[SOLVED] Which one of these 4 MoBos should I get?

[monere]

Hi everyone,

I know that I've created a similar post in January, but a lot of things have changed since then and your kind recommendations and support since then have - sadly - gone to waste because I never purchased a MoBo back then (I don't remember why, though.)

But this time it's different, because this time I have the money in my hands but also because my priorities AND options have changed...

I re-opened the previous thread by replying to it, but then I thought that not many people will bother going through the entire discussion just to read the important part (the absolute last reply), so I've decided to open up this new thread instead. So, without further ado, let's dive right in (I'll keep the post as free of fluff as possible, no worries):

So, here's the thing...

I have about $150 (give or take $10-15 if needed) to spend on a motherboard that meets these requirements (or most of them since all of them it's almost impossible in today's market and also given the current options here in my country where I'll be buying the MoBo from):

- good... no, scratch that!... GREAT VRM
- WiFi (at least slot if no card, as well)
- type A and type C (3.2 Gen 2) USB ports, either already mounted on the rear panel or through internal headers (I would prefer them to already be mounted on the rear panel, though...)
- good audio codec (so that I won't have to spend extra on a sound card)
- mATX format (no compromises here)
- supports AMD's SAM (Smart Access Memory)
- great surge / spikes / anti-shock protection (I live in an area with frequent lightnings and power outages, so I need a MoBo that doesn't fry my entire PC because of a power surge or whatever. This aspect is non-negotiable for me)

These are the absolute MUST HAVE requirements, but - again - I am aware that I can't have all of these on the same motherboard, I know this because I've been doing research on MoBos for the last 3 days continuously, and - at this price - there is absolutely no MoBo available that has all of these. So I'll have to make compromises (and I will)

Where I need help from you is the technical aspects. More specifically, the VRM and the anti-shock protection aspects, I don't know which MoBo of the 4 that I'll mention is more resilient, more stable, and also keeps the computer stable and cool when overclocking (because I do intend to overclock the living crap out of everything: CPU, GPU, RAM, and anything else that can be overclocked).

So, on top of the VRM and anti-shock protection I also need the MoBo to be stable and easy to overclock. This is the first time I'm delving into OC, so I need a MoBo that's easy and safe to OC...

Here are the 4 candidates:

Asrock B550M Pro4
Asrock B550M Steel Legend
Gigabyte B550M DS3H AC
MSI B550M Pro-VDH Wifi

Until a few days ago when I've done research on MoBos my personal favorite had been the Steel Legend, but after reading a lot of horror stories about the Nahimic malware I am now leaning heavily towards either GB or MSI. Plus the fact that Asrock have blacklisted Hardware Unboxed and Gamers Nexus and this doesn't look well for their image, so yeah...

Anyway, what do you guys think? Which one of the 4 MoBos fits my requirements best?

Let me know, and thanks in advance for any tip you can give!

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

This will help: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PuUWroxA0HvSSipsXlB8hnYkshxD8LdeO5EA6WLdOQw/edit#gid=0

You really need something with a min of 8+2 power phase/VRM. More robust for bigger CPU's.

edit: out of those you chose, the ASRock B550 Steel legend has the more robust power delivery.

 

[monere]

Hey there,

This will help: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PuUWroxA0HvSSipsXlB8hnYkshxD8LdeO5EA6WLdOQw/edit#gid=0

You really need something with a min of 8+2 power phase/VRM. More robust for bigger CPU's.

edit: out of those you chose, the ASRock B550 Steel legend has the more robust power delivery.

nice table

Yeah, SL seems the best candidate for this. But may I ask why the Asrock MoBos don't have golden / orange thingies (I don't know how they're called, sorry) where you connect the WiFi antennae like MSI and GB motherboards have?? If you'll look at the I/O panel of these 2 Asrock motherboards you'll see that there are only 2 holes, whereas the other 2 MoBos mentioned in this thread have golden things. Will I be able to use WiFi without those golden things, or I need to buy and install those, too? I don't know how this works...

 

[drea.drechsler]

nice table

Yeah, SL seems the best candidate for this. ...

Why are you limited to those four candidates? The reason I ask is there are more AM4 motherboards available shipped from China. Even a Gigabyte B550m Aorus Pro P with 12 phases of efficient power stages can be had. But they are much more expensive, being shipped from China.

AM4 is mostly obsoleted now. The market seems to be only for replacements for people who don't want to move to AM5. So the boards tend to be lower-endy, with high end mATX that would appeal to enthusiasts especially being overpriced.

