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The Gigabyte 990FX-Gaming is a capable AM3+ motherboard that gives users a taste of modern features on the aging 990FX chipset. It's the blend of modern features and support for older CPUs that could entice some users who are happy with their AMD chip's performance but are looking for faster storage connections and a better audio experience.
Stability from the motherboard is good, thanks in large to a solid power delivery system that allowed for overclocking of the 125W TDP FX 8370 CPU. We managed to push the chip to 4.6GHz, with stability, using AMD's Wraith air cooler. With enhanced cooling, the board was clearly capable of more than 4.6GHz (we actually hit 4.7GHz, but temperatures were high).
Speaking of overclocking stability, Gigabyte's cooling solution for the motherboard is smart. The MOSFETs and 990FX chipset can output a significant amount of heat power when loaded, so the decision to use a trio of beefy heatsinks connected via two heatpipes is entirely justified and sensible.
Layout decisions are logical and well-thought for gaming users. There's room for a pair of graphics cards alongside a high-bandwidth PCIe device, an x1 card, and a 20Gbps-linked M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD. The expansion options should suffice for all but the most deep-pocketed of gamers or those old-school guys who miss a legacy PCI slot.
Modern features are where Gigabyte has chosen smartly. Adding support for 10Gbps USB 3.1 in its Type-C and Type-A form is smart, and brings the board's feature set into 2016. The Killer E2200 series NIC will also be welcomed by some gamers, as will the enhanced audio solution.
One of the negatives is the number of fan headers that Gigabyte deploys. Four fan headers, only two of which can be controlled, is insufficient for a high-powered motherboard intended for energy-intensive CPUs and gaming-grade graphics cards.
And then there's the old layout style of the UEFI BIOS which feels dated, despite being perfectly functional. The UEFI-adjustable fan control method is about as bad as it gets for ease-of-use, but thankfully the OS-based approach is far more user-friendly.
Available around the £120 level, the Gigabyte 990FX-Gaming could be a good option for gamers looking to invest in the AM3+ platform. The board offers support for AMD's aging hardware, but it does so whilst also deploying modern features such as USB 3.1 Type-C, PCIe NVMe M.2, and an upgradeable audio solution.
Buy from Overclockers UK for £124.99 inc vat HERE.
Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.
Pros:
- PCIe 2.0 x4 & SATA-compatible M.2 connector.
- Support for PCIe NVMe SSDs.
- 10Gbps USB 3.1 Type-C & Type -A.
- Strong, upgradable audio solution.
- Killer's network management software may be useful to some gamers.
- Smart layout and design choices with an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
- Onboard buttons and dual BIOS chips can be useful.
Cons:
- UEFI looks old, navigation is unappealing, and the manual fan control method is not intuitive.
- Only four fan headers, with just two being user-controllable.
- USB 3.0 ports are very slow.
KitGuru says: A solid choice if you're after a feature-rich AM3+ motherboard to prolong the life of your AMD system.
Considering you used the new Wraith cooler from AMD, I’m surprised you didn’t include temps on your overclocking page. Maybe AMD told you not to? Kudos for including minimum fps though.
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You can see temps over here: http://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/luke-hill/150-gaming-cpu-amd-fx-8370-w-wraith-vs-intel-core-i5-6400/9/
The FX 8370 hit around 53C under OC load, but was loud in doing so.
It’s okay, Luke. There’s a reason he’s accusing – oops, I mean suggesting – that you’re shilling for AMD.
Notice he didn’t have a problem when you didn’t include temps on the reviews of the Asus Maximus VIII Impact ( http://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asus-maximus-viii-impact-z170-motherboard-review/10/ )
Or the MSI X99A SLI Plus ( http://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/msi-x99a-sli-plus-motherboard-review/10/ )
Or the ASRock Z170 Extreme4 (http://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asrock-z170-extreme4-motherboard-review/9/ )
Or the MSI Z170A Gaming M7 ( http://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/msi-z170a-gaming-m7-motherboard-review/10/ )
But hey, at least you included them on the Asus Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1, right? Oh, no, wait, that was just motherboard temps. ( http://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asus-sabertooth-z170-mark-1-motherboard-review/12/ )
But no. Clearly AMD told you not to include temps on this review.
Gigabyte did a great job with the motherboard but how many PCB layers does it come with. In the audio picture there seems to be 2 squares where I normally see the PCB layer count. The USB performance is partly hampered by the OS used in the review. I believe the results would have been very different with windows 8.1 due to native uasp. Good motherboard for all of those looking to upgrade existing AM3+ builds.
I own a MSI 970A SLI KRAIT EDITION, is working well, but i don`t think that is a good idea build AM3+ Motherboard this days, we will have Zen before 2017, i will update
I have this MB and AMD FX-9590 and I have no complain about cpu-related stability: at stock speed and all power features like C6, c&c, ecc it is really stable: Prime95 stress tests were really good and temperature never went in overheated zone, while other MBs did.
The really bad, bad, bad issues are BIOS related: system is unable to use some manual settings. The same problem related to multiplier explained in this review occurred in DRAM settings: XMP profile work perhaps, but manual settings are as goods as comments: system doesn’t use manual DRAM voltage settings, I’m not even sure manual timigs are taken into consideration.
Actually I’m using failsafe ram configuration because of that.
Any other experience related?
Haha!
Yeah I have been having difficulty trying to overclock RAM. I can run at 1866 but trying for 2133 like in review. Going to try adjusting voltages and try 2 dimms instead of 4. I am using the same CPU as you. My Asus CHVF-Z was much better for RAM oc, but couldn’t fit 2 triple slot cards without blocking the motherboardcase connectors. It was also missing the nice reinforced Pcie slots and the M2 slot that comes with the G1. I’m very happy with it overall. Handles the 220W beast no problem.
Gigabyte sent me a beta firmware to help ram issues.
Fact is, it works, BUT…
Yeah, to run at 2133 you need to use 2 banks only. This is bad.
And… I am able to run at 1600 x 4 banks, it is good, but when I set bios at 1866 it still runs at 1600.
N.B.: related to temperatures, I put a 140 fan running at minimum, perpendicular to VRM heatsink, having air flowing thru heatsink: result is 10°C less in gaming.
Is was worth the try.
I changed the voltage and took out 2 sticks. Running stable at 2133. I ran 4 sticks with 2 different brands at 1866 no problem, on original bios. Don’t use the xmp profile. Make a custom one.
just picked this MB up for $120 from Newegg +$10 rebate so $113 after rebate and shipping. I hope it gives my comp life until Zen comes out and is settled in..
How did you get the fx 9590 to run on it; my system is a new build and says the cpu is incompatible with the mb?
It worked from beginning.
Or BIOS has to be re-flashed, or CPU is not well mounted.
Thanks Graziano, i’ll give them a try.
I’m looking at doing a water cool loop with this mother board and would love to include the vrm and nb as they get ridiculously hot I find. Is it hard to remove the heatsinks covering those and would you know of any water blocks that would fit? having a near impossible time locating any. Spectacular review as usual!