Question AM5 questions

vic243

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Mar 3, 2011
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From the reading I have done, I understand the b650 is the way to go due to price vs performance compared to an X870. One concern that I have is the PCI4 vs 5 debacle. Some say that PCI 4 is far from being obsolete and some say is better to go PCI 5 to future proof your build. What is your opinion?

I need to have plenty of USB ports. I need a solid amount to connect all the things I use. Most of them are USB 2 with a couple of USB 3, most are USBC (3-4) and a couple of thunderbolt, which makes the X870 a better choice

I am going the pair this mobo with a 7800X3D. The GPU is still to be decided as I am waiting for the new lineup to hit, but if they are way above what I am willing to spend I will settle for this 4070 Super.

MSI RTX 4070 Super

Lastly, this rig will be used for heavy gaming and content creation.

I saw the latest tom's hardware review of motherboards and the ASRock X870E Taichi is the top recommendation at $699 with the Gigabite B650E Aorus Master taking the top of the B650 at $210 *HUGE DIFFERENCE*. Is it worth it based on the above?

Tom's Best Pick Motherboards
 
One concern that I have is the PCI4 vs 5 debacle. Some say that PCI 4 is far from being obsolete and some say is better to go PCI 5 to future proof your build. What is your opinion?
If you're migrating from a platform that's a couple of generations prior, then you invest in what's the best that your wallet will allow you. To that end, you shouldn't be pursuing the latest and greatest since early adopters are always left wanting more or wish they spent less since they can't take advantage of the advertised speeds.

I need to have plenty of USB ports. I need a solid amount to connect all the things I use. Most of them are USB 2 with a couple of USB 3, most are USBC (3-4) and a couple of thunderbolt, which makes the X870 a better choice
And how many USB ports would that be?

Lastly, this rig will be used for heavy gaming and content creation.
You might want to mention the titles you want to tax the system in terms of gaming and the apps you wish to tax the system with when it comes to content creation.

Is it worth it based on the above?
Besides USB ports, what are you looking for from your motherboard purchase? You should also factor in that the rest of your parts will also take a chunk out of your wallet.
 
One concern that I have is the PCI4 vs 5 debacle. Some say that PCI 4 is far from being obsolete and some say is better to go PCI 5 to future proof your build. What is your opinion?
If you're migrating from a platform that's a couple of generations prior, then you invest in what's the best that your wallet will allow you. To that end, you shouldn't be pursuing the latest and greatest since early adopters are always left wanting more or wish they spent less since they can't take advantage of the advertised speeds.

I need to have plenty of USB ports. I need a solid amount to connect all the things I use. Most of them are USB 2 with a couple of USB 3, most are USBC (3-4) and a couple of thunderbolt, which makes the X870 a better choice
And how many USB ports would that be?

Lastly, this rig will be used for heavy gaming and content creation.
You might want to mention the titles you want to tax the system in terms of gaming and the apps you wish to tax the system with when it comes to content creation.

Is it worth it based on the above?
Besides USB ports, what are you looking for from your motherboard purchase? You should also factor in that the rest of your parts will also take a chunk out of your wallet.
Performance and reliability are the main things I look for. Not sure what info you are looking for, but I can tell you that I will be using the PC for heavy gaming and content creation so i need to make sure I don't have a mobo that chokes when I put the PC to task. I need 2 M.2 ports with solid heatsinks. One GPU so as long 1 PCI X16 is enough. I don't plan to use many SATA ports. I am looking at a NZXT H5 Elite case that has very good air circulation and would need to be able to connect 6 different case fans. I am not planning to OC this PC.
 
What is your opinion?
PCie revision isn't too much of a big deal since most things are a couple of generations back when it comes to specialised A/V creation hardware. But I would look into if the AMD platform has issues with what specialised software/hardware, as not all things are equal.

Also, I would have to research those boards a little bit more, but I wouldn't recommend a motherboard that has a fan built into it and it looks like they do that for the 1.2V voltage regulator (VRM) because its more maintenance and its something that will eventually fail because fans don't last forever. Especially those cheaper sleeve type they like to incorporate on motherboards.


intel might be better for the A/V because of the built in thunderbolt in the cpu. Even though AMD should have done a similar affair with their CPUs but they would be heaters like the intel chips. There really isn't a problem with Intel chips, except some have too many things integrated so they heat up. Improving latency was more of a focal point of those designs instead of focusing on raw computing power which is only going to be better than in instances where software can take advantage of it.

So I would research by looking at what people are using and being happy with as well as things they are having issues with. If you were a musician I would point you to gearspace.com to see what hardware is doing or not doing well with those specialised hardware.
 
From the reading I have done, I understand the b650 is the way to go due to price vs performance compared to an X870. One concern that I have is the PCI4 vs 5 debacle. Some say that PCI 4 is far from being obsolete and some say is better to go PCI 5 to future proof your build. What is your opinion?

I need to have plenty of USB ports. I need a solid amount to connect all the things I use. Most of them are USB 2 with a couple of USB 3, most are USBC (3-4) and a couple of thunderbolt, which makes the X870 a better choice

I am going the pair this mobo with a 7800X3D. The GPU is still to be decided as I am waiting for the new lineup to hit, but if they are way above what I am willing to spend I will settle for this 4070 Super.

MSI RTX 4070 Super

Lastly, this rig will be used for heavy gaming and content creation.

I saw the latest tom's hardware review of motherboards and the ASRock X870E Taichi is the top recommendation at $699 with the Gigabite B650E Aorus Master taking the top of the B650 at $210 *HUGE DIFFERENCE*. Is it worth it based on the above?

Tom's Best Pick Motherboards
Fast PCIe5 drives which need a controller refresher a just around the corner. I see the, "marketing numbers PCIe5 drive was pulled from Amazon. The drive really just performs well as a PCIe4 drive. You can get a very fast Silicon Power 2TB US75 Nvme PCIe Gen4 M.2. $100.00. I have two of those and a few Samsung 990 Pro drives which cost 60% more.