# AM4 Build...Any Suggestions before I buy today or tomorrow?



## Spaceye (Apr 20, 2017)

*My Old PC is a Dell XPS 720.. 

Windows 10 64bit
8GB RAM
Processor is Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 2.66 GHz
(kentsfield Socket 775 LGA)
Monitor is DELL P4317Q
GPU: Two GTX 960's

will be using the pc for Photoshop, Light Video Editing, 4k gaming and movies and O.C. later on in the year.



PARTS:

Windows 10 Pro*

*Monitor:*
_*Dell 43" 4k Multi-Client Monitor (P4317Q)*_

*CASE: *
_*NZXT Phantom 820 Computer Case*_
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009QZH23S/?tag=tec06d-20

*MOBO: 
ASUS ROG Crosshair VI Hero AMD Ryzen AM4 *
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06W2L6GBX/?tag=tec06d-20

*CPU:*
_*AMD Ryzen 7 1700 Processor with Wraith Spire LED Cooler*_
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WP5YCX6/?tag=tec06d-20

*RAM:*
*Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz*
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0143UM4TC/?tag=tec06d-20
*GPU:*

*2 GTX 960's* (From old PC, planning on upgrading when a new series of nvidia gpu comes out)
*
SSD:*
_*Crucial MX300 1TB SATA 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive*_
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IAGSDUE/?tag=tec06d-20

*Storage:*
1T WD Caviar Drive, 3T Seagate backup plus and an external 4T seagate personal HD.
*
CPU COOLER:*
*Cryorig R1 Ultimate CR-R1A Dual Tower CPU Heatsink*
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HUHC3WY/?tag=tec06d-20
*
PSU: * (Already bought)


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## alucasa (Apr 20, 2017)

Don't see the need to spend that much for 1TB SSD especially when you have other HDDs in the system.

And personally I think the cpu heatsink is overkill. Get coolermaster evo 212 for 1/5 of price.

I was going to say to ditch SLI but then it's coming from your old rig, so nevermind that.


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## Spaceye (Apr 20, 2017)

Forgot to change the CPU cooler to water...any really good ones with LED's you recommend?


alucasa said:


> Don't see the need to spend that much for 1TB SSD especially when you have other HDDs in the system.
> 
> And personally I think the cpu heatsink is overkill. Get coolermaster evo 212 for 1/5 of price.
> 
> I was going to say to ditch SLI but then it's coming from your old rig, so nevermind that.



Those are external HDs and caviar is a spinner drive thats why.

I plan on it when a new series gpu comes out.

but I like big fans :/


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## alucasa (Apr 20, 2017)

For storage, I don't really recommend "putting all eggs in one basket". Get at least one SSD and another HDD.

As for heatsink, I guess it's up to you. Those oversized heatsinks are pointless in my opinion. Evo 212 has a LED version or you can swap the 120mm fan with RGB one.


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## DeathtoGnomes (Apr 20, 2017)

Before buying that memory, check the QVL list for that MB. Also I would skip that 1TB drive and instead buy a 60GB or 120GB for your OS and then also buy an M.2 drive for your gaming storage.


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## Spaceye (Apr 20, 2017)

Tbh i think im okay with two external drives over one T each and an internal 1T.


DeathtoGnomes said:


> Before buying that memory, check the QVL list for that MB. Also I would skip that 1TB drive and instead buy a 60GB or 120GB for your OS and then also buy an M.2 drive for your gaming storage.



Great advice, I forgot about.  perhaps this one just for windows?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JCXXQ0Q/?tag=tec06d-20

Or SATA III?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZ09A68/?tag=tec06d-20

Id like to go with the plextor as a dedicated ssd for windows 10...any reasons why I should go SATA III other than the price difference


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## Mighty-Lu-Bu (Apr 20, 2017)

Also I would think about changing the motherboad- Asus makes great boards, but their top of the line stuff is expensive. ASRock's X370 Taichi is $200 and has great reviews from critics and consumers- heck even Techpowerup gave it a perfect 10. Also, I would just go full SSD, the benefits are huge. About 6 months ago I grabbed two Crucial MX300 525GB SSDs and they work great. If I need more storage, I have been thinking about getting a Mushkin Enhanced Reactor at 1TB- they are only about $245.


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## Spaceye (Apr 20, 2017)

Mighty-Lu-Bu said:


> Also I would think about changing the motherboad- Asus makes great boards, but their top of the line stuff is expensive. ASRock's X370 Taichi is $200 and has great reviews from critics and consumers- heck even Techpowerup gave it a perfect 10.
> 
> Amazon doesnt sell it and Newegg is out of stock... I dont mind paying the $100 extra for the board tbh
> 
> Also, I would just go full SSD, the benefits are huge. About 6 months ago I grabbed two Crucial MX300 525GB SSDs and they work great. If I need more storage, I have been thinking about getting a Mushkin Enhanced Reactor at 1TB- they are only about $245.



I meant an PCIe ssd just for windows.


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## TheLostSwede (Apr 20, 2017)

Considering you shouldn't fill an SSD to more than 80% at an absolute maximum, get at least a 250GB drive for the OS, as you tend to install other software on the OS drive as well, or at least I do.

M.2 is nice imho, but after about six months with my Plextor drive, apart from boot times, most things I can't tell any difference from a SATA, with the exception of things like Photoshop and a few other really heavy applications.

Don't listen to the SSD nay sayers, if you can afford it, get as much SSD storage as you want, it's so much nicer than mechanical drives in every single aspect and you'll thank yourself that you did so in the long run.


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## Totally (Apr 20, 2017)

TheLostSwede said:


> Considering you shouldn't fill an SSD to more than 80% at an absolute maximum, get at least a 250GB drive for the OS, as you tend to install other software on the OS drive as well, or at least I do.
> 
> M.2 is nice imho, but after about six months with my Plextor drive, apart from boot times, most things I can't tell any difference from a SATA, with the exception of things like Photoshop and a few other really heavy applications.
> 
> Don't listen to the SSD nay sayers, if you can afford it, get as much SSD storage as you want, it's so much nicer than mechanical drives in every single aspect and you'll thank yourself that you did so in the long run.



I second this, for me it's gotten to the point where it's too fast and becomes troublesome if I need to go into the bios or boot menu. I keep forgetting or am too lazy when I do to set a 2-second wait whenever I clear CMOS.

@OP, Have you considered a 1600/1600x? They're not too far off, or are right there with their  8c counterparts. You could save a few there.


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## Spaceye (Apr 20, 2017)

Mighty-Lu-Bu said:


> Also I would think about changing the motherboad- Asus makes great boards, but their top of the line stuff is expensive. ASRock's X370 Taichi is $200 and has great reviews from critics and consumers- heck even Techpowerup gave it a perfect 10. Also, I would just go full SSD, the benefits are huge. About 6 months ago I grabbed two Crucial MX300 525GB SSDs and they work great. If I need more storage, I have been thinking about getting a Mushkin Enhanced Reactor at 1TB- they are only about $245.



