How to choose amongst the X399 motherboards

letsrun4it

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Jul 25, 2017
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As far as I can tell there is not a lot of information out there that separates the X399 processors. The only tangible difference I can tell is a different LAN speed, which seems relatively low on the list of importance.

I pre-ordered the MSI card, but of course it's not too late to switch, anyone have any thoughts on why one would be better than another?

This is my build, if you see a reason to switch mobos I'd be very interested in your logic:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Threadripper 1950X 3.4GHz 16-Core Processor ($999.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - X399 GAMING PRO CARBON AC ATX TR4 Motherboard ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair - Dominator Platinum 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($460.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 1.1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($274.89 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($81.78 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($81.78 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 GAMING iCX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($779.89 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 GAMING iCX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($779.89 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Luxe Tempered Glass (Gray) ATX Full Tower Case ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: FSP Group - 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Pioneer - BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($66.99 @ Amazon)
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-07 03:09 EDT-0400

 
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My first choice was the Asrock Taichi...cuz has all the features I like and costs less. Also I dislike the way MSI arranged the PCIe slots on the Carbon. They put the two x1 slots next to the x16 wired slots which means they'll be blocked by dual width cards. Also the Carbon has only one lan port and no U.2 connections. All that said, I went with the MSI anyway because it was the only one in stock, and because it was $280 after rebates and discounts.

If you plan to overclock I think you should probably look for a healthier PSU. 1k watts is probably fine, but threadripper can get thirsty when you up the voltage, plus you have dual vid cards in there. Again, probably fine unless you intend to lean on the CPU a bit, then I'd suggest a...
My first choice was the Asrock Taichi...cuz has all the features I like and costs less. Also I dislike the way MSI arranged the PCIe slots on the Carbon. They put the two x1 slots next to the x16 wired slots which means they'll be blocked by dual width cards. Also the Carbon has only one lan port and no U.2 connections. All that said, I went with the MSI anyway because it was the only one in stock, and because it was $280 after rebates and discounts.

If you plan to overclock I think you should probably look for a healthier PSU. 1k watts is probably fine, but threadripper can get thirsty when you up the voltage, plus you have dual vid cards in there. Again, probably fine unless you intend to lean on the CPU a bit, then I'd suggest a couple hundred more watts of headroom.
 
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