[SOLVED] My first AMD build - Mobo for 3950x?

[Vocuda]

Hi

Building a second PC for work, so more cores matter to me.
First AMD of me life, so I need accurate guidance.

Question1.
Is 3950x a good choice? (I do lots of computation that relies on cores and threads).

Question2.
Store told me x570 series are best pick for ryzen 9 but I got no clue which one is right for me

Wants:
No overclocking
Aesthetics don't matter
Good VRM for low temps I really care about
Need motherboard to respect CPU TDP, I don't want extra power consumption.
NEED fastest available NVme to be compatible with both CPU and Motherboard. I transfer tons of data.
Generally, what should I look for?

Question3.
SilverAllow IB-E air cooler does fine for 10900k, will the same work fine for 3950x too given the fake TDP is lower than 10900k? I want to stay away from AIO as usual.


Thanks

 

[logainofhades]

The 3950x is a great chip, for multithreaded workloads. Keep in mind the 5950x is now out, and is even faster. Hardware unboxed does a lot of VRM testing, so you might want to start by looking there, to see if one matches your preferences.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Hardwareunboxednow/search?query=bext x570

Fastest Gen 4 drive is probably the Samsung 980 pro.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-980-pro-m-2-nvme-ssd-review

I would say that big of a cooler should do the job.

 

[BogdanH]

Store told me x570 series are best pick for ryzen 9 but I got no clue which one is right for me

Actually you have a lot choices: B450, X470, B550 and X570 -now it's even more difficult to decide for the right one.
I'm using MSI X470 Gaming Plus Max for 5900X (similar power draw as 3950X) and I'm perfectly happy. So, if budget is a concern, then such solution can save you $100 (for other stuff you need).
Main difference (for you) between these boards is:
X470
First M.2 NVMe slot (for fast SSD) is PCIe 3.0, the second one is PCIe 2.0 -this can be limiting factor if you plan to populate both M.2 slots with SSD.
B550
First M.2 NVMe slot is PCIe 4.0 and the second one is PCIe 3.0. Yes, PCIe 4.0 is much faster than PCIe 3.0, but (no matter what some will say) you won't notice the difference in real life, as PCIe 3.0 is already crazy fast (compared to SATA SSD).
X570
Both M.2 slots are PCIe 4.0 .. so, if you think you need that, why not. Also keep in mind, that chipset on X570 is air cooled by "mini" fan, which might add noise over the time as it wears out (other boards have passive cooled chipset).

I would choose a solid B550 board (i.e. MSI B550 Gaming Plus or B550 Tomahawk) and look after features motherboard has to offer, i.e connections on back IO plate, enough fan connectors, connectors you need for PC case front panel, etc. -things you know for sure are important for you.

 

[Vocuda]

The 3950x is a great chip, for multithreaded workloads. Keep in mind the 5950x is now out, and is even faster. Hardware unboxed does a lot of VRM testing, so you might want to start by looking there, to see if one matches your preferences.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Hardwareunboxednow/search?query=bext x570

Fastest Gen 4 drive is probably the Samsung 980 pro.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-980-pro-m-2-nvme-ssd-review

I would say that big of a cooler should do the job.

Dived into those videos and came up with Prime x590-P which seems to be the best board for the price. Thanks.
980 Pro doesn't have a heatsink. Is that an issue I should be worried about?

Actually you have a lot choices: B450, X470, B550 and X570 -now it's even more difficult to decide for the right one.
I'm using MSI X470 Gaming Plus Max for 5900X (similar power draw as 3950X) and I'm perfectly happy. So, if budget is a concern, then such solution can save you $100 (for other stuff you need).
Main difference (for you) between these boards is:
X470
First M.2 NVMe slot (for fast SSD) is PCIe 3.0, the second one is PCIe 2.0 -this can be limiting factor if you plan to populate both M.2 slots with SSD.
B550
First M.2 NVMe slot is PCIe 4.0 and the second one is PCIe 3.0. Yes, PCIe 4.0 is much faster than PCIe 3.0, but (no matter what some will say) you won't notice the difference in real life, as PCIe 3.0 is already crazy fast (compared to SATA SSD).
X570
Both M.2 slots are PCIe 4.0 .. so, if you think you need that, why not. Also keep in mind, that chipset on X570 is air cooled by "mini" fan, which might add noise over the time as it wears out (other boards have passive cooled chipset).

