Motherboards

[francis_d132435]

Is there a noticeable difference between the Asrock x370 Pro4 and the the Asrock AB350 Pro4? I can get the x370 for $60 now or wait a while for the AB350 to be $55.

[Crunchy Dragon]

X370 boards have SLI support, better VRMs, and generally more features than B350.

 

I personally have the B350 Pro4 and I'm very pleased with it.

[francis_d132435]

4 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

X370 boards have SLI support, better VRMs, and generally more features than B350.

 

I personally have the B350 Pro4 and I'm very pleased with it.

I heard sound on the b350 isn't the best. Is that true?

[Crunchy Dragon]

Just now, francis_d132435 said:

I heard sound on the b350 isn't the best. Is that true?

I think it's pretty good. I only have generic earbuds though, but I haven't had any problems with sound.

[airdeano]

if your dropping a 1700-1800x into the b350, you really will not get the most out of the CPU.

1600x and under it'll be a fine addition.

my 1600 has been moved from the K4 ATX to the mATX b350 pro4 with no ill issues or performance hit.

same voltage, thermals and performance.

but if youre looking for Wide-Open overclocking, the x370 is the prefered chipset.

[francis_d132435]

I have a ryzen 5 1600. How much can I oc with the stock cooler?

[Crunchy Dragon]

Just now, francis_d132435 said:

I have a ryzen 5 1600. How much can I oc with the stock cooler?

That depends on the silicon lottery.

 

My 1600 won't go past 3.8Ghz unless I up the voltage out of the range I'd be comfortable in. As a general rule of thumb, you don't want to go past 1.5v, and you shouldn't run at 1.4v constantly or long-term.

 

First gen Ryzen CPUs aren't known for overclocking very well.

[francis_d132435]

8 minutes ago, airdeano said:

if your dropping a 1700-1800x into the b350, you really will not get the most out of the CPU.

1600x and under it'll be a fine addition.

my 1600 has been moved from the K4 ATX to the mATX b350 pro4 with no ill issues or performance hit.

same voltage, thermals and performance.

but if youre looking for Wide-Open overclocking, the x370 is the prefered chipset.

The x370 board is $5 more. Is it worth it?

[airdeano]

then go the x370 for the $5.

for stock fan, under 1.4v. but if your CPU is looking to some high thermals, then the CPU isn't a winner and grab an aftermarket cooler.

[francis_d132435]

3 minutes ago, airdeano said:

then go the x370 for the $5.

for stock fan, under 1.4v. but if your CPU is looking to some high thermals, then the CPU isn't a winner and grab an aftermarket cooler.

Any ideas of what new features I get?

[airdeano]

VRM quality is about it.

[SliceT]

You will be fine, the B350 Pro4 was already one of the best B350 out there.  You can check this, it talks about Asrock having the best VRMs on the B350's.
Looks like B350 Pro and Fatal1ty share the same VRM which is pretty good.

Now depends on which CPU you have, if it's a Ryzen 7 perhaps is better to have a X370 Killer.