me, and 270/270x/280 would suffice for me haha