Mobo recommendation ?

[Steve_Ellis 273]

Is anyone runing the AMD 7900 X3D chip yet and if you are what motherboard are you using ?

I don't normally have a dilemma in choosing one but I really want to get this one right if possible.

I have a 4090 and I normally lean toward the AORUS motherboards as they have been great in the past.
Would love to hear your suggestions.

[frankla 44]

Would love to know the answer to this one too.    Also are the mother boards with x670 chipset worth the extra money?

[wiler 394]

7900x3d here paired w asus ROG x670e-f gaming wifi. excellent mb, no issues whatsoever.  get gskill 6000 CL30 ram and you have a rocket.  

[Mace 1,927]

I'm building a new rig soon.  Here are my notes on AMD motherboards, although my "high-end" is sparse right now:

Lower-end recommended boards:
Cheapest "good" board -- ASRock B650M PG Riptide -- about $170 at its launch -- good VRM -- audio a little cheaper codec (ALC897) --
has a preinstalled IO backplate which is nice, decent number of USB ports.
ASRock B650 PG Lightning -- about $200 at its launch -- good VRM cooling -- lots of rear port USB connectors
MSI Pro B650M-A Wifi -- about $200 at its launch -- this is a MicroATX board, but there is a full ATX version for about $20 more. It has an extra cooler on the top of the VRM.  No USB 2.0 ports at all, but it does have a bunch of USB 3.0's.  No preinstalled backplate.

mid-tier boards:
MSI MAG B650M Mortar Wifi -- about $230 -- it is a MicroATX board -- has ALC1220 codec -- lots of USB's -- BIOS flashback button --
highly recommended board.
Gigabyte B650 Aorus Pro AX -- about $260 -- full ATX board -- has four (4) M.2 connectors! -- lots of USB's -- has a power button on the board.
Gigabyte B650 Aero G -- about $270 -- identical to the above board but is white in color -- 5 audio outs
MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk Wifi -- ATX -- about $260 -- has 3 M.2 slots -- ALC1220 audio -- lots of USB's -- 5 audio outs
MSI Edge B650 Wifi -- as above but white-themed
ASUS ROG STRIX B650-A Gaming Wifi -- about $280 -- "ok" but not as recommended for the price.  Rear IO not as much as above boards. 3 M.2 slots.
ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-F Gaming wiFi -- about $300 -- again ditto as above, but has a few more rear IO ports.  For what?  $20?
ASRock X670E Steel Legend -- about $300 -- ALC1220 audio -- 4 M.2 slots - lots of rear USB's -- recommended for mid-tier

High End boards:
Gigabyte B650E AORUS MASTER -- about $350 -- has a post-code in the upper right corner (for overclocking to test boot or not) - on board pwr button -- good rear IO -- BIOS flashback button -- strong, overkill VRM

 

I only have 1 entry in "high end" because high-end is what I haven't fully researched yet...and ironically a high-end board is probably what I'll go with. 

 

[Ray Proudfoot 8,960]

@Mace, for the first time in my flight sim life I'm seriously considering an AMD CPU. The 7950X3D in all probability.

With GoFlight units I require a USB2 port. The GF166 units are extremely fussy about this.

Any Asus recommendations for a high-end board please?

[mikeymike 362]

I am in the process of selling. My 9900k

And going for the amd 7950x3d with gigabyte master x670E 

mask have a master series now and has been amazing.

 

but wondering if it will port over to next series of cpu?

so I don’t need to buy a New mobo.

mike

[Samaritano 304]

I am currently collecting all the parts for a new build. This time around I am going with AMD, specifically a Ryzen 7 7800X3D. There are 3 motherboards that I am considering. All of them are ASUS.

ASUS TUF Gaming X670E Plus WiFi

ASUS ROG Strix B650E-E Gaming WiFi

ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi

I have been using this motherboard comparison chart. It has been really helpful.

AM5 Motherboards

[Ray Proudfoot 8,960]

The X670E-E above states this. 3 x USB 2.0 Headers (Supports 6 x USB 2.0 Ports)

How does that differ to an actual port please?

[pgde 571]

Ray -- USB headers refer to dedicated USB connectors on your motherboard that are used for USB ports on your PC case, usually front panel USB ports. Essentially, they are the end-point for connecting your external (Chassis) USB ports to the motherboard inside your PC through an extension cable. Here is a link also explaining the difference -- https://www.technewstoday.com/usb-headers-on-motherboard/

Hope this helps!