I would choose a solid B550 board (i.e. MSI B550 Gaming Plus or B550 Tomahawk) and look after features motherboard has to offer, i.e connections on back IO plate, enough fan connectors, connectors you need for PC case front panel, etc. -things you know for sure are important for you.

I've decided on Prime x570-P.

I'm a little confused on M.2 slots though as I'm not sure how to read that part. Is that a 1x PCIe 4 slot and 1xPCIe 3 slot or it's 2xPCIe 4 slots? a bit confusing..

PRIME X570-P - Tech Specs｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

Detailed specification of PRIME X570-P Tech Specs，CPU: AMD AM4 Socket for AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series/ 5000 G-Series/ 4000 G-Series/ 3000 Series/ 3000 G-Series/ 2000 Series/ 2000 G-Series Desktop Processors <br>* Refer to <a href="http://www.asus.com">www.asus.com</a> for CPU support list<br>* Due to...

www.asus.com

 

[BogdanH]

mm.. no, it's not "normal" PCIe slot (where you can put some card in it). M.2 is special slot meant for SSD storage only (like this one). Maybe you should download manual of board you're interested on.

 

[Vocuda]

mm.. no, it's not "normal" PCIe slot (where you can put some card in it). M.2 is special slot meant for SSD storage only (like this one). Maybe you should download manual of board you're interested on.

I meant it has two m.2 slots but I'm confused as to whether they've both pcie4 or only one of them is pcie4 ?

 

[BogdanH]

I meant it has two m.2 slots but I'm confused as to whether they've both pcie4 or only one of them is pcie4 ?

Agree, manual makes one confused.. Anyway, both M.2 slots on Prime X570-P are PCIe 4.0 -is true for all X570 motherboards I know.

 

[Vocuda]

Agree, manual makes one confused.. Anyway, both M.2 slots on Prime X570-P are PCIe 4.0 -is true for all X570 motherboards I know.

Thanks buddy.
I'm in the final step of choosing between

1. Prime x570-p

PRIME X570-P｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

Experience top-tier performance with Prime X570-P! Harness the power of AMD Ryzen™, DDR4 4400MHz, PCIe 4.0 and Aura Sync RGB for unrivaled tech interaction.

www.asus.com

2. Tuf Gaming x570-Plus

TUF GAMING X570-PLUS｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

www.asus.com

Any recommendations?

 

[BogdanH]

Any recommendations?

Both are fine boards, so you just can't go wrong with either of these two. As both will deliver the same performance, it's all up to small details which might matter to you or not.
PRIME is considered as "basic" model, so it only has what really matters -not much "decorations" that is.
Main difference I see between these two, are:
PRIME doesn't have USB-C port on back I/O plate, however it has one more USB port in total (compared to GAMING). Having at least one USB-C connector in back can be important for you, if your PC case has no USB-C connector on front panel. Anyway, if your case has front USB-C connector, then both boards support that.
Second (maybe less important) difference is audio connection on backside and unless your really need optical audio connection, that shouldn't influence your decision much.
The rest is visual appeal.. and here GAMING might catch your eye. If it's worth price difference only you can say

 

[Vocuda]

