Considering a better AM4 board

[Darmok N Jalad]

So I'm currently running along on a Gigabyte B450M DS3H for my 2700X. It actually handles the CPU pretty well for a budget board, but I'm thinking of upgrading it to a more premium board with a better VRM setup, as I'll eventually move to a 3900X or maybe even the 3950X down the road. I'm just beside myself on choosing a board though. First, there's the chipset choice: X570, X470, B450. I don't need SLI, so any of those chipsets should do, but it sure seems like the B450 boards don't have as much in the power delivery department as the X470, and then the X570 takes it up another notch. "Official" reviews are somewhat helpful, until I see user reviews and it seems like a good 10-15% of buyers rate a board at 1 star for failing somehow. Is it really that much of a minefield, or are there just that many fools out there?

By specs alone, my current leading candidate is the ASUS Prime X570-P. It is supposed to have a great VRM setup, and I don't need lots of other frills like multichannel audio or wifi. I also like the abundance of USB ports on the backplate, something that seems to be getting harder to find. BUT, the buyer reviews on this board seem extra bad. Are X570 boards just not mature enough yet to consider? I'm not in the biggest rush, but I do have some gift cards piled up and I figure the post-Christmas sales could be worth it. Budget cap is around $175.

 

[hat]

User reviews are always a mixed bag, and hardly reliable. You can find crap products with 5 star reviews that read "great, worked for me" and you can find good products with 1 star reviews just for being DOA.

 

[oobymach]

Compare motherboards that support the 3950x here.

 

[Zach_01]

So I'm currently running along on a Gigabyte B450M DS3H for my 2700X. It actually handles the CPU pretty well for a budget board, but I'm thinking of upgrading it to a more premium board with a better VRM setup, as I'll eventually move to a 3900X or maybe even the 3950X down the road. I'm just beside myself on choosing a board though. First, there's the chipset choice: X570, X470, B450. I don't need SLI, so any of those chipsets should do, but it sure seems like the B450 boards don't have as much in the power delivery department as the X470, and then the X570 takes it up another notch. "Official" reviews are somewhat helpful, until I see user reviews and it seems like a good 10-15% of buyers rate a board at 1 star for failing somehow. Is it really that much of a minefield, or are there just that many fools out there?

By specs alone, my current leading candidate is the ASUS Prime X570-P. It is supposed to have a great VRM setup, and I don't need lots of other frills like multichannel audio or wifi. I also like the abundance of USB ports on the backplate, something that seems to be getting harder to find. BUT, the buyer reviews on this board seem extra bad. Are X570 boards just not mature enough yet to consider? I'm not in the biggest rush, but I do have some gift cards piled up and I figure the post-Christmas sales could be worth it. Budget cap is around $175.

It’s not about the maturity of X570, rather than high manufacturing cost. That’s why you see boards like ASUS Prime X570-P having great VRM but it’s so stripped-out of features like USB ports in the price range of 160-180$.

For X570 I would suggest the above ASUS board if other features are not in concern. I don’t like m.2 slot under the GPU tho...
Another ASUS worth considering is the TUF GAMING X570-PLUS with nice VRM, good m.2 placement, but 2 fewer USB ports.

Without breaking the bank and if you can stretch budget the Gigabyte Aorus Elite X570 is solid option with nice set of features.

For under 200$ and X570 is the above 3 for me, or go with B450 like MSI MAX line (Tomahawk/Mortar).
The X470 is a little high priced this moment and if you go into this territory you better go with X570 instead.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Imo the only sub $200 X570 board worth buying from a vrm/features perspective is the Tuf gaming plus. On sale I've seen it as low as $165 usd on Amazon. The X570-P is fine but its extremely stripped down.

Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS Socket AM4/ AMD X570/ DDR4/ SATA3&USB3.2/ M.2/ | eBay

Find great deals for Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS Socket AM4/ AMD X570/ DDR4/ SATA3&USB3.2/ M.2/. Shop with confidence on eBay!

www.ebay.com

 

[Waldorf]

running the GB aorus ultra, and more headaches than i had with the MSI gaming plus.

funny, as i didnt like the msi board (bios features), until i sold it to a friend and upgraded to the aorus (3 nvme),
and instantly remembered why i try stay away from GB for boards/gpus.
and im not talking about it being broken/not performing, just that the msi worked good enough to install win right away,
when on the GB i had to use different ram just to get it to post, and it needed 4 bios updates before it
stopped showing post/boot issues( after a power-off), and random reboots (no shutdown) without high load.

the tuf would be my first choice on value boards (didnt like the prime looks),
but i would rather try to get an open box from amazon (if u have prime) or local microcenter,
if you dont mind swapping it in case you have issues (maybe initial test outside the case).

 

[Durvelle27]

Compare motherboards that support the 3950x here.

I'd take the chart with a grain of salt. I have a ASRock B350 Pro4 and it worked great with the 3900X before i sold it.

 

[notb]

Why not buy a mobo when you upgrade the CPU?
Do you currently lack something in that Gigabyte?

Because next generation is around the corner and as leaks of future CPUs appear, you can be either:
- oooh, I'm saving for that
or
- I wish I hadn't spent on AM4, but I have to stay with it now.

IMO it's a little late to put so much money in AM4 (your specs suggest you're a sensible buyer). Is that 2700X really limiting you?

 

[Waldorf]

i wouldnt skimp on a new board when running something like a 3900 or 3950.

and there will always be something new around the corner, no matter what it is.

am4 is fine, next cpu will still be on it, and one reason i got the 3600 for now,
and will get (any) ryzen 8 core to keep a little longer.

 

[DenFox]

In this moment I have an ASUS Prime X370-PRO, but few days ago I bought on Amazon.it (I'm italian) an used ASUS Crosshair VI Hero in optimal condition for just 114€ with Amazon Prime. Amazon offers 2 years warranty on their used product, so I think that buying it on Amazon is a good deal. I will sell the X370-PRO for 90€ (I think it's a honest price), so after 3 years I have now a much better motherboard with 2 years warranty for just 25€ more .
I saw other C6H used on Amazon at the same price, take a look at this mobo, could be a good option for you if you don't care about PCI-E 4.0.

 

[cucker tarlson]

better get a good cooler instead,the board can handle a 3900x as long as you've got good cooling.a d15 should handle both the cpu and the area around the vrms without the need to get those grossly overpriced boards.
wanna get great vrm,an actual high end board and not pay for gimmicks ? get a x370 taichi.

In my country you can get a 1600 with x370 taichi for the price of a mid range x570 board like tuf

Spoiler: pic

 

[Waldorf]

@DenFox
aaahhh, poster has an amd, not intel chip.

@cuckertalson
why save 50$ when you plan on running something like a 3900/3950?
like buying a porsche and putting "cheap" tires on it
i think its better to have pcie 4 on a mid range board,
than 3.0 on a high end one, at least looking long term.

the steel legend isnt that far off compared to taichi, and the x570 version is below 200$.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

I'd suggest waiting until the B550 motherboards come out.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I'd take the chart with a grain of salt. I have a ASRock B350 Pro4 and it worked great with the 3900X before i sold it.

Yeah, It's gotten rather confusing. The B450 Tomahawk scores better than the X470 Gaming Plus, even though they seem to have much in common.

Why not buy a mobo when you upgrade the CPU?
Do you currently lack something in that Gigabyte?

Because next generation is around the corner and as leaks of future CPUs appear, you can be either:
- oooh, I'm saving for that
or
- I wish I hadn't spent on AM4, but I have to stay with it now.

IMO it's a little late to put so much money in AM4 (your specs suggest you're a sensible buyer). Is that 2700X really limiting you?

The Gigabyte isn't terrible, for sure. However, the VRM cooling is adequate at best, and it only has 2 fan headers. Right now, I have my second case fan 5V wired to a molex, and I have a 3 pack of case fans on the way, along with a beefier cooler (Mugen 5) than the one I have now. The Prism is nice to look at, but it gets really buzzy and always seems like it is working too hard. I have a Gammaxx 300 installed now, and it keeps up for the most part, but under non-gaming load, even it gives up. I'm going to see if my better CPU cooler and the extra fans help stabilize temps.

