Switching to AMD after 15 years, need AM5 motherboard advice

[Aleksandar_038]

MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk if connectivity on this model is good enoigh for you, it is great mobo for AM5

 

[Ruru]

MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk if connectivity on this model is good enoigh for you, it is great mobo for AM5

Looks like a damn solid choice if I'm upgrading from AM4. Thanks for the tip even though I just wandered to this thread.

 

[dirtyferret]

Cancelled my Arrow Lake pre-order and going to get a 9800X3D instead

and miss out on that killer AI performance? Your loss.

However you will have long boot times with Dual-Rank. Just ask @Toothless how he likes that 2 minute post screen . Personally it doesn't bug because I have a phone and other things I can do while I wait for it to memory train.

how is this still a thing with AMD? Are you still seeing it on reviews?

 

[oxrufiioxo]

how is this still a thing with AMD? Are you still seeing it on reviews?

2x16GB sticks is pretty fast for me 15-20 seconds or 12-15 If I unplug all my external drives..... After the initial memory training ofc.

4x16GB 90-120 seconds.

Oddly B650 boards from every motherboard maker boot faster for me than X670E boards maybe the dual chipset or something but it's been every single one.

 

[lexluthermiester]

and miss out on that killer AI performance? Your loss.

Not sure if that was a joke, but not everyone cares about AI on their personal PC. Then there are some of us who will build a dedicated PC for AI tasks should we need it.

 

[ir_cow]

how is this still a thing with AMD? Are you still seeing it on reviews?

Still a thing even with the newest BIOS. Never really gone away for dual-rank memory.

There is also a bug that is still around where if you swap memory while XMP/EXPO is still enabled, it will not reset to defaults and instead try to apply that profile to the memory. On Intel when this happens, you will get a failed to post message if your memory isn't linking the settings. On AM5, it will get stuck and never boot again even If you put the old memory back in untill CMOS clear.

So I constantly have to do is power on (watch code 15). disable XMP/EXPO. Power off, swap memory. Power on, watch code 15, enable XMP/EXPO, restart, watch code 15 again. If it's dual rank, spending 10 minutes in total looking at code 15.

Intel I just swap memory while off. Press the safe-boot button and into the BIOS I go. No hassle. Safe-boot doesn't work on AMD for memory.

This is why I hate overclocking on AMD. Fairly easy to hard lock boot that requires a Clear CMOS. Then you have to let it boot, enable the profile and start again.

 

[xSneak]

I was having problems with a bad msi x670e carbon board and now I switched over to this asrock 870e nova which has been rock solid so far even with a 102 mhz bclk overclock. It also boots to the bios superfast like my previous ddr4 based boards. Overall boot time of maybe 1 min if you train the memory from a cold boot. I would really recommend it if you want something that just works. I am also using intel xmp rated memory since the xmp/expo stuff is just marketing bs.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

I was having problems with a bad msi x670e carbon board and now I switched over to this asrock 870e nova which has been rock solid so far even with a 102 mhz bclk overclock. It also boots to the bios superfast like my previous ddr4 based boards. Overall boot time of maybe 1 min if you train the memory from a cold boot. I would really recommend it if you want something that just works. I am also using intel xmp rated memory since the xmp/expo stuff is just marketing bs.

View attachment 369261

Definitely my favorite new board. The only one giving me fomo lol.

 

[Ruru]

Not sure if that was a joke, but not everyone cares about AI on their personal PC. Then there are some of us who will build a dedicated PC for AI tasks should we need it.

Agree. Still haven't made any waifus even though I switch from AMD to Nvidia ½ years ago

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Agree. Still haven't made any waifus even though I switch from AMD to Nvidia ½ years ago

Yes my only use is naked anime chick's with terrible looking hands lmao

 

[Launcestonian]

SNAP

Basically the same setup here as well and with quad 16Gb sticks to boot. The only things I am a little disappointed with the board is the 2nd PCIe x16 is only PCIe 3.0 and the two bottom M2s go though the chipset but thats just limitations of AM5 in general and some interesting design choices from Asrock.

