B350 vs x370 for the 2700x

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sammiezlag

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Oct 15, 2016
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Is AMD Crossfire/Nvidia SLI the ONLY difference between the B350 and x370?

I'm buying the 2700x soon and I have a very small budget so let's take the MSI Gaming Plus for example...
Would there be any difference if I got the B350 instead of the x370 to save some money?

P.S: I'll NEVER use multiple GPUs and I tend to overclock the CPU to 4.15 or 4.2 and I don't think the XFR2 will be worth paying all that money.
 
Solution
Rogue Leader


XFR2 only works if you don't overclock manually. In reality it will probably overclock better than you can. X470 is worth it, but if you are Budget constrained and can't wait and the X370 is cheaper you won't miss much, other...
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I still recommend getting an X470 board if you can fit it, it isn't just XFR2 that X470 has over X370, it has better overclocking too, I've seen a 2700x hit 4.4 on X470 where it couldn't on X370, also it will have better compatibility with future Ryzen CPU's
 
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I do agree, but he asked for the X370 so I'm assuming a budget limitation. Also there have been reports that XFR2 works on some X370 boards (haven't checked if this particular MSI Gaming Plus is one of them though). As for compatibility, AMD has guaranteed AM4 boards will work with everything through 2020 so thats not a concern either.

Either way both would be far better than a B350 board if he intends to overclock.
 
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Oh god I thought it was just about multiple GPUs and XFR2... this changes everything...

The cheapest x470 motherboard available where I live is the MSI x470 Gaming Plus but it's $70 more...

Would you guys think it's better for me to save money for the x470 even if that means waiting 4 more weeks than just going for the B350 now?

Yes, I WILL overclock my CPU and I need something that's safer when it comes to voltage and getting the best out of a 3200 RAM.
 
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If you are budget constrained and the X370 Gaming Plus is cheaper get that. It will have no problem overclocking safely to where you want to. Do not buy the B350 you will be disappointed.
 
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I've been saving for several months and my budget is only tight because I'm tired of waiting but let's say I can wait a few weeks and get the Gaming Plus x470, would you say it's worth it?

Because I've read way too many good reviews since its BIOS is updated and has XFR2 (which I don't care for that much but AMD says it adds up to 7% more performance) plus [jacobweaver800] it overclocks better and might have better support for future Ryzen gens.

Man... I thought the waiting was over but if I have to wait, I'll wait!
 
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XFR2 only works if you don't overclock manually. In reality it will probably overclock better than you can. X470 is worth it, but if you are Budget constrained and can't wait and the X370 is cheaper you won't miss much, other than needing to overclock yourself.

And hes wrong about compatibility, all AMD Ryzen boards will have no compatibility issues through 2020.
 
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Solution
Alright, I guess I misunderstood XFR2...

I'll wait to get paid in a few days and see whether I'll wait to get the x470 or just go for the x370 now... either way, I'll stay away from the B350.

Thanks a lot!! :)
 
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"No compatibility issues" my butt, the 2nd gen Ryzen chips, while technically compatible, doesn't run as good as it can unless its on X470 vs X370, which I would see as a compatibility issue. Also, just because AMD promised they would all be compatible through 2020 doesn't mean that won't change in 2021 or that promise could be broken and they might pull something like what Intel does every 2 or 3 generations. If at all possible get an X470 board for better compatibility for future upgrades and only get X370 if you can't get an X470 board.
 
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Your opinion on what makes a compatibility issue doesn't make it a compatibility issue. If you're manually overclocking the CPU X470 and X370 does not matter. There are other small features that can make minor differences in benchmarks. I agree at stock settings and using XFR2 you want an X470, but if there are budgetary concerns 2nd gen Ryzen chips are FULLY compatible with X370, and not only that being that there are changes here, there is no way you can guarantee your comment regarding "future chips" because in the end if they add features to whatever is next, X470 isn't going to support them either, just like X370 doesn't support X470 features.

And yes compatibility through 2020 means yes they can change it in 2021, thats what through 2020 means. AMD is working to gain back consumer trust and market share, conjecture that they will break a promise is just that, conjecture. They are literally using it as a selling point against Intel, to go back on that promise would be torpedoing themselves.
 
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Get a X470 otherwise your not taking advantage on the boost feature in the new CPUs that actually give a nice performance increase over the previous gen.
better spend a bit more and have a fully support. There's mobos that are not super expensive, just did a built with the X470 Master and works really good.
 
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Yet, you agree that if you aren't using X470 you are holding back 2nd gen CPU's from being able to use features they were designed to work with? That strikes me as an incompatibility.
 