ASRock Taichi has been out of stock on newegg and Amazon doesnt sell it.



TheLostSwede said:


> Considering you shouldn't fill an SSD to more than 80% at an absolute maximum, get at least a 250GB drive for the OS, as you tend to install other software on the OS drive as well, or at least I do.
> 
> M.2 is nice imho, but after about six months with my Plextor drive, apart from boot times, most things I can't tell any difference from a SATA, with the exception of things like Photoshop and a few other really heavy applications.
> 
> Don't listen to the SSD nay sayers, if you can afford it, get as much SSD storage as you want, it's so much nicer than mechanical drives in every single aspect and you'll thank yourself that you did so in the long run.



You're not the firs to tell me about the size so Im getting this one for windows.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IAGSD5O/?tag=tec06d-20

Im actually running windows 10 Pro off an ssd on my old pc right now...its been one of the best upgrades since I got the pc over ten years ago


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## TheLostSwede (Apr 20, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> You're not the firs to tell me about the size so Im getting this one for windows.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IAGSD5O/?tag=tec06d-20
> 
> Im actually running windows 10 Pro off an ssd on my old pc right now...its been one of the best upgrades since I got the pc over ten years ago



Keep in mind that the MX300 isn't a great OS drive, it's TLC and Crucial has not made a great firmware for that drive. The MX200 is a far better choice if you can still get hold of one. With TLC you could run into SLC caching issues (small part of the TLC is used as SLC to speed things up) and if you're going to see that, it's likely to be on your OS drive. 3D TLC is ok though, as it doesn't seem to suffer from this in the same way as planar TLC.


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## Spaceye (Apr 20, 2017)

TheLostSwede said:


> Keep in mind that the MX300 isn't a great OS drive, it's TLC and Crucial has not made a great firmware for that drive. The MX200 is a far better choice if you can still get hold of one. With TLC you could run into SLC caching issues (small part of the TLC is used as SLC to speed things up) and if you're going to see that, it's likely to be on your OS drive. 3D TLC is ok though, as it doesn't seem to suffer from this in the same way as planar TLC.




I had no clue...looks like the crucial mx200 only comes in 500GB and 1T though.  If I buy the 500gb i might as well get a 1T drive...but the whole point is to get a drive under 300Gb for windows...any suggestions?


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## Komshija (Apr 20, 2017)

I would suggest equally good and cheaper motherboard, equally good and cheaper cooler, other RAM, different storage and definitely smaller monitor because you'll have to be at least 2 meters from that monster to prevent eye damage.

Here is my suggestion: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/s3wtbj


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## TheLostSwede (Apr 20, 2017)

That Mushkin SSD is a joke. That's an ultra low budget drive and I wouldn't use that as my OS drive.

The MX200 has been discontinued, so it seems like the prices spiked on the last few units still available.

For similar budget to the MX300, you can pick up a Samsung 850 EVO which uses Samsungs V-NAND which offers vastly superior performance.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OAJ412U/?tag=tec06d-20

This will give you a rough idea on the performance difference http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Samsung-850-Evo-250GB-vs-Crucial-MX300-275GB/2977vs3642

Not saying Samsung is the only option, but they're hard to beat for the money today.

My bad on the MX300, it's 3D TLC, but not very fast 3D TLC. It shouldn't wear out too quickly, but the performance just isn't there. Getting a slow SSD for the OS is pointless imho. I'd still use it for games and what not, as it's not a terrible drive and Crucial has good support.

You might want to read this as well http://www.anandtech.com/show/9799/best-ssds


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## MustSeeMelons (Apr 20, 2017)

DeathtoGnomes said:


> Before buying that memory, check the QVL list for that MB. Also I would skip that 1TB drive and instead buy a 60GB or 120GB for your OS and then also buy an M.2 drive for your gaming storage.



How could you recommend a 60Gb SSD in 2017? Do you want the OP to suffer? I'd say go for a 250ish one so that you don't have to worry about the OS drive filing up.


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## Komshija (Apr 20, 2017)

TheLostSwede said:


> That Mushkin SSD is a joke. That's an ultra low budget drive and I wouldn't use that as my OS drive.


 Where did you pull that analysis from?
In that case, MX200/300 isn't something either since it uses Micron's chips which are inferior to Samsung's and Hynix's. 
The real differences between these SSD is only in some synthetic benchmarks, which leave us with their durability. Mushkin Tricator 240 GB (also "ultra low budget") is rated to 2 million hours mean time before failure (MTBF), something that no existing Crucial and even Samsung can match. Toshiba Q300 Pro SSD's are also rated to 2 million hours MTBF.

I agree that Samsung's SSD are among the fastest on the market, but they are also the most expensive and nothing guarantees that they'll last longer than the average SSD.


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## Vlada011 (Apr 20, 2017)

Crosshair 6 Hero is best mobo for X370. That's best model at the moment.
I would go as well with ASUS Crosshair VI Hero. Great history, nice look, many options, best BIOS on market.
ASUS is better than anyone in high class. Best of computer hardware is ASUS.

I first learn for ASUS and than for difference between NVIDIA and AMD.
And when I asked for GPU I asked ASUS ATI Radeon, if someone say Sapphire ATI Radeon 
I don't want...immediately look other store.
Than I learned that ATI Radeon is produced by many manufacturers...


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## notb (Apr 20, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> *My Old PC is a Dell XPS 720..
> CASE: *
> _*NZXT Phantom 820 Computer Case*_



1) Isn't there a way to utilize that Dell case? They're usually well-made and this one is fairly nice visually.
That NZXT was a great case when released (2012?), but I think there are more interesting options available today.
And I really don't like the looks. Will you be fine with them? Your Dell is IMO way nicer (maybe "elegant" is the right word).

2) As already mentioned: while ASUS ROG is a complete and good mobo, there are some cheaper alternatives.

3) Be careful with that RAM. QVL says it has to be v4.31. You should google "Ryzen Samsung b-die" for more information on that issue.
Or get something safe. 

4) The heatsink is an overkill unless you plan some serious OC - which would be quite pointless, anyway. Honestly, until you get a much better GPU, Ryzen 1700 won't need any overclocking at all.
You could easily stay with the Wraith for the time being.

5) If you don't plan to make this SSD-only, get a smaller disk. 1TB is so much you'll end up filling it with movies and photos.
It's always better to have more smaller disks (especially since you're not very limited by the case).
And 1TB SSDs are very expensive - not worth the money at the moment. The sweet spot is ~500GB - until that price per GB goes down with larger disks, above prices scale linearly (or even worse).
I'd go for a NVMe 256GB...

Generally speaking: by selling those 960's and saving on the parts mentioned above, you should be able to afford a 1080.
It'll be much better than the pair of Maxwells and you can always get another one (and then some OC on the Ryzen would make sense)...


