Question Thor V2 ATX Full Tower - which motherboard do I choose?

Jan 4, 2020
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https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/?compatible_with=vxBv6h There are SO many compatible with my Thor 2 tower that I have NO clue what to get.

I can start by saying I am doing a gaming build with my son and have so far done well except with the motherboard - I've not rebuild since Win98! hahaha

While it is an i7 it's an older generation so it's not compatible - I didn't think this through, I took a gamble it would be.

I'd like the motherboard (and also will I need a new Processor too?) to come under 300 if possible.

What he's playing: Fortnite and Minecraft and other games that are high FPS needy. We are using Cat7 ethernet but he'd like the WiFi option too.

New parts
Thor V2 ATX Full Tower
Rosewill Capstone 850M PSU
GEforce GTX 1070 8 gb
RAM slots are filled already
500 gig Samsung V-Nano 850 EVO

used from his old mini-tower
500 gig HDD (using for backup - older was existing in unit)
DVD (was existing unit)
 
What CPU did you choose? Are you using this "older i7", or are you buying him a new CPU?

Yes, an ATX case is compatible with every typical consumer motherboard (excluding only EATX). That's a good thing.

What country are you shopping in? Is your 300 budget in local currency, or converted to USD.
 
What "older i7" are you coming from? You asked if you might need a new processor, but didn't mention what processor the system has now.

I take it the $300 budget should include both the motherboard as well as the processor if needed, or can more be spent in total if the processor is also getting replaced?
 
Jan 4, 2020
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The AsRock is a mico though and I have a full tower now and we going to go with ATX since that's what the tower is compatible with,

This is what I have settled on - can you tell me if they are compatible. From what I read it does support the AMD4 but at this point, I need someone to confirm it so I can order it. Thank you! (Im such a rookie! LOL)

https://smile.amazon.com/MSI-Perfor...arbon+AC)&qid=1578940046&s=electronics&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Ryzen-36...h+Wraith+Stealth+Cooler&qid=1578940256&sr=8-1
 
Your ATX tower selection fits an mATX mobo. No issue there. Most people never fill all the expansion slots on an ATX motherboard, which is why I recommend mATX mobos (change starts here!!). Long story on the whole ATX/mATX stuff.

The MSI Gaming Pro Carbon AC is a good choice (it exceeds the $300 budget you gave us when paired with the $190 Ryzen 3600, hence why it didn't get recommended). It has BIOS flashback so you can update the BIOS without a CPU installed.
 
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Jan 4, 2020
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Your ATX tower selection fits an mATX mobo. No issue there. Most people never fill all the expansion slots on an ATX motherboard, which is why I recommend mATX mobos (change starts here!!). Long story on the whole ATX/mATX stuff.

The MSI Gaming Pro Carbon AC is a good choice (it exceeds the $300 budget you gave us when paired with the $190 Ryzen 3600, hence why it didn't get recommended). It has BIOS flashback so you can update the BIOS without a CPU installed.

it is over budget, but I was going blind reading all the ads for the different parts, comparing, checking (and researching all the info each time to learn) and wanted to stop searching.

I can go back to your list and do those.. Or I trimmed it to 300, tell me if this is ok, and a good combo? If not, I'll go to your list and choose the AsRock for the wifi

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F85YKLJ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B41717Z/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

or maybe the Wraith Stealth is a better cooler than Spire and no so much on this cooler.. advice?
 
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Unfortunately there's no single correct answer.
The Ryzen 2700 offers more but slower cores. Still a good CPU just not quite as fast as the 3600. I would say that AMD is gouging on Ryzen 3000 CPUs because they're quite good and 7nm production is limited.
 
Jan 4, 2020
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MSI Performance Gaming AMD Ryzen 1st and 2nd Gen AM4 M.2 USB 3 DDR4 HDMI Display Port WiFi Crossfire ATX Motherboard (B450 Gaming PRO Carbon AC)https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F85YKLJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07STGGQ18/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ordered - hoping it works well. The AsRock was out of stock. Thank you for all your help and all the explanations! It is so much appreciated.
 
Sounds good. Remember what I said earlier about the "BIOS Flashback" feature. If you install the CPU (remember you need a graphics card) and the machine doesn't run, you may need to use BIOS Flashback to update the BIOS to the most recent version.
 
Jan 4, 2020
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Ok, thank you! Yes we bought the GEForce GTX 1070

Hey there @tennis2 so we got a mad motherboard, and exchanged it (cost me $50 to a tech to diagnose it). We put the whole thing together tonight (take 3) and it all powered up, lights, fans etc... but nothing on the screen at all.

No ms dos, no beeps, nothing loading at all. I put the mobo disc in and restarted, still nothing on screen. I was hoping the disc would start the install.

I remember you mentioned maybe needing the "BIOS Flashback" but i can't even see the screen. We know the monitor works. Advice for a next step?

I would hate to pay the PC guy $120 an hour to come back already.

Thank you!
 
Which motherboard and CPU did you end up finally going with?

If the board supports flashback, you can download the relevant BIOS file from the motherboard's official site, load it onto a USB thumb drive, plug it into a particular USB port on the back of the motherboard, and hold down the little button nearby to activate the update process. There should be more details in the motherboard manual.
 
Yeah, what cryoburner said. There ought to be step by step instructions on how to perform/ use BIOS flashback feature in your motherboard user manual.

Also to be clear, the cable from the monitor needs to be plugged into the connections on the GTX1070 and not the ones in the vertical rectangular area around the rear USB ports.