Best X570 motherboard for 5900X?

Trackr

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Messages
1,786
Since my PC is exactly 10 years old (2600k/P67) I've decided that it's time to build a new one but I'm a bit out of the loop.

From what I've seen the Ryzen 5900x is the CPU to get, the RAM is easy to figure out, but the motherboard is a bit different.

I'm going to buy the RX 6800 when it releases and a 2TB M.2 SSD.

So, I need a motherboard that can handle that, preferably a mATX board for the size.

Appreciate the help!
 
Why an X570? you'll do better with a B550 especially if you are looking at mATX.
 
If you want mroe USB ports x570....and more bandwidth for the CPU, x570 (pcie4) but otherwise B550. The problem is B550 sometimes can be the same or more than some X57- boards....
 
If you want mroe USB ports x570....and more bandwidth for the CPU, x570 (pcie4) but otherwise B550. The problem is B550 sometimes can be the same or more than some X57- boards....
How do I know if I need and want more bandwidth for my cpu?
 
If you want µATX and X570, then your choice is basically the ASRock X570M Pro4. It will run the 5950X ok at stock.
In case B550 is ok, the Gigabyte B550M Aorus Pro-P and the MSI B550M Mortar are good mobos for the 5950X even when overclocking.

Both B550 and X570 will operate the first PCIe x16 slot and the first M.2 slot at PCIe 4.0 speed. The major difference is that B550 will operate the second M.2 slot and the second PCIe x16 (x4 electrical) slot at PCIe 3.0 speed, while X570 is all PCIe 4.0.
 
I went with the Crosshair VIII Hero with my 5950X and it has been great. Good balance between price and loaded with options.
 
Since my PC is exactly 10 years old (2600k/P67) I've decided that it's time to build a new one but I'm a bit out of the loop.

From what I've seen the Ryzen 5900x is the CPU to get, the RAM is easy to figure out, but the motherboard is a bit different.

I'm going to buy the RX 6800 when it releases and a 2TB M.2 SSD.

So, I need a motherboard that can handle that, preferably a mATX board for the size.

Appreciate the help!
Your options for mATX motherboards will be limited comparatively. There are probably more B550 options than X570 in that form factor. ATX outsells all other form factors combined.
Why an X570? you'll do better with a B550 especially if you are looking at mATX.
He will have more options for mATX, but how would he be better off with B550, when X570 is a superior chipset? While many B550 boards have updated VRM's, there are definitely X570 boards with better VRM's than your average B550's and identical implementations on the high end for both. The B550 Aorus Master is a good example of this.
If you want mroe USB ports x570....and more bandwidth for the CPU, x570 (pcie4) but otherwise B550. The problem is B550 sometimes can be the same or more than some X57- boards....
I agree with everything you said aside from the CPU bandwidth comment. The difference between B550 and X570 is that B550 doesn't support PCIe 4.0 at all and X570 does. All the B550 PCIe 4.0 lanes actually come from the installed Ryzen 3000 or 5000 series CPU and its PCIe controller.
How do I know if I need and want more bandwidth for my cpu?
It isn't "more CPU bandwidth." If you are going for a 5900X or 5950X, you want something with good VRM's that can handle that CPU at stock or overclocked settings. Unfortunately, I can't recommend anything in the mATX form factor. I haven't tested on in years.
 
I have had very good results and manufacturer support (frequent BIOS updates etc) with my MSI MEG X570 Ace. Ran a 3900X in it for a year and just updated to a 5950X. I've seen single core boosts to 5050MHz with PBO on.
 
I have had very good results and manufacturer support (frequent BIOS updates etc) with my MSI MEG X570 Ace. Ran a 3900X in it for a year and just updated to a 5950X. I've seen single core boosts to 5050MHz with PBO on.
That's awesome - I have only hit like 4.7GHz - stock PBO or did you tune it?
 
That's awesome - I have only hit like 4.7GHz - stock PBO or did you tune it?
Only thing I touched was setting power limits to Motherboard which removes most of the power limitations. I've seen it pull >180W but the performance goes up about 10% overall compared to stock CPU power limits. The voltage is still managed by the CPU/AGESA.
 
Your options for mATX motherboards will be limited comparatively. There are probably more B550 options than X570 in that form factor. ATX outsells all other form factors combined.

He will have more options for mATX, but how would he be better off with B550, when X570 is a superior chipset? While many B550 boards have updated VRM's, there are definitely X570 boards with better VRM's than your average B550's and identical implementations on the high end for both. The B550 Aorus Master is a good example of this.