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## TheLostSwede (Apr 20, 2017)

Komshija said:


> Where did you pull that analysis from?
> In that case, MX200/300 isn't something either since it uses Micron's chips which are inferior to Samsung's and Hynix's.
> The real differences between these SSD is only in some synthetic benchmarks, which leave us with their durability. Mushkin Tricator 240 GB (also "ultra low budget") is rated to 2 million hours mean time before failure (MTBF), something that no existing Crucial and even Samsung can match. Toshiba Q300 Pro SSD's are also rated to 2 million hours MTBF.
> 
> I agree that Samsung's SSD are among the fastest on the market, but they are also the most expensive and nothing guarantees that they'll last longer than the average SSD.



No, it's not. Have you looked at benchmarks for TLC drives? They suck. Your suggested drive is no different.











Look at that amazing sequential write performance... Averaging at less than 90MB/s. Why would any sane person want that as their OS drive?

This is not about memory chips, MTBF or failure rate, but about controller and TLC vs MLC/3D TLC/V-NAND. 
TLC is by nature slow, so the manufacturers did SLC caching, but it only works for small amounts of data and only in some scenarios. 

Also, the 850 EVO is only $20 more, I would get that any day over something from a small time player like Mushkin.


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## Tatty_One (Apr 20, 2017)

As for Motherboards, I have heard very good things about the MSI X370 pro Carbon and its priced very nicely.

As for memory......... Single rank Samsung-B compatibility......

https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/62vp2g/clearing_up_any_samsung_bdie_confusion_eg_on/

Mainly GSkill!


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## DeathtoGnomes (Apr 20, 2017)

MustSeeMelons said:


> How could you recommend a 60Gb SSD in 2017? Do you want the OP to suffer? I'd say go for a 250ish one so that you don't have to worry about the OS drive filing up.


You're right there, silly me. 

120-250GB it is. Subject to Wallet limits.


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## Mighty-Lu-Bu (Apr 20, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> ASRock Taichi has been out of stock on newegg and Amazon doesnt sell it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The ASRock Taichi is out of stock on a lot of sites because it is simply the best Ryzen board you can get right now. Here is a distribution list:

http://www.asrock.com/general/buy.asp?Model=X370 Taichi


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## Vlada011 (Apr 20, 2017)

1TB SSD SATA III is best investment. Before several months I bought 1TB SATA III 850 EVO.
850 PRO was to expensive and 850 EVO was on some discount for less than 280 euro.
He will serve you next 5 years no matter what you use, PC, Mini PC, laptop, PS4.
And much better is 1TB than 2x 512GB. If someone want speed than better 512GB M.2 for OS and 1TB SATA III for games. Many people only need them inside of case, storage could be on external HDD. Special in small cases.
SSD are still expensive, it would be much better 1TB M.2 + 2TB SATA III. That would be enough for anyone except storage, Music, Movies, Pictures.
If someone have M.2 + SSD SATA III and decide to change PC for laptop. Could buy cheaper version with HDD and replace with M.2 and SATA III SSD. Again is better one big 1TB than two smaller in RAID.
Now when I replace GPU, I sell old one and immediately I will buy 512GB Pro or 1TB EVO M.2.
And hard disk will not be used any more inside my case. Maybe is better 1TB EVO, because space and because 1TB version is little faster and than difference between PRO and EVO is not so big.


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## cdawall (Apr 20, 2017)

That board is a little over the top for overclocking a 1700 on a stock cooler, but outside of that I see no issues. Only word of advice I have is make sure you update the BIOS. 

I also wouldn't expect that ram to do 3200 with the current BIOS, the only ram doing well is samsung -b based.


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## Spaceye (Apr 20, 2017)

Komshija said:


> I would suggest equally good and cheaper motherboard, equally good and cheaper cooler, other RAM, different storage and definitely smaller monitor because you'll have to be at least 2 meters from that monster to prevent eye damage.
> 
> Here is my suggestion: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/s3wtbj





Komshija said:


> I would suggest equally good and cheaper motherboard, equally good and cheaper cooler, other RAM, different storage and definitely smaller monitor because you'll have to be at least 2 meters from that monster to prevent eye damage.
> 
> Here is my suggestion: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/s3wtbj




Have you ever played on one of these 4k monitors?  cause if you've had you wouldn't be telling me that...so Hell no, Im actually getting three of theses monitors after i finish the new rig.



notb said:


> 1) Isn't there a way to utilize that Dell case? They're usually well-made and this one is fairly nice visually.
> That NZXT was a great case when released (2012?), but I think there are more interesting options available today.
> And I really don't like the looks. Will you be fine with them? Your Dell is IMO way nicer (maybe "elegant" is the right word).
> 
> ...




Funny you should say...I agree completely with you and I probably spent a couple days looking at every single case available on newegg and amazon...none really come close to the design of the XPS ssooo Im gutting this Dell XPS 720 soon as  soon as I finish the new AMD build Ive had plans of painting it jet black and putting an atx mobo in it. 



TheLostSwede said:


> No, it's not. Have you looked at benchmarks for TLC drives? They suck. Your suggested drive is no different.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



*Samsung 850 EVO 250GB *

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OAJ412U/?tag=tec06d-20

Or  

*Samsung 850 PRO - 256GB *(i dont mind the extra $38 if it would make it the better choice)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LMXBOP4/?tag=tec06d-20


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## MxPhenom 216 (Apr 20, 2017)

Vlada011 said:


> Crosshair 6 Hero is best mobo for X370. That's best model at the moment.
> I would go as well with ASUS Crosshair VI Hero. Great history, nice look, many options, best BIOS on market.
> ASUS is better than anyone in high class. Best of computer hardware is ASUS.
> 
> ...



Jesus chill with that bullshit. Our own motherboard reviewer here at TPU gave the AsRock Taichi a 10/10 and he has never done that to any product. The Taichi IS the best X370 board right now. 

Also Asus has been going down hill in the last few years, hell I have even heard that they dont even make their own motherboards anymore. Their customer support is ass cheeks too.


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## Spaceye (Apr 20, 2017)

cdawall said:


> That board is a little over the top for overclocking a 1700 on a stock cooler, but outside of that I see no issues. Only word of advice I have is make sure you update the BIOS.
> 
> I also wouldn't expect that ram to do 3200 with the current BIOS, the only ram doing well is samsung -b based.



Updating the BIOS on the board will be on the first things I will do when i get it up and running.

Samsung-B based Ram??


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## ERazer (Apr 20, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> *Samsung 850 EVO 250GB *
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OAJ412U/?tag=tec06d-20
> 
> ...



why not nvme m.2? with second ssd/hdd for storage


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## xorbe (Apr 20, 2017)

My build options (upgrades) are trending to 1500X + 2x8gb ddr4-2400 + Asus Prime B350 uAtx + Samsung evo 850 256gb ssd.  Won't be overclocking the openSUSE linux box.  Reusing case + psu + gtx 650 + 3 screens.