You might also find something used or refurbished on Ebay or Amazon. I had to go that route a few months ago when I needed to replace my motherboard.

Also: what CPU exactly do you wish to run on it? The Steel Legend would probably do well enough overclocking a 5600X, maybe a 5800X once you find out it's not going to do much good performance-wise and give it up for PBO and Curve Optimizer. The VRM will definitely grow toasty hot for a 5900X if you intend to do long renderings (or similar) while OC'd (but it should survive, and a fan blowing on the heatsink would help). A 5950X is out.

EDIT added: oh, I also found this Gigabyte B550m Aorus Elite AX V2. Price is much more reasonable also with 12 phases of efficient power stages. Should hold even a 5950X OC'd pretty well. But do keep in mind, none of the mATX boards by any mfr. provide facilities for overclocking on LN2 so it will be a challenge if that's your aim.

 

[monere]

But they are much more expensive

there you go! You've answered your own question

Why are you limited to those four candidates?

they're the only ones that I could find on about 7 sites here in Romania. Everything else is either horribly expensive or out of stock.

You might also find something used or refurbished on Ebay or Amazon.

on Amazon they are cheaper in appearance, but more expensive in reality. I've tried buying something off Amazon a few months ago and I couldn't even reach the checkout page because they've added an extra 120 Euros in retarded fees that made no sense. On top of this, they have wanted to know who I am, where I live, what I had for breakfast, what my DNA looks like, how is my blood's pulse and the consistency of my dog's poop this morning. Nah, man, I've had enough with data collecting American companies. This is not right. Not even my own government knows about me as much as google does, or as amazon and facebook want to. These companies should have no business to ask for any data from anyone EVER, much less from foreigners, they should stick to selling products only because that's their business.

As for refurbished, I don't trust refurbished products I don't know why... And if I'll ever buy a refurbished product for a PC that I intend to use for at least 7-8 years (like I intend to do with this current PC) then it most certainly won't be the motherboard or the PSU. Everything else is easily replaceable, but the MoBo is arguably the most crucial component of a PC, so I'm not cutting corners on this...

Also: what CPU exactly do you wish to run on it?

oh, right! I forgot to mention the CPU. It will be a 5600. I know that 5600X is better, but after getting scammed 2 days ago over a 5700X I don't have the money anymore for a better CPU. And I just bought the 5600 about 3 hours ago anyway, so yeah... the CPU issue is solved

The Steel Legend would probably do well enough overclocking a 5600X, maybe a 5800X once you find out it's not going to do much good performance-wise and give it up for PBO and Curve Optimizer.

you may be right, but it's too late for these now ... Thanks for the recommendations though, I'll keep them in mind (and I actually need to see what PBO and Curve Optimizers are actually, as I've never heard of these before).

By the way, this is the first time in my life that I'm dealing with AMD. Been using Intel for nearly 30 years and never had a single issue with their CPUs. But I'd like to explore other options, which is why I've gone with AMD. But is there anything else - stability / performance / compatibility wise - that I need to be aware of about AMD that never applies to Intel?? I would appreciate any tip / insight into this.

The VRM will definitely grow toasty hot for a 5900X if you intend to do long renderings (or similar) while OC'd (but it should survive, and a fan blowing on the heatsink would help). A 5950X is out.

in the near future I might get a 5900X although, looking at its stats, it's kind of overkill for my basic needs (internet browsing, sports / movie watching, casual gaming and every now and then video editing).

But speaking of fans, is the fan that comes with the 5600 CPU enough for this CPU (and assuming that I'll get the Steel Legend MoBo), or should I replace it with a better one? If I need to replace it, which CPU fan do you recommend?

 

[drea.drechsler]

...
they're the only ones that I could find on about 7 sites here in Romania. Everything else is either horribly expensive or out of stock.
....
oh, right! I forgot to mention the CPU. It will be a 5600. I know that 5600X is better, but after getting scammed 2 days ago over a 5700X I don't have the money anymore for a better CPU. And I just bought the 5600 about 3 hours ago anyway, so yeah... the CPU issue is solved
....
in the near future I might get a 5900X although, looking at its stats, it's kind of overkill for my basic needs (internet browsing, sports / movie watching, casual gaming and every now and then video editing).

But speaking of fans, is the fan that comes with the 5600 CPU enough for this CPU (and assuming that I'll get the Steel Legend MoBo), or should I replace it with a better one? If I need to replace it, which CPU fan do you recommend?

