[SOLVED] Motherboard choice for Ryzen 5 1600

[jacob249358]

I have a secondhand ryzen 5 1600 lined up for $60 dollars. But I don't know what motherboard I need. The same guy is willing to throw in an a320 for just 30$ or I found a brand new b450 for 50$. I'm also confused about overclocking and boost block because it says boost clock is 3.6ghz but people are overclocking it to 4.1. So I'm just wondering if I should get an a320 , b450, or find a b350 and how high I can overclock on each chipset and if which ones will be compatible out of the box without messing with bios. Thanks

 

[drea.drechsler]

4.1Ghz is conceivable, but not a given. The more realistic OC is 3.8-3.9Ghz or so. But whatever the outcome, overclocking is definitely the way to go with a 1st or 2nd gen and you'll not do that on any A320 board.

If you can, get a B450 at least. B350 might work OK for a 1600 to OC on but they're weak at best. Many B450 will not only work well but if you get the right one it can even be a good platform to upgrade all the way to a Ryzen 5000 processor.

In theory, any B350 or B450 board you buy will work out of the box with a 1600. But you'll most likely want to update BIOS, if it's not already, as updates often bring substantial stability and memory compatibility improvements.

If it matters, that 1600 will not be supported for Win11. So that's a consideration. If it's what's known as an 'AF' processor it may be different, though, as that's based on a Gen 2 die.

 

[jacob249358]

4.1Ghz is conceivable, but not a given. The more realistic OC is 3.8-3.9Ghz or so. But whatever the outcome, overclocking is definitely the way to go with a 1st gen and you'll not do that on any A320 board.

If you can, get a B450 at least. B350 might work OK for a 1600 to OC on but they're weak at best. Many B450 will not only work well but if you get the right one it can even be a good platform to upgrade all the way to a Ryzen 5000 processor.

Ok thanks. Will I have to upgrade bios on a b450 because that sounds intimidating

 

[logainofhades]

I would definitely go with a B450 board. I have had pretty good success with Asrock's B450 boards, with R5 1600's. Only Asrock B450 I would avoid would be the B450M-HDV R4.0

 

[logainofhades]

Ok thanks. Will I have to upgrade bios on a b450 because that sounds intimidating

B450 doesn't need a bios update, for an R5 1600.

 

[drea.drechsler]

Ok thanks. Will I have to upgrade bios on a b450 because that sounds intimidating

You won't have to but updating is still a good idea depending entirely on the BIOS it's on at purchase. Many shops will do it for you.

 

[jacob249358]

I would definitely go with a B450 board. I have had pretty good success with Asrock's B450 boards, with R5 1600's. Only Asrock B450 I would avoid would be the B450M-HDV R4.0

Thanks but I think I'm gonna have to go with the b450 ROG Strix I found for 50$ in open box condition. Crazy deal and the board looks sick

 

[drea.drechsler]

Thanks but I think I'm gonna have to go with the b450 ROG Strix I found for 50$ in open box condition. Crazy deal and the board looks sick

Which board precisely is it? B450 Strix-F?

And check out your CPU...look at the serial number and look at the last two letters...are they AE or AF?

If yours ends in AF you may need to check that your BIOS is updated for it. It should be OK since the AF CPU's have been around for quite a while but if it happens to be an older board it might not be. Since it's 'open box', can't be too sure.

 

[loaded_to_ram]

I would definitely go with a B450 board. I have had pretty good success with Asrock's B450 boards, with R5 1600's. Only Asrock B450 I would avoid would be the B450M-HDV R4.0

Since I'm a current owner (read: victim) of this MB, care to share why to caution against it?
I'm trying to decide if it's worth troubleshooting or covering it with epoxy and turning it into a coffee table.

 

[logainofhades]

Lack of heatsinks on the VRM. I would never recommend using such a board, that lacks them. They can more easily thermal throttle, costing performance, and shorten the life of the motherboard itself.

 

[loaded_to_ram]

Ah - thank you for that.
Cheers,
Bill