Used evo was $85 on Amazon this morning ...


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## Spaceye (Apr 20, 2017)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> Jesus chill with that bullshit. Our own motherboard reviewer here at TPU gave the AsRock Taichi a 10/10 and he has never done that to any product. The Taichi IS the best X370 board right now.
> 
> Also Asus has been going down hill in the last few years, hell I have even heard that they dont even make their own motherboards anymore. Their customer support is ass cheeks too.



If only they were in stock!!  I dont think i can wait till they are.... I really do like the Samsung Crosshair as an alternative...like i mentioned in one of the replies above I like that its one of the few high end boards for AM4 especially that its asus, its a great looking board and has the best on board sound, so i can probably eliminate the need for a dedicated sound card for my speakers and not to mention tons of usb slots it has.


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## cdawall (Apr 20, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> Updating the BIOS on the board will be on the first things I will do when i get it up and running.
> 
> Samsung-B based Ram??



Yes so like gskill trident z 3200CL14-14-14 is based off of it.


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## notb (Apr 20, 2017)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> Jesus chill with that bullshit. Our own motherboard reviewer here at TPU gave the AsRock Taichi a 10/10 and he has never done that to any product. The Taichi IS the best X370 board right now.


Hmm... in the discussion of that review I've actually told @cadaveca that giving a 10/10 to a product can lead to a situation like this one.
It's hard to ignore the fact that ASUS seems to have better features and most likely offers better performance (including OC). It's overall a more high-end design (e.g. the rain of USB ports - I've heard that "enthusiasts" like this).
Which board is better? That depends on one's expectations.

So the quote of the day for you is:
"My scores don't necessarily reflect how one board performs vs any other" - cadaveca


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## Tatty_One (Apr 20, 2017)

cdawall said:


> Yes so like gskill trident z 3200CL14-14-14 is based off of it.


Or he might even be able to get the GSKill Trident Z 16GB CL17 3600mhz a fair bit cheaper if cost is an issue, in the UK they were a £60 saving over the 3200's @ CL14.


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## Mighty-Lu-Bu (Apr 20, 2017)

notb said:


> Hmm... in the discussion of that review I've actually told @cadaveca that giving a 10/10 to a product can lead to a situation like this one.
> It's hard to ignore the fact that ASUS seems to have better features and most likely offers better performance (including OC). It's overall a more high-end design (e.g. the rain of USB ports - I've heard that "enthusiasts" like this).
> Which board is better? That depends on one's expectations.
> 
> ...



Both the ASRock X370 Taichi and the Asus X370 Crosshair VI Hero are great boards- but when you really look at all of the features and the price point, the ASRock's Taichi is a clear winner.


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## Totally (Apr 20, 2017)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> Jesus chill with that bullshit. Our own motherboard reviewer here at TPU gave the AsRock Taichi a 10/10 and he has never done that to any product. The Taichi IS the best X370 board right now.
> 
> Also Asus has been going down hill in the last few years, hell I have even heard that they dont even make their own motherboards anymore. Their customer support is ass cheeks too.



Ditto, If he actually owned a C6H, he never say such nonsense. As for the not making their own boards, I don't think any board manufacturer makes their own boards anymore. They just design the the boards and hand off manufacturing to Pegatron or Foxconn.


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## notb (Apr 20, 2017)

Mighty-Lu-Bu said:


> Both the ASRock X370 Taichi and the Asus X370 Crosshair VI Hero are great boards- but when you really look at all of the features and the price point, the ASRock's Taichi is a clear winner.


What if you forget about the price? You've mentioned it, so I guess it has some importance...


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## Mighty-Lu-Bu (Apr 20, 2017)

notb said:


> What if you forget about the price? You've mentioned it, so I guess it has some importance...



Well I guess you could forget about it, but it is about a $60 difference.


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## notb (Apr 20, 2017)

Totally said:


> Ditto, If he actually owned a C6H, he never say such nonsense. As for the not making their own boards, I don't think any board manufacturer makes their own boards anymore. They just design the the boards and hand off manufacturing to Pegatron or Foxconn.



Correct. Mobo is in fact mostly a collection of 3rd-party elements. And the volume is actually quite small - especially when you consider the huge choice of mobos from every manufacturer. It's almost natural to share manufacturing plants.

But keep in mind both Pegatron and ASRock are spin-offs of ASUS. Pegatron was created later and it now owns ASrock. This seems very complicated (a Bold and Beautiful story...), but the end result is: these companies are deeply connected.

OT: 
It's hard not to notice similarities between ASUS and ASRock motherboards (e.g. parts choice), but have you ever compared how mobo specifications look on their pages? It's like if the same person wrote and formatted them:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/X370 Taichi/#Specification
http://www.asus.com/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG-CROSSHAIR-VI-HERO/specifications/

And when you look in the HTML code, it's almost like if someone deliberately took one page and changed a few parts to pass a copyright check.
Example:
ASRock: <li><div class="SpecItem">Memory</div><div class="SpecData"> (...)
ASUS: <li><span class="spec-item">Memory</span><div class="spec-data"> (...)

I have to say... both the coding and the website are much nicer from ASRock. 



Mighty-Lu-Bu said:


> Well I guess you could forget about it, but it is about a $60 difference.



Don't get me wrong. I prefer the ASRock as well. It's very practical, pragmatic. It even has a PS/2 port (yes!). ASUS ROG is more about LEDs and 3Dprinted accessories and stuff.
In many ways it's like if ASRock was extending the CSM lineup that ASUS has in their mid-range products.

But these are still 2 very different mobos with different target audience. Saying that one is better is just not possible, yet:
"TPU gave the AsRock Taichi a 10/10 and he has never done that to any product. *The Taichi IS the best X370 board right now.*" @MxPhenom 216

I have to say I'm really impressed by ASRock's strategy lately. I'm actually buying one of their boards at this moment (moving from ASUS ) - a very different one, but basically for the same reasons cadaveca gave this one 10/10.


----------



## Mighty-Lu-Bu (Apr 20, 2017)

Didn't want to put a giant quote in, but not only are critics giving ASRock's X370 Taichi high marks, consumers are saying great things as well.  Might be one of the main reasons why it is literally sold out everywhere. I really hope the stock gets in soon because this is the board I want to buy for my Ryzen build.


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 20, 2017)

Well guys as much as I would like it all this talk about ASRock Taichi isn't going to put any in stock on Newegg so I think Asus is getting my money for the build... unless someone can tell me for sure it will be in stock by next week.


----------



## Mighty-Lu-Bu (Apr 20, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> Well guys as much as I would like it all this talk about ASRock Taichi isn't going to put any in stock on Newegg so I think Asus is getting my money for the build... unless someone can tell me for sure it will be in stock by next week.



