What Motherboard for Ryzen 7800X3D Flagship Gaming Build

[WallacEngineering]

So I am starting the process of building a new PC. I just scored a great deal on my first component - the GPU.

 

I had originally planned on a Radeon RX 7900-XT after the $100 price drop happened and made the card make fiscal sense, especially considering it exceeds my performance goals (3440x1440p ~120 FPS high frame rate gaming at High overall settings).

 

However a deal caught my attention last night and I decided to jump on it. A gentleman decided to purchase a Power Color Red Devil Edition of AMDs new Flagship GPU - the Radeon RX 7900-XTX. However, I guess some people just have too much money to burn because he then decided to sell his basically brand new card to try something else instead, with MicroCenter receipt in hand so that I can register the warranty myself as if I bought the card from the store.

 

The RX 7900-XT I had originally planned on purchasing wasn't the ASRock Taichi Edition as I prefer higher-end AIB cards so that I have thermal headroom and can overclock in the future. The Taichi 7900-XT is $849.99 (over $900 after tax) and this gentleman wanted $900 for his Red Devil 7900-XTX. I mean, could you really say no to that? Especially as the Power Color Red Devil is considered the very best air-cooled AIB design for AMD GPUs on the market and is extremely expensive with an MSRP of $1,099.99 plus tax (nearly $1200).

 

So I know own a graphics card that is quite a bit overkill for my use case. To compliment my new overkill graphics card, I will be picking up the new Ryzen 7800X3D CPU to give me maximum performance from my new graphics card. Since my rig is primarily used for gaming and is only used for video editing once in a while, I don't feel the need to aim for a 12 or 16-core CPU. I will pick up the CPU and Motherboard as soon as The CPU drops in price to its standard $450 MSRP.

 

With all that being said, I am looking for a nice high quality AMD B-650 Motherboard. I do not feel that an X-670 board is necessary. However, I will list off everything I plan on installing into the Motherboard to see what you guys think and see what kind of Motherboard you would suggest. I am trying to save a few dollars here and there throughout the build after spending $900 on a GPU, but at the same time my budget isn't particularly tight. For example, I do really like my current ASUS ROG B-450 WiFi for its 6-layer PCB, Hi number of features and I/O compared to other boards at the time, and strong power delivery design with ample overclocking ability all wrapped up in a reasonable price.

 

So Here are some requirements I need from the board along with what I will be installing into it:

 

Form Factor: Standard ATX

RAM Chosen: 2 x 16GB 6000MHz (AMD sweet spot)

WiFi: WiFi REQUIRED I HAVE NO ACCESS TO AN ETHERNET CABLE

CPU Cooler: Noctua D-15 Chromax Black

Storage: 1 x 1-2TB NVME M.2 Samsung Boot Drive + 2 x cheaper 2TB M.2 storage drives for games

Build Theme: Red Devil - Black or Gunmetal with Red LED lighting.

Other Notes: Strong power phases and VRMs with good cooling are my top priority. Dual BIOS is a HUGE PLUS! Boot code display would be very nice as I've never had one before but it is not 100% necessary.

 

Well thank you for reading my book lol. I always find it's better to provide context and backstory then to deal with questions later. And thank you for your suggestions in advance!

[Agall]

11 minutes ago, WallacEngineering said:

So I am starting the process of building a new PC. I just scored a great deal on my first component - the GPU.

 

I had originally planned on a Radeon RX 7900-XT after the $100 price drop happened and made the card make fiscal sense, especially considering it exceeds my performance goals (3440x1440p ~120 FPS high frame rate gaming at High overall settings).

 

However a deal caught my attention last night and I decided to jump on it. A gentleman decided to purchase a Power Color Red Devil Edition of AMDs new Flagship GPU - the Radeon RX 7900-XTX. However, I guess some people just have too much money to burn because he then decided to sell his basically brand new card to try something else instead, with MicroCenter receipt in hand so that I can register the warranty myself as if I bought the card from the store.

