Question X570 Board Recommendations

MorganPike

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Any help is appreciated... TIA

I care about...
at least 2 M.2 slots
4 sata ports are enough
USB 3.2
Gaming performance
Price

I don't care about...
Overclocking
RGB lighting
WIFI
 
Taichi X570 M.2 heatsinks


Likely YOU will have to determine at what point the thermal pad is no longer adequate, or if it gets torn apart enough to require replacement. It would probably be a case by case determination and I am not SURE whether thermal paste would be an adequate replacement. It would depend on how big the air gap is based on how thick the thermal pads actually are. I have not used this board for any builds so I cannot say for sure. Every manufacturer is implementing things differently so one is not the same as another in most cases.

On my board, I am not using a heatsink and simply have a 3d printed bracket attached to the motherboard standoffs and a small 40m Noctua fan over the M.2 drive. It does very well but mostly this will only work for ASUS ATX Intel based motherboards, or models that have the M.2 drive in the lower right corner. Certainly other home brewed remedies exist or aftermarket cooler designs as well.

Personally, I really doubt that the changing of M.2 drives is likely to be a frequent occurrence like it might be with other types of drives. But who knows. Maybe for you it could be. IDK.



Let me ask you this. Is there a specific reason you are looking at X570? Do you have a NEED for PCIe 4.0? Planning to purchase PCIe 4.0 M.2 drives? Planning to purchase a PCIe 4.0 capable graphics card? Honestly, neither of those technologies has borne any fruit so far in reviews of existing PCIe 4.0 products on X570 motherboards from what I've seen. If there is not some other reason for X570, like perhaps future support for those products, I'd look at maybe saving some money and going with a good B450 motherboard like the Tomahawk max that can run any current Ryzen 3000 series CPU up to the 3950x.

 

MorganPike

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Yeah, planning on a 4.0 M.2 drive for the system. I have a 2TB 3.0 drive I'll be pulling from my current system to use as well. Down the road I'll want to install another 4. 0 drive, after prices come down. Maybe a year or 2.

I'll be putting an rtx 2070 in it I already have, for now. But I'm confident capable 4.0 video cards will be coming in the next year. I'd like to be prepared.

It's just unfortunate that in order to get a decent board, you apparently have to pay for wifi and rgb, which are totally useless to me.

I don't like how the taichi is set up for M.2s. Just found a review for it on this site and the reviewer seemed to agree with me, so I wrote it off.

My current intel system had an M.2 heatsink with backing that appeared to stick to the M.2. Hence my concerns. I could be mistaken however as I didn't want to compromise the material with the oils on my fingers when installing. My first and only experience with M.2 installation.

I need to update my second pc (been a long time) so I'm interested to see what's up with amd these days. A lot of hype surrounding this Zen2 stuff.
 

MorganPike

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It’s a great combination.

I have a 3800x, Asus TUF WiFi x570 and 2070S.

You won’t be disappointed.
Hey GarrettL, thx for reply.

That might be just the ticket. Do you mind my asking what case you're running it in? (I'm assuming you're running some heavy games with that setup?) Concerned with heat of course.

Are you using a 4.0 M.2? I've heard they heat up pretty good.
 
Hey GarrettL, thx for reply.

That might be just the ticket. Do you mind my asking what case you're running it in? (I'm assuming you're running some heavy games with that setup?) Concerned with heat of course.

Are you using a 4.0 M.2? I've heard they heat up pretty good.

I'm almost 52 years old. I've been a gamer since I first saw Pong as a kid in the mall.

My last PC build was an i7 920 on a x58 Gigabyte ud3r. That build has been retired from gaming but still going strong after almost 10 years. So I really wanted to try and put together this new pc to last at least a solid 5 years.

I hadn't built an AMD rig since the Athlon II days. Was on a tighter budget back then too, gotta love AMD in that regard.