I reached out to both ASRock and Newegg and I was told by both that they should be in stock next week. That being said, these are only estimates so I can't guarantee anything. Also, people are stocking them on eBay- they are bit more expensive on eBay, but still cheaper than the Hero. That could always be an option...


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 21, 2017)

So if price wasnt an issue for everyone for the Crosshair which one would you get?  Cause i


alucasa said:


> For storage, I don't really recommend "putting all eggs in one basket". Get at least one SSD and another HDD.
> 
> As for heatsink, I guess it's up to you. Those oversized heatsinks are pointless in my opinion. Evo 212 has a LED version or you can swap the 120mm fan with RGB one.




I should have asked this a while ago but what are the benefits from having a dedicated drive for windows?  I would think its to speed up boot times by buying the fastest ssd one can afford..but I dont see any other benefits other than a little money.



cdawall said:


> Yes so like gskill trident z 3200CL14-14-14 is based off of it.




the ones i found on amazon have CL 16-18-18-38 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015FY3BJ2/?tag=tec06d-20


----------



## cdawall (Apr 21, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> the ones i found on amazon have CL 16-18-18-38
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015FY3BJ2/?tag=tec06d-20



Those are not the same dimms as the CL14 stuff unluckily. 

These ones I know for a fact are samsung -B based

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...2205&cm_re=gskill_3200-_-20-232-205-_-Product

I think these are

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...2183&cm_re=gskill_3600-_-20-232-183-_-Product

I know these are as well and I used these to hit 3800 on the ryzen build I worked on

http://www.microcenter.com/product/461992/16GB_2_x_8GB_DDR4_PC4-28800_Desktop_Memory_Modules


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 21, 2017)

cdawall said:


> Those are not the same dimms as the CL14 stuff unluckily.
> 
> These ones I know for a fact are samsung -B based
> 
> ...




Thanks is there an alternative from amazon you can link me?

Can I get some recommendations for a good cpu liquid cooler (with LED) like this thermaltake  or maybe I can get one from corsair and swap out the fans?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0196LP24M/?tag=tec06d-20


----------



## cdawall (Apr 21, 2017)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ACODPHI/?tag=tec06d-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AKWSUOU/?tag=tec06d-20


----------



## notb (Apr 21, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> So if price wasnt an issue for everyone for the Crosshair which one would you get?  Cause i
> I should have asked this a while ago but what are the benefits from having a dedicated drive for windows?  I would think its to speed up boot times by buying the fastest ssd one can afford..but I dont see any other benefits other than a little money.



I think the short boot time is overrated. Just what do you gain by loading Windows in 10 seconds compared to 40 on a desktop? It's not like you do this often.
Boot time (or wake-up time) is important in laptops.

The main benefit from SSD is better OS/application performance stemming from much better random operation performance.
So it's not that much about gaming or large file processing. It's more about running/loading all the little things while you do that. The "other things" (libraries, utilities, scripts etc) are mostly in the OS directory. 

You could check some SSD reviews from the time when they were becoming popular, as they often described this issue and were comparing SSDs and HDDs. Here's an example at Tom's Hardware:
sequential: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-upgrade-hdd-performance,3023-5.html
random: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-upgrade-hdd-performance,3023-6.html
In sequential operations SSD is twice as fast as HDD (nothing special - you could pair 2 HDDs in RAID 0 for similar gain and it'll still be way cheaper), but *in random it's 20-50 times faster.*
Moreover, SSDs have significantly improved since 2011 (->NVMe) and they keep getting better (->Optane). HDDs haven't and most likely won't.


----------



## Komshija (Apr 21, 2017)

TheLostSwede said:


> No, it's not. Have you looked at benchmarks for TLC drives? They suck. Your suggested drive is no different.
> 
> Look at that amazing sequential write performance... Averaging at less than 90MB/s. Why would any sane person want that as their OS drive?
> 
> ...



Comparing 480 GB against 240 GB doesn't make much sense, since bigger SSD's are usually faster.  It all depends how big your budget is, but there's no chance that you'll notice any real improvement between the average and the fastest SSD of the same type and capacity. However, there's no doubt that you'll have differences in synthetic benchmarks.  It's like saying that someone with DDR4@3866 MHz will have a much faster machine than someone with the identical configuration and DDR4@2666. 

You can add a little more and buy Ryzen 1800X, than a little bit here, a little bit there and you are easily a few hundred $ above the budget. 

I tend to make suggestions considering limited budget, since money for 99% of folks doesn't grow on trees in their backyard, but if the budget isn't a problem than, for example, Corsair MP500 M2 2280 240 GB will be much, much better solution.


----------



## cadaveca (Apr 21, 2017)

notb said:


> Hmm... in the discussion of that review I've actually told @cadaveca that giving a 10/10 to a product can lead to a situation like this one.
> It's hard to ignore the fact that ASUS seems to have better features and most likely offers better performance (including OC). It's overall a more high-end design (e.g. the rain of USB ports - I've heard that "enthusiasts" like this).
> Which board is better? That depends on one's expectations.



Missing an M.2 port and adding buttons that might get used once is hardly having better features. and "most likely" isn't good enough, nor matters much when those differences are minor. Those boards also aren't even directly competing with each other, since ASUS's Crosshair VI Hero is priced $50 more. If it isn't at least marginally better, what exactly are you paying that extra $50 for? 

Anyway, most likely, I'll be covering these boards before any ASUS AM4 boards. You could call that unfortunate, or lucky. 







I do have a couple of other AM4 boards somewhere in that pile... I think... 


The truth of the matter is that I use a LOT of motherboards. It's not like I don't have anything to compare the Taichi to, well, other than about 5 years of playing with this many boards every six months.


----------



## notb (Apr 22, 2017)

cadaveca said:


> Missing an M.2 port and adding buttons that might get used once is hardly having better features. and "most likely" isn't good enough, nor matters much when those differences are minor. Those boards also aren't even directly competing with each other, since ASUS's Crosshair VI Hero is priced $50 more. If it isn't at least marginally better, what exactly are you paying that extra $50 for?


I think we're yet to see if Taichi is on par with Crosshair in OC-potential (it might).
But I think you're mostly paying more for the style: the blinking LEDs, the 3D-printing "thing", the gaming looks, the pointless plastic covers etc. This motherboard covers needs of both people looking for performance and those that want to show off. 

Anyway, I'm not the best person to defend this kind of PC building style, as I don't like it. 
I've actually thought about getting the MSI Gaming for a while. I didn't like the looks, but hey - they won't be visible from outside the case, so whatever. But then I checked the MSI software and honestly... I think I'd be really tired of the looks after a while. So I went for ASRock...



cadaveca said:


> The truth of the matter is that I use a LOT of motherboards. It's not like I don't have anything to compare the Taichi to, well, other than about 5 years of playing with this many boards every six months.