 

The RX 7900-XT I had originally planned on purchasing wasn't the ASRock Taichi Edition as I prefer higher-end AIB cards so that I have thermal headroom and can overclock in the future. The Taichi 7900-XT is $849.99 (over $900 after tax) and this gentleman wanted $900 for his Red Devil 7900-XTX. I mean, could you really say no to that? Especially as the Power Color Red Devil is considered the very best air-cooled AIB design for AMD GPUs on the market and is extremely expensive with an MSRP of $1,099.99 plus tax (nearly $1200).

 

So I know own a graphics card that is quite a bit overkill for my use case. To compliment my new overkill graphics card, I will be picking up the new Ryzen 7800X3D CPU to give me maximum performance from my new graphics card. Since my rig is primarily used for gaming and is only used for video editing once in a while, I don't feel the need to aim for a 12 or 16-core CPU. I will pick up the CPU and Motherboard as soon as The CPU drops in price to its standard $450 MSRP.

 

With all that being said, I am looking for a nice high quality AMD B-650 Motherboard. I do not feel that an X-670 board is necessary. However, I will list off everything I plan on installing into the Motherboard to see what you guys think and see what kind of Motherboard you would suggest. I am trying to save a few dollars here and there throughout the build after spending $900 on a GPU, but at the same time my budget isn't particularly tight. For example, I do really like my current ASUS ROG B-450 WiFi for its 6-layer PCB, Hi number of features and I/O compared to other boards at the time, and strong power delivery design with ample overclocking ability all wrapped up in a reasonable price.

 

So Here are some requirements I need from the board along with what I will be installing into it:

 

Form Factor: Standard ATX

RAM Chosen: 2 x 16GB 6000MHz (AMD sweet spot)

WiFi: WiFi REQUIRED I HAVE NO ACCESS TO AN ETHERNET CABLE

CPU Cooler: Noctua D-15 Chromax Black

Storage: 1 x 1-2TB NVME M.2 Samsung Boot Drive + 2 x cheaper 2TB M.2 storage drives for games

Build Theme: Red Devil - Black or Gunmetal with Red LED lighting.

Other Notes: Strong power phases and VRMs with good cooling are my top priority. Dual BIOS is a HUGE PLUS! Boot code display would be very nice as I've never had one before but it is not 100% necessary.

 

Well thank you for reading my book lol. I always find it's better to provide context and backstory then to deal with questions later. And thank you for your suggestions in advance!

Its a max 100W CPU, so you could run it on a $100 A620 for all it cares. If you're using an NH-D15, then you NEED an ATX motherboard that spaces the top PCIe slot down one, otherwise you'll only have room for the 120mm version.

 

If you're looking at standard ATX, just select the motherboard that fits this list to the hierarchy that works best for you:

 

-Rear I/O

-Manufacturer

-Fan header placement

-PCIe configuration

-Colors/RGB

-Fancy backplates

-VRM (in this case, any B650 motherboard or higher should really be fine)

 

I personally went with the X670e Aorus Master because I really like backplates on motherboards and I already had a Gigabyte graphics card, so I didn't need another software to simply turn off or set to red the motherboard's RGB. It also had good fan header placements and good rear I/O. Otherwise I would've spent another like $500* to get the X670e gucci Asus board since that's what I traditionally went with.

[Dedayog]

Any B650 or X670 motherboard can run the 7800x3d just fine, their VRMs are more than enough. 

 

I personally liked the features of the Gigabyte B650 AUROS Pro Ax, and the price was fine at $230 or so. 

 

Just look at the features, but please understand what you're buying. If you WANT a $500 motherboard, sure.  If you THINK a $500 is needed for a top end gaming chip... no.  

[Eighjan]

22 minutes ago, WallacEngineering said:

Storage: 1 x 1-2TB NVME M.2 Samsung Boot Drive + 2 x cheaper 2TB M.2 storage drives for games

If you "want" three m.2 drives, X670/E may be your only choice; try https://pcpartpicker.com/ for sanity.

[Dedayog]

3 minutes ago, Eighjan said:

If you "want" three m.2 drives, X670/E may be your only choice; try https://pcpartpicker.com/ for sanity.

Gigabyte B650 AUROS Pro Ax has 3 as well, as do many B650...  The Elite Ax has 3x PCIE4, the Pro Ax has 1x PCIE 5 and 2x PCIE4.

 

[GuiltySpark_]

That chip won't stress the $120 B650M-HDV/M.2, so you have a lot of options. As described above, it just comes down to features and I/O layout.