Ahh yes... markets in other regions are even weirder than in the US. You have to choose from what's readily available and affordable. Getting used or refurb can be a bit of a gamble but it's worked out for me the few times I've had to go that route but I've also had a lot more to choose from here.

A 5600 should work fine on the SL. A 5900X is going to be dicey, but by the time you get one hopefully you'll have figured out what we all have: fixed frequency, all-core overclocking for Ryzen just doesn't work well performance wise. If you use PBO with Curve Optimizer you'll probably find it runs very close to the same clocks you can get with a stable fixed OC for heavy workloads (like rendering) while still giving you maximum boost clocks for gaming. You may not think it is performing as well because the clock varies so much when the boost algorithm is allowed to manage the processor. The secret is to develop good benchmark (Cinebench) results and compare based on performance, not clocks.

BTW, a 5800X3d will also work great on the Steel Legend. One of the best processors (still) for gaming if that's your use case. Probably another reason low-endy AM4 mATX motherboards dominate the market now: these are all that's needed for this processor since it can't be overclocked. "Power" enthusiasts and those really serious about overclocking tend to go for the ATX boards that allow for much better case ventilation or open-air operation with facilities for sub-ambient (LN2) CPU cooling.

 

[monere]

fixed frequency, all-core overclocking for Ryzen just doesn't work well performance wise.

fixed frequency of what? And how exactly does the lack of performance manifest? Lagging in games, monitor freezing, system crashing, or what exactly will happen? This really scares me

 

[DSzymborski]

Others have already addressed most of the other needs, but I wanted to note you're not going to find motherboards having fundamentally different ability to address significant power problems. Stuff like ASUS Anti-Surge is more for dealing with power supplies with poor voltage regulation. If you have a power spike that gets by your external surge protection solution and your PSU doesn't give its life to save your computer, there's nothing a motherboard can really do at that point.

 

[monere]

If you have a power spike that gets by your external surge protection solution and your PSU doesn't give its life to save your computer, there's nothing a motherboard can really do at that point.

noted! A good PSU was on my priorities list anyway after having had replaced 3 PSUs on my current PC because I've always purchased basic ones because I never cared about this thing. I've learned my lesson

 

[DSzymborski]

noted! A good PSU was on my priorities list anyway after having had replaced 3 PSUs on my current PC because I've always purchased basic ones because I never cared about this thing. I've learned my lesson

That's always an important thing! Glad that you've learned that lesson, hopefully nothing else got fried to teach it. Generally speaking, cheap PSUs are one of the most expensive components, if you get my meaning!

 

[drea.drechsler]

fixed frequency of what? And how exactly does the lack of performance manifest? Lagging in games, monitor freezing, system crashing, or what exactly will happen? This really scares me

A fixed CPU clock frequency.

Ryzen processors are very dynamic in normal operation: they boost single cores to very high clock frequencies as needed based on temperature and available power margins. As temp rises in the core it pulls the clock back in increments. To keep it stable at the high clock it needs a much higher voltage (up to 1.5V) which is unsafe for a fixed clock and the algorithm also limits in duration to not impact processor life. It does all this very quickly (100 times per second) that you can't really monitor well in utilities. You cannot normally fix the clock at the high boost frequencies without getting very hot and using that high voltage to be stable, and in the higher performing "X" models becoming unstable due just due to overheat. They can't be cooled unless using sub-ambient cooling, the nature of the 7nm process design geometry.

But the thing is, most of the processing work we do is "bursty", meaning it comes in really short bursts then goes away, and only a couple of threads. That all fits in nicely with higher core count processors since it can move the thread to other cores that are still cool and boost it to max clock to maintain performance. And even better for games since that's exactly how they operate: one or two central threads that can almost always get a max boost clock when needed.

Performance in games will, while not exactly suffer, not be optimal with fixed overclocking. That's because it won't be able to hit the maximum boost clocks you COULD get if running PBO with an optimize undervolt with Curve Optimizer. It manifests as 1% or .1% FPS lows with possibile microstuttering, in CPU-bound games.

 

[monere]

That's always an important thing! Glad that you've learned that lesson, hopefully nothing else got fried to teach it.

IIRC one USB 2.0 got fried ... But that's been no issue as I rarely use those USBs anyway...

Generally speaking, cheap PSUs are one of the most expensive components, if you get my meaning!

well, yeah... if you put it like this

A fixed CPU clock frequency.

