Related question: useful comparison of Intel and AMD chipsets?

Status
Not open for further replies.
X

x509

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Messages
2,630
So earlier today I post this thread: Confused over ASUS subbrands: TUF, Strix, ROG, etc.

Very helpful replies. One of the replies make me realize that I need to understand what the differences are between chipsets, because that will define to a large extent the features on any given motherboard. Does such a comparison of current-generation chipsets exist?
 
Well, chipset differences are really about how many lanes are available for expansion.

What makes all those different sku's different is what is or isn't attached to those lanes.

It could be low spec audio or high end audio. It could be 4-SATA ports and no Wi-Fi to 10 SATA ports with Wi-Fi and dual LAN. It could have a single m.2 slot or 3 or more.

That is why they divvy up the models like this. The chipset really is pretty much the same.
 
Features are key. You want Intel for your network or realtek? Want raid? Multiple nvme? Decent vrm cooling? Sli, crossfire, or both? How many USB ports would you like?

Do a compare at one of the online stores to see the difference. Get what suits your needs. Low end, mid tier or high end vs your budget.
 
DogsofJune said:
Features are key. You want Intel for your network or realtek?
Click to expand...

I dunno. Which one should I want?
Want raid? Multiple nvme? Decent vrm cooling?
Click to expand...
Not now, maybe later. No. Absolutely.
Sli, crossfire, or both? How many USB ports would you like?
Click to expand...
Neither, or at least not until Adobe Lightroom supports multiple GPUs. At least 8 USB 3, plus 4-6 USB 2, including the ability to plug in the ports on my case and on my drive bay card reader.
Do a compare at one of the online stores to see the difference. Get what suits your needs. Low end, mid tier or high end vs your budget.
Click to expand...
Yeah I know, but I was hoping that I could simply the process somewhat. Like right now on the Egg, this minute, there are 999+ Intel boards and 759 AMD boards just by ASUS. :nailbiting: :arghh: At some point, it's not worth the time it would take to find a board that fully meets my needs but might be $10-20 bucks cheaper. And that's before I look at brands besides ASUS. :coffee:
 
x509 said:
So earlier today I post this thread: Confused over ASUS subbrands: TUF, Strix, ROG, etc.

Very helpful replies. One of the replies make me realize that I need to understand what the differences are between chipsets, because that will define to a large extent the features on any given motherboard. Does such a comparison of current-generation chipsets exist?
Click to expand...

Looking at your previous post here is an extremely short breakdown of what you need to consider when deciding a chipset.

AMD
AM4 3XX/4XX/5XX- Desktop oriented with 24 lanes (someone can correct me if I am wrong), these lanes are shared between your chipset, and PCIE slots. Generally allowing you to run a GPU at 16x, a 10GB card at 4X, and depending how the rest of the lanes are setup power NVME drives for the remaining lanes. Two GPUs tend to run at 8x (shouldn’t see much of a performance loss), and a few other components. However, at 3 GPUs you are looking at 8/8/4 or 8/4/4 (depends on the motherboard) and then you start running into performance problems. The X20 is generally cheapest most basic board that will get something up and running, the X50 generally has more features (WiFi, more nvme spots, etc...), and X70 considered to have the most features, best for Overclocking etc...

TR4 - X399 - HEDT territory, this is where Threadripper exist and has 48+ PCIE lanes (might need to be corrected) and is generally used by enthusiasts, or people looking to jump from a hobby into small business. This area is generally higher priced and while the 3900X has the same cores as 1920X or 2920X it does not have the same amount of expansion capabilities due to limited PCIE lanes.

Intel - Ill have to post more later, had to assist with baby before work.
Z370/390 - Desktop again with limited lanes.

X299 - HEDT territory, you will find the X/extreme chips here with 10 cores plus and at a price premium. Also, more PCIE lanes for more devices.
 
Hakaba,

Thank you very much for laying out that comparison. Now I realize that I should analyze my current system for the number and type of plug-in cards. then modify that list to allow for NMVE in my new system. One thing I'm pretty sure of. Until (if ever) Adobe Lightroom support multiple GPUs, I need only one of those. Probably will want only one nMVE drive, 1 TB to 2 TB, for Windows/programs and DATA partitions, and maybe some of my media files in a separate MEDIA partition.
 
You already know most of the features that you want or need. You can select those options on the newegg page to shorten the list. By the time you add your brand preference, price range, or warranty term, there isn't likely to be that great of an abundance of options.
 
External features are generally up to the board manufacturer and how they want to split their product stack, but the actual chipsets are more straight forward.

AMD
Higher model numbers generally mean support for more features within its class.
  • A: Mainstream "Essential" desktop
  • B: High performance desktop (single-GPU)
  • X: Enthusiast performance desktop (multi-GPU)

Intel
Again, higher model numbers generally mean support for more features except for Z-models where the second number designates generational feature support between 8th- and 9th-gen processors.
  • H: Entry-level desktop
  • B: Mainstream desktop (single- or multi-GPU, no overclocking)
  • Q: Enterprise desktop
  • C: Enterprise workstation
  • Z: Performance desktop (multi-GPU, overclocking)
  • X: High End Desktop (HEDT)
  • Any of the above with an 'M' appended: Mobile or embedded

But what you have to do is figure out what you want your PC to have and then find a motherboard that supports all of that hardware. Both board and chipset manufacturers have comparison tools on their websites. When I was getting a board for my 9900K I made a list of all the devices I needed to attach to it and went with the one that had the bare minimum for that with a little room for storage expansion. I then found boards from ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock that fit those requirements. Narrowed down to one model from each, I started looking at reviews to come to my final decision.
 
Good to know.
Most AM4 AMD motherboards, even A320 motherboards, support ECC and Raid 1, which you only get on more expensive on very expensive Intel motherboards.
You can create a trustworthy server out of A Ryzen 1200 or 2600 or better+ A320 chipset with RAID1 hard drives and ECC RAM, same as the C series with Xeon CPU at Intel. You will spend as much on a C serie motherboard only, as on the whole AMD system and will not have anything better in return, provided you chose a compatible basic Celeron CPU or an expensive Xeon (nothing in the middle at Intel).
 
Intel is quite equal with AMD but only in the gaming PC. Same as for the servers, if you want a workstation PC with desktop material, you will have to spend more, and it won't work better.
 
If you plan on using Windows 10 I would suggest looking into Windows Storage Spaces if you want any kind of RAID. It's software RAID just like the motherboard and is completely portable to new Windows installs and even totally different hardware. Motherboard RAID is not forgiving when it comes to changing hardware. Plus if you use the JBOD type RAID, you can keep growing it and replacing smaller drives with bigger drivers. So the pool grows with you over time, without necessarily having more physical discs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: x509
like this
westrock2000 said:
If you plan on using Windows 10 I would suggest looking into Windows Storage Spaces if you want any kind of RAID. It's software RAID just like the motherboard and is completely portable to new Windows installs and even totally different hardware. Motherboard RAID is not forgiving when it comes to changing hardware. Plus if you use the JBOD type RAID, you can keep growing it and replacing smaller drives with bigger drivers. So the pool grows with you over time, without necessarily having more physical discs.
Click to expand...
So far I haven't thought about any kind of RAID, but it's on my list to consolidate and clean up all my backup drives onto just a few drives. I back up by year, so every year I get a new drive. Once I do this consolidation, I will have a pile of Hitachi drives (of course!) with 1 to 4 TB capacities. Would be nice to have one "super drive," if I can find a cheap enough case. (separate thread in a different forum!)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top