 

I think only the STRIX B650E-E Gaming, B650E Taichi and B650E Aorus Master have postcode readouts, as far as I can tell. Those are $330 to $500 boards. 

 

Looks like the Aorus Elite AX or Aorus Pro AX meet all your requirements outside of the debug readout. 

[Ottoman420]

12 minutes ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

 

 

I think only the STRIX B650E-E Gaming, B650E Taichi and B650E Aorus Master have postcode readouts, as far as I can tell. Those are $330 to $500 boards. 

 

 

*Screams in Steve from GN*

[Agall]

9 minutes ago, Ottoman420 said:

 

*Screams in Steve from GN*

TBH all a motherboard really requires are POST LEDs. 7 segment displays are a nice addon, but I'd compromise that away for most other features like more fan headers. Though I have yet to own a motherboard since 2014 that didn't have a 7 segment display, still you're either troubleshooting CPU, RAM, VGA, so those LEDs will usually give you enough data anyways.

 

Whenever I had to look up POST codes, it generally came down to X component, and usually involved the weird storage configurations I'd run like AHCI PCIe 3.0 4x M.2 drives in 2015 and the weird compatibility those had back then. Outside of that, POST LEDs can give you all the data required to troubleshoot the issue that don't involve you having to look up POST codes.

[Dedayog]

5 minutes ago, Agall said:

TBH all a motherboard really requires are POST LEDs. 7 segment displays are a nice addon, but I'd compromise that away for most other features like more fan headers. Though I have yet to own a motherboard since 2014 that didn't have a 7 segment display, still you're either troubleshooting CPU, RAM, VGA, so those LEDs will usually give you enough data anyways.

 

Whenever I had to look up POST codes, it generally came down to X component, and usually involved the weird storage configurations I'd run like AHCI PCIe 3.0 4x M.2 drives in 2015 and the weird compatibility those had back then. Outside of that, POST LEDs can give you all the data required to troubleshoot the issue that don't involve you having to look up POST codes.

I can say I have never had a motherboard with 7 segment displays, I am on the other side of the spectrum.  I haven't needed it yet, as I haven't run into any issues in the dozen builds I have done.  So I second the notion of trading it away for other features.  

 

 

[Agall]

1 minute ago, Dedayog said:

I can say I have never had a motherboard with 7 segment displays, I am on the other side of the spectrum.  I haven't needed it yet, as I haven't run into any issues in the dozen builds I have done.  So I second the notion of trading it away for other features.  

 

 

I've had to troubleshoot dozens of OEM and custom builds without them and the few that were newer parts with POST LEDs made a mile of a difference. I think its a reasonable compromise and disagree with GN on their conclusion because of that.

 

I'd rather have dual BIOS, more fan headers, physical power+reset buttons, PCIe latch button release, etc, over 7 segment displays if I had to choose. Its towards the bottom of the list of features I actually care about in 2023. That didn't use to be the case though.

 

I'm also the weirdo who really loves backplates on motherboards even though you're likely to never see it unless you're removing your motherboard. When you are handling a motherboard though, its so nice...

[RONOTHAN##]

1 minute ago, Agall said:

TBH all a motherboard really requires are POST LEDs. 7 segment displays are a nice addon, but I'd compromise that away for most other features like more fan headers. Though I have yet to own a motherboard since 2014 that didn't have a 7 segment display, still you're either troubleshooting CPU, RAM, VGA, so those LEDs will usually give you enough data anyways.

 

Whenever I had to look up POST codes, it generally came down to X component, and usually involved the weird storage configurations I'd run like AHCI PCIe 3.0 4x M.2 drives in 2015 and the weird compatibility those had back then.

Problem is there are some POST codes that light up one LED that indicate a different problem entirely, and there are different codes for how a system failed to post even if they are the same part that failed (one is the GPU is just dead, another is the GPU vBIOS is corrupted, one is the power connectors are not connected, etc.). With the LEDs you flying blind, hoping that it's pointing to the right component and it's not one of the codes that lights up no LEDs (that's more common on Intel than AMD, but still). 

