Need help choosing AM4 motherboard

[Nielo TM]

Currently in the process of upgrading my ancient system with Ryzen 1800X. But every AM4 motherboard I've researched so far has some sort of issue, which is starting to get to me tbh.

I'm not looking to overclock now. Maybe few years down the line. Right now I'm after a board with great stability, reliability and longevity.

I've narrowed it down to the following, but if there's a reasonably priced alternative, please let me know.

ASUS PRIME X370-PRO
ASRock Fatal1ty X370 Gaming X
MSI X370 Gaming Pro Carbon
Asus ROG STRIX X370-F (above ideal price range, but will opt if its the best option)


Thanks

 

[Nobu]

Gigabyte's Gaming K5 is okay, but not good for overclocking. The Gaming 5 is okay for overclocking, but has no external clock generator for bclk adjustment.

All are very picky about ram, so if you have problems, it may be ram related. Issues are also known to crop up if the cpu isn't seated well in the socket, so after inserting the cpu in the socket and verifying that it's actually seated, press lightly on the heatspreader as you lock it in place.

 

[ManofGod]

The Prime X370 Pro is a good board. I have my 3000 speed memory running at 2933 without issues. I have had the board since release last March of 2017.

 

[MacLeod]

I vote for the Strix. Has the 2nd strongest VRM next to the $100 more expensive Crosshair. That's the main selling point for me as that usually translates into the most durable and longest lasting especially if you're gonna be overclocking. It costs a little more but I think it's worth it. The motherboard is the backbone of your system and spending a little more to get beefier components is cheap insurance and definitely worth it IMO.

Gigabytes's X370 boards are pretty solid as well. You should check them out too. I'm not a fan of the ASRock boards. They seem to have cheaper components, VRM's and such based on the few reviews out there.

Here's a good article and video comparing the different VRM's on most all the AM4 boards.

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3131-the-best-amd-ryzen-motherboards-for-overclocking-x370-b350

 

[Nielo TM]

I vote for the Strix. Has the 2nd strongest VRM next to the $100 more expensive Crosshair. That's the main selling point for me as that usually translates into the most durable and longest lasting especially if you're gonna be overclocking. It costs a little more but I think it's worth it. The motherboard is the backbone of your system and spending a little more to get beefier components is cheap insurance and definitely worth it IMO.

Gigabytes's X370 boards are pretty solid as well. You should check them out too. I'm not a fan of the ASRock boards. They seem to have cheaper components, VRM's and such based on the few reviews out there.

Here's a good article and video comparing the different VRM's on most all the AM4 boards.

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3131-the-best-amd-ryzen-motherboards-for-overclocking-x370-b350

That's what I'm thinking as well since Strix ticks all the boxes. Could you tell me the specific Corsair RAM you're using and are you able to get 3200 easily?

 

[MacLeod]

I bought 3200 MHz RAM. It was a few buck more but worth it. Overclocking RAM is usually hit or miss so just spend the extra $15 or so to get the speed you want.

Corsair CMK16GX4M2Z3200C16 VENGEANCE LPX 16GB

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMK1...e_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=yo_ii_img

 

[TheOne5]

That's what I'm thinking as well since Strix ticks all the boxes. Could you tell me the specific Corsair RAM you're using and are you able to get 3200 easily?

I have the Strix and I'm running 4 sticks of G.Skill FlareX memory at 3200MHz. I popped in the sticks, updated the bios, set the a-xmp and it was all that she wrote.

 

[Nielo TM]

I bought 3200 MHz RAM. It was a few buck more but worth it. Overclocking RAM is usually hit or miss so just spend the extra $15 or so to get the speed you want.

Corsair CMK16GX4M2Z3200C16 VENGEANCE LPX 16GB

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMK1...e_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=yo_ii_img

I have the Strix and I'm running 4 sticks of G.Skill FlareX memory at 3200MHz. I popped in the sticks, updated the bios, set the a-xmp and it was all that she wrote.

I've decided to stay away from Corsair because they mix and match RAM versions. And there's no way to ensure I'd get two Samsung sticks.

So ended up ordering G.SKILL Ripjaws V 3200 CL14 from the States via Newegg

https://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232217

Still waiting for few more to arrive. Hopefully, everything goes OK

 

[Space_Ranger]

I vote for the Strix. Has the 2nd strongest VRM next to the $100 more expensive Crosshair. That's the main selling point for me as that usually translates into the most durable and longest lasting especially if you're gonna be overclocking. It costs a little more but I think it's worth it. The motherboard is the backbone of your system and spending a little more to get beefier components is cheap insurance and definitely worth it IMO.

Gigabytes's X370 boards are pretty solid as well. You should check them out too. I'm not a fan of the ASRock boards. They seem to have cheaper components, VRM's and such based on the few reviews out there.

Here's a good article and video comparing the different VRM's on most all the AM4 boards.

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3131-the-best-amd-ryzen-motherboards-for-overclocking-x370-b350

I must have gotten a Gigabyte dud then. I've got the Gigabyte X370 Gaming K7 and I've had some issues with stability with the Mobo (USBs not recognized on boot). A reboot of the machine typically clears the occasional issue but it's a nuisance none-the-less.

