zen3 5600 maybe, what mobo?

Grinmaul

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Looking to get into the AMD game for the first time since i think it was a 486. going to get a 5600x and the new big navi 6800? will see what's available.
Last AMD video card for me was an ATI something, so long ago.

anyways, i will be water-cooling this with a monoblock (unless i get the viii formula then a regular waterblock), the video card will also be getting water-cooled. this is not for performance but for quiet, my pc is right beside me in a P5 case and damn near silent.

There are so many x570 motherboards out there and watching youtube reviews is confusing me more, i miss hardocp reviews:)

What motherboard would you guys recommend, price lets say 400ish, maybe up to almost 600 Canadian, does not need wi-fi. would like a nice 5.1 sound card.

current setup is i7-6700k, gigabyte gaming 7, msi 1080 seahawk ek. all these parts will be going to my wifes computer.

also pre-ordered the HP reverb g2 and i think my system now is the minimum spec, so it needs an upgrade.
 
Did you already get your 5600X ordered this morning? From what I see, they're all sold out now, so you might be waiting another month or two.

There's plenty of good B550 and X570 motherboards available for under $300 CAD.
First, decide if you're going to overclock. Then, take a look at this site & the linked google sheet.
It's the most comprehensive list of AM4 motherboards I've seen.
https://raisonjohn.blogspot.com/2018/11/x470x370b450b350a320-motherboards-am4.html
Choose the features that are important to you. Since you're not getting the most power-demanding CPU, the VRM's & power phases aren't as important.

I use digital output for audio to a receiver, so if you plan on having an external DAC, then you don't need a fancy soundcard integrated onto the motherboard.

I know MSI Bazooka series is well loved, as well as the Asus Prime series. or the Asrock Steel Legend.
I'm a little partial to MSI & Gigabyte myself, but only because I've read so many horror stories about Asus' customer support.
 
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no i did not get it, i am ok with waiting a bit, going to start amassing the things i need, monoblocks seem to be running out so looking to narrow down the MB, order the monoblock, then keep looking for a price drop on the MB.

not going to overclock, and don't have an external receiver for the audio so i would like a good one onboard, unless it is still worthwhile to get a SoundBlaster or other sound card?

is an external DAC small? going to look into this.

Thanks for the link.
 
Did you already get your 5600X ordered this morning? From what I see, they're all sold out now, so you might be waiting another month or two.

There's plenty of good B550 and X570 motherboards available for under $300 CAD.
First, decide if you're going to overclock. Then, take a look at this site & the linked google sheet.
It's the most comprehensive list of AM4 motherboards I've seen.
https://raisonjohn.blogspot.com/2018/11/x470x370b450b350a320-motherboards-am4.html
Choose the features that are important to you. Since you're not getting the most power-demanding CPU, the VRM's & power phases aren't as important.

I use digital output for audio to a receiver, so if you plan on having an external DAC, then you don't need a fancy soundcard integrated onto the motherboard.

I know MSI Bazooka series is well loved, as well as the Asus Prime series. or the Asrock Steel Legend.
I'm a little partial to MSI & Gigabyte myself, but only because I've read so many horror stories about Asus' customer support.

That is an outstanding motherboard link!

Thanks for posting the link.
 
fyi, most of the HardOCP staff are now writing reviews over at:
www.thefpsreview.com

There are some good quality small external DACs & Amps, but it really depends on how much you're willing to spend.
Also, are you planning on speakers or headphones for most of the time?

The integrated onboard soundcard can work just fine, it really depends on the speakers you use and if you're able to detect a change in audio quality. The audio quality is only as good as the weakest link.
This means, if you plan on listening primarily to Youtube music or 128kbps mp3s, or podcasts, then you probably won't be able to tell a difference in DACs & amps. If your speakers are terrible, the integrated audio chip will work just fine. The world of audio is a rabbit hole, and I still consider myself a rookie after building a couple dozen speakers and soldering just as many crossovers.

Headphone DACs aren't much bigger than a deck of cards or a tin of Altoid mints.
They're not too expensive either, many are available under $200 USD.

I don't know much about headphone audio, but I do know that there's a LOT to learn at https://www.head-fi.org/forums/

As for standard speakers, you can have passive speakers (non-powered, needs an amp or receiver) or active speakers (which are often referred to as "Studio Monitors").
Studio monitors are used by many for computer setups and decent pairs cost $300-500 USD. They're often used for small recording studios.
For speaker receivers, amps & pre-processors, you should go read up at the AVSforum.

So, what's your speaker situation? You mentioned you want 5.1, which means to me that you'll be using speakers, not headphones most of the time.
Since I use a receiver, I'm not well informed on differences in integrated onboard audio chips. However, I do know that the days of Soundblaster cards being necessary are long gone, thankfully!
So even the cheaper motherboards have decent audio quality and rarely have driver compatibility issues.
 
Sorry all, i should have posted this in the amd motherboard section i think.

I might wait and see what the VIII Dark Hero board is worth when it comes out, will meet my silence need/want.

I just hope the VIII Hero monoblock fits.
thanks for your help.
 
Sorry all, i should have posted this in the amd motherboard section i think.

I might wait and see what the VIII Dark Hero board is worth when it comes out, will meet my silence need/want.

I just hope the VIII Hero monoblock fits.
thanks for your help.
I think I'm waiting on the dark hero myself, looks like it'll run $399.. but it will have 5000 series support right out of the box. From what I've been reading it should be available for order early/mid next week.
 
Just read a reddit post announcement and they said this "In addition, the board is compatible with monoblocks like those from EK which were designed for the CROSSHAIR VIII HERO."

so that's good news, now my next worry is my case is open air with no real airflow, TT P5 with water cooled cpu and gpu, will that heatsink be enough.

Edit: EK or Bitspower for a monoblock?
 
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