X570 reccomendation

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I'm planning to use my system primarily as a Plex/File server (for just me) but also as a HEVC video encoding station. I'm getting a Ryzen 3700X and maybe G.Skill Flare X Series 16 GB RAM. I plan to use an old GeForce GTX950. I have an existing 550W PSU.

I'm not a gamer so I don't need any gaming features or fancy lights.
I'm upgrading from a 10yr old computer so I tend to keep my computer for a long time. Stability and reliability is important. Also why I am going for a X570 to help future proof.
I don't OC much anymore though I might use auto-OC
I'll be connected to a 100M ethernet so I don't need wifi
Not really any peripherals (keyboard, mouse, scanner)
A quiet chipset fan would be nice. I wont be sitting at the computer very much but I don't want it so loud that I can hear it down the hall.
And ofcourse would like to keep the price down.

I was looking at the MSI X570-A PRO or the ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus but there are so many boards out there, it is hard to choose. Most reviews are focused towards gamers and no so much on stability.
Based on that, what would you recommend.
 
I'd go X470 instead of X570. You'll be hard pressed to have the chipset fan last 10 years.
 
Mainly going with X570 because of PCIe 4.0 to help "future proof"
But yes, you make a good point on the fan.
 
First, go here. Start a filter. Limit it to X570 and ATX (for storage purposes). Networking your can filter out WiFi and I would suggest filtering in Intel's NIC as it's superior for wired. I'd avoid ASRock and Biostar for stability purposes - ASRock is fine but they have T-topology on some boards and also chipset fan issues as well, Biostar is gaming-oriented. Price is a factor, so rule out the $$$$$$$+ options. Voila, you're left with 3 boards, although in general I don't think the Aorus Pro is worth it. The Prime Pro is actually a decent middle-end board but you'd likely be fine with the Aorus Elite. The Elite also has a double BIOS which is more reliable. Also, at least on my Aorus X570, you can set the chipset fan to silent which in my case means it's always off.

Conclusion: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite. This is widely considered one of the, if not the, best value X570 boards on the market. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the recommendation and the great spreadsheet!

What do you think are the chances that I'll be able to find an aftermarket fan when the chipset fan fails? Do any of the mfr's have a history of offering those kinds of replacement parts?
I generally run my desktop computer until it fails or I have a new use that requires an upgrade. My primary computer is a laptop which is on a much quicker refresh cycle.
 
I'd go X470 instead of X570. You'll be hard pressed to have the chipset fan last 10 years.
Replacing a MB Chipset fan is not rocket science. If this is holding you back, you should probably not be building your own system and "getting a dell dude".
 
CPU fans coolers are standardized to a specific socket so the mounting is always the same. I assume that for the chipset, the individual manufacturers can come up with whatever crazy design they want for the heatsink/fan and mounting. If they do something that has no aftermarket replacement part then I'm SOL. Ofcourse if I can find a part, I don't have an issue doing the replacement. Unless they decided to do something crazy like epoxy something to the board so it can't come off.
 
There are also passive x570 heatsink options and if you research, the fan is not on all the time.
 
I wouldn't NOT go X570 just because of the chipset fan. If anything, I'd go X470 just because of the price difference. I mean I picked up a refurb X470 CH7 for $120 from an ebay storefront. The CH8 is $380. I doubt I'd see a $260 difference between the two.

But to the OP's question. I got a pretty good deal on a X570-Pro Prime board which was the same price as the TUF just with an Intel LAN and a little bit nicer package. You really just have to look at which features you think are valuable to you now and possibly in the future since you keep your stuff a long time. 3 x M.2 slots? 2.5G LAN? AX Wifi? Front panel USB C?

Functionally, there is isn't much difference between any of the X570 boards because all of the VRM's are beefier than older boards simply because they anticipated the power draw of throwing a 3950X in there, so it comes down to which specific features you are looking for.
 
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You really just need to figure out what motherboard add-on features you want, and then just price comparison X470 against X570 with the same onboard features. In many cases the better X470 boards are about the same price as entry level X570 boards anyways.

Finally, if it's purely going to be used for video encoding I would suggest at least a 3900x to make a x570 board worth it. While a 3700x is faster than a 2700x; You can get a 2700x for dirt cheap now. So if you get a X470 board + a 2700x you're looking at a huge cost savings without a massive performance loss, and you can always step up to a 3900x/3950x down the road if you want. Or if willing to overclock save even more money on a 2700 and get the same performance as a 2700x anyways.
 