Ryzen processors are very dynamic in normal operation: they boost single cores to very high clock frequencies as needed based on temperature and available power margins. As temp rises in the core it pulls the clock back in increments. It does all this very quickly (100 times per second) that you can't really monitor well in utilities. You can normally not fix the clock at the high boost frequencies without getting very hot, and in the higher performing "X" models becoming unstable due to overheat. They can't be cooled unless using sub-ambient cooling, the nature of the 7nm process design geometry.

But the thing is, most of the processing work we do is "bursty", meaning it comes in really short bursts then goes away, and only a couple of threads. That all fits in nicely with higher core count processors since it can move the thread to other cores that are still cool and boost it to max clock to maintain performance. And even better for games since that's exactly how they operate: one or two central threads that can almost always get a max boost clock when needed.

the sad thing (for me) is that you've taken the time to write all of this and I barely understand it because I'm not tech-savvy. Sometimes I wish I wasn't as dumb as a brick

I appreciate your effort nonetheless, and I'll try to understand better after I eat. Maybe the food makes me smarter lol

 

[drea.drechsler]

... and I'll try to understand better after I eat. Maybe the food makes me smarter lol

What board/processor are you upgrading from? I'm curious, because if you want to overclock Ryzen (or simply optimize performance beyond default BIOS settings) successfully...where success means simply not damaging your processor...you do need a bit of tech savy. Ryzen works a whole lot different from Intel's CPU's, and very different from AMD's older CPU's (Phenom/Bulldozer) too. So eat hearty...and ask questions!

 

[monere]

What board/processor are you upgrading from? I'm curious, because if you want to overclock (or simply optimize performance beyond default BIOS settings) Ryzen successfully...where success means simply not damaging your processor...you do need a bit of tech savy.

I'm building a new PC from scratch (my 1st time ever, and I'm so nervous)....

Ryzen works a whole lot different from Intel's CPU's, and very different from AMD's older CPU's (Phenom/Bulldozer) too. So eat hearty...and ask questions!

yeah, I've heard this a few times already, that's why I asked earlier what I should be aware of

And believe me that I would ask questions without hesitation, but right now I'm clueless what to ask or do. I just purchased the CPU today, and now I'm hunting for a MoBo, the (sh**ty) video card is on the way and will arrive on Tuesday next week.

This leaves me with hunting for the PSU ($60 budget maximum for this), then 2 M.2 NVMe SSDs 500+GB each (about $90-100 budget for both), and then... I don't know, I need to learn how to buy and install and activate WiFi cards (never used them before), I might also need to install chassis fans if I need them, I also need to find some RAM sticks that are compatible with the Steel Legend board (since I'll probably go with this one based on your recommendations)... Regarding the RAMs I'm thinking of 32 GB of DDR4 at 3600 MHz CL 16 if I can find some within my budget ($60-65), and I think that this is it...

If I'll ever need anything else (a mechanical HDD for storage for example, or some USB hub, or whatever) I'll buy them later, but the priorities are these for now...

Oh yeah, the computer case, too... I never thought about this... Can you recommend a reliable (ATX) case for my needs that's within.... hmm.... $40-45 budget range? I don't care about RGB and water cooling and all of the bells and whistles, I'm concerned more with the protection against shocks and lightnings, as well as the overall stability of the system. So, a bland, boring, utterly ugly and repulsive case will be great for me as long as it keep the system well ventilated and stable

 

[drea.drechsler]

I'm building a new PC from scratch (my 1st time ever, and I'm so nervous)....


yeah, I've heard this a few times already, that's why I asked earlier what I should be aware of

And believe me that I would ask questions without hesitation, but right now I'm clueless what to ask or do. I just purchased the CPU today, and now I'm hunting for a MoBo, the (sh**ty) video card is on the way and will arrive on Tuesday next week.

This leaves me with hunting for the PSU ($60 budget maximum for this), then 2 M.2 NVMe SSDs 500+GB each (about $90-100 budget for both), and then... I don't know, I need to learn how to buy and install and activate WiFi cards (never used them before), I might also need to install chassis fans if I need them, I also need to find some RAM sticks that are compatible with the Steel Legend board (since I'll probably go with this one based on your recommendations)... Regarding the RAMs I'm thinking of 32 GB of DDR4 at 3600 MHz CL 16 if I can find some within my budget ($60-65), and I think that this is it...

