Help me pick the best motherboard for my needs! I know next to nothing about them.

[superfantastic]

My next pc upgrade will be a cpu, but that requires a new motherboard as well in my situation. I am eying the 5800x3D, though might go for a cheaper one. I have a 3070 and the 5800x3D might be more of a match with a 3080 and above, but at least with the 5800x3D I'm a bit more future proof than with say a 5600x.

 

Anyways, I need a motherboard that isn't too expensive (I've heard b550 motherboards are my best bet then), has space for at least 1 nvme ssd so I can install my current drive, 1 gpu, 2x 8gb 3200mhz ram, a usb-c port and at least 6 usb ports.

Also what is PCIe x16 and is it important? I don't really know what it means, but when I look up info about motherboards I see a lot of ''PCIe x16'' and that it's good

[Sipuha]

B550 is, probably, your best bet. Just look for exact models on newegg/amazon/whatever online shop's there in your area, google for it's official page and make sure it has the support for your CPU.
If you're not planning on overclocking your processor and/or memory, it'll be more than enough, just look for reputable brands with a good review history.

Since you need USB-C along usual USBs, you may be looking at something like ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS.

 

PCIe lanes are important cause they identify your maximum possible bandwith between a GPU and CPU. Most 1st slots on a MoBo are 16x that lead straight to CPU for best possible perfomance, so you shouldn't really worry about that.

UPD: Regarding the motherboard, you gotta be sure it's got compatible bios. If you look on ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS support page, you can see that bios version required for 5800x3d is 2423.

If you don't have a previous gen CPU if it happens that your new one doesn't support a new CPU from out-of-the-box, you won't be able to flash the BIOS unless the board has a feature like Q-Flash Plus on Gigabytes boards.

[-rascal-]

32 minutes ago, superfantastic said:

My next pc upgrade will be a cpu, but that requires a new motherboard as well in my situation. I am eying the 5800x3D, though might go for a cheaper one. I have a 3070 and the 5800x3D might be more of a match with a 3080 and above, but at least with the 5800x3D I'm a bit more future proof than with say a 5600x.

 

Anyways, I need a motherboard that isn't too expensive (I've heard b550 motherboards are my best bet then), has space for at least 1 nvme ssd so I can install my current drive, 1 gpu, 2x 8gb 3200mhz ram, a usb-c port and at least 6 usb ports.

Also what is PCIe x16 and is it important? I don't really know what it means, but when I look up info about motherboards I see a lot of ''PCIe x16'' and that it's good

 

Ryzen 5800X3D will stack up right at the top with even the Ryzen 7950X and Intel i9-12900K / i7-12700K.

You can use even a RTX 3090Ti with it no problem.

 

As for the motherboard, a B550 should be plenty for your needs.

The top M.2 slot is getting PCI-E 4.0 bandwidth from the CPU, while the remaining slots (if available) will be from the B550 chipset.

Those remaining slots with be PCI-E 3.0 (vs 4.0 on X570).

 

I'm personally running a Gigabyte B550 Aorus Pro AC motherboard, paired with my Ryzen 5800X.

Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4-3600 CL16-18-18-38 memory kit.

 

If you are buying new RAM now, I'd recommend DDR4-3600 CL18 (CL16 if you can find them).

Otherwise, DDR4-3200 or DDR4-3400 is fine. CL14 or CL16.

CL18 or even CL20 / CL22 is too high of latency, especially for something like DDR4-3200.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[RONOTHAN##]

28 minutes ago, superfantastic said:

Also what is PCIe x16 and is it important?

It's the slot that your GPU goes in. 

 

For a board on AM4, my usual recommendations are the B550 Steel Legend, B550-A Pro, and TUF B550-Pro. They're all about equal with minor differences between them (the Steel Legend has a POST code for significantly easier debugging, but is missing BIOS flashback in case the BIOS gets corrupted). Look at the feature set/aesthetics of all of them and see which you like the best, but you can't go wrong with any of them. They do everything you need them to and are relatively affordable (currently they're all $140 US across multiple retailers)

[superfantastic]

1 hour ago, -rascal- said:

 

Ryzen 5800X3D will stack up right at the top with even the Ryzen 7950X and Intel i9-12900K / i7-12700K.

You can use even a RTX 3090Ti with it no problem.

 

As for the motherboard, a B550 should be plenty for your needs.