 

If the option is nothing vs. having 4 LEDs, give me the LEDs any day. If the option is a POST code or say an extra 2 fan headers, an internal USB 3 header, and 2 SATA ports, give me the POST code any day of the week. It's a lot easier to add that functionality back with ~$20 add in cards than adding in a POST code. 

[Dedayog]

5 minutes ago, Agall said:

I've had to troubleshoot dozens of OEM and custom builds without them and the few that were newer parts with POST LEDs made a mile of a difference. I think its a reasonable compromise and disagree with GN on their conclusion because of that.

 

I'd rather have dual BIOS, more fan headers, physical power+reset buttons, PCIe latch button release, etc, over 7 segment displays if I had to choose. Its towards the bottom of the list of features I actually care about in 2023. That didn't use to be the case though.

 

I'm also the weirdo who really loves backplates on motherboards even though you're likely to never see it unless you're removing your motherboard. When you are handling a motherboard though, its so nice...

Nm, the Z370 I have has the display.  Never had an issue, but I do have one with so I can't say I don't.

 

Ha, and I thought the Gigabyte B650 AUROS Pro Ax was the stoutest one I had ever used. 

[Agall]

10 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Problem is there are some POST codes that light up one LED that indicate a different problem entirely, and there are different codes for how a system failed to post even if they are the same part that failed (one is the GPU is just dead, another is the GPU vBIOS is corrupted, one is the power connectors are not connected, etc.). With the LEDs you flying blind, hoping that it's pointing to the right component and it's not one of the codes that lights up no LEDs (that's more common on Intel than AMD, but still). 

 

If the option is nothing vs. having 4 LEDs, give me the LEDs any day. If the option is a POST code or say an extra 2 fan headers, an internal USB 3 header, and 2 SATA ports, give me the POST code any day of the week. It's a lot easier to add that functionality back with ~$20 add in cards than adding in a POST code. 

I won't disagree with that, overall its better to have than not since more data is always better (assuming you're able to sort between misguiding/irrelevant data). I've just personally never ran into a scenario where a POST code pointed me in a direction I wouldn't have gotten to eventually. Though I've been conditioned and trained in the art of troubleshooting in some abnormally stressful and complex environments like with operating nuclear reactors, so it wouldn't be reasonable to consider my troubleshooting skills average. With enough spare parts and variables to test, any fault can be isolated to a singular part/component.

 

For someone like my brother on the other hand, POST codes would help him out a lot and/or help me help him a lot if I can't physically troubleshoot the machine myself. My brother isn't a slouch either intellectually or professionally, but I'd describe his troubleshooting skills as average.

 

I just personally disagree with the absolute necessity of them that GN had to justify putting them on every board. Plenty of mITX boards would have to compromise more useful features to accommodate a 7 segment. Generally those only get 7 segments by using rear I/O interfaced daughter boards, which always come bent in my experience and I would guess aren't cheap.

[RONOTHAN##]

1 minute ago, Agall said:

I've just personally never ran into a scenario where a POST code pointed me in a direction I wouldn't have gotten to eventually

On the same token, I've never had a board with no lights have an issue that I wouldn't get to eventually. It just takes forever. The entire point of these debug features is that it reduces the amount of time to trouble shoot, and the post code reduces the time enough for me to want it in every system I own, especially with how much maintenance I do on every one of my systems. 

 

4 minutes ago, Agall said:

I just personally disagree with the absolute necessity of them that GN had to justify putting them on every board

They didn't say every board though, they said it should be a feature that shouldn't cost $400+ to get, especially since it only costs maybe $5 at the absolute max to implement on a motherboard. Most mATX and ATX boards have plenty of space for one without removing anything else, so add $10 to the cost of the board and give me a sub-$300 board with a POST code. Itx boards not having it is pretty understandable, though I would like to point out the Z97 and Z170 Stinger from EVGA, they have POST codes and they didn't really sacrifice anything to get them, so while it is difficult to make work, it's definitely not impossible. 

[Agall]

2 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

On the same token, I've never had a board with no lights have an issue that I wouldn't get to eventually. It just takes forever. The entire point of these debug features is that it reduces the amount of time to trouble shoot, and the post code reduces the time enough for me to want it in every system I own, especially with how much maintenance I do on every one of my systems. 