If I'll ever need anything else (a mechanical HDD for storage for example, or some USB hub, or whatever) I'll buy them later, but the priorities are these for now...

Oh yeah, the computer case, too... I never thought about this... Can you recommend a reliable (ATX) case for my needs that's within.... hmm.... $40-45 budget range? I don't care about RGB and water cooling and all of the bells and whistles, I'm concerned more with the protection against shocks and lightnings, as well as the overall stability of the system. So, a bland, boring, utterly ugly and repulsive case will be great for me as long as it keep the system well ventilated and stable

I've no idea what computer case brands you have available so specific recommends would not likely work. Look for a case with good ventilation cross-flow: since it's mATX room for two 120mm fans at least in front, one at least (two preferred) on the top and one in the rear. Tempered glass is nicer than plexiglass on the side since the plexi will scratch up and be ugly in just a few weeks. A metal side panel is functional and often comes with a mounting spot for a fan that can be used to provide cool outside air to the input of the GPU.

Be sure to balance cost of buying fans in addition to the case, with cost of a case that includes fans. Either way, do not consider case fans as "optional" but a necessity. Bundled fans won't likely be ultra-quiet but if the case is a bargain you can always upgrade them to better/quieter ones later on as funds permit.

Ideally, it should have capability of mounting a 240mm AIO (liquid) cooler's radiator. You don't need it for this CPU but it will work wonders if you ever do upgrade to that 5900X you spoke of earlier...or a 5800X3d for pure-play gaming performance.

RGB adds wholely unnecessary extra cost.

You can almost always disconsider any PSU a case may come bundled with. Buy the one you want, and choose wisely using one of the several PSU tier lists you can find on-line as a guide.

The stock heatsink with Ryzen is functional..but barely. You can safely adjust fan curves to keep it quiet when the CPU's mostly idle but it will probably have to scream loudly when working hard even at stock settings. If you ever intend to overclock (even using PBO w/Curve Optimizer) you'll need a massively better heatsink. Ryzen is thermally sensitive; that means better CPU cooling will reward with better performance.

3600 memory is a great choice for Ryzen since it helps the processor perform better in all workloads. Do not fret getting low CAS (CL) memory that's more costly. It can help memory latency but it really only matters in edge cases.

 

[monere]

Do not fret getting low CAS (CL) memory that's more costly. It can help memory latency but it really only matters in edge cases.

you mean that I shouldn't limit myself to lower CAS only? I'm not sure how to read this...

since it's mATX room for two 120mm fans at least in front, one at least (two preferred) on the top and one in the rear.

do not consider case fans as "optional", but as a necessity.

isn't this overkill for my casual computing needs? I don't code, I don't render, I don't play AAA games, why would I need these many fans, especially on a MoBo like Steel Legend which seems filled with heatsinks and protections and whatnot. This is a legit question, I'm not asking just for the sake of it. When I said that I intend to overclock the living crap out of everything I really do mean it, and I will overclock everything, but not because I need to, but because I want to brag about it

Could the overclocking of every component generate that much heat??

This being said, if I do need those 5 extra fans I will get them ASAP, but I don't think I need this much coolness for my basic needs.

Also, I forgot to ask earlier, but how big of a PSU should I get for this system? I was thinking that 600W will be enough but what do I know...

The stock heatsink with Ryzen is functional..but barely.

you mean the fan that came with the CPU?

You can safely adjust fan curves to keep it quiet when the CPU's mostly idle but it will probably have to scream loudly when working hard even at stock settings.

may I know what you understand by "working hard"? For example, right now I'm having 70-80 tabs opened up in my browser and I've been having them opened for the last week or so, and I'm not running into issues with my current CPU (i3-4360) which is very basic by today's standards. Do you consider this a heavy work for a CPU and you think that the 5600 won't be able to keep up with this? Or what do you consider to be heavy work?

If you ever intend to overclock you'll need a massively better heatsink.

again, are you referring to the CPU's fan (that came in the same box with the CPU) when you say "heatsink" or is this something different that I need to install onto the MoBo?

Thanks for all of the answers by the way. They really do help to put things into perspective, I would have never known these just by reading articles (which I have been doing for the last week, but they're not as personalized as forum replies )

 

[drea.drechsler]

you mean that I shouldn't limit myself to lower CAS only? I'm not sure how to read this...



isn't this overkill for my casual computing needs? I don't code, I don't render, I don't play AAA games, why would I need these many fans, especially on a MoBo like Steel Legend which seems filled with heatsinks and protections and whatnot. This is a legit question, I'm not asking just for the sake of it. When I said that I intend to overclock the living crap out of everything I really do mean it, and I will overclock everything, but not because I need to, but because I want to brag about it

Could the overclocking of every component generate that much heat??