The top M.2 slot is getting PCI-E 4.0 bandwidth from the CPU, while the remaining slots (if available) will be from the B550 chipset.

Those remaining slots with be PCI-E 3.0 (vs 4.0 on X570).

 

I'm personally running a Gigabyte B550 Aorus Pro AC motherboard, paired with my Ryzen 5800X.

Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4-3600 CL16-18-18-38 memory kit.

 

If you are buying new RAM now, I'd recommend DDR4-3600 CL18 (CL16 if you can find them).

Otherwise, DDR4-3200 or DDR4-3400 is fine. CL14 or CL16.

CL18 or even CL20 / CL22 is too high of latency, especially for something like DDR4-3200.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

I've got cl16 3200mhz, but I can't even put them on 3200 because my current cpu only supports up to 2666. I've ran it on 3200 for a while but eventually started getting crashes because of it.

[superfantastic]

1 hour ago, Sipuha said:

B550 is, probably, your best bet. Just look for exact models on newegg/amazon/whatever online shop's there in your area, google for it's official page and make sure it has the support for your CPU.
If you're not planning on overclocking your processor and/or memory, it'll be more than enough, just look for reputable brands with a good review history.

Since you need USB-C along usual USBs, you may be looking at something like ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS.

 

PCIe lanes are important cause they identify your maximum possible bandwith between a GPU and CPU. Most 1st slots on a MoBo are 16x that lead straight to CPU for best possible perfomance, so you shouldn't really worry about that.

UPD: Regarding the motherboard, you gotta be sure it's got compatible bios. If you look on ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS support page, you can see that bios version required for 5800x3d is 2423.

If you don't have a previous gen CPU if it happens that your new one doesn't support a new CPU from out-of-the-box, you won't be able to flash the BIOS unless the board has a feature like Q-Flash Plus on Gigabytes boards.

So when I buy a motherboard, will it have the latest firmware or is it always 1.0 and do I have to update it? If so, that will limit my choices then if some don't support the cpu I want out of the box...

[Sipuha]

14 minutes ago, superfantastic said:

So when I buy a motherboard, will it have the latest firmware or is it always 1.0 and do I have to update it? If so, that will limit my choices then if some don't support the cpu I want out of the box...

It depends on the date of manufacturing.

Most fresh motherboards should have "Ryzen 5000 ready" on the box, but it's not guaranteed that it'll work with your particular CPU (just like in the screenshot above. 5700x is supported on earlier bios revision compared to 5800x3d)

If you're not sure, look for boards that have a feature to flash the board w/o a CPU and RAM installed (like AORUS B550M ELITE with Q-Flash Plus, but that particular board is nasty in terms of troubleshooting unless you have a mobo speaker or those fancy PCIe POST cards) (and it doesn't have a type-c)

[-rascal-]

20 minutes ago, superfantastic said:

I've got cl16 3200mhz, but I can't even put them on 3200 because my current cpu only supports up to 2666. I've ran it on 3200 for a while but eventually started getting crashes because of it.

 

Your i7-9800X?

It should be able to handle it, my i7-6800K (on X99) was able to work with 3000 and 3200 (OC) without problems.

You need to enable XMP, *and* tweak some of the other voltages; DRAM voltage for sure, but also need to slightly bump the VCCSA voltage up too (I think? don't remember).

 

Okay, might as well reuse the existing kit that you have.

What is the manufacturer and memory kit model?

You could probably OC them up to DDR4-3400 or 3600.

 

18 minutes ago, superfantastic said:

So when I buy a motherboard, will it have the latest firmware or is it always 1.0 and do I have to update it? If so, that will limit my choices then if some don't support the cpu I want out of the box...

 

It depends.

99.5% of the time, it won't be BIOS version 1.0, but rather, whatever the latest BIOS version is available at the time of manufacturing.

If the motherboard happens to be old stock, sitting deep in the back of the supply rack, it may be a couple versions old.

If it is fresh off the line, it may already have the latest BIOS on it already...or 1 or 2 versions from the latest.

 

B550 or X570, you are looking at a BIOS released in late 2021; most likely summer ~ present 2022.

Certainly not 2020 or older by now....

However, if you get a motherboard that supports "headless" ... USB BIOS flashing, it won't matter.

 

So Ryzen 5800X3D should be supported out-of-the-box.

