Question New Build with Ryzen 3600; Suggest a motherboard

[Swagata]

I am currently on i5 4570; Asrock B85 and 8GB DDR3 ram with GTX 1060 3 GB. I want to upgrade to Ryzen 3600 with 3200 MHZ 16 GB DDR4 ram and to RTX 2060 in near future. I want a suggestion about the motherboard. I want to take a B450 such as MSI Tomahwak or Gigabyte Aorus Pro. Are these good choices ? I have heard that they have compatability issues with the Ryzen 3000 series. If I stretch my buget, I can get a Gigabyte X570 Gaming X. Do I need the X570 ? I dont plan to overclock.

 

[PC Tailor]

You don't NEED X570, but if you want PCIe Gen 4 capabilities, latest USB gen, or the improved IO capabilities, then you can opt for the X570, but most simply opt for the B450.

The b450 chipset needs a BIOS update in order to take the 3rd Gen Ryzen, which means you'll either need a seller that has updated the BIOS prior to shipping, or a motherboard that has a CPU-less BIOS update feature (like many of the higher MSI boards do). The MSI MAX series also take the 3rd gen out of the box. The Aorus will need a BIOS update prior to being used.

If you don't want PCIe Gen 4 at the basis of it, B450 will be fine, and the Tomahawk and Aorus Pro are both decent boards, the Tomahawk MAX takes the 3600 without a BIOS update.

Equally the X570 Gaming X is a good budget X570 board and will come with the newer chipset features if you want a bit more potential "future proofing" as it were.

 

[Joakim Agren]

What is your budget for a mother board?

If you decide to go for a MSI Tomahawk then go for the MAX version it has double the size BIOS chip and are already prepared for Ryzen 3000 CPU's with the non Max version you have to flash it using BIOS Flashback function and you will then not be getting the full version of the UEFI but a simpler one (due to space limitations).

 

[Joakim Agren]

You don't NEED X570, but if you want PCIe Gen 4 capabilities, latest USB gen, or the improved IO capabilities, then you can opt for the X570, but most simply opt for the B450.

The b450 chipset needs a BIOS update in order to take the 3rd Gen Ryzen, which means you'll either need a seller that has updated the BIOS prior to shipping, or a motherboard that has a CPU-less BIOS update feature (like many of the higher MSI boards do). The MSI MAX series also take the 3rd gen out of the box. The Aorus will need a BIOS update prior to being used.

If you don't want PCIe Gen 4 at the basis of it, B450 will be fine, and the Tomahawk and Aorus Pro are both decent boards, the Tomahawk MAX takes the 3600 without a BIOS update.

Equally the X570 Gaming X is a good budget X570 board and will come with the newer chipset features if you want a bit more potential "future proofing" as it were.

I do not think the future proofing aspect of the X570 is much to write home about since by the time PCI Express Version 4 becomes relevant we are already around 5 years into the future. The current top of the line RTX2080 TI is only using up bandwidth to fill an X8 slot on PCI Express gen 3 so there is still room to double the performance of a 2080TI before we runs out of bandwidth and needs Gen 4. The most immediate need of Gen 4 is for those that want crazy SSD speeds but regular users will not need those speeds since they do not handle HUGE files like that on a regular basis. For a 3600 system I would recommend either a good B450 or X470 board with good VRM or buy one of the better X370 boards from Asus. It will be interesting to see what B550 that comes next year will bring to the table. I find the launch of B550 a bit strange actually, why so late? By the time B550 comes out then Ryzen 4000 will not be far away and most likely it will not be any better then many of the X470 boards. It is just strange...

 

[PC Tailor]

I do not think the future proofing aspect of the X570 is much to write home about since by the time PCI Express Version 4 becomes relevant we are already around 5 years into the future.

Agreed, which is why I quoted the "future proofing" bit.

Because I opted for X570 being as I wanted the PCIe Gen 4 and I don't plan on upgrading it for the next few years. So that the capability is there should and when i do want it.

Thus why I typically recommend a B450 board - but i believe it depends on your current upgrade habits and usage, thus why a X570 will perfectly suit some people

 

[Swagata]

You don't NEED X570, but if you want PCIe Gen 4 capabilities, latest USB gen, or the improved IO capabilities, then you can opt for the X570, but most simply opt for the B450.

The b450 chipset needs a BIOS update in order to take the 3rd Gen Ryzen, which means you'll either need a seller that has updated the BIOS prior to shipping, or a motherboard that has a CPU-less BIOS update feature (like many of the higher MSI boards do). The MSI MAX series also take the 3rd gen out of the box. The Aorus will need a BIOS update prior to being used.

If you don't want PCIe Gen 4 at the basis of it, B450 will be fine, and the Tomahawk and Aorus Pro are both decent boards, the Tomahawk MAX takes the 3600 without a BIOS update.

Equally the X570 Gaming X is a good budget X570 board and will come with the newer chipset features if you want a bit more potential "future proofing" as it were.

Thank you for the reply. I understand. I believe PCIe Gen 4 will not yield any real life practical advantage for me. So for B450, I am thinking of the MSI Gaming PRO Carbon AC one. It's also Ryzen 3 supported out of the box and has better Audio and Lan and also good VRM like the Tomahwak. I won't be getting any compatibility issue with the 3600, right ? And since I am buying this for gaming; I guess I dont need the 3600X version, right ?

 

[Swagata]

What is your budget for a mother board?

If you decide to go for a MSI Tomahawk then go for the MAX version it has double the size BIOS chip and are already prepared for Ryzen 3000 CPU's with the non Max version you have to flash it using BIOS Flashback function and you will then not be getting the full version of the UEFI but a simpler one (due to space limitations).

My budget is in my local currency. I can't buy from Amazon or newegg. The local prices also vary here. As I mentioned, I am thinking of the Gaming Pro Carbon Ac version for better Audio and Lan. What do you think ?

 

[PC Tailor]

It's also Ryzen 3 supported out of the box

Ryzen 3 will refer to the previous generation processors or the APU versions of the 2nd generation, not 3rd generation Ryzen.

The MSI Gaming PRO Carbon AC would still need a BIOS update for the 3600. However to board has a flashback button, so you don't need a CPU to update the BIOS, you'll just need to do this yourself before installing the 3rd Gen ryzen.

Well the 3600X is technically better, just not usually worth the price difference, if they are the same price or practically the same (as they were when i got it), the 3600X is technically better.

 

[Swagata]

Ryzen 3 will refer to the previous generation processors or the APU versions of the 2nd generation, not 3rd generation Ryzen.

The MSI Gaming PRO Carbon AC would still need a BIOS update for the 3600. However to board has a flashback button, so you don't need a CPU to update the BIOS, you'll just need to do this yourself before installing the 3rd Gen ryzen.

Well the 3600X is technically better, just not usually worth the price difference, if they are the same price or practically the same (as they were when i got it), the 3600X is technically better.

If any BIOS update is required, the shop will do that. So, I should stick to Gaming Pro or Tomahwak max ?