[SOLVED] Will B550 be enough for 3900x or equivalent

[vainsy]

Hey Guys!

I am about to build a new Gaming PC for AAA titles, VR and casual gaming. I am currently waiting for the launch of the new RTX 3000 series and RDNA 2 before I do, as I want top-end graphics.

However, my CPU is not concerning me as much as the current top-ends from AMD and Intel should be fine for the new graphics cards - unless you think otherwise?

If I go AMD (which I most likely will) I am looking at using a 3900x or whatever is the equivalent at the time I build (whether that be a 3900XT or 4900x) and was wondering if a B550 would be suitable or if I need to get a X570 board. I do not plan to overclock at all - apart from using XMP on my RAM.

*For your reference I am currently looking at the ASUS ROG Strix B550-F.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Vainsy

 

[Shektron]

Even for overclocking, there's a negligible difference between B-series and X-series in terms of performance. Even a decent B450 motherboard can handle the 3900X, as long as it's not a completely cheap one. A high-end B450 motherboard can easily handle the 3900X, and considering B550's price premium, I would hope at least the mid-range options would be as good as X570 in terms of VRM's. Either way, a mid-range or high-end B-series board is all you need, no need for X570. But then there's also the price consideration - a decent B550 board costs about the same as a low-mid X570 board. B550 really is a confusing product :/.

I would honestly suggest you get a high-end B450 MAX motherboard and call it a day. It'll definitely handle the 3900X, and shouldn't be unreasonably priced, except for supply shortage reasons. If you can find a high-end B450 board which assures Ryzen 3000 support, that would be the best option in terms of price to performance.

 

[vainsy]

Even for overclocking, there's a negligible difference between B-series and X-series in terms of performance. Even a decent B450 motherboard can handle the 3900X, as long as it's not a completely cheap one. A high-end B450 motherboard can easily handle the 3900X, and considering B550's price premium, I would hope at least the mid-range options would be as good as X570 in terms of VRM's. Either way, a mid-range or high-end B-series board is all you need, no need for X570. But then there's also the price consideration - a decent B550 board costs about the same as a low-mid X570 board. B550 really is a confusing product :/.

I would honestly suggest you get a high-end B450 MAX motherboard and call it a day. It'll definitely handle the 3900X, and shouldn't be unreasonably priced, except for supply shortage reasons. If you can find a high-end B450 board which assures Ryzen 3000 support, that would be the best option in terms of price to performance.

Even for overclocking, there's a negligible difference between B-series and X-series in terms of performance. Even a decent B450 motherboard can handle the 3900X, as long as it's not a completely cheap one. A high-end B450 motherboard can easily handle the 3900X, and considering B550's price premium, I would hope at least the mid-range options would be as good as X570 in terms of VRM's. Either way, a mid-range or high-end B-series board is all you need, no need for X570. But then there's also the price consideration - a decent B550 board costs about the same as a low-mid X570 board. B550 really is a confusing product :/.

I would honestly suggest you get a high-end B450 MAX motherboard and call it a day. It'll definitely handle the 3900X, and shouldn't be unreasonably priced, except for supply shortage reasons. If you can find a high-end B450 board which assures Ryzen 3000 support, that would be the best option in terms of price to performance.

Probably should have mentioned that I want to take advantage of PCIE 4.0 sorry.

So it will either be B550 or X570.

Would you consider the ASUS ROG Strix B550-F a decent enough board?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Shektron]

Probably should have mentioned that I want to take advantage of PCIE 4.0 sorry.

So it will either be B550 or X570.

Would you consider the ASUS ROG Strix B550-F a decent enough board?

Thanks for your help!

Yes, those are usually good boards, of course waiting for reviews is always something you should do. My major problem with B550 is their price - they are priced very close to X570 boards, which is why I feel recommending them is misleading since you might as well spend a bit more and get a decent X570 instead, with all its bells and whistles over B550. The Asus B550-F on newegg is $190. The Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus is priced the same on newegg. Why wouldn't someone get the 'superior' chipset if the price is the same? Unless you REALLY like the aesthetic of that B550-F...

 

[dorsai]

I'd recommend watching some Hardware Unboxed videos on youtube...they do some deep dive testing on new boards to check out the vrm and how they handle stress.

 

[vainsy]

Yes, those are usually good boards, of course waiting for reviews is always something you should do. My major problem with B550 is their price - they are priced very close to X570 boards, which is why I feel recommending them is misleading since you might as well spend a bit more and get a decent X570 instead, with all its bells and whistles over B550. The Asus B550-F on newegg is $190. The Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus is priced the same on newegg. Why wouldn't someone get the 'superior' chipset if the price is the same? Unless you REALLY like the aesthetic of that B550-F...

Also the fact the X570 requires an active cooling fan is a bit of a turn off for me as its more noise and more moving parts to possibly go wrong. What do you think about this?

 

[GarrettL]

I have an x570, the chipset fan is not an issue, you can't hear it.

I just looked at the Asus TUF B550 in comparison the the x570 Asus TUF. The B550 has better LAN than the x570 for $20 less. But the B550 doesn't have Wifi, BT and lower sound quality.

It's going to take some time to see how all the B550 boards compare price wise and with what connectivity, sound etc. But all B550's should have good VRM's.

 

[Juan_Bijero]

If you want PCIE 4.0 in the future, you will need an X570 motherboard. But at the moment PCIE 4.0 is only being used by very few m.2 solid state drives.

 

[Juan_Bijero]

Also, check out Gamers Nexus on YouTube. They have run all the tests and go into great depth.