Of course. But then again, you said yourself that the score is not a mark of how it performs compared to others. It's your evaluation (based on your experience - undoubtedly large).
Still, the perfect score stimulates imagination and can lead to situations like the one here with @MxPhenom 216.
The Z270 Taichi variant is basically the same (better chipset-dependent features), so people will raise eyebrows if it doesn't get a 10 as well. 

And I see you have the Z270 SuperCarrier in the queue as well. Isn't this the best-featured motherboard we've seen lately? I'm looking forward to that review.


----------



## Grings (Apr 22, 2017)

notb said:


> The Z270 Taichi variant is basically the same (better chipset-dependent features), so people will raise eyebrows if it doesn't get a 10 as well.



Bear in mind it has a hell of a lot more competition than the AMD variant

Plus past a certain level of quality pretty much all boards overclock a k cpu to around the same level, its how far they oc ram that can vary, and the z270 taichi only lists 3733mhz ram support, a lot of other z270 (and z170) boards go over 4000mhz


----------



## notb (Apr 22, 2017)

Grings said:


> Bear in mind it has a hell of a lot more competition than the AMD variant


I find it irrelevant. Even if most people choose CPU first and then the mobo, we should still look at the market as a whole.
E.g. if none of Ryzen boards would support M.2 disks or USB 3.1, should we still give them excellent marks?

IMO a board should be compared to everything available and chipset's features should also be considered. We're evaluating a complete product after all, not the vendors' good will.
If a Z270 board gets better scores than H270, why shouldn't we also compare Intel vs AMD?


----------



## cadaveca (Apr 22, 2017)

notb said:


> Still, the perfect score stimulates imagination and can lead to situations like the one here with @MxPhenom 216.


Phenom is also in our Discord server so has literally heard the excitement in my voice about this board.



notb said:


> And I see you have the Z270 SuperCarrier in the queue as well. Isn't this the best-featured motherboard we've seen lately? I'm looking forward to that review.


"more" isn't always better. The super carrier is the new Extreme11 board, boards that were showcases of engineering more often than practical. They are very hard to review because the target audience for such boards is very small.



notb said:


> I find it irrelevant. Even if most people choose CPU first and then the mobo, we should still look at the market as a whole.
> E.g. if none of Ryzen boards would support M.2 disks or USB 3.1, should we still give them excellent marks?
> 
> IMO a board should be compared to everything available and chipset's features should also be considered. We're evaluating a complete product after all, not the vendors' good will.
> If a Z270 board gets better scores than H270, why shouldn't we also compare Intel vs AMD?


You're then looking at the platform as a whole, and not the individual product. That's why our opinions differ bit here; I strive to remove all variables, you seem to want to consider all of them. But budget constraints

For example, this thread is about AM4 boards, and suggested parts, but here we are talking about Intel... totally off-topic.


----------



## Totally (Apr 22, 2017)

This guy goes pretty in depth about the taichi and points out some of its shortcomings, it has it strong points but it isn't without it's flaws. So, personally I'm inclined to say that a 10/10 is a bit overrated.


----------



## Mighty-Lu-Bu (Apr 22, 2017)

Totally said:


> This guy goes pretty in depth about the taichi and points out some of it's flaws, it has it strong points but it isn't without it's flaws. So, personally I'm inclined to say that a 10/10 is a bit overrated.



Even if it isn't a perfect 10, it is still the best AM4 board you can buy right now. Also, it is important to note that it is one of the few AM4 boards out there where DDR4 RAM at 3200Mhz works right out of the box with no tweaking needed. I have heard horror stories with AM4 MIS boards and Gigabyte boards.


----------



## notb (Apr 23, 2017)

cadaveca said:


> You're then looking at the platform as a whole, and not the individual product. That's why our opinions differ bit here; I strive to remove all variables, you seem to want to consider all of them. But budget constraints


Of course I'm not saying high marks should be reserved for high-end, expensive products. And of course we must consider other limitations: like size of board (obviously M-ITX boards will never offer as much as ATX).
But the "environment" factor, i.e. that the competition in AM4 is - at this point - weaker than in Intel platform, is IMO not enough.
Here you are correct: I choose a platform as a whole. This opposites to a more hierarchical way: e.g. starting with one's dream CPU and then just choosing from what is available.

And speaking about mini ITX boards, where are they? Is Biostar exclusive on that or what? :/


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 23, 2017)

Newegg is still out of stock of the ASRock board and I couldn't wait to start ordering parts...as you might be able to tell I ended up going with the Asus ROG Crosshair for the motherboard and Thermaltake Water 3.0...some of you are saying whhyyy I know it!

I'm still waiting on the TridentZ ram shipping from N.Y!!! Why!!! and some paint to do some changes to the color of the case,  which I cant wait to start on so I can start putting things together finally!

I started using some I had for the inside panel of my XPS case...I think im liking the results!


----------



## Jorge Nascimento (Apr 23, 2017)

Hello there.

Might i give you some advice on memories. 
Few days ago i builted a Ryzen 5 1600X with a gigabyte AB350M gaming 3. 
I bought the gskill rgb memories (3200) and I didnt managed to go over 2933 mhz.
My advice to you dont buy corsair you will have problems and will only be able to achiev 3200 with CAS at 16 or 17.
I went to the shop and bought the gskill flareX 3200 (specific for am4). I am now running all cores @4.1 with memories @ Cas 15 (3200mhz).
I have ran tests and benchmarks and everything is stable, not all memories at ryzen friendly.
Have a friend with a Ryzen 7 1700 with the same problem e assembled the pc 1 month ago, and he has the Gskill trident RGB CL14 3200 and he can only run them at 2933MHZ and had to increase CAS to 16 so that is machine doesnt freeze and he has the same motherboard you want to buy.
My advice switch to gigabyte Motherboard more stable and as reported by many much better and cheaper.


----------



## MxPhenom 216 (Apr 23, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> Newegg is still out of stock of the ASRock board and I couldn't wait to start ordering parts...as you might be able to tell I ended up going with the Asus ROG Crosshair for the motherboard and Thermaltake Water 3.0...some of you are saying whhyyy I know it!
> 
> I'm still waiting on the TridentZ ram shipping from N.Y!!! Why!!! and some paint to do some changes to the color of the case,  which I cant wait to start on so I can start putting things together finally!
> 
> I started using some I had for the inside panel of my XPS case...I think im liking the results!



Have fun with it dude. I've been dying to build a new computer lately.


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 23, 2017)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> Have fun with it dude. I've been dying to build a new computer lately.



Thanks! I'll post updates as I go 

Swear I can literally feel the seconds go by while I wait for the RAM... that can't be a good thing can it??..According to Jorge its not

Speaking of which, I found a big new package in my front porch today...can one of you guess what it could be?!?!?


----------



## Cvrk (Apr 24, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> can one of you guess what it could be?!?!?


Yes. It's a pullover http://www.ebay.de/itm/ROCKGEWITTER-2in1-Pullover-schwarz-Gr-L-P8-B72-/371864011012

But how come people leave packages in front of porch and they don't get stolen ? What country/town do you live in ?