[superfantastic]

22 minutes ago, -rascal- said:

 

Your i7-9800X?

It should be able to handle it, my i7-6800K (on X99) was able to work with 3000 and 3200 (OC) without problems.

You need to enable XMP, *and* tweak some of the other voltages; DRAM voltage for sure, but also need to slightly bump the VCCSA voltage up too (I think? don't remember).

 

Okay, might as well reuse the existing kit that you have.

What is the manufacturer and memory kit model?

You could probably OC them up to DDR4-3400 or 3600.

 

 

It depends.

99.5% of the time, it won't be BIOS version 1.0, but rather, whatever the latest BIOS version is available at the time of manufacturing.

If the motherboard happens to be old stock, sitting deep in the back of the supply rack, it may be a couple versions old.

If it is fresh off the line, it may already have the latest BIOS on it already...or 1 or 2 versions from the latest.

 

B550 or X570, you are looking at a BIOS released in late 2021; most likely summer ~ present 2022.

Certainly not 2020 or older by now....

However, if you get a motherboard that supports "headless" ... USB BIOS flashing, it won't matter.

 

So Ryzen 5800X3D should be supported out-of-the-box.

Full name of the ram is G.Skill Trident Z 8GB DDR4 3200MHz. Not sure what you mean by memory kit model couldn't find it, thing that sounded closest was Manufacturer part number which is F4-3200C16D-16GTZKW .

 

Yes I have the i7 9800x how did you know? From my older post?

I use xmp ofcourse but did nothing else. Strangely, it worked fine for months until it started crashing. Officially my cpu does not support 3200, so when I set it to 2666 the crashing went away.

[superfantastic]

2 hours ago, Sipuha said:

B550 is, probably, your best bet. Just look for exact models on newegg/amazon/whatever online shop's there in your area, google for it's official page and make sure it has the support for your CPU.
If you're not planning on overclocking your processor and/or memory, it'll be more than enough, just look for reputable brands with a good review history.

Since you need USB-C along usual USBs, you may be looking at something like ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS.

 

PCIe lanes are important cause they identify your maximum possible bandwith between a GPU and CPU. Most 1st slots on a MoBo are 16x that lead straight to CPU for best possible perfomance, so you shouldn't really worry about that.

UPD: Regarding the motherboard, you gotta be sure it's got compatible bios. If you look on ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS support page, you can see that bios version required for 5800x3d is 2423.

If you don't have a previous gen CPU if it happens that your new one doesn't support a new CPU from out-of-the-box, you won't be able to flash the BIOS unless the board has a feature like Q-Flash Plus on Gigabytes boards.

Oh and euh, is every motherboard roughly the same size? And does it matter a whole lot?

[Sipuha]

1 minute ago, superfantastic said:

Oh and euh, is every motherboard roughly the same size? And does it matter a whole lot?

There're several mobo size standards, so you'll have to check if it fits your case.

[superfantastic]

1 minute ago, Sipuha said:

There're several mobo size standards, so you'll have to check if it fits your case.

Ah I just found out the x299 I have is ATX. Does that mean smaller ones are supported too you think?

[-rascal-]

6 minutes ago, superfantastic said:

Full name of the ram is G.Skill Trident Z 8GB DDR4 3200MHz. Not sure what you mean by memory kit model couldn't find it, thing that sounded closest was Manufacturer part number which is F4-3200C16D-16GTZKW .

 

Yes I have the i7 9800x how did you know? From my older post?

I use xmp ofcourse but did nothing else. Strangely, it worked fine for months until it started crashing. Officially my cpu does not support 3200, so when I set it to 2666 the crashing went away.

 

Yeah, I looked at your old threads/posts haha.

Yes, the CPU *technically* does not support DDR4-3200.

Beyond DDR4-2666 is overclocking.

 

Yes, F4-3200C16D-16GTZKW is what I was looking for.

You should be able to push these a little further -- if you want to play around with them on your new AM4 platform.

[Sipuha]

1 minute ago, superfantastic said:

Ah I just found out the x299 I have is ATX. Does that mean smaller ones are supported too you think?

Might change the standoff locations for mounting the board, but it should fit overall. Just to be sure, try to look up for your case model, it should state which boards form factors fit.

[-rascal-]

2 minutes ago, superfantastic said:

Ah I just found out the x299 I have is ATX. Does that mean smaller ones are supported too you think?