Had been out of the loop when I went to build the new pc and was surprised to see that Ryzen was all the talk. I was initially thinking Intel 9700k. But for me at least, the x570 offers the most performance although it does come at a price. The prices have been dropping on the x570 motherboards lately so you can get a better board in the $200 range then was possible just a couple months ago. This is actually a great price on this Gigabyte and it's all around better than my Asus TUF. And the x570 will take Ryzen 4000 series when released, so there's a performance upgrade path available.

https://www.tomshardware.com/review...html#section-best-mid-priced-x570-motherboard

Currently playing BFV, BL3, Red Redemption 2, Control, Wolfenstein and the new CoD.

The M2 drives are crazy fast. I put in an Inland 3.0 and a Sabrent 4.0. You can't believe how fast some things will load. Good news here to as prices are dropping and even faster M2's are rolling out.

Now I'm one of the "silly people" that bought the 3800x. I have a MicroCenter in my area and when you buy a cpu and a motherboard they give you $30 off. That bought me the 3800x over the 3700x. The 3900x is just stupid expensive imo.

I never had a higher end gpu in the past either. The Asus ROG Strix 2070 Super in hindsight may have been a mistake. It's a great card but there are just a few games with ray tracing now and the ones that are available will drop your FPS. So it's a premium for some eye candy that at times is lost when your in the action of the game. But it does handle 1440p extremely well. There are better deals on 2070S's now too.

The last piece of the puzzle was 1440p. I went and looked at monitors at MicroCenter to see them first hand. The Asus PG279Q 27" IPS monitor blew me away. The colors are gorgeous, the clarity is fantastic and the G-Sync works flawlessly. I will never go back to 1080p or a TN panel. Yeah, another really expensive item but when you have so much into the guts that run games why not see them for what they are. The colors in Borderlands are crazy saturated and not all washed out. Red Redemption 2 has moments that make you stop and just look at the screen.

So, all that goodness shoved into a small Corsiar 100r case. And the case sits inside a computer desk cubby hole. I had to get an Corsair H60 to keep the cpu below 70C when gaming.

It is simply a great pc. Older pic before I put in the Sabrent. And what a good feeling it was to rip out the HDD cage!

En4ii9p.jpg
 
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MorganPike

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I'm almost 52 years old. I've been a gamer since I first saw Pong as a kid in the mall.
I'm 56. Was out of the loop for a while too. Started computing in my early 20's with a 286. Built a new pc about 6 mths ago. i5-9600k. Was first time in almost 10 yrs. So I'm still learning a lot about newer tech. Now I want to retire my second pc. The i5 will take it's place. My grand-daughter visits sometimes so it's time to have 2 capable gaming pc's again.

I honestly don't remember when I built my last amd. Been a looong time. I moved to intel once my budget wasn't quite as constricted.

I've been using hd tv's for a long time now as monitors. I prefer gaming from my recliner. I'm willing to sacrifice some screen response time for that. Currently on a 55" LG 4k. Gaming in 1440 for performance. Good 4k pc graphics are still too pricey imo. Over $1000? What is that? LOL I thought I was spending too much on dual Voodoo 2 cards back in the day!

The Gig x570 Aorus Ultra is on my short list. The link on that page, to Amazon anyway, is for the Aorus Pro Wifi however, which is a mini-itx board. The Ultra is currently 299, not 219. Just an fyi. I saw that $219 price and was ready to jump! LOL

I have a foc Gigabyte 2070 which runs 1440 really well in my current i5 build. I'll put that in the amd build until I buy a 4.0 card later on. I have a 1060 I'll put in the i5.

Those desk cubby's are killer. Show some compassion for that poor pc! :) Hopefully there's no back to the cubby anyway. Or you've removed it.

I don't think the 3800x is a silly buy. If I can find a good price it's what I'll go with. 3700x if not. We price systems when we're ready to buy and balance cost across mb, cpu, ram and case. At least I do! :) What works for one may not be right for another. A lot more factors involved than just msrp.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. But dang, that rdr2 does look amazing.
 

TJ Hooker

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I don't think the 3800x is a silly buy. If I can find a good price it's what I'll go with. 3700x if not. We price systems when we're ready to buy and balance cost across mb, cpu, ram and case. At least I do! :) What works for one may not be right for another. A lot more factors involved than just msrp.
The reason people consider getting a 3800X "silly" is that it's effectively identical to a 3700X in every regard (including performance) but costs more. So the only "good price" for a 3800X is one that's nearly the same as the price of a 3700X.
 

