[SOLVED] Need MOBO for my first DIY build. Asus Strix B450-f Gaming 2 // MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX

[Justsmudge]

I've been doing what seems like endless research on MOBO's and I landed on these two. I've seen many posts about how the VRM is better on the Tomahawk BUT that's only when compared to the original Strix B450-f Gaming and NOT the "Gaming 2"

I can't seem to find anything on the Strix Gaming 2 (assuming because it's fairly new still) but does anyone know if newer is better in this scenario?

The prices are almost exactly the same so that's not an issue.

I'm planning on building it with an OC'd Ryzen 5 2600/2600x (whatever I get a better deal on) paired with the Sapphire Tri-x r9 290 and probably some G.skill Ripjaw V series RAM.

Thanks in advance and let me know if I've left anything crucial out!

 

[Dj0gany]

I would go for B550.
Where are you located? Or just link the shop.

 

[Justsmudge]

I would go for B550.
Where are you located? Or just link the shop.

I'm just doing my shopping online via Newegg/Ebay
This is a pretty budget build ~1k so I'm just sticking with the 450 chipset for now. I like the idea of the 550 but it doesn't look like they support the Ryzen 2000 series, so I'd have to jump to the 3600 and that's just a bit out of my budget as of now

I'm coming from an fx-4100 and a HD-5750 so this is already a HUGE upgrade for me. I'm not doing hardcore modern gaming or anything

 

[Dj0gany]

Oh yeah, i completely forgot that B550 doesnt support Ryzen 2000 cpu's.
I'd pick the Tomahawk.
Better VRM's with wider ram frequency support.

 

[Justsmudge]

So now I have a noob question regarding the I/O shields. The Strix comes with a pre-integrated shield while the MSI doesn't. If I buy new, will a MOBO generally come with the I/O shield in the box or do I need to hunt one down?

 

[Dj0gany]

So now I have a noob question regarding the I/O shields. The Strix comes with a pre-integrated shield while the MSI doesn't. If I buy new, will a MOBO generally come with the I/O shield in the box or do I need to hunt one down?

Yes, they all come included with a I/O shield.

 

[Nemesia]

So now I have a noob question regarding the I/O shields. The Strix comes with a pre-integrated shield while the MSI doesn't. If I buy new, will a MOBO generally come with the I/O shield in the box or do I need to hunt one down?

Yes the I/O shields is included in the motherboard box.

And good choice with the B450 Tomahawk MAX. The B450 Tomahawk is the most sold B450 motherboard for a reason

 

[Justsmudge]

Yes the I/O shields is included in the motherboard box.

And good choice with the B450 Tomahawk MAX. The B450 Tomahawk is the most sold B450 motherboard for a reason

I see they released a newer MAX II version too. Can't tell much difference at first glance but the price is even lower on Amazon than the older board!

 

[Nemesia]

I see they released a newer MAX II version too. Can't tell much difference at first glance but the price is even lower on Amazon than the older board!

Yeah I think the MAX 2 only difference is audio codec and an HDMI 2.1 port instead of HDMI 1.4.

Not 100% sure tho.