[SOLVED] B450 Tomahawk with Ryzen 5 1600 af and Ryzen 5 3600?

[carson_e]

Hey! So after damaging my PC while trying to clean it I’m looking to upgrade! Right now I do not have the money I wish I had so I was planning on getting the Ryzen 5 1600 af with the MSI B450 Tomahawk motherboard. My question is, can I eventually upgrade to a Ryzen 5 3600 or Ryzen 5 3600x? (or maybe a Ryzen 7. I don’t know it’ll probably be a while till I upgrade again). And if so do I need the “max” version or is the one without max okay?

 

[richiestang_78]

The MAX version simply means that it supports Ryzen 3000 out of the box, otherwise they are identical to the non max version aside form the updated BIOS.

As far as upgrading yes you can, you might just have to update the BIOS in order to run the Ryzen 3000

 

[carson_e]

Oh and while we’re on the topic do you know of any good budget ram kits (preferably 16GB) for the 1600 af/B450 Tomahawk combo?

 

[carson_e]

The MAX version simply means that it supports Ryzen 3000 out of the box, otherwise they are identical to the non max version aside form the updated BIOS.

As far as upgrading yes you can, you might just have to update the BIOS in order to run the Ryzen 3000

Oh well that’s not bad at all especially because of the flash bios button. Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[richiestang_78]

Oh and while we’re on the topic do you know of any good budget ram kits (preferably 16GB) for the 1600 af/B450 Tomahawk combo?

This if you want 16GB
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/n6...b-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c18d-16gvk

This if you want 8GB

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/D6RFf7/gskill-memory-f43200c16d8gvkb

 

[carson_e]

This if you want 16GB
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/n6...b-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c18d-16gvk

This if you want 8GB

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/D6RFf7/gskill-memory-f43200c16d8gvkb

Thanks so much for the quick reply! I do have one concern with one of the reviews on Newegg:

“I installed these into a MSI b450 tomahawk max motherboard with a ryzen 1600af processor and 1660Super gpu. Started getting blue screens instantly. Ran Windows Memory Diagnostic tool and it flagged a hardware issue with the ram.”

Maybe they just got a defective kit but I really do not want to mess this up so I just want to make sure.

 

[richiestang_78]

Thanks so much for the quick reply! I do have one concern with one of the reviews on Newegg:

“I installed these into a MSI b450 tomahawk max motherboard with a ryzen 1600af processor and 1660Super gpu. Started getting blue screens instantly. Ran Windows Memory Diagnostic tool and it flagged a hardware issue with the ram.”

Maybe they just got a defective kit but I really do not want to mess this up so I just want to make sure.

Probably a defective kit, it happens.

 

[carson_e]

Probably a defective kit, it happens.

Alrighty!!! Thank you so much for your help!

 

[DMAN999]

The Tomahawk B450 (MAX and Non-MAX) only support RAM speeds up to 3466.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-TOMAHAWK/Specification
So I wouldn't bother buying a 3600 kit.
Look here for a 3200 MHz G.Skill kit that is compatible with the Tomahawk B450 (MAX and Non-MAX):
https://www.gskill.com/configurator...524715120&chipset=1531979578&model=1531979775

Also the Non MAX version has a 16 MB BIOS chip so it has a text based BIOS but the MAX version has a 32 MB BIOS chip and has a full GUI BIOS.
That may or may not matter to you but it is a factor for a Lot of people.

 

[carson_e]

The Tomahawk B450 (MAX and Non-MAX) only support RAM speeds up to 3466.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-TOMAHAWK/Specification
So I wouldn't bother buying a 3600 kit.
Look here for a 3200 MHz G.Skill kit that is compatible with the Tomahawk B450 (MAX and Non-MAX):
https://www.gskill.com/configurator?page=2&cls=1529635169&adSearch2=Capacity§16GB (8GBx2),Tested_Speed§3200MHz,&manufacturer=1524715120&chipset=1531979578&model=1531979775

Also the Non MAX version has a 16 MB BIOS chip so it has a text based BIOS but the MAX version has a 32 MB BIOS chip and has a full GUI BIOS.
That may or may not matter to you but it is a factor for a Lot of people.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[carson_e]

