AMD 3900X and X470/B450 board?

[Sprucemoose]

I'm posting this as I've not yet found a direct answer to my question. Hopefully, some of you can shed some light on this.

I'm looking to build a new computer to replace my old i7-2600k workhorse. I am centering around the AMD 3900X CPU, but I am put off by the chipset fans on the X570 boards. I'm going for a watercooled system, and a small, noisy, prone-to-fail, chipset fan is not something I can live with. I'm willing to pay more to avoid the chipset fan, but the prices of the Asrock x570 Aqua and the Gigabyte X570 Ultimate are outragous. So it seems that my next best option would be a high-end X470 (or B450?)

I've looked at the VRM-chart posted on Reddit to get my bearings, as I figure I should choose the top-tier VRMs for this CPU. The Gigabyte X470 Aorus Gaming 7 was my first choice, but my retailer can't guarantee that the BIOS is up to date to support Ryzen 3xxx. And buying a second CPU just to update the BIOS increases the price further. I'd have the same BIOS problem with the Asrock X470 Taichi.

MSI has a flashback option, and I've looked at the MSI X470 Gaming M7 AC, which according to a test at Techpowerup performs just as well as the Asrock X570 Taichi for overclocking the 3900X. The ASUS Crosshair VII Hero will allow for BIOS flashback, but it's the most expensive of all the X470 options.

Now, to shave off the price, I could get the MSI Gaming Pro Carbon. But looking only at the above VRM tier list, this choice is a step down. Also, I don't need SLI, so a B450 board would be sufficient as long as it can deliver stable power to an overclocked 3900X (but can it?).

In short, which of the following options would be best suited to run an overclocked AMD 3900X?
1) Buy a Gigabyte X470 Aorus Gaming 7 + old AMD CPU to flash BIOS.
2) Buy MSI X470 Gaming M7 AC
3) Buy MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon to save some money
4) Buy the more expensive ASUS Crosshair VII Hero
5) Save even more money buying a B450 board (in that case, which?)

Does anybody have an opinion of which of these options are most viable? all comments appreciated!

 

[bassnut]

Crosshair all the way if you are going X470 if you're stuck on the gigabyte you can get a loaner from AND to flash your bios if need be. Most shops should be able to flash your bios for you as well.

I can tell you straight up sitting right beside my case with all fans turned down to quiet I can't hear my chipset fan running over my DDC water pump those fans are a non issue.

 

[EarthDog]

I wouldn't be put off by the chipset fan. Out of the several boards I have reviewed, only one could I hear the fan and that was an ITX board. That said, many have updated its speeds to run slower, or have manual control as well.

 

[PolRoger]

I wouldn't recommend a B450 board with a 3900X. I briefly tested my 3900x on ASUS Strix B450-F and I didn't like how the VRM section heated up on the board while running under PBO full core load.

Here is another link to vrm specs for AM4 motherboards.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...FnsZYZiW1pfiDZnKCjaXyzd1o/edit#gid=2112472504

https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...yzen-cpus-sortable-comparison-tables.3110172/

You might also want to consider buying a used x370/x470 motherboard as a possible more cost effective approach?

Currently here in the Overclock Forums Classifieds there is a ASUS CH6 Hero x370 chipset (BIOS updated) for ~$125 and a ASUS CH7 Hero x470 chipset (BIOS updated) for ~$150… edit/SOLD.

 

[Zerileous]

It's going to depend more on the VRM than the chipset. The Struc b450-f is not even good for 8 core OC, so I'm not surprised that it handled the 3900x poorly. All that said, there are no b450 boards with a VRM that I'd consider great for a 3900x. Some of the MSI ones would be functional.

The Crosshair VII has the strongest VRM of any x470 board. All three of the top tier from Asus, Asrock and Gigabyte, (I don't recall the MSI off the top of my head, but it's probably ok too). All that said, for that price I'd be going with x570 as has been advised.

 

[Sprucemoose]

Thank you for the advice. And @PolRoger, a big thanks for linking that spreadsheet, I hadn't seen that before. Now, I read that most of you seem to lean towards buying an X570 board instead of one of the high-end X470 boards. I haven't really looked into the X570 world as the chipset fan issue has been a big no from me. I've read posts where some people are driven nuts by the fan noise, but on the other side there are those who cannot hear it at all. So I'm at a bit of a loss here. This may just be personal, but I get very easily annoyed by noise in my electronics, especially high pitched noise. And buying an X570, I wouldn't know how much it would bother me until I got it up and running. Furthermore, there doesn't seem to be much money to be saved unless I go for one of the very low-end X570 boards (which might defeat the purpose). What will I gain from choosing a low-end X570 board over a high-end X470 board when I don't see myself needing PCI-E 4.0 for years to come?