----------



## MxPhenom 216 (Apr 24, 2017)

Cvrk said:


> Yes. It's a pullover http://www.ebay.de/itm/ROCKGEWITTER-2in1-Pullover-schwarz-Gr-L-P8-B72-/371864011012
> 
> But how come people leave packages in front of porch and they don't get stolen ? What country/town do you live in ?



In the US, packages are always left on the front porch, and unless you live in chicago or Compton, CA you probably wont have a problem with them being stolen. I have never had mine stolen.


----------



## dir_d (Apr 24, 2017)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> In the US, packages are always left on the front porch, and unless you live in chicago or Compton, CA you probably wont have a problem with them being stolen. I have never had mine stolen.


They get stolen all the time in the bay, not by shady looking individuals either. Usually women that look like soccer moms walking down the street.


----------



## jormungand (Apr 24, 2017)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> In the US, packages are always left on the front porch, and unless you live in chicago or Compton, CA you probably wont have a problem with them being stolen. I have never had mine stolen.


You forgot about miami lol


----------



## springs113 (Apr 24, 2017)

lol packages get taken from everywhere, just depends on where you live.  my neighbors would probably shoot someone if they saw that happening.


----------



## Kanan (Apr 25, 2017)

I wouldn't accept lazy postmen doing that and risk it to be stolen, whether here or in the US - not acceptable.


----------



## Jorge Nascimento (Apr 25, 2017)

Here in Portugal if your not home the national postal service will leave a slit in your mail box and you will need to pick up your package at the local distribution centre with a valid ID.


----------



## Kanan (Apr 25, 2017)

Jorge Nascimento said:


> Here in Portugal if your not home the national postal service will leave a slit in your mail box and you will need to pick up your package at the local distribution centre with a valid ID.


Same as in Germany. That's the way to handle things.


----------



## notb (Apr 25, 2017)

Kanan said:


> Same as in Germany. That's the way to handle things.



I'm really puzzled by how this is done in US.
A few years back there was a video going around the net with some delivery guy throwing a TV over a fence.
I really didn't understand it at that point. Wouldn't the client be mad when signing the delivery form? I learned afterwards how this works (or rather: doesn't work).

Sure, if a TV is broken, you might get your money from the insurance (or suing the company). But if it's something unique or sentimental?


----------



## Kanan (Apr 25, 2017)

Americans are simply too cool, they don't care if their stuff gets lost or is broken or wet or something  (imagining all the scenarios)


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 25, 2017)

Cvrk said:


> Yes. It's a pullover http://www.ebay.de/itm/ROCKGEWITTER-2in1-Pullover-schwarz-Gr-L-P8-B72-/371864011012
> 
> But how come people leave packages in front of porch and they don't get stolen ? What country/town do you live in ?



Im in USA, California.

Hmmmmmm I could use one of those but no I actually I bought this to make a custom heatsink on top of the pc instead of using the thermaltake watercooler for making lunch on the fly


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 25, 2017)

Motherboard, CPU and WaterCooler in...









Huston we have a Problem...













 Can someone tell me whats wrong with these pictures?

The mobo has a metal backplate and the screw holes don't align with the cooler bracket, shown in the last pic. Does the plate I'm holding in the pic replace the metal plate the Motherboard came with?


----------



## Jorge Nascimento (Apr 25, 2017)

that cooler base support doesn't belong there.....
BTW what memories did you bought?


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 26, 2017)

Jorge Nascimento said:


> that cooler base support doesn't belong there.....
> BTW what memories did you bought?



I know...I only put it there to show the holes on the Motherboard don't align with the bracket...do you take off the metal backplate on the mobo to fit the one I'm holding in my hand in the first pic do you? Or do I need to contact thermaltake to get the appropriate fitting for the mobo?

GSkill TridentZ Series 16GB DDR4 3200 CAS 14


----------



## Jorge Nascimento (Apr 26, 2017)

No you place it on top. Check the instructions for the correct bracket.
What cooler do you have?
Did you check for am4 compatibility?


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 26, 2017)

Jorge Nascimento said:


> No you place it on top. Check the instructions for the correct bracket.
> What cooler do you have?
> Did you check for am4 compatibility?



Thermaltake Water 3.0 Riing RGB 360

The specifications on their site do include AMD AM4


----------



## Jorge Nascimento (Apr 26, 2017)

There 2 rings inside the box and 2 backplates and a am4 upgrade kit too. If the instructions are not clear try the ring and the screws that fit.


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 26, 2017)

Jorge Nascimento said:


> There 2 rings inside the box and 2 backplates and a am4 upgrade kit too. If the instructions are not clear try the ring and the screws that fit.



These are the parts the cooler came with












After I put it together...You can see the holes don't align with the back plate the mobo came with...how do you remove the metal back plate the mobo came with? (Shown in one of my previous replies)


----------



## Norton (Apr 26, 2017)

Take the stock backplate off- if that's the Crosshair VI then it has both AM3 and AM4 mounting holes
http://www.tweaktown.com/image.php?...-vi-hero-amd-x370-motherboard-review_full.jpg


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 26, 2017)

Norton said:


> Take the stock backplate off- if that's the Crosshair VI then it has both AM3 and AM4 mounting holes
> http://www.tweaktown.com/image.php?...-vi-hero-amd-x370-motherboard-review_full.jpg



How do you take it off? It seems to be glued on. I didn't want to pry it off in fear of damaging the Motherboard.


----------



## Jorge Nascimento (Apr 26, 2017)

I didn't had any problems with the 3 ryzen I have built. Some mobos you need to force the backplate a bit. Try pushing on the fixation holes around socket. Just like Norton said.


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 26, 2017)

Jorge Nascimento said:


> I didn't had any problems with the 3 ryzen I have built. Some mobos you need to force the backplate a bit. Try pushing on the fixation holes around socket. Just like Norton said.



I did notice it has both AM3 and AM4 mounting holes that's why I'm taking the pics to show but the stock backplate is rather difficult to take off... I will have to try pushing on it harder.


----------



## Norton (Apr 26, 2017)

Jorge Nascimento said:


> I didn't had any problems with the 3 ryzen I have built. Some mobos you need to force the backplate a bit. Try pushing on the fixation holes around socket. Just like Norton said.


This- backplate is just pressed into the holes. Just remember NOT to start digging at it with a screwdriver


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 26, 2017)

Norton said:


> This- backplate is just pressed into the holes. Just remember NOT to start digging at it with a screwdriver



So I should be fine pressing on the 4 metal screwholes that pertrude from the top of the Motherboard around the cpu socket with my finger?


----------



## Norton (Apr 26, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> So I should be fine pressing on the 4 metal screwholes that pertrude from the top of the Motherboard around the cpu socket with my finger?



Should work that way. It may require a little bit of _seemingly unreasonable_ force, just be careful.