MorganPike

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Virtually any X570 board will meet your requirements. Here's a list of all of them that have 2 or more M.2 slots (nearly every X570 board out there). All of them will have 4+ SATA ports and (rear) USB 3.2 gen 2 ports.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#c=138&E=2,5
Thanks for the link. I discovered partpicker recently. Great site.

Reason I posted was... I was getting a little frustrated trying to find a board I liked that didn't have features I don't use. I just hate paying for things I don't want and won't use. In this case I guess I'll just have to get over it! :(
 

TJ Hooker

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If you get a 3700X/3800X you can pretty much get the cheapest board on that list an you'll be fine. Even if it has features you don't need you'll at least know you're not paying extra for it.

If you get a 3900X you may want to use a little more care in selection, because of the higher power draw. Something like the Asus Tuf Gaming or Gigabyte Aorus Elite would be good, still on the cheaper end.
 

MorganPike

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The reason people consider getting a 3800X "silly" is that it's effectively identical to a 3700X in every regard (including performance) but costs more. So the only "good price" for a 3800X is one that's nearly the same as the price of a 3700X.
Isn't the 3800x essentially a foc version of the 3700x? Running at 3.9/4.5 as opposed to the 37 running at 3.6/4.4? I don't like overclocking myself(anymore) buy I've had very good luck with factory overclocks which typically mean better binning. So do I think it's worth an extra $70? No. But an extra 30 or 40? Maybe.

Also, doesn't the 3800x call for the same power as the 3900x? 105w? Or is that just assuming the user will overclock?

I am leaning more and more toward the Aorus Ultra btw. I was trying real hard to keep costs down, but I also don't like investing in something I won't be satisfied with. This will be my main pc after all.

And thx for all this feedback. Helps me think.
 

TJ Hooker

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Isn't the 3800x essentially a foc version of the 3700x? Running at 3.9/4.5 as opposed to the 37 running at 3.6/4.4? I don't like overclocking myself(anymore) buy I've had very good luck with factory overclocks which typically mean better binning. So do I think it's worth an extra $70? No. But an extra 30 or 40? Maybe.
Base clocks don't really matter. Looking at max boost clocks, you're looking at a whole 2% difference between the two. Which is generally what you see in benchmarks from what I remember, a 2-3% difference. I don't know what you all use your PC for, but I doubt you're going to notice that sort of difference. If this is just for gaming, you're definitely not going to notice any difference: Tomshardware found <1% between the two on average across their gaming benchmark suite.

Also, doesn't the 3800x call for the same power as the 3900x? 105w? Or is that just assuming the user will overclock?
They do have the same rated TDP, but that's not necessarily equal to actual power consumption. The 3900X will draw more.

I'm getting the impression that you haven't really looked at benchmarks or reviews for these CPUs. I would encourage you to do so before you buy. Tomshardware's review of the 3800X is a good place to start, as it includes results for the 3700X and 3900X as well for comparison.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-ryzen-7-3800x-review,6226-3.html

I am leaning more and more toward the Aorus Ultra btw. I was trying real hard to keep costs down, but I also don't like investing in something I won't be satisfied with. This will be my main pc after all.
Sure, that's a good option too. But that seems counter to what you previously said about not wanting to pay extra for stuff you won't use. For more expensive boards you're typically paying for extra bells and whistles and (hopefully) better overclocking, none of which you'll take advantage of by the sounds of it.
 

MorganPike

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Tx again TJ.

I feel that better binning increases chances of long term stability. This may or may not be true, but such has been my experience. So although the performance difference may be minimal, I like the idea of buying a chip that was considered good enough by the manufacturer to increase clocks. Providing the cost difference is also minimal. And I've already seen it at $349. I'm sure I'll see that again. Probably because the market base realizes it really isn't worth an extra $70.

I have been reading/watching charts/reviews. I'm aware of the performance. But performance, although important, is not the only consideration.