I agree with everything you said aside from the CPU bandwidth comment. The difference between B550 and X570 is that B550 doesn't support PCIe 4.0 at all and X570 does. All the B550 PCIe 4.0 lanes actually come from the installed Ryzen 3000 or 5000 series CPU and its PCIe controller.

It isn't "more CPU bandwidth." If you are going for a 5900X or 5950X, you want something with good VRM's that can handle that CPU at stock or overclocked settings. Unfortunately, I can't recommend anything in the mATX form factor. I haven't tested on in years.
I didn't ask or mention what form factor at all lol why did you mention that? Do you think there are suitable B550s with good VRM's for a 5950?
 
He will have more options for mATX, but how would he be better off with B550, when X570 is a superior chipset?

Depends on how you define "superior". If you don't need the additional I/O bandwidth that X570 can give you, it's just a waste of electricity. I'm willing to bet that most gaming and general purpose rigs don't need it. (in the sense of "will get no real world value from it".)

I think my original comment was aimed more at having additional choices in mATX with B550, though, which I did not make clear at all.
 
Would you recommend a B550 for an 5950x if you're doing more than just gaming?
Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on how I/O intensive the "more than just gaming" is, and how hard you plan on pushing the 5950X (as in, what level of VRM capability you need).
 
I didn't ask or mention what form factor at all lol why did you mention that? Do you think there are suitable B550s with good VRM's for a 5950?
No, but the OP certainly did mention mATX. That's why I brought it up. And yes, there are B550's with good VRM's that can handle a 5950X and beyond. I specifically mentioned the GIGABYTE B550 Aorus Master for that reason.
Depends on how you define "superior". If you don't need the additional I/O bandwidth that X570 can give you, it's just a waste of electricity. I'm willing to bet that most gaming and general purpose rigs don't need it. (in the sense of "will get no real world value from it".)

I think my original comment was aimed more at having additional choices in mATX with B550, though, which I did not make clear at all.
I define superior the same way everyone in the industry does. In terms of technical capabilities and specifications. The only downsides to X570 are cost at the OEM level and increased power consumption and therefore cooling requirements. Chipset cost is on the OEMs and while it stands to reason that X570 motherboards should cost more than B550 motherboards, this isn't always the case. There isn't a 1:1 cost increase for X570 motherboards over B550 motherboards. In some cases B550 motherboards are more expensive than some X570 offerings. Again, the B550 Aorus Master is more expensive than something like the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 4 as an example. The biggest downside to X570 over B550 really comes down to power consumption, but that really only matters to consumers in regards to cooling. Whether or not the chipset fan gives out or makes noise is the real issue. 9 watts more power consumption in the grand scheme of things isn't really a bill changer on a monthly basis. It's not nothing, but it's probably not going to make a substantial difference either.

1615570930081.png


X570 has considerably better I/O than B550 does. This includes the link between the PCH and the CPU. Of course, there are some shitty X570 motherboards and fantastic B550 motherboards. I'd rather have a good B550 board than a shitty X570 motherboard. That being said, all things being equal, or just looking at the chipsets themselves, X570 is superior in every way. Whether or not the downsides that come with it are worthwhile to you is another matter entirely. In a simple, single GPU configuration with only one M.2 SSD, you can make an argument for B550 being good enough for your use case and if you can save money by going with B550, that can certainly make sense in some scenarios. However, when you don't know what the future will hold for your system or your demands for I/O will be greater, than stepping up to X570 or even HEDT platforms becomes attractive or possibly even necessary. I would agree that what X570 offers in terms of PCIe 4.0 vs. 3.0 really doesn't matter for the vast majority of users. However, X570 offers more USB ports and more PCIe lanes. This is where X570 will shine for people who don't necessarily need the extra bandwidth of the downlink to the PCH or from PCIe 4.0.
 
This is almost a pointless discussion. In mATX, there is only 1 option for X570 (that I know of) and that's the ASRock X570M Pro4. So it's either that board vs. whatever mATX B550 board you can find to suit your tasks. Given the choice, I'd probably opt for something like an MSI B550M Mortar over the X570M Pro4 personally unless I absolutely needed the X570 chipset.
 
Love my MSI X570 Unify. Has served me well with a 3800x, 5800x and now 5900x. Memory OC results have been great compared to other AM4 boards I've used.
 
Back
Top