I'm planning to replace my faithful 9 year old computer with one based on the much-hyped Ryzen 3600. I expect to buy the components in late August or early September, but certainly before Microsoft pulls the plug on Windows 7 support in January.
My initial motherboard choice was the ASRock B450 Pro 4. Since I'm not gaming or overclocking, and I don't need the "aesthetics" or the LED light show, this seemed to be just what I was looking for. But here aren't many "professional" reviews of this board (maybe because it's not sexy enough for a readership that does care about "aesthetics" and LED light shows?).
Then I saw that the MSI B450 Tomahawk had many overwhelmingly positive reviews. It also has BIOS flashback, and a more extensive QVL for RAM and storage. So it became my choice.
Now that the new Ryzens have been released, all the motherboard manufacturers seem to be struggling to support them on older motherboards. But MSI looks to be having particular difficulty with BIOS support, and apparently also with customer support. Meanwhile, ASRock claims the B450 Pro 4 has supported the 3000 (in some fashion) since May, and they have since released two BIOS updates. I can't find anything like the numerous complaints from MSI customers in various forums.
Does the lack of reported difficulty with the ASRock B450 Pro 4 merely reflect the greater popularity of the MSI B450 Tomahawk, or is ASRock actually doing better at supporting the new Ryzens? If I went with MSI, I would certainly wait for the MAX version. I've also looked at the low-end X570 options, but I don't think that's cost-effective for me. On the other hand, it may be worth paying a little more to (possibly) have fewer headaches with the build.
My initial motherboard choice was the ASRock B450 Pro 4. Since I'm not gaming or overclocking, and I don't need the "aesthetics" or the LED light show, this seemed to be just what I was looking for. But here aren't many "professional" reviews of this board (maybe because it's not sexy enough for a readership that does care about "aesthetics" and LED light shows?).
Then I saw that the MSI B450 Tomahawk had many overwhelmingly positive reviews. It also has BIOS flashback, and a more extensive QVL for RAM and storage. So it became my choice.
Now that the new Ryzens have been released, all the motherboard manufacturers seem to be struggling to support them on older motherboards. But MSI looks to be having particular difficulty with BIOS support, and apparently also with customer support. Meanwhile, ASRock claims the B450 Pro 4 has supported the 3000 (in some fashion) since May, and they have since released two BIOS updates. I can't find anything like the numerous complaints from MSI customers in various forums.
Does the lack of reported difficulty with the ASRock B450 Pro 4 merely reflect the greater popularity of the MSI B450 Tomahawk, or is ASRock actually doing better at supporting the new Ryzens? If I went with MSI, I would certainly wait for the MAX version. I've also looked at the low-end X570 options, but I don't think that's cost-effective for me. On the other hand, it may be worth paying a little more to (possibly) have fewer headaches with the build.