But in terms of stability, performance and what I want? Everything just works!

It's the same thing with X870 although one board I've seen - Gigabyte Aorus Elite WiFi ,does have 2 x PCIe 5.0 slots.... however.. the primary PCIe x16 slot will downgrade to 8x as a compromise.
Thing that disappoints me is how no change from amount of PCIe 5.0 lanes compared to X670 with the latest generation.

 

[AusWolf]

Single-CCD (8-core) X3D processors consume peanuts for power, so you don't need top of the range boards for them. Anything with a heatsink on the VRM will suffice. The rest is your choice.

 

[LittleBro]

ASUS ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming. I will be buying this board around Christmas.
Just remember to disable ASUS Armoury Crate in BIOS prior to installing Windows.

There is no out-of-the-box support for 9800X3D, but BIOS can easily be upgraded by USB BIOS flashback function.

 

[dirtyferret]

Not sure if that was a joke, but not everyone cares about AI on their personal PC. Then there are some of us who will build a dedicated PC for AI tasks should we need it.

not sure if you saw Aris review on the Ultra 9, probably one of the more favorable reviews for the CPU that I've seen

 

[Redwoodz]

Still a thing even with the newest BIOS. Never really gone away for dual-rank memory.

There is also a bug that is still around where if you swap memory while XMP/EXPO is still enabled, it will not reset to defaults and instead try to apply that profile to the memory. On Intel when this happens, you will get a failed to post message if your memory isn't linking the settings. On AM5, it will get stuck and never boot again even If you put the old memory back in untill CMOS clear.

So I constantly have to do is power on (watch code 15). disable XMP/EXPO. Power off, swap memory. Power on, watch code 15, enable XMP/EXPO, restart, watch code 15 again. If it's dual rank, spending 10 minutes in total looking at code 15.

Intel I just swap memory while off. Press the safe-boot button and into the BIOS I go. No hassle. Safe-boot doesn't work on AMD for memory.

This is why I hate overclocking on AMD. Fairly easy to hard lock boot that requires a Clear CMOS. Then you have to let it boot, enable the profile and start again.

I suspect this is an effect of multi generational socket support. You can't preload as many values, they have to be learned.

 

[_roman_]

Just remember to disable ASUS Armoury Crate in BIOS prior to installing Windows.

ASUS Armory Crate is only an issue if you do a CMOS Reset and when you are using Windows. I consider it as software which install itself with security Issues. The same applies for the MSI equivalent.

2x16GB sticks is pretty fast for me 15-20 seconds or 12-15 If I unplug all my external drives..... After the initial memory training ofc.

4x16GB 90-120 seconds.

Oddly B650 boards from every motherboard maker boot faster for me than X670E boards maybe the dual chipset or something but it's been every single one.

I think it's common sense to have only two of four RAM modules in use.
AM4 - X570 / Ryzen 5800X was not htat worse with 4x16GiB of RAM (i set the uefi settings - two modules were a gift from myself to my brother)

Heck, 2011 to 2021 basically saw the death of sound cards as onboard audio replaced them for most consumers

I had to buy a external sound card. It's called an usb audio interface. The onboard audio had issues with my speakers, which are called studio monitors.
Onboard Audio is just bad. I'll never go back to the onboard audio. I got some headache until I found the culprit for it. There are distortion caused by onboard audio which can be avoided by not using external powered speakers, or headphones with batteries, .... Most likely people are using speakers which do not work in the 50Hz Range from the power net.

Some headsets come already with their own usb soundcard.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

I think it's common sense to have only two of four RAM modules in use.
AM4 - X570 / Ryzen 5800X was not htat worse with 4x16GiB of RAM (i set the uefi settings - two modules were a gift from myself to my brother)

It was more just curiosity, I set up every system with 2x dimms for AM5 and recommend against 4 unless the person absolutely needs the ram capacity, on AM4 my preferences was 4x8 3800 CL14 or 3600 CL14 depending on what the processor could handle on the IF. A couple had to be set to 3200 CL14 which for most people with all other timings properly tightened didn't make a big difference.