This being said, if I do need those 5 extra fans I will get them ASAP, but I don't think I need this much coolness for my basic needs.

Also, I forgot to ask earlier, but how big of a PSU should I get for this system? I was thinking that 600W will be enough but what do I know...


you mean the fan that came with the CPU?


may I know what you understand by "working hard"? For example, right now I'm having 70-80 tabs opened up in my browser and I've been having them opened for the last week or so, and I'm not running into issues with my current CPU (i3-4360) which is very basic by today's standards. Do you consider this a heavy work for a CPU and you think that the 5600 won't be able to keep up with this? Or what do you consider to be heavy work?


again, are you referring to the CPU's fan (that came in the same box with the CPU) when you say "heatsink" or is this something different that I need to install onto the MoBo?

Thanks for all of the answers by the way. They really do help put things into perspective, I would have never known these just by reading articles (which I have been doing for the last week, but they're not as personalized as forum replies )

"CAS" or "CL" refers to the most important timing spec (DDR4) and come in CAS 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 ratings most commonly for 3600 memory. Lower timing means lower memory latency which is good. CAS 14, the lowest, is going to be quite expensive, 16 less so, 18 even less and so on. Of course, there may be variables you find while shopping but CAS 18 seems to be the sweet spot here.

Case ventilation is important because the GPU generates a lot of heat while gaming...it must be exhausted or the CPU heatsink takes the hot air in and actually heats up the CPU to make it drop in performance. More fans also mean you can run them at lower speeds to still achieve adequate cooling through the case. Lower speed fans makes for a nice quiet system without compromising performance.

Working hard depends: opening a file that's compressed can work the CPU very hard for a few moments. When playing games, that happens a lot as game resources are decompressed and sent to GPU memory. Also when browsing web sites as those files are sent out compressed. The more tabs open with modern browsers, the more execution threads a high core count CPU can manage concurrently. It can be simply idle threads or working in the background as spam is being thrown at you, each piece of it needing decompressing to be ready when you click back on the tab to see it and try to sell you something.

The CPU you're buying (5600) will come with a heatsink that includes a fan, so you don't have to buy one. But it's barely adequate, as I said before. You can adjust the fan speed to be low when the CPU's not running very hot, but it will need to scream if temerature runs up around 80C and more to try and cool it off.

The fan on the CPU heatsink can be connected to motherboard pins (headers, they're called) and you can set a temp-to-fan speed profile in the motherboard BIOS for that header. There are headers for the case fans too, but for 5 fans you'll probably also need Y-splitters to get them all attached to headers.

I don't know what your GPU is...but I'm running a 650W PSU with a 6800XT GPU. Your CPU is probably not a significant power impact, even my 5800X isn't. My GPU pulls around 250W while gaming, 290W peak, the CPU 100W, 120W peak. When running Folding@Home (which uses both CPU and GPU very hard, simultaneously) it's still only pulling a little over 250W in total, for both CPU and GPU.

 

[monere]

CAS 18 seems to be the sweet spot here

I agree

it must be exhausted or the CPU heatsink takes the hot air in and actually heats up the CPU to make it drop in performance.

interesting... I didn't know this

More fans also mean you can run them at lower speeds to still achieve adequate cooling through the case. Lower speed fans makes for a nice quiet system without compromising performance.

makes a lot of sense... I'll get more fans then, thanks for the tip

opening a file that's compressed can work the CPU very hard for a few moments.

oh yeah, I've noticed this on my current CPU. Whenever I need to unzip something it does "think" for like 10-20 seconds until the contents of the zipped file shows up. Yeah, you're right, this is a CPU-specific task

I don't think that I unzip too many files, though (maybe 1-2 files every few months or so, I don't know), so in this regards I'm good with the Ryzen 5600

Also when browsing web sites as those files are sent out compressed. The more tabs open with modern browsers, the more threads a high core count CPU can manage. It can be simply idle threads or working in the background as spam is being thrown at you, each piece of it needing decompressing to be ready when you click back on the tab to see it and try to sell you something.

got it! But I'm covered here, even the current CPU can handle these many tabs flawlessly, I don't think a newer one will struggle

Anyway, we're diverging into off-topic discussions and I don't think it's fair for the topicality of this thread, so I will end the discussion here, especially since I found out what I needed to know.