And while yes, something new is always around the corner, I prefer to stay a generation or so behind so everyone else can work out the bugs. I'll get a 3900X or 3950X when AMD launches the 4000 series and drives down prices. My 2700X only cost me $129, after all, and the board was like $40 after Microcenter's combo discount. I figured I'd let it get me by until I can pick something more durable.

 

[cucker tarlson]

@DenFox
the steel legend isnt that far off compared to taichi

lol,it's two tiers lower in terms of vrm and features

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I'd suggest waiting until the B550 motherboards come out.

I may do just that. I'm not in much of a hurry as I said, but if I find a good post-holiday deal on a proven existing board, I may jump sooner.

 

[DenFox]

@DenFox
aaahhh, poster has an amd, not intel chip.

C6H is an AM4 motherboard...

 

[Waldorf]

@cucker tarlson
sure, but that doesnt mean its bad, and only an issue if you want to oc 3950.

@DenFox
my bad, guess i should have googled it

 

[Zach_01]

I may do just that. I'm not in much of a hurry as I said, but if I find a good post-holiday deal on a proven existing board, I may jump sooner.

If you plan switching CPU when 4000 is out (7-8 months) then I suggest buy a new board at that time. By then B550 will be out and with mature BIOS and prices of all existing AM4 will be better than any... now holiday deal.

 

[notb]

And while yes, something new is always around the corner, I prefer to stay a generation or so behind so everyone else can work out the bugs. I'll get a 3900X or 3950X when AMD launches the 4000 series and drives down prices. My 2700X only cost me $129, after all, and the board was like $40 after Microcenter's combo discount. I figured I'd let it get me by until I can pick something more durable.

Generation behind or not, that still means you're replacing a CPU just after just one gen. And that 2700X is hardly slow

Still, I don't see the point of buying a mobo earlier. You gain nothing (or almost nothing - some fan headers).
You have to perform many more tasks - including a lot of cleaning.

My way: new CPU, new mobo, new cooler. Assemble once and replace what is in the build now. Simple job, clean parts. And if something goes wrong or you get a bad sample, you have the earlier config ready.
Your way: having to disassemble everything twice - with TIM cleaning and taking the CPU out of the socket. Of course assuming you don't replace the cooler separately as well.

From a more "money management / risk" standpoint: what if that mobo ends up useless? So many things can happen: you lose your job, you decide that you'd rather get a notebook or go SFF, you quit gaming, you go on a journey around the world.
I mean... it's just like buying winter tires on sale in February, because you're going to buy a car later that year.

 

[Vya Domus]

I'm thinking of upgrading it to a more premium board with a better VRM setup

Here's a very unpopular recommendation : if you feel like something has inadequate VRMs, just put put a fan over them, it will dramatically improve their life span and also it will significantly reduce the chances of anything going wrong. Saves you the money and the hassle.

I am absolutely convinced your current board would run a 3950X perfectly fine.

 

[cucker tarlson]

Here's a very unpopular recommendation : if you feel like something has inadequate VRMs, just put put a fan over them, it will dramatically improve their life span and also it will significantly reduce the chances of anything going wrong. Saves you the money and the hassle.

I am absolutely convinced your current board would run a 3950X perfectly fine.

it's probably your standard vrm on this gigabyte board,just not much heatsink on it.
imo a better cooler would cool both a 3900x and the vrm area adequately.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Here's a very unpopular recommendation : if you feel like something has inadequate VRMs, just put put a fan over them, it will dramatically improve their life span and also it will significantly reduce the chances of anything going wrong. Saves you the money and the hassle.

I am absolutely convinced your current board would run a 3950X perfectly fine.

I do have more cooling on the way, but I'll have to see how it all shapes up with only 2 fan headers. I believe my kit allows me to go without them.

 

[Waldorf]

@notb
And? Even if you wait with a purchase, doesnt magically prevent any part from being broken.

And i rarher get a part when i can afford it, and gain some features/capabilities right away.
For 50 of my builds in the past 18y, just once was a board defective, and that was actually an open box, not brand new.

Outside that, as long as i dont pay for someones stuff, i wont tell someone what and when to buy, but recommend what they should get, and THEY can make a decision.

 

[potato580+]

im fine with msi b350, best am4 board for me so far