 

[lexluthermiester]

not sure if you saw Aris review on the Ultra 9, probably one of the more favorable reviews for the CPU that I've seen

Never seen that site. Looks kinda cool. Thank You for sharing.

 

[csendesmark]

Looking for a mid range board from either Asus or Gigabyte with full support for 9800X3D out of the box, preferably Asus as I read Gigabyte usually stops bios updates much earlier than the other brands later in its life. Prematurely bought this ram for an intel build when it was heavily on sale recently: Team Group T-CREATE EXPERT 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 6400 CTCWD564G6400HC34BDC01. Hoping it would work fine if downclocked to 6000-6200, but am worried a lot of AM5 boards might not work well with 64GB without expo certification. I could RMA it for something else, but would rather not if possible.

As I found out, no real need to shoot for some "superfast" 6000+ MT RAM module
DDR5 Memory Performance Scaling with AMD Zen 5
If you play 1440p or 2160p there is a miniscule gain with the high end memory modules.
So I went for the KINGSTON FURY Renegade 6000MHz 96GB KF560C32RSK2-96 kit.
Sometime later might try to get a second kit of the same to have 192GB if the MC can handle it.

 

[lepudruk]

Cancelled my Arrow Lake pre-order and going to get a 9800X3D instead, what I'm worried about is the AM5 platform and massive potential headaches... why I stuck with Intel the last decade; because everything just works out of the box without being finnicky with non OC memory and stability in most cases, not requiring much or any tuning to work near optimally.

This build is strictly for gaming, while needing to last a decade+ with only video card upgrades. All my Intel midrange builds from Asus still work fine to this day, currently on an i5-3570k/p8z77, unsure if AMD board build quality/reliability matches Intel side for longevity. I also do a decent amount of rebooting into Linux external HDD installs, sounds like the boot times have been mostly solved, unwilling to wait more than 20s to boot while still having a stable system (my current boot time is about 6-10s to Windows desktop from cold boot).

Looking for a mid range board from either Asus or Gigabyte with full support for 9800X3D out of the box, preferably Asus as I read Gigabyte usually stops bios updates much earlier than the other brands later in its life. Prematurely bought this ram for an intel build when it was heavily on sale recently: Team Group T-CREATE EXPERT 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 6400 CTCWD564G6400HC34BDC01. Hoping it would work fine if downclocked to 6000-6200, but am worried a lot of AM5 boards might not work well with 64GB without expo certification. I could RMA it for something else, but would rather not if possible.

I mostly care about a super stable durable board that isn't super picky about ram, sort of need digital optical out that usually only comes with ALC1220 audio or higher, and more than 4 sata ports would be nice, but not mandatory. Also trying to avoid bad coil while, which Asus boards are supposedly plagued with this generation on both sides as I like to keep a very quiet PC especially when idle, but that's the last thing on my mind with a risky AM5 build. I know the boards are hit and miss from these brands on both sides, so hoping someone knows of the proven most reliable board versions of this gen in the $200-350 area.

Thanks for any advice or tips on AM5 issues to look out for, most of what I read is old when the platform wasn't mature yet, not entirely sure the current state of things.

I'm about to change the platform too and also looking at 9800X3D. So far I've managed to find this mainboard and rams (still on DDR4 right now):
Asus Prime X870-P
Lexar ARES RGB Black DIMM Kit 32GB, DDR5-6400, CL32-38-38-76, on-die ECC

Already contacted Asus support about compatibility with new AMD cpus and that ram - they confirmed it'll work fine.

 

[psk94]

Flashing the BIOS without having CPU/Ram installed is straight forward with the aid of a flash drive. Each board vendor has instructions on their website.