And yes, it seems I've adjusted my expectations in regards to price vs quality and feature set. :) But that's what these discussions are for, right? To hear other viewpoints which spur thought? So thanks again for this.
 
Right now, unless you do some serious level of simultaneous heavy multitasking with recording, encoding, streaming, etc. WHILE gaming, at a VERY high level, there is no practical reason to need anything, ever, higher than a 3700x and for MOST people, a 3600x will give just as good of results on the majority of games if you are not running other major processes at the same time.

But TJ Hooker is definitely right in that if you decide to go with a 3900x or 3950x, for whatever reason, you will absolutely want to be looking at a motherboard at the higher end of the review results scale. Something with solid quality and a very good VRM configuration.
 
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TJ Hooker

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I feel that better binning increases chances of long term stability. This may or may not be true, but such has been my experience. So although the performance difference may be minimal, I like the idea of buying a chip that was considered good enough by the manufacturer to increase clocks. Providing the cost difference is also minimal.
Have you actually had CPUs fail prematurely on you? I don't think I've heard of that happening without overclocking (and inappropriate overclocking at that), or some other form of abuse. A CPU will typically last longer than it's useful lifespan, and longer than other components such as your motherboard.

Also, although the 3800X may be (slightly) better binned, they take advantage of that binning by pushing it (slightly) harder/faster. So who knows if there is actually any net benefit to longevity.

And I've already seen it at $349. I'm sure I'll see that again. Probably because the market base realizes it really isn't worth an extra $70.

I have been reading/watching charts/reviews. I'm aware of the performance. But performance, although important, is not the only consideration.
I see. I guess I'm just surprised someone who knows there's no real performance difference between the two would be willing to pay more. I don't know what other factors could be influencing your decision. As I said earlier, they're effectively the same CPU for all intents and purposes.
 
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MorganPike

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Agreed. It may or may not be true. But my gut tells me it is and perception does matter.

Yeah, I've had 2 processors fail. Although admittedly it has been many years and I don't remember the details. May have been due to overclocking. I've also had video cards fail. I do remember they were the result of pushing them too hard.

I need this build to be an upgrade from my current 9600k system. (I run 2 pc's) The 3600x is on par with that. If I'm going to spend money building another(which I am) it's not going to be to match what I already have. It needs to feel like an upgrade to me, if only to pacify my own perception.

Different people need different things, for different reasons.

I think this discussion has gone a little beyond what I originally intended but all of the suggestions made here by everyone have been accurate and helpful. Thank you all.

Not sure how to mark as answered as all posts have been relevant.
 
In 35 years of working on and with personal computers, including five years on this forum, I have heard of/seen 2 instances of a CPU failing due to factors OTHER THAN overclocking, a hardware short in some other component such as the motherboard, memory or power supply or installer/owner error such as dropping, bending pins, incorrect installation, or some other avoidable factor that was no fault of the CPU itself.

Two. Ever.

It just doesn't happen. CPUs, and to some extent even memory, tend to outlast ALL of the rest of the hardware in any given system and often times, you might go through two or three motherboards before you decide the CPU is obsolete even though it is still working fine. In some cases, they get retired simply because motherboards become unrealistically expensive and impossible to find due to age and EOL for that chipset long since.

I think the 3700x is a very good choice for almost any kind of system, as it has as many cores and threads as can be advantageously used anyhow unless you are doing something special or niche. And it might offer some extension of relevance as software becomes better optimized for more cores, which even now a good portion of what's out there is not. Many games and most Adobe software, including their professional applications, as well as a lot of other software out there and in some cases even Windows scheduler and the core kernel are still not as well optimized for highly threaded performance as they ought to be. We can assume that will become less of a factor the longer the OS sticks around and gets better optimized for such threaded performance and the scheduler (That they've claim ISN'T borked up) is improved.

In that way, perhaps one of these very high core count CPUs might make sense in a traditional enthusiast build or workstation, but right now if you are running more than an 8/16 chip I can't see any way that it is advantageous for the majority of people or for ANY gaming system. I mean, it doesn't much matter if your car can do 200mph if there are multiple cars in front of you blocking the way and only driving 85mph.

Now, once those cars are removed from the equation, different story.