The Tomahawk B450 (MAX and Non-MAX) only support RAM speeds up to 3466.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-TOMAHAWK/Specification
So I wouldn't bother buying a 3600 kit.
Look here for a 3200 MHz G.Skill kit that is compatible with the Tomahawk B450 (MAX and Non-MAX):
https://www.gskill.com/configurator?page=2&cls=1529635169&adSearch2=Capacity§16GB (8GBx2),Tested_Speed§3200MHz,&manufacturer=1524715120&chipset=1531979578&model=1531979775

Also the Non MAX version has a 16 MB BIOS chip so it has a text based BIOS but the MAX version has a 32 MB BIOS chip and has a full GUI BIOS.
That may or may not matter to you but it is a factor for a Lot of people.

Now what are the differences in those kits of RAM?

 

[Karadjgne]

The B450 supports 3466MHz with a 2nd Gen Ryzen. It'll support higher with a 3rd Gen Ryzen.

The 3466MHz was a limitation of the infinity fabric in 2nd Gen, higher speeds than that reduced the IF from a 1:1 ratio to a 2:1 ratio, so 3600MHz ram effectively castrated the cpu by running IF at 1800MHz.

In 3rd Gen, that limitation was raised to 3733MHz, but because of expense, 3600MHz became the sweet spot for price/performance ratio above the 2nd Gen 3200MHz.

Memory speed limitations are entirely on the cpu/bios, really got nothing to do with the motherboard as such.

Being a 1600AF, that'll be a 2nd Gen bios, best bet being 3200MHz.

MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX:
For AMD Ryzen Gen3 (R5/R7/R9)

• Supports 2667/ 2800/ 2933/ 3000/ 3066/ 3200/ 3466/ 4000/ 4133 MHz (by A-XMP OC MODE)

(yes, that means it'll support 3600/ 3733/ 3800 too)

 

[carson_e]

The B450 supports 3466MHz with a 2nd Gen Ryzen. It'll support higher with a 3rd Gen Ryzen.

The 3466MHz was a limitation of the infinity fabric in 2nd Gen, higher speeds than that reduced the IF from a 1:1 ratio to a 2:1 ratio, so 3600MHz ram effectively castrated the cpu by running IF at 1800MHz.

In 3rd Gen, that limitation was raised to 3733MHz, but because of expense, 3600MHz became the sweet spot for price/performance ratio above the 2nd Gen 3200MHz.

Memory speed limitations are entirely on the cpu/bios, really got nothing to do with the motherboard as such.

Being a 1600AF, that'll be a 2nd Gen bios, best bet being 3200MHz.

MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX:
For AMD Ryzen Gen3 (R5/R7/R9)

• Supports 2667/ 2800/ 2933/ 3000/ 3066/ 3200/ 3466/ 4000/ 4133 MHz (by A-XMP OC MODE)

(yes, that means it'll support 3600/ 3733/ 3800 too)

So... I might upgrade to a 3rd gen somewhere along the line. Should I go ahead and get the 3600MHz?

 

[Karadjgne]

Most definitely possible, most ppl on a budget will use a R5 3600 and a mid-grade B450, the only real reasons for a X570 mobo would be if you absolutely must OC the cajones out of an R7, or have pcie4.0. Otherwise there's no real difference between the 2 for a mid cpu. They'll perform similarly.

MSI has the best B450's for the most part, best VRM's and more bells/whistles. In the X570's, nobody tops the Asus Gaming Plus or the Gigabyte Auros Elite, both at under $200. You have to get above $300 to beat them.

The MSI B450 Tomahawk can handle a 3950x, the most brutal Ryzen to date.

 

[carson_e]

Most definitely possible, most ppl on a budget will use a R5 3600 and a mid-grade B450, the only real reasons for a X570 mobo would be if you absolutely must OC the cajones out of an R7, or have pcie4.0. Otherwise there's no real difference between the 2 for a mid cpu. They'll perform similarly.

MSI has the best B450's for the most part, best VRM's and more bells/whistles. In the X570's, nobody tops the Asus Gaming Plus or the Gigabyte Auros Elite, both at under $200. You have to get above $300 to beat them.

The MSI B450 Tomahawk can handle a 3950x, the most brutal Ryzen to date.

What about the RAM on GSkills website?