AMD Zen 4 ITX Semi-Budget Motherboard Ideas

Code_Man

Code_Man

Weaksauce
Joined
Jun 22, 2022
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Hard Forum Team,

Currently, I am researching semi-budget ITX motherboards to accompany the following hardware specs:

  • CPU = AMD 7600X3D Zen 4
  • GPU = Intel ARC B580 12GB LE
  • Storage = 1TB SK Hynix Gold
  • Case = TBD
  • PS = Sea Sonic or Super Flower SFF
  • RAM = TBD
  • Cooling = AIO ( unsure on sizing ) due to case TBD
Would like to purchase something soon, to stay ahead of price increases. Also, what is your experience with 3rd-party / used? EBAY seems tempting. I did see the Night Devil is cheap! But, concerned on longevity.

Thanks for all the feedback.
 
I recently did a budget APU build with an AsRock A620I Lightning. IIRC, there's only like 4 AM5 ITX boards, and this was the least cost one. Looking on PCPartPicker, it's this one for $140 or the next one is $200. Spending $200 on a budget build motherboard doesn't check out for me.

Had some problems with expo, but eventually figured it out. Expo turned off ddr termination, I had to turn on expo, then set termination back to auto and smooth sailing since, that's with 2x16GB.

I forget what limitations A620 has, but if that's an issue, I think there's a B650 board that's pretty much the same thing but they didn't laser fuse (or whatever) the Prom21 chipset.
 
toast0 said:
I recently did a budget APU build with an AsRock A620I Lightning. IIRC, there's only like 4 AM5 ITX boards, and this was the least cost one. Looking on PCPartPicker, it's this one for $140 or the next one is $200. Spending $200 on a budget build motherboard doesn't check out for me.

Had some problems with expo, but eventually figured it out. Expo turned off ddr termination, I had to turn on expo, then set termination back to auto and smooth sailing since, that's with 2x16GB.

I forget what limitations A620 has, but if that's an issue, I think there's a B650 board that's pretty much the same thing but they didn't laser fuse (or whatever) the Prom21 chipset.
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Appreciate the response. I'm with you on not spending $200.00 on a budget build. Just on curiosity I have been researching the:

JGINYUE B650i Night Devil​

Yes.. this is a cheap board and has more CONS than PROS, but its affordable. A620s, I believe have slower VRM's. My focus will be on the B650s. Trying to keep my eyes out for a USED deal online. I was just at Micro Center a few weeks back and could have got the last ITX ASUS B650 board, but I was still unsure on my options and didn't pull the trigger.
 
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Code_Man said:
Hard Forum Team,

Currently, I am researching semi-budget ITX motherboards to accompany the following hardware specs:

  • CPU = AMD 7600X3D Zen 4
  • GPU = Intel ARC B580 12GB LE
  • Storage = 1TB SK Hynix Gold
  • Case = TBD
  • PS = Sea Sonic or Super Flower SFF
  • RAM = TBD
  • Cooling = AIO ( unsure on sizing ) due to case TBD
Would like to purchase something soon, to stay ahead of price increases. Also, what is your experience with 3rd-party / used? EBAY seems tempting. I did see the Night Devil is cheap! But, concerned on longevity.

Thanks for all the feedback.
Click to expand...
Two things when doing an ITX build I recommend you keep in mind.

1) SFX PSU noise, the seasonic units seem to have step functions for their fan controllers which doesn't give you a smooth ramp when the fan changes speeds. I've read the new Corsair SF750s are noisier than the older version, just FYI

2) Intel has had issues with their 2.5Gbps LAN chipsets for the past few years. A few on here have them with no issues, I didn't take the chance and went with the Realtek solution that seems to be very solid from all accounts. On ITX you don't really have the option to drop in a NIC if the onboard goes south on you.
 
ASRock A620i lightning wifi. Has the same arm setup as the b650i model. Works fine especially considering how small the choices are for itx currently.
 
Dreamerbydesign said:
ASRock A620i lightning wifi. Has the same arm setup as the b650i model. Works fine especially considering how small the choices are for itx currently.
Click to expand...
For the ASRock A620i Lighting Wi-Fi, do you not lose CPU overlock functionality? If the ARM setup is the same that's great. But, if I spend a little bit more for the B-model(s) I can unlock the CPU options. Correct me if I am wrong please.

This is all good information in my decision paths by the way.
 
Unfortunately the only AM5 itx options that I feel are worth it have the B650 or B850 chipset. I'm 99% certain that the A620 will not allow any curve optimizer settings, PBO or under volting which is great for taming temps in small cases. This may not be a concern for all but personally the bottom of the barrel chipsets have disappointed me in the past so I tend to splash on the mid tier stuff now.

This board looks promising and is the same price as the B650i Lightning give or take. Still pricey though..

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813162201?Item=N82E16813162201
 
Code_Man said:
For the ASRock A620i Lighting Wi-Fi, do you not lose CPU overlock functionality? If the ARM setup is the same that's great. But, if I spend a little bit more for the B-model(s) I can unlock the CPU options. Correct me if I am wrong please.

This is all good information in my decision paths by the way.
Click to expand...

The a620i lightning has a smidge of voltage settings tucked away in deep menus, but the interwebs said they didn't work for APUs and I was burnt out on fiddling getting Expo going, because ddr termination was wrong, so I didn't play with them. No PBO, no boost clock override, no curve optimizer. So yeah, you'll leave some performance on the table, but is it worth $70? Kind of depends, but $70 in parts of the CPU market gets you from 6 to 8 cores, and $70 in GPUs can be meaningful too. If you need PBO to control temperatures, maybe that's more important.
 
toast0 said:
The a620i lightning has a smidge of voltage settings tucked away in deep menus, but the interwebs said they didn't work for APUs and I was burnt out on fiddling getting Expo going, because ddr termination was wrong, so I didn't play with them. No PBO, no boost clock override, no curve optimizer. So yeah, you'll leave some performance on the table, but is it worth $70? Kind of depends, but $70 in parts of the CPU market gets you from 6 to 8 cores, and $70 in GPUs can be meaningful too. If you need PBO to control temperatures, maybe that's more important.
Click to expand...
Yes. I would like PBO functionality to help control temps. All-in-all, its looking like I have narrowed down my search/pick to the ASRock B650i Lighting Wi-Fi. Thank you very much for all the feedback.
 
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