As for the dual CCD X3Ds I believe that the new gen will have much higher clocks than last one and because of that there will be no need having a nonX3D CCD on board for the CPU to achieve high clocks/boost/performance on non gaming applications.
Plus there is a chance that AMD has done other improvements also with even more performance, better thermals and so.

I would wait a few months until all parts are out to see what is true or not. Especially if I wanted to change the CPU after many years.
Of course there is the matter of price too…

Can't wait, my video card died a couple months ago (shorted out), tried an old $20 card and it shorted out within an hour in same pci-e slot. Not sure if it was the slot or vid card connectors/power on my Seasonic PSU malfunctioning... wasn't willing to risk anymore hardware. Working fine with no issues or funny business since just using onboard graphics. That and I've already ordered every part outside of motherboard and CPU which will need ample time for testing, prefer to take advantage of extended holiday return policies as things usually die within first 1-3 months if they're going to.

Only care about gaming, would never pay an extra $300-500 CAD for an R9 for miniscule performance gains in games if any when that could go into a better GPU, along with some nice power savings over a decade of heavy usage with an 8 core chip.

 

[psk94]

I was having problems with a bad msi x670e carbon board and now I switched over to this asrock 870e nova which has been rock solid so far even with a 102 mhz bclk overclock. It also boots to the bios superfast like my previous ddr4 based boards. Overall boot time of maybe 1 min if you train the memory from a cold boot. I would really recommend it if you want something that just works. I am also using intel xmp rated memory since the xmp/expo stuff is just marketing bs.

View attachment 369261

After doing extensive motherboard research, this is the board I was willing to pay extra for/wanted... unfortunately it seems it's perpetually sold out in USA/Canada and can't wait much longer, that and ASRock x870 Steel Legend is now on sale and their x870 boards don't lower your pci-e graphics card slot to 8x/shared resources with any of the M.2 slots unlike other brands, so it's good enough for my needs. My 64GB RAM is also on their QVL list and x870/x870e boards are known to have much better memory support and at higher speeds, while being the same price as x670/B650e boards (in Canada anyways).

 

[Shou Miko]

I am sorry but I haven't read it all and I might be late to the party but a few suggestions only you can answer.

1. How many usb ports you need?
2. How would your ideal pci-e layout been and how many slots you need?
3. How many m.2. slots?
4. How many sata ports?
5. You want ATX, Micro-ATX, ITX?

You know all the things you want onboard so you don't need to relay on add-in cards for extra ports because some cards can cost a lot and may not give you the full speed running only pci-e x1 and if you end up needing more than one you will can run in the issues with m.2. slots, pci-e ports not running full speed.

The above list is what I go through when I look at motherboards for myself because if I can get what I want onboard I prefer to do so than needing a add-in card.

 

[Hankieroseman]

You mentioned quite a few points, so let me address them separately.

1. There are no "headaches" on AM5. With a fresh BIOS, it's a stable platform like any other.
2. Speaking of BIOS... I don't think any board will support the 9800X3D out of the box without a BIOS update, as that CPU hasn't even been released, yet, so there's no microcode (AGESA) for it.
3. DDR5-6400 is quite a high speed, especially with 64 GB. 6000 MHz with 32 GB works pretty much every time, but as you increase capacity, the speed you can achieve will be lower.
4. Lots of makers are cheaping out on the audio codec with AM5, ALC-1200 is a rarity. Most boards I've seen have ALC-897 as standard.

I'm waiting to see if the X670 EXTREME board is supported and I can keep the board. Assuming the 9950X3D becomes reality and reasonably offers performance over the 7950X.

Don't forget Crucial, they are still in it, the Gaming Terminology was Replaced with OC.

No flashing lights on Crucial. When I looked no RGB.

 

[AusWolf]

I'm waiting to see if the X670 EXTREME board is supported and I can keep the board. Assuming the 9950X3D becomes reality and reasonably offers performance over the 7950X.

It'll most probably be supported after a BIOS update.