----------



## Caring1 (Apr 26, 2017)

You could try mounting the original cooler loosely on to that metal back plate so you have more leverage to push it out.


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 26, 2017)

Caring1 said:


> You could try mounting the original cooler loosely on to that metal back plate so you have more leverage to push it out.




Thank you Norton, I ended up putting some tape on my finger tip so I can push on the metal screw holes cause it had some adhesive.


----------



## Norton (Apr 26, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> Thank you Norton, I ended up putting some tape on my finger tip so I can push on the metal screw holes cause it had some adhesive.




Suggest that you test fit the cooler and make sure it's not loose on the cpu when you tighten it down. I've seen a few references to this issue with certain coolers but don't remember where I saw it or which coolers it affects


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 27, 2017)

Norton said:


> Suggest that you test fit the cooler and make sure it's not loose on the cpu when you tighten it down. I've seen a few references to this issue with certain coolers but don't remember where I saw it or which coolers it affects



Had some time to continue on the build and have come to hopefully a small problemo... this is obviously going to sound utterly hilarious to some but anyways here it goes..so the nzxt phantom 820 case comes with three USB2.0 (the two I'm holding in the pic and the one connected in between them) question is where do the other two get connected?









I've looked through both the Motherboard and case manual...and only see one header on the Motherboard that matches the connection for the usb2.0cable... I know it's one of those times when the answer is right in front of me...






I'm also having an unusual time with the thermaltake wiring and placement of the controller I have on the right of the picture.


----------



## Totally (Apr 27, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> I'm also having an unusual time with the thermaltake wiring and placement of the controller I have on the right of the picture.



I'd zip tie and route the fan cables along the edge of the fans to the HDD cage and from there to the controller.


----------



## Caring1 (Apr 27, 2017)

Does the controller mount on the back of the motherboard tray?


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 27, 2017)

Caring1 said:


> Does the controller mount on the back of the motherboard tray?



What about the 3 usb2.0 connections from the case?


----------



## cdawall (Apr 27, 2017)

Spaceye said:


> What about the 3 usb2.0 connections from the case?



Get a USB 2.0 internal hub. The board only has one port for those. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031ESKJA/?tag=tec06d-20


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 27, 2017)

cdawall said:


> Get a USB 2.0 internal hub. The board only has one port for those.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031ESKJA/?tag=tec06d-20



ah of course they make the case in a way so they can sell a separate part to make money.

ugh now to wait til monday for the part.


----------



## cdawall (Apr 27, 2017)

More like they make high end boards expecting users to use high end cases, with just usb 3.0.


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 29, 2017)

Sanding and painting the side, top and front covers to give the case a better deeper black


----------



## purecain (Apr 29, 2017)

I bought that cooler to me on until I can afford hard tube watercooling kit. 1800x and the crosshair, I even bought trident rgb ram. I managed a bargain on some 4000mhz pc3200 so I couldn't resist it. its highly binned Samsung b3 ic's afaik.. I'm going to be a few days before I start mine but I'm watching your build with much interest

good luck with it... .


----------



## Spaceye (Apr 30, 2017)

purecain said:


> I bought that cooler to me on until I can afford hard tube watercooling kit. 1800x and the crosshair, I even bought trident rgb ram. I managed a bargain on some 4000mhz pc3200 so I couldn't resist it. its highly binned Samsung b3 ic's afaik.. I'm going to be a few days before I start mine but I'm watching your build with much interest
> 
> good luck with it... .



Thanks 

Found a good use for the plastic window while the first few coats of paint sealer finishes drying on the two side and top and front covers 

USB 2.0 hub is taking forever to ship even with Amazon prime

















Off to the store to buy more cause I ran out...


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## Spaceye (May 3, 2017)

Hey guys, so I tried to start up the pc for the first time while I'm waiting for some things I need to finish the coating on the case and only the Motherboard LEDS lit up after I turned on the power switch on the back of the psu... nothing happens when I use the switch on the case... what gives? Do I need to push the start button on the motherboard after I give the system power? this is my first real build so I'm hesitant to press it before I get an answer...so I don't Fup anything lol

One thing I've been curious about... it seems the case is missing the PLED two pin connector and the system warning speaker 4pin connector...I'm assuming this particular case just doesn't come with them, or am I some how wrong cause they are nowhere to be found after Tripple checking the cables.







You can see in the image below the power sw  on the top right, he led bottom left and reset under the power sw... but no PLED?!
















Can I get a go on the Motherboard Start button? Or is it something else I'm over looking?


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## purecain (May 4, 2017)

I didn't start my build today as planned so I just checked my board and there is no power led on the board itself.  it means the led on your case. hold on you mean the physical pins are missing? I'm just checking to make sure your pins are all there. your board is fine...
I couldn't see the start button, they've changed the colour from red to silver... yes your fine to just use the start button....


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## Spaceye (May 4, 2017)

purecain said:


> I didn't start my build today as planned so I just checked my board and there is no power led on the board itself.  it means the led on your case. hold on you mean the physical pins are missing? I'm just checking to make sure your pins are all there. your board is fine...
> I couldn't see the start button, they've changed the colour from red to silver... yes your fine to just use the start button....



Well I think I still might still have the connectors from the case wrong so I'll switch those around but the start button did work as you can see...also got it to post fine and the ram is running a 3000mhz without the bios update which I thought was a little odd.

 hopefully there's nothing wrong with the case cables...


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## eidairaman1 (May 4, 2017)

Pled is there on the board.


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## Spaceye (May 4, 2017)

eidairaman1 said:


> Pled is there on the board.




If you're asking me if the Motherboard has the connection for it...it does... the pic of the manual in my other post is from the mobo...but the case doesn't have that connector.

Correction... ram is running at 2133mhz my bad. 

I tried turning the reset and pwrbtn connector and still not turning on with the case power button... I'm calling nzxt before I try taking out the mobo and placing it on its box to make sure it's not grounded like someone suggested.


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## Norton (May 4, 2017)

The power switch is a momentary switch. You can make the connection by touching those two pins carefully with a flat screwdriver. If the board starts using that method then the case switch is bad

EDIT- the reset switch is usually the same style. As an alternative, you could use the reset switch to start the PC by plugging it on the power switch pins on your board


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## purecain (May 5, 2017)

well ive started with my build today, I'm going to use the am3 backing plate and bracket on the water 3.0 but ive also just ordered corsairs new bracket.
the cooling companies have made their blocks a standard shape so the brackets are mostly interchangeable. still a hassle though.


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## Spaceye (May 5, 2017)

Norton said:


> The power switch is a momentary switch. You can make the connection by touching those two pins carefully with a flat screwdriver. If the board starts using that method then the case switch is bad
> 
> EDIT- the reset switch is usually the same style. As an alternative, you could use the reset switch to start the PC by plugging it on the power switch pins on your board






I've been going back and forth with nzxt and they think it's a faulty switch so they're sending a new one.


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