Both are fine boards, so you just can't go wrong with either of these two. As both will deliver the same performance, it's all up to small details which might matter to you or not.
PRIME is considered as "basic" model, so it only has what really matters -not much "decorations" that is.
Main difference I see between these two, are:
PRIME doesn't have USB-C port on back I/O plate, however it has one more USB port in total (compared to GAMING). Having at least one USB-C connector in back can be important for you, if your PC case has no USB-C connector on front panel. Anyway, if your case has front USB-C connector, then both boards support that.
Second (maybe less important) difference is audio connection on backside and unless your really need optical audio connection, that shouldn't influence your decision much.
The rest is visual appeal.. and here GAMING might catch your eye. If it's worth price difference only you can say

I think x570-P is the right one for me. Thanks for all the information.
I've got only one concern though. Sorry if I'm just reading things wrong. It seems like there's only 1 m.2 pcie 4 ?
I need two 980 Pro to be installed and used at full speed so I'm a bit worried about it.

 

[BogdanH]

You can check manual on page "ix" (Storage section).. yeah, I know what you mean: "where's the clear answer?"
First socked (M.2_1) is connected to CPU and is PCIe 4.0 (for 3000 & 5000 series CPU).
Second socket (M.2_2) is connected to chipset and is PCIe 4.0 (is true for all 570 chipsets). And that's the main difference between X570 and B550. 550 chipset is PCIe 3.0 "only" and uses less power -hence, no "mini" fan needed for cooling chipset.

 

[Vocuda]

You can check manual on page "ix" (Storage section).. yeah, I know what you mean: "where's the clear answer?"
First socked (M.2_1) is connected to CPU and is PCIe 4.0 (for 3000 & 5000 series CPU).
Second socket (M.2_2) is connected to chipset and is PCIe 4.0 (is true for all 570 chipsets). And that's the main difference between X570 and B550. 550 chipset is PCIe 3.0 "only" and uses less power -hence, no "mini" fan needed for cooling chipset.

Great. Thanks.
Is there a difference between the two? since one is connected to cpu and the other to chipset. or is there no difference at all?

 

[BogdanH]

From users perspective, there should be no difference -it's more about knowing the difference between B550 and X570 boards and understanding why second M.2 slot on B550 is PCIe 3.0 only.
And again, for SSD storage, speed difference between PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 is very big (on paper and in benchmark). But as PCIe 3.0 is already very fast, one can't notice the difference in average daily use. Heck, many can't even notice speed difference between SATA SSD and NVMe SSD -where the difference is more apparent.

 

[Vocuda]

From users perspective, there should be no difference -it's more about knowing the difference between B550 and X570 boards and understanding why second M.2 slot on B550 is PCIe 3.0 only.
And again, for SSD storage, speed difference between PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 is very big (on paper and in benchmark). But as PCIe 3.0 is already very fast, one can't notice the difference in average daily use. Heck, many can't even notice speed difference between SATA SSD and NVMe SSD -where the difference is more apparent.

I meant the m.2 pcie4 that is connected to cpu vs the m.2 pcie4 that is connected to the chipset. Wasn't referring to pci4 vs pcie3..

 

[BogdanH]

"From users perspective, there should be no difference"
-the rest was just sharing my thoughts

 

[logainofhades]

Thanks buddy.
I'm in the final step of choosing between

1. Prime x570-p

PRIME X570-P｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

Experience top-tier performance with Prime X570-P! Harness the power of AMD Ryzen™, DDR4 4400MHz, PCIe 4.0 and Aura Sync RGB for unrivaled tech interaction.

www.asus.com

2. Tuf Gaming x570-Plus

TUF GAMING X570-PLUS｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

www.asus.com

Any recommendations?

Having seen the HU review, if I had to choose an Asus board, I would choose number 2.

 

[Vocuda]

"From users perspective, there should be no difference"
-the rest was just sharing my thoughts

Ah alright. Thanks.

Having seen the HU review, if I had to choose an Asus board, I would choose number 2.

Why though? according to HU -P performs better than TUF. Or you prefer TUF for smaller details?

 

[Vocuda]

Anyone recommending x570-Plus over x570-P ?