I stumbled upon another VRM tier list including both X570 and X470/B450 boards, this time specifying compatibility with the X3900 (and X3950) (Image link here). I don't know what the source for this list is (especially since the X3950 isn't out yet), but the author seems to put the ASUS ROG Crosshair Hero VII on top of the list together with the Gigabyte Aorus Gaming 7 when it comes to the X470 boards. In my post above, I was contemplating buying the MSI X470 Gaming M7 AC, but I see that I can get t ASUS board (non-WiFi) for the same price as the MSI. It should be handling the 3900X OC'ed like a breeze, right?

 

[EarthDog]

Get x570. No sense in using the older chipset IMO. as I said I havent heard any fans except on the itx boards. Many have updated auto and allowed for manual fan control as well.

 

[bassnut]

On Newegg (US)

X470 …..$ 220 (Giga Gaming 7) - $255 (CHVII) & (216 Open Box)

X570 ….. $210 (Giga Elite WiFi) - $189 (Asus Tuf + $10 WiFi) - $305 (CHVIII) - $277 (STRIX E) - $299 (Asrock Taichi) - $239 (Steel legend)

These are not Recommendations but just comparison …… Low end X570 can be cheaper and even high end are not that much more expensive. I was considering my old X370 Taichi or X470 CHVII but when you look at the differences it really doesn't make sense to buy an old chipset. I ended up buying an X570 Taichi and when the dust settled it was just around $40 difference if that. I am sure you can find plenty of advice on the cheaper X570 that are suitable don't focus so much on what might no really be an issue that I haven't seen and have not seen posted here on this forum at all as I can't remember seeing a post about the chipset fan being loud.

 

[Sprucemoose]

Ok, so because of your recommendations, I've looked into X570. And even though I don't like the thought of having a chipset fan, I see that the new BIOS updates have implemented fan curve control. Most importantly, there is the option of stopping the fan completely when not needed (for fan longevity). However, looking at the different boards, I see that many have the chipset fan placed where airflow could come into conflict with the GPU. Taking this into account, and that I don't need any fancy functionality like Wifi, it seems that the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite board could be a good candidate. Reviews tell me that it has good VRMs and should be able to OC a 3900X with ease, it also has the chipset fan placed slightly better in relation to the GPU.

Where I live, I can get this card for the equvalent of 257 USD. Choosing the higher priced Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (non-WiFi) I need to pay the equivalent of 327 USD, and I'm not sure if that adds anything I should care about. Any thoughts on the Elite? Are there any other brands and/or models I should consider? RAM-conciderations?

 

[Zerileous]

It's described as a "really solid VRM" by buildzoid so I wouldn't worry about that aspect.

Seems like you give up some features otherwise but if you don't need them then it's probably a good deal. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gigabyte-x570-aorus-elite-atx-motherboard,6252.html https://www.anandtech.com/show/14161/the-amd-x570-motherboard-overview/28

 

[Sprucemoose]

Ok, I've pulled the trigger! Thanks for all the feedback. I put in some of the other components as well, but still have to decide on GPU and cooling solution. Feel free to comment on the other components I've chosen so far.

Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite (non-Wifi)
CPU: AMD 3900X
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 3200MHz CL14 2x16GB
M.2: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB
PSU: BeQuiet! Dark Power 11 850W
Case: Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic white

 

[Zerileous]

Are you planning to run your memory at 3600MHz CL16. I would, but I'm guessing the kit you listed is easily capable of that.

I would look at a different PSU. The Dark Power 11 is made by FSP. It's totally serviceable, and even rated well here, but it's really overpriced. You also don't need 850W unless you plan to run a Radeon 7, Vega, or 2080Ti. Even then you really would probably be fine with 750W unless you're overclocking it hard.

I would go with a EVGA G2 or G3 series, or a Seasonic Focus+ or Prime for the PSU. Better quality for less money.

GPU choice comes down to usage. What games will you be playing, and on what resolution monitor at what frame rate?

 

[Sprucemoose]

The RAM is planned to run at 3600/CL16, yes. The reason for choosing this specific PSU is noise. I'm looking to get as little noise as possible in this build, and I'll pay a price premium (up to a point) to get that. That's why I was a little reluctant towards the X570 chipset fan. Looking at reviews, the BeQuiet seemed to get great results on noise. If your other recommedations can performe better (or similar), I'd be willing to swap, of course. For cooling, I'm planning to put 2x triple HWlabs Black ICE SR2 MP radiators with low-spinning fans in the top and bottom (I'm a litte unsure yet if the bottom will fit). Pump is going to be a single D5, single loop for the CPU and GPU. Regarding choice of GPU, I'll probably end up with a 2080Ti.

 

[Zerileous]

I can say I've never heard the fan on my Seasonic Prime without placing my ear directly up to the PSU, but I don't have specific data to back it up. It does have rare instances of coil whine from the PSU itself when it's in the mode where it turns the fan all the way off but is also under a moderate load (probably on the verge of using the fan). Not sure if BeQuiet did anything to abate that. I have more of it from the GPU for sure.

I guess at least on Amazon the Platinum model Seasonic is more expensive than the Dark Power 11, plus if Oklahoma Wolf liked it that well, then I think it's a winner. Not sure why I missed that review before.