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Amd made claims to 'compatability' of any AM4 cpu on any AM4 mobo upto 2020. Funny word 'compatability' as it simply means the cpu will work, even work well, but there's no guarantee that it's going to be full performance usage similar if not exactly the same across all the generations.

If exactly the same performance was the guarantee, there'd be no need for any change from the 1st gen boards to now 2nd gen AM4 other than the ubiquitous bios upgrades common for the Am3+.

From what I gather, first gen boards came out early (as per amd normal behavior) not fully utilizing the Ryzen capabilities and now the 2nd gen boards are getting closer to doing just that. By the time 2020 rolls around with the X570? you'll probably see peak performance at the AM4 level. Finally.

To that way of seeing things, the X470 is going to have more options than the X370, even if nothing more than better compatability with led strips or better auto OC or guaranteed bios compliance with any gen cpu equal or older than Pinnacle Ridge, which can be a pot-luck thing depending on manufacturing date of the 200/300 boards.
 
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Yes.
 
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Incompatible means doesn't work.

Yes you lose out on a couple features (some like XFR2 don't matter if you manually overclock) that does not mean incompatible.

Needless to say the OP has made his decision, so this point is moot, and this conversation is going nowhere.
 
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Respectfully I disagree as to its mootness. Personally I'm hoping Op will read enough and change his mind if only for one reason, the bios. With 1st gen boards still relatively new, and 2nd Gen practically brand new, the chances of needing a bios update are still very good. Especially for lower turnover shops with older stock.
Have you seen the hoops necessary to go through to get a bios update?
First, get a friend to loan you a first gen Ryzen to update your bios. If that fails
Second, return/contact place of purchase, see if they will do it for free with a loaner cpu. If that fails
Third, contact mobo vendor, ask for RMA under bios incompatability, wait a few weeks for return. If that fails
Forth, contact AMD directly ask for a boot kit, show proof in picture form of written refusals, send pics of your cpu/mobo and receipts, AMD will send a loner Ryzen cpu that must be returned in 10 days or less or you get billed. You get to keep the included stock fan, they don't want it back.

It's a work around for AMD's AM4 compatability, but let's just say I'd prefer not to go through all that.
 
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Holy Crap

Both of you

Please note the part in the selected answer where I told the OP the x470 is worth it and extolled the virtues of XFR2 and where he immediately after agreed that he was going to aim to buy the x470.

Now please note the part where I said MULTIPLE TIMES if you are "budget constrained" (which was his main concern at the start) the X370 will do the job.

Yes theres hoops, yes you lose a couple of features, but in the end it works, and you can overclock with it, and do 98% of what an X470 board can do. There is no "incompatibility" other than needing a BIOS update.

We got it, its better, we got it.
 
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Wait a minute. Your saying if your on a budget X370 will work, while true, I found X470 boards for CHEAPER than X370 boards, around 130 USD on Newegg for a good board. Assuming the OP is still watching, do some looking into pricing on these X370 and X470 boards, I was surprised to find that pricing is very similar, granted some are over 200 USD, but there are boards cheaper than that of X370.
 
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I interpreted everything he said above that he could get the X370 for cheaper wherever he was getting it from. That said based on his last response he is going for the X470 unless the X370 is significantly cheaper.
 
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That's a good idea, also I believe that the bootkits mentioned above are sent to you with an Athlon chip using socket AM4, I'm sure they don't want to send one of their precious new Ryzen CPU's.
 
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Maybe targeting 40% eventually but they are nowhere near that.

https://venturebeat.com/2018/04/25/amd-earnings-confirm-its-biting-into-intels-market-share/

Was at 12% in Q4 17, I'd imagine its close to 20 for Q1 18 but I don't see any figures yet
 
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Sure, but that's kinda ambiguous. That's 12% of the entire market, and it's clouded by Radeon sales. But it includes the gaming market which amd takes a considerably larger % than 12 and its only for new sales. I had to convert over to Led the lighting for Cracker Barrel Corporate headquarters (huge and multi-building) and fully half or better of the 1500+ pc's there were on amd cpus. The only new cpus were all Intel. Depending on budget and need, the rest might be kept amd or changed to Intel, which just adds to market numbers and I'm guessing much of the market is similar.

Ford has the distinction for having #1 truck sales in the US forever it seems, yet most older trucks on the road are Chevrolet. To me that just means Ford needs replacing a lot more often. Does amd only have 12% of the market because that's all that needs replacing?
 
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