The only reason I'd go for the X570 over X470 is for "future proofing". It's hard to predict the future. Will I have a need for PCIe 4.0? who knows. Maybe I'll need to upgrade the CPU/Memory at some point down the line (before they switch to another socket) and the X570 will support faster ram or something?

There is no feature in the X570 that I CURRENTLY need that the X470 doesnt already have.

Also, if I use the spreadsheet and filter on Gigabyte, ASUS, or MSI, and intel NIC, my cheapest choice seem to be:
Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite $184 or Asus Prime X470-Pro $132

The prices seem to be pretty close
 
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As long as you have 3200mhz DDR4 with decent timing faster memory won't be worth it. X570 has a higher chance of supporting a 4x00 series CPU which will likely be the final AM4 socket CPU, but outside of that it's the only real thing X570 will get you. It's not like you need PCI-E 4.0 as you aren't running a bunch of 10gbps NIC's or something.
 
Yes I could get a 2700 then step up to a 3900 when the price comes down in the future and keep going until they move on past my MB's capabilities but I assume that in the long run, it will cost me more then just spending more now.
I think am starting to come to the same conclusion that the X470 is good enough, though the price is about the same. Though I'm just reading about a BIOS update for some X470 boards that will enable PCIe 4,0 anyways

I"m sure any of these choices (X470 vs X570) (2700 vs 3700 vs 3900) will work for me for a good amount of time. I think I have a good amount of information now, I just have to think about what I want to do.
 
Thanks for the recommendation and the great spreadsheet!

What do you think are the chances that I'll be able to find an aftermarket fan when the chipset fan fails? Do any of the mfr's have a history of offering those kinds of replacement parts?
I generally run my desktop computer until it fails or I have a new use that requires an upgrade. My primary computer is a laptop which is on a much quicker refresh cycle.

I have the X570 Aorus Master. I'm the "SSD dude" which means I run a lot of SSDs. I mean, a really lot. I have a dozen (literally) on this system. So I'm working the chipset hard on the regular. And I'm telling you, my chipset fan never comes on if I have it set to "silent" in the BIOS. It barely goes up a few degrees.

There's a good reason for this. The X570 chipset is just the CPU I/O die in a different process node. This is very inefficient and AMD will be going back to ASMedia with the upcoming X670. What this means in practice is that the chipset is basically at high usage at all times, so it doesn't ramp up much. I can push the maximum bandwidth on it with multiple NVMe and it only goes up a few C and the fan stays off. So if you have reasonable case cooling and can set it to silent, it's a non-issue.

(although what other people say is also true - it's possible to mod passive cooling on it)
 
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I own an x570 Aurus elite and it has been very solid. X470 prime pro has questionable vrm and after my last 2 asus boards i dont think i will buy asus again.
 
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I'm really liking Mchart's suggestion in part. Buy a cheaper CPU now (2700x, maybe even a 2600) since anything will be much better than my current Athlon64. Then later on, when AMD has moved on to AM5 and the top of the line AM4 (3rd, maybe 4th gen) cpu is dirt cheap, upgrade my CPU. Then I've "maxed out" my longevity.
Based on that logic, maybe I should get better ram, maybe 3600Mhz.
As for X570 vs X470, it's a $50 difference between the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite $184 or Asus Prime X470-Pro $132. I'm thinking that the X570 will have a higher chance of supporting the 4th gen ryzen than the X470 so maybe its worth the extra $50.
I've earmarked some time towards the end of Feb to do the upgrade so I've still got some time to decide or find a sale.
 
AM5 will be DDR5, FYI. Although DDR4 prices right now are bonkers (in a good way). Zen 3 will be DDR4 and come with X670 which should be a superior chipset, but I don't think more future-proof necessarily. Zen 3 will work on X570. It's the Zen after that (2021) that will be on a new platform.
 
Yes exactly. So I buy a cheap AM4 Ryzen now and better DDR4. Once AM5 comes out (I assume 5th gen ryzen with DDR5), I assume AM4 Ryzen's will get cheap. Maybe at that time I'll be able to pickup a 4th gen Ryzen 9 for cheap and it will work with my X570 (or X470) and DDR4 ram.
 
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