Edited March 26, 2023 by pgde

[Ray Proudfoot 8,960]

@pgde, thanks for the info and the link. A USB2 port on the front of the case would not be very helpful. I really need it at the back.

I appreciate USB2 is very old but with GoFlight having folded there's no possibility of them updating drivers for USB3. Hence my need for a USB2 port preferably at the back of the case.

[Mace 1,927]

4 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

@Mace, for the first time in my flight sim life I'm seriously considering an AMD CPU. The 7950X3D in all probability.

Only my 3rd personal AMD build since 1992.  So it's always interesting.

Actually if you're building solely for P3D then I believe the regular 7950X would be superior if you're going AMD.  However, if you may possibly run MSFS or some other app that responds well to the 3Dvcache in the future, then by all means a 7950X3D would be an ideal hybrid option.  If I were considering a dual-use (P3D and MSFS) setup, I'd probably lean the direction you mention (7950X3D) as we don't know what future Concorde options there may be, and you want to leave all doors open so-to-speak.  While a regular 7950X is a fine, fine cpu, the performance increase of the 7950X3D over the 7950X in MSFS, while rather small, may be just enough to put one over the top when it comes to the hell test scenario (add-on Heathrow, add-on aircraft, lots of AI, heavy weather).

4 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

With GoFlight units I require a USB2 port. The GF166 units are extremely fussy about this.

Any Asus recommendations for a high-end board please?

I'm generally seeing two (2) USB 2.0 ports on the REAR of the ASUS boards I've examined.  For example:

ASUS ROG Strix X670E-A Wifi 6E Snow --- appears to have 2 USB 2.0's on the rear
ASUS Prime B650-PLUS -- has 2 USB 2.0's on rear
ASUS PRime X670-P Wifi -- has 2 USB 2.0's on rear

These seem to be USB 2.0 Type-A ports.  I don't know how many rear-mounted USB 2.0's you need, but there is also the option of a USB 2.0 expansion card (PCI-to-USB 2.0) but then the trick becomes an exercise in fitting it back there next to your video card.  In this era of space-hogging video cards that's a concern.

[Mace 1,927]

4 hours ago, mikeymike said:

but wondering if it will port over to next series of cpu?

so I don’t need to buy a New mobo.

mike

AMD have said they plan to use AM5 through 2025.  While nothing can be guaranteed in the tech world, I'd say it's a good possibility that AMD's next generation of cpu's will also work with these motherboards.  With a BIOS flash of course.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,960]

50 minutes ago, Mace said:

I'm generally seeing two (2) USB 2.0 ports on the REAR of the ASUS boards I've examined.  For example:

ASUS ROG Strix X670E-A Wifi 6E Snow --- appears to have 2 USB 2.0's on the rear
ASUS Prime B650-PLUS -- has 2 USB 2.0's on rear
ASUS PRime X670-P Wifi -- has 2 USB 2.0's on rear

These seem to be USB 2.0 Type-A ports.  I don't know how many rear-mounted USB 2.0's you need,

One should suffice for my powered USB hub that my critical GoFlight gear is plugged into.

The MCP and EICAS are fine in USB3 ports.

You’ve reassured me, many thanks. I want the fastest CPU available as I may dip my toe into MSFS at a future date but only for sightseeing flights. Serious stuff including Concorde will always be P3D.

Chillblast will be building it so I’ll check this with them before purchase.

[Mace 1,927]

2 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

You’ve reassured me, many thanks. I want the fastest CPU available as I may dip my toe into MSFS at a future date but only for sightseeing flights. Serious stuff including Concorde will always be P3D.

Until it actually happens it's all conjecture, but I think once April 6 hits it will shake out like this...for the next couple of months anyway:

Fastest cpu for MSFS -- 7800X3D
Fastest cpu for P3D -- either 13900KF/13700KF or 7950X or 7950X3D
Fastest cpu for a dual-use (P3D and MSFS) system -- any of the above except 7800X3D

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the above.  Chillblast may give you some other ideas. 13600K and 7700X aren't too shabby either.

[spitzer45 99]

I’m currently building new system to use with my 4090. I have chosen MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk Wifi ATX as a mobo for amd 7800x3d which will be released at 6th April. This mobo has 3 m2 slot, Wi-Fi 6e and Bluetooth and lots of USB ports. Also it has reasonable ram speeds. It has good price performance ratio.