Opinions purchasing a new am4 mobo

[ArmlessAndOveractive]

Well my gigabyte ab350 has crapped out. Going to pursue rma replacement but in the mean time I need something to slap into my pc.
Suggestions for new mobo for my pc.
Looked around bit online but I always enjoying reading posts and having some feedback
Don't think I'll buy gigabyte again due to the $**t customer service. Heard ausos is bad too so thinking something from Msi... but hey you're more than welcome to try and convince me otherwise.
Personal opinions are welcome and feel free to post some stats.


System
Ryzen 1700
Rx580 xtr
16gb g skill 3000hmz ripsaws V
Corsair cx650m

 

[WildCard999]

I'd probably go for a B450 this time around, better memory support and such. Asus & Asrock are good, personally I'd pass on MSI as I've had horrible luck with them in the past but to each there own. As for Gigabyte I've had good luck with them and haven't had to RMA anything (knock on wood) but I have heard there customer service isn't exactly the best.

 

[Doctor Rob]

I would recommend an asrock taichi x470 OR cheaper option ASRock X470 Master SLI/AC.

I run the asrock taichi X470 and its great. I too have had more then a few Gigabyte boards die in the past while under warranty.. I have not purchased their stuff since then as I just had way too many fail (though that was 10 years ago).

(IF you can afford the X470 boards then the above)


an good B450 board would be ASRock Fatal1ty B450 GAMING K4 though no built in milti lan options (lan + wifi) so if you want built in wireless and lan then one of the X470 boards and if you get it at newegg..(not sure about other places) the other boards are not much more.

Edit: Just adding to what I have said above I have G.Skill 3200 CL14 flare X ram and without trying I run it at 3333Mhz with stock settings for the ram with the asrock taichi X470 motherboard. No increase in voltage or anything like that (on current bios). I have not tried to go faster then that as of yet as I may try 3400Mhz as some have reported with that board and ram you can go up there without changing the CL or voltage at all. (I don't OC the Ryzen 7 1800X CPU I have) but upped the ram speed without any issues or higher voltage or anything.. so very happy with it to get a few FPS in games without doing any real work from stock.

 

[das_stig]

Had a few GB boards and although they have been reliable, stuck with Asus for my last few builds and can't fault them, agree B450 more than enough for most users.

 

[Darkbreeze]

MSI has returned, somewhat, to it's days of having quality control problems on a lot of it's motherboards. I've been seeing issues quite regularly on MSI boards, especially Ryzen chipset based models. They've always had somewhat of a reputation in this regard but it got a lot better for a while, at least on the Intel side of the fence but now it seems they're up to their old ways once again. I'd avoid them.

Stick with ASUS and ASRock IMO. I've been a fan of Gigabyte in the past, but it seems like the last few generations have lacked a lot features found on other boards in the same price range such as a lack of features and granularity in the bios. Quality is pretty good, but as you say, customer service isn't as good as it used to be either. ASRock has excellent customer service and ASUS is ok, sometimes harder to work with though.

I'd definitely stick with B450 or X470. X470 has much better power delivery than any B450 or older chipset at a similar price range.

How much are you willing to put out on a new board?

 

[ArmlessAndOveractive]

Im pretty flexible on the price. Not looking to buy top line since I won't really utilize some Of the features. Xfr2 and bp2 seem kind of redundant since I'll most likely oc my 1700 for more demanding games. TBH I've actually be surprised how well the rx580xtr and 1700 have help up with graphic demands.
Possibly debating buying higher end x370 for OC stability. Seems like has very similar features to the 470's. Also leaning towards b450 (mainly due ram stability). So generally speaking unless someone knows something I don't I'm just going to exclude the 350 from my list of potential mobocracy

So far thanks for input guys. Keep it coming.

 

[Darkbreeze]

If you are going to overclock, I'd HIGHLY recommend X470. It has a much better power delivery design, with much improved VRM configurations, and even factoring in the last year of bios updates to those older chipsets, it has a lot better memory compatibility especially at higher speeds or with memory that isn't exactly on the preferred list.

The memory thing might not even matter to you since you already had memory that was running on an older Ryzen chipset, but you never know.

Either of these boards would probably be my recommendation under 150 bucks.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/nQc48d,kWzkcf/


And if you want to spend a little more than that, either of these would be a very good choice.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/jXJtt6,NGbwrH/


Myself, I'm sticking with the Hero boards for all future builds unless I decide to do a custom loop at some point down the road on a future build then I might go with a very high end ASUS or ASRock board. Usually, the Hero boards for any given chipset are extremely hard to build, as are the Crosshair boards, but since you're not looking for a high end board I guess we can cross those off the list.

 

[ArmlessAndOveractive]

Ok so I'm also so ruling out the b450.
Definitely want more OC room and I think a x370 or x470 will be an actual upgrade. Might as well. Personally I didn't have any issue even getting me ram up to 29xx so I'm wondering. Is there any main SUBSTANTIAL reason I should choose a x470 over a x370?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Better memory overclocking support. Better memory MODEL support. Better support for MORE modules, if you have more than two or ever plan to install more than two, due to better and more efficient power delivery and additional power phase dedicated to the memory, depending on the board of course.

Better CPU overclocking due to better power phase and VRM configurations.

StoreMI support on X470

X470’s biggest highlight is support for AMD’s StoreMI technology, a capability shared with B450 motherboards. StoreMI lets you pair a pokey, yet spacious mechanical hard drive with an SSD or up to 2GB of RAM. The technology combines the two storage pools into a single virtual disk, then ensures your most-used applications and files sit on the speediest hardware. Unlike some RAID programs or Intel’s rival Optane Memory solution, however, StoreMI can be created or dissolved at will without the need to reinstall Windows, reformat drives, or take any other intrusive steps.

And also the probability that going forward, these boards, being newer, are likely to continue to receive bios updates longer than X370 which is already what, two years old? I know that AMD says the sockets will be supported across the board until 2021, but that doesn't mean motherboard manufacturers are going to continue releasing bios updates for them all indefinitely. It took a great deal of arm twisting in the industry to get them to release bios patches for even some of the older boards after Meltdown and Spectre became public knowledge.

The newer the chipset, the longer for you that it will remain supported by the OEM.

 

[ArmlessAndOveractive]

Thanks for the opinions and advice darkbreeze.
Narrowed it down to 3 options.
Msi x470 carbon pro (non ac)
Asus x470 prime pro
ASrock x470 master sli

You almost had me clicking buy on the ASrock but upon some further investigation I gathered enough info to conclude the VRM is not up to par and sorta sup standard. I mean not to say it won't suit my needs but rather have something more rubbish and able to run more demanding voltage.
So... personally I'm leaning towards the Msi. Seems like even though they have had issues in the past they did not cheap out on this board. VRM temps are basically the lowest of the x470 boards aside from the top tier models. Also was debating ROG model but read some nasty reviews about how it's about looks and not quality. Wish I could get a hero but unfortunately right now I'm also in the middle of trying to upgrade to a 1440p panel and finds are tight.
What you guys think?
Anyone out there with some personal experience with the Msi x470 carbon pro?

 

[Darkbreeze]

On WHICH ASRock board did you believe that to be true?

Any of those three boards you have listed are good boards, including the MSI, so long as it doesn't turn out to have any problems due to poor quality control. It's not a matter of materials or design on the MSI boards. If you get a good one, as in, without defects, then they are fine. The problem is, there are a lot of them that are defective.

You can't go off reviews for that as those are boards sent to reviewers by the OEM and are generally golden samples.