But before closing this thread, can you please tell me what PSU you would buy for this type of system? Is 600W enough, or should I get a bigger one? And what about the quality of the PSU? Some people say that the 80+ certification thingy is the most important part of a PSU, but other people say that the various protections are more important. Probably the truth is somewhere in the middle, but what are your thoughts on this?

 

[drea.drechsler]

....


got it! But I'm covered here, even the current CPU can handle these many tabs flawlessly, I don't think a newer one will struggle

....

But before closing this thread, can you please tell me what PSU you would buy for this type of system? Is 600W enough, or should I get a bigger one? And what about the quality of the PSU? Some people say that the 80+ certification thingy is the most important part of a PSU, but other people say that the various protections are more important. Probably the truth is somewhere in the middle, but what are your thoughts on this?

The new processor certainly won't struggle, but it will warm up the cores as it works on all that activity. Being so thermally sensitive, if it can't shed that heat it responds by pulling back on boost clocks.

I added this above!:
I don't know what your GPU is...but I'm running a 650W PSU with a 6800XT GPU. Your CPU is probably not a significant power impact, even my 5800X isn't IMO. My GPU pulls around 250W while gaming, 290W peak, the CPU 100W, 120W peak. When running Folding@Home (which uses both CPU and GPU very hard, simultaneously) it's still only pulling a little over 250W in total, for both CPU and GPU.

So, in summary: I feel 600W PSU would certainly be adequate for your system IF it's a quality unit that actually performs up to it's rating! That obviously assumes the GPU isn't as power hungry as a 6800XT. And another consideration is growth: a high-end PSU with a 10 year warranty is an investment. It will power your next upgrades...and next system...but only if the power rating is adequate. So over-speccing now might pay off in the future.

I believe 80+ gold (and better) rated PSU's now have the protections to get the rating. The real question is how good the manufacture is since many low-end brands don't actually achieve their full power ratings, or are made with low-end Chinese components that degrade rapidly. That's why you look to tier lists for guidance.

 

[monere]

I added this above!:

oops, I didn't see it, sorry!

the CPU 100W, 120W peak

is this for OC, or base?

I don't know what your GPU is

I'm ashamed to say (because I know it's bad) but it's the only GPU I could find that was sold as new and it was within my budget. But I'll tell you anyway because it's in my best interest that you know it so that you can recommend me the right PSU. It's a... *drum roll*... XFX RX 570 RS, 8GB, 256-bit (I know, don't laugh! )

When running Folding@Home (which uses both CPU and GPU very hard, simultaneously) it's still only pulling a little over 250W in total, for both CPU and GPU.

no idea what Folding@Home is but this is some impressive wattage. Good for you

So, in summary: I feel 600W PSU would certainly be adequate for your system IF it's a quality unit that actually performs up to it's rating! That obviously assumes the GPU isn't as power hungry as a 6800XT. And another consideration is growth: a high-end PSU with a 10 year warranty is an investment. It will power your next upgrades...and next system...but only if the power rating is adequate. So over-speccing now might pay off in the future.

good calls! I'll look for something in the 600-650W range that comes with... hmm.... is the "80+ bronze" certification enough or should I aim higher (although, I think the silver and higher certs are out of my budget)?

 

[ocer9999]

Hey there,

This will help: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PuUWroxA0HvSSipsXlB8hnYkshxD8LdeO5EA6WLdOQw/edit#gid=0

You really need something with a min of 8+2 power phase/VRM. More robust for bigger CPU's.

edit: out of those you chose, the ASRock B550 Steel legend has the more robust power delivery.

Can tell from experience, the B550 Steel Legend, is a rubust motherboard, has been running my 16 core CPU for over a year and zero issues. Great design too.

 

[drea.drechsler]

oops, I didn't see it, sorry!


is this for OC, or base?


I'm ashamed to say (because I know it's bad) but it's the only GPU I could find that was sold as new and it was within my budget. But I'll tell you anyway because it's in my best interest that you know it so that you can recommend me the right PSU. It's a... *drum roll*... XFX RX 570 RS, 8GB, 256-bit (I know, don't laugh! )


no idea what Folding@Home is but this is some impressive wattage. Good for you


good calls! I'll look for something in the 600-650W range that comes with... hmm.... is the "80+ bronze" certification enough or should I aim higher (although, I think the silver and higher certs are out of my budget)?