 

[Nobu]

I must have gotten a Gigabyte dud then. I've got the Gigabyte X370 Gaming K7 and I've had some issues with stability with the Mobo (USBs not recognized on boot). A reboot of the machine typically clears the occasional issue but it's a nuisance none-the-less.

Mine does that too occasionally, usually only after a hard shutdown though.

 

[somebrains]

OP, I'd wait to see what happens with x470.
I owned an AMD rig way back when you had to pencil over a couple spots to unlock the CPU.
This was back when the Golden Orb was the hot cooler, and people occasionally cracked corners before heat spreaders became a thing. That's a thing again, but you have to pay for it right?

I did watch a couple of my buddies go thru 790, 890, 990.
One guy bought the 6-core Phenom at launch and just lived with RAM issues until he finally swapped out to a 990. He was the only 3d guy i knew at the time not religiously into Mac Pros. His issue was using all slots populated on an 890 at full speed, sound familiar?

Another guy doggedly stuck with his Phenom/790 setup until the 8350 was being blown out stupid cheap around 2014 (I think?). He primarily is concerned about build time, whatever build bot he used at the time liked that 8350 well enough. He is such a true software engineer with little passion or interest in hardware. I got him on a Jenkins pipeline in AWS just because swapping instances and building volumes for IOPs means he doesn't have to deal with physical hardware or scaling it. It's sad, how cloud computing has taken the computer out of some people's lives. It's like watching people embrace hybrid or electric cars when you are a die hard gearhead. I told that dude to try ssds sometime around late 2014 when the remaining Samsung 840's were cheap. There was no joy from the guy, it was like I told him to grease the stick he was sitting on everyday he clocked in for work. The stick became marginally less unpleasant to sit on lubed, but it's still a big old stick.


There's that allure of a DDR5 spec change at some point and a mobo swap + ram will bring out some further excitement.

AM4 CPUs will evolve, probably near eol they'll approach something near original TR launch specs.


We have seen all of this before. I'm curious if x470 becomes a modern day 880. Sometimes you get a chipset that's finally settled down everyone can use, sometimes you get something that barely works in a really simple config.

I do hope Ryzen gets to a spot where I can just pop in 64gb at whatever the best speed is for that cpu gen, using a middle of the road Mobo, and it's boringly reliable for 5+ years.

 

[MadOver]

Currently in the process of upgrading my ancient system with Ryzen 1800X. But every AM4 motherboard I've researched so far has some sort of issue, which is starting to get to me tbh.

I'm not looking to overclock now. Maybe few years down the line. Right now I'm after a board with great stability, reliability and longevity.

I've narrowed it down to the following, but if there's a reasonably priced alternative, please let me know.

ASUS PRIME X370-PRO
ASRock Fatal1ty X370 Gaming X
MSI X370 Gaming Pro Carbon
Asus ROG STRIX X370-F (above ideal price range, but will opt if its the best option)


Thanks

I would personally go with either the Asus Prime or Fatal1ty. They offer great value for the features, perhaps Fatal1ty has better VRMs but if you wont overclock it doesnt really matter.
Had a MSI for my first AM4 and had my fair share of issues, so I wouldnt recommend, maybe was just the early bios? ...

 

[Space_Ranger]

I would personally go with either the Asus Prime or Fatal1ty. They offer great value for the features, perhaps Fatal1ty has better VRMs but if you wont overclock it doesnt really matter.
Had a MSI for my first AM4 and had my fair share of issues, so I wouldnt recommend, maybe was just the early bios? ...

Could have been depending on what your issues really were.

 

[Nielo TM]

Thanks for all the replies and advice. I could have waited, but seeing the 1800X for £284 was too tempting to resist.

I ended up going with ASUS STRIX X370-F and G.SKILL Ripjaws 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3200 Model F4-3200C14D-16GVK. Updated the BIOS to version 3803 and selected the right DOCP memory profile in UEFI. With just one click, got the memory running at 3200 MHz CL14 without any issues.

After all the stress tests, system seems stable. But won't know for sure until end of April as faulty electronics usually fail within 3 months. If the system last beyond 3 months, I'm looking at few years of smooth sealing (touch wood).

BTW, running the system RAM at 3200 seems to push up the CPU temp drastically. Under Prim95, mine already started to throttle a little. So invest in better cooling solution.

 

[Nobu]

BTW, running the system RAM at 3200 seems to push up the CPU temp drastically. Under Prim95, mine already started to throttle a little. So invest in better cooling solution.

check your voltages before and after overclocking your memory, the bios may be automatically adjusting voltages. not a bad thing necessarily, but should verify that they're at reasonable levels, anyway.

 

[Nielo TM]

BIOS didn't alter the voltage. It appears to have something to do with infinity fabric tech AMD employs on Ryzen. Apparently infinity fabric clock is linked to memory clock. So if you own 1600X and above, might run into temp issues with higher speed RAM.