 

Usually ATX supported motherboard, WILL support Micro-ATX as well.

I have yet to see / own a modern case / chassis that does not.

[superfantastic]

3 minutes ago, -rascal- said:

 

Yeah, I looked at your old threads/posts haha.

Yes, the CPU *technically* does not support DDR4-3200.

Beyond DDR4-2666 is overclocking.

 

Yes, F4-3200C16D-16GTZKW is what I was looking for.

You should be able to push these a little further -- if you want to play around with them on your new AM4 platform.

I really want to upgrade, brainstorming about it almost every day, but I am not sure if I will. Main reason is basically that I am absolutely petrified about taking my pc apart. I'm so scared of breaking something or not knowing how to put it together again. I've changed ram, and even changed my cpu once with someone else holding the cooler in place while I screwed it back on. But it was so scary to do, even though I succeeded. Later I bought a new psu and cooler to prepare for a gpu upgrade and I just let a shop do it for me, I didn't trust myself with it haha.

 

Then when I switched my 1070 for a 3070, I let someone else install it again. I knew how to take it out but I was just too scared of breaking something.

[-rascal-]

19 hours ago, superfantastic said:

I really want to upgrade, brainstorming about it almost every day, but I am not sure if I will. Main reason is basically that I am absolutely petrified about taking my pc apart. I'm so scared of breaking something or not knowing how to put it together again. I've changed ram, and even changed my cpu once with someone else holding the cooler in place while I screwed it back on. But it was so scary to do, even though I succeeded. Later I bought a new psu and cooler to prepare for a gpu upgrade and I just let a shop do it for me, I didn't trust myself with it haha.

 

Then when I switched my 1070 for a 3070, I let someone else install it again. I knew how to take it out but I was just too scared of breaking something.

 

Don't be petrified.

TAKE YOUR TIME, build in a well-lit environment, on a flat surface with lots of space (i.e. dining table). If you are afraid of damaging things, get a $5 anti-static wrist strap.

 

You can put it back together. If you need help, there is always YouTube, and if course, is people here. Most of the parts are just click and lock into place. Like....RAM, graphics card into the PCI-E X16 slot, PSU cables...

 

Taking the graphics card out these days is actually the hard part. Because they are so thick and wide, it's difficult to undo the PCI-E locking tab. But hey! You got it! Putting a card back in is the easier half!

[superfantastic]

On 10/9/2022 at 8:42 PM, -rascal- said:

 

Don't be petrified.

TAKE YOUR TIME, build in a well-lit environment, on a flat surface with lots of space (i.e. dining table). If you are afraid of damaging things, get a $5 anti-static wrist strap.

 

You can put it back together. If you need help, there is always YouTube, and if course, is people here. Most of the parts are just click and lock into place. Like....RAM, graphics card into the PCI-E X16 slot, PSU cables...

 

Taking the graphics card out these days is actually the hard part. Because they are so thick and wide, it's difficult to undo the PCI-E locking tab. But hey! You got it! Putting a card back in is the easier half!

So, update, I bought the 5800x3D and a Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 motherboard. Together with Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 cooler. You think this will work or did I make the worst purchase of my life? I think it arrives tomorrow.

[-rascal-]

On 10/16/2022 at 6:41 AM, superfantastic said:

So, update, I bought the 5800x3D and a Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 motherboard. Together with Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 cooler. You think this will work or did I make the worst purchase of my life? I think it arrives tomorrow.

 

The motherboard will be absolutely fine.

It will have no issues handling the 5800X3D.

 

However, the CPU cooler might have trouble keeping that  8-core 16-thread CPU cool.

What was the reason to go with a low-profile, top-down, compact CPU cooler, rather than a tower cooler?

 

In the $45 USD price range, I'd recommend something else like:

• Noctua NH-U12S (Redux) -- https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vV7G3C/noctua-nh-u12s-redux-7075-cfm-cpu-cooler-nh-u12s-redux
• Arctic Freezer 34 eSports (DUO) -- https://pcpartpicker.com/product/cqCD4D/arctic-freezer-34-esports-cpu-cooler-acfre00057a
• Thermalright Peerless Assassin SE -- https://pcpartpicker.com/product/zyNxFT/thermalright-peerless-assassin-120-se-argb-6617-cfm-cpu-cooler-pa-120-se-argb

 

[superfantastic]

11 hours ago, -rascal- said:

 

The motherboard will be absolutely fine.