I tend to edit responses after posting.... my bad I suppose.

The 6800XT GPU is significantly overclocked, and undervolted. The CPU is overclocked only in the sense of using PBO and curve optimizer, which works with the processor's boost algorithm to help it boost to higher clocks than stock and hold the boosts longer by giving it more power margin even while lowering voltage on each core individually so it can run cooler. It's something to learn about for Ryzen 5000 CPU's and the smarter alternative to old-fashioned fixed frequency overclocking.

RX 570's are still adequate GPU's, and probably quite overclockable to get even more performance.

Unfortunately, "80+ bronze" itself doesn't mean all that much since most any modern PSU can meet those requirements with even the most basic of designs. PSU's with gold or platinum ratings tend to be built more robustly, using higher quality components. I've never seen a silver rated PSU. I suppose they must exist, I just haven't seen one.

My son has a 3700X system with an RX5700XT GPU and it's running beautifully on a 550W PSU. I'm pretty certain a 5600 CPU and RX570 would run well even on a 500W. The problem with going that low is two-fold: first is I don't think many good 500W PSU's are made any more and second is it leaves you with limited upgradeability.

I'd suggest posting your PSU options on the PSU forum and ask for advice there.

 

[monere]

I tend to edit responses after posting.... my bad I suppose.

many of us do it, no worries

The 6800XT GPU is significantly overclocked, and undervolted. The CPU is overclocked only in the sense of using PBO and curve optimizer, which works with the processor's boost algorithm to help it boost to higher clocks than stock and hold the boosts longer by giving it more power margin even while lowering voltage on each core individually so it can run cooler. It's something to learn about for Ryzen 5000 CPU's and the smarter alternative to old-fashioned fixed frequency overclocking.

yeah, that's definitely something to learn about (and I will look into this for sure), but not yet as it involves fiddling with voltage and this is something I'm not comfortable doing as a 1st time builder. I've heard that it's very risky if you don't know what you're doing and since I don't know... well... this is a topic for another day for me. But if I manage to OC the CPU without messing up with voltage while still keeping the system safe I'm good. I don't have to know as much as you yet

RX 570's are still adequate GPU's, and probably quite overclockable to get even more performance.

hmm, this one didn't look THAT much overclockable to me. But what do I know! When I said that it's a bad GPU I based my opinion on what I've read online and - although there aren't many reviews / articles / boards that discuss this GPU - the few that I've found have all been in agreement that it's a power hungry GPU and that it overheats a lot when under pressure. And since heat and power consumption are paramount for PCs... well, I deduced with my simplistic brain that it's a bad GPU. But I've bought it anyway as I didn't have a better option, so I'll roll with it. And since you've convinced me to get extra fans and I don't play resource-intensive games usually I don't think I'll run into any issues with it for 1-2 years that I intend to use it for until I find a better GPU...

Unfortunately, "80+ bronze" itself doesn't mean all that much since most any modern PSU can meet those requirements with even the most basic of designs. PSU's with gold or platinum ratings tend to be built more robustly, using higher quality components.

I mean, you're not wrong. But, budget, man, budget... Believe me that had I been a millionaire I'd not buy a single component that's under $500. I want the best for my PC, but...

I've never seen a silver rated PSU. I suppose they must exist, I just haven't seen one.

they do exist

My son has a 3700X system with an RX5700XT GPU and it's running beautifully on a 550W PSU. I'm pretty certain a 5600 CPU and RX570 would run well even on a 500W.

that's interesting... So I'll get a 600W PSU then, and I'll pay more based on which protections it has. Ok, this is settled then...

The problem with going that low is two-fold: first is I don't think many good 500W PSU's are made any more and second is it leaves you with limited upgradeability.

I don't think I've even seen a good 500W PSU. Like you said earlier, I'm sure they exist, it's just that I've not seen one

Although, truth being told I didn't specifically look for them since I only needed 600W and above PSU. And yeah, I'd rather buy a great PSU from the get-go than having to replace them 3 times like I've done with my current computer...

I'd suggest posting your PSU options on the PSU forum and ask for advice there.

meh, I think I've got the PSU issue sorted out, I don't need to do it. But thanks for the suggestion regardless, I'm open to ALL suggestions while I'm in researching mode

Like I said earlier, I will mark this thread as solved as I've gotten my answers. Thanks a lot to everyone who's helped clear up my confusion and especially thank you @drea.drechsler . Hopefully one day I'll be able to return the favor

Cheers everyone!