 

They didn't say every board though, they said it should be a feature that shouldn't cost $400+ to get, especially since it only costs maybe $5 at the absolute max to implement on a motherboard. Most mATX and ATX boards have plenty of space for one without removing anything else, so add $10 to the cost of the board and give me a sub-$300 board with a POST code. Itx boards not having it is pretty understandable, though I would like to point out the Z97 and Z170 Stinger from EVGA, they have POST codes and they didn't really sacrifice anything to get them, so while it is difficult to make work, it's definitely not impossible. 

The most useful thing I've seen so far with AM5 and POST readouts is when it stops counting before POST. I've used that as a faster indicator that something in POST didn't initialize properly. I haven't done any crazy overclocking on AM5 since the 7950x build I started with was a server, so I actually dialed down the TDP, and I personally have the 7950x3D. The R5 7600 build will end up stock since I intend to use the stock cooler (unless deemed insufficient) and will be in a Fractal Ridge.

 

I went with the Gigabyte B650i aorus ultra for that board, for similar reasons to my other choices. The board was a good value, with a backplate and other features, and a good I/O. Though I prefer mITX boards with the EPS beside the 24pin personally, that's an expensive feature to get in mITX.

[WallacEngineering]

@GuiltySpark_ @Agall

 

Well this is a bit embarrassing...

 

Its been so long since I actually had to troubleshoot a PC that I forgot modern motherboards have LEDs for boot codes lol

 

Ya, a display is kind of unnecessary . Displays look dope as hell though, but hell no Im not spending $500 to get one.

 

Ya I have definitely been Eyeballing the Gigabyte Aorus Pro AX B650. Its looking like a very good board for a reasonable price. Also all black and therefore its the theme of the build. I Ill have to look it over for that CPU Clearance issue, I forgot the top slot has to be one down for the D-15.

 

I also have a USB expansion card so even if its not great on I/O, as long as the board has a second slot then it doesn't really matter

 

@DedayogNo worries man, Im not interested in overpriced boards. I want a good overall value - that means good at overclocking, good reliability, and enough power to handle a more powerful CPU should I ever decide to upgrade. Thats pretty much it, if those features can be provided at a lower cost, then Ill take it. Why do you think I picked up the used Red Devil 7900-XTX?

 

Im definitely a value hunter above all else. Ill pay more for higher-end products if it means they last longer. A perfect example would be my several sets of cheap-ass $25 a pair jeans that got easily torn to shreds at work within a year. Now I buy Carhartt jeans because they actually last and don't suck.

 

If I can get higher quality products for less, thats fantastic. But I absolutely refuse to buy crap. Everytime I try, it backfires.

[Agall]

2 hours ago, WallacEngineering said:

@GuiltySpark_ @Agall

 

Well this is a bit embarrassing...

 

Its been so long since I actually had to troubleshoot a PC that I forgot modern motherboards have LEDs for boot codes lol

 

Ya, a display is kind of unnecessary . Displays look dope as hell though, but hell no Im not spending $500 to get one.

 

Ya I have definitely been Eyeballing the Gigabyte Aorus Pro AX B650. Its looking like a very good board for a reasonable price. Also all black and therefore its the theme of the build. I Ill have to look it over for that CPU Clearance issue, I forgot the top slot has to be one down for the D-15.

 

I also have a USB expansion card so even if its not great on I/O, as long as the board has a second slot then it doesn't really matter

 

@DedayogNo worries man, Im not interested in overpriced boards. I want a good overall value - that means good at overclocking, good reliability, and enough power to handle a more powerful CPU should I ever decide to upgrade. Thats pretty much it, if those features can be provided at a lower cost, then Ill take it. Why do you think I picked up the used Red Devil 7900-XTX?

 

Im definitely a value hunter above all else. Ill pay more for higher-end products if it means they last longer. A perfect example would be my several sets of cheap-ass $25 a pair jeans that got easily torn to shreds at work within a year. Now I buy Carhartt jeans because they actually last and don't suck.

 

If I can get higher quality products for less, thats fantastic. But I absolutely refuse to buy crap. Everytime I try, it backfires.

My buddy who got a 7800x3D went for the b650 strix, same with another buddy who went for a 7600. Just make sure you're at least going ATX and have enough space to even use an NH-D15.