It will have no issues handling the 5800X3D.

 

However, the CPU cooler might have trouble keeping that  8-core 16-thread CPU cool.

What was the reason to go with a low-profile, top-down, compact CPU cooler, rather than a tower cooler?

 

In the $45 USD price range, I'd recommend something else like:

• Noctua NH-U12S (Redux) -- https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vV7G3C/noctua-nh-u12s-redux-7075-cfm-cpu-cooler-nh-u12s-redux
• Arctic Freezer 34 eSports (DUO) -- https://pcpartpicker.com/product/cqCD4D/arctic-freezer-34-esports-cpu-cooler-acfre00057a
• Thermalright Peerless Assassin SE -- https://pcpartpicker.com/product/zyNxFT/thermalright-peerless-assassin-120-se-argb-6617-cfm-cpu-cooler-pa-120-se-argb

 

Euh yeah it was a lapse in logic. I was thinking, my current cpu has a tdp of 165, and the 5800x3d a tdp of 105, so it needs less cooling.

The store I bought everything from also mentioned I should get a better cooler and they recommended the Noctua NH-U12S (Redux) so that's what I got.

Also changed the motherboard to a Asus PRIME B550-PLUS, as it has a usb-c port and is compatible with higher speed ram than the other one.

Also, bought a new bigger case. The Fractal Design Focus 2.

 

And to top it all off, I decided to get an anti-static wristband to help ease my mind about breaking stuff.

They are installing the cpu and cooler for me before shipping, was a free service if I wanted it. I said yes, because the thing I was most scared of breaking was the cpu with all her pins.

 

You will probably find me here somewhere at the end of this week, writing a post about how im struggling to put the pc together haha.

[-rascal-]

11 hours ago, superfantastic said:

Euh yeah it was a lapse in logic. I was thinking, my current cpu has a tdp of 165, and the 5800x3d a tdp of 105, so it needs less cooling.

The store I bought everything from also mentioned I should get a better cooler and they recommended the Noctua NH-U12S (Redux) so that's what I got.

Also changed the motherboard to a Asus PRIME B550-PLUS, as it has a usb-c port and is compatible with higher speed ram than the other one.

Also, bought a new bigger case. The Fractal Design Focus 2.

 

And to top it all off, I decided to get an anti-static wristband to help ease my mind about breaking stuff.

They are installing the cpu and cooler for me before shipping, was a free service if I wanted it. I said yes, because the thing I was most scared of breaking was the cpu with all her pins.

 

You will probably find me here somewhere at the end of this week, writing a post about how im struggling to put the pc together haha.

 

Good choice on the case by the way!!

The ASUS Prime B550-PLUS is a good board as well.

 

All you really need to do is clip the anti-static wristband to a metal part of the computer case basically.

 

If they offer a service where they install the CPU and CPU cooler for you, then that's great.

At least (hopefully) they offer some kind of guarantee there.

 

At least over here in Canada, MemoryExpress offers a free service where they install the CPU for you, if you buy CPU + Motherboard from them.

They then check if the BIOS is up-to-date; if it's outdated, they will also do the BIOS update, and then check if it will P.O.S.T.

If you buy CPU + Motherboard + Memory through them, they will install the RAM, too.

No mention of the CPU cooler install, though.

[superfantastic]

4 minutes ago, -rascal- said:

 

Good choice on the case by the way!!

The ASUS Prime B550-PLUS is a good board as well.

 

All you really need to do is clip the anti-static wristband to a metal part of the computer case basically.

 

If they offer a service where they install the CPU and CPU cooler for you, then that's great.

At least (hopefully) they offer some kind of guarantee there.

 

At least over here in Canada, MemoryExpress offers a free service where they install the CPU for you, if you buy CPU + Motherboard from them.

They then check if the BIOS is up-to-date; if it's outdated, they will also do the BIOS update, and then check if it will P.O.S.T.

If you buy CPU + Motherboard + Memory through them, they will install the RAM, too.

No mention of the CPU cooler install, though.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

 

 

Yeah got a new case mainly because they said the cooler might not fit otherwise. I really hope I will manage to put it all together when it arrives. It will arrive thursday or friday I think.