B550 WiFi Ryzen Build with 2021 in mind

Pencheven

Pencheven

Pencheven

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Joined
19 Oct 2012
Posts
13
Location
Cambridgeshire
Hi all :D

My 8 year old i7 920 @ 4GHz / Gigabyte EX58-Extreme / 12GB DDR3 is showing its age (e.g Warzone, BF5, PUBG), it’s also struggling to hold a stable overclock these days (could just be old thermal paste haven't done it in a while!).

Looking for validation on any issues with the below build coming in just under £600 for MOBO, CPU, RAM and SSD with a view to certain upgrades next year, plus maybe some one else might find my reasoning useful.

I’m holding out for RDNA 2/Ampere next year so will bring across my existing EVGA RTX 2060 and 500GB SSD as a second game storage drive. I'm re-using my Lian Li v2100 so can go full ATX. Since PSU’s are having stock issues I’m going to trust my Corsair TX650 can last another 12 months and then update it.

I've just nabbed an LG 27GL850 so I'm looking exclusively for gaming at 1440p/144Hz (or close as) Connectivity wise I’d like WiFi as I’m currently using an older Asus access point as I can't go wired, so makes sense to get it baked into the board, I’m just a little concerned I’m reducing my choices in doing so. Otherwise not looking for anything special such as RGB but see my reasons for B550 and the specific board in mind.

I’ve chosen B550 over X570/B450 for the following reasons:
  • Still a bit cheaper than X570 unless anyone can match the Asus with Wifi?
  • Beats B450 with PCIe 4.0 on both GPU, SSD and sets up for Zen 3 4k series + RDNA 2/Ampere + cheaper 4.0 NVMe drives in 2021
    • This is also the reason for CPU choice
    • Nice to have x2 M.2 drives
    • Yes AMD backtracked on B450 Zen 3 support but seems like a lottery with the one way flashing considering I'm buying new?
  • I’m less likely to tinker with overclocking, not that Ryzen appears to get that much benefit anyway, maybe Zen 3 will change that?
  • Not likely to do SLI/Crossfire
Mobo
From bewildering 49 boards that were launched I've finalised the below WiFi ATX versions as they’re currently in a similar price bracket (granted a bit more than I hoped to spend, but for £10-15 WiFi premium isn't bad), I’ve called out what I noticed as a differences in each:
CPU
Weighing up 3300X vs 3600, I’ll likely go for the Zen 3 equivalent of the 3700X when it’s out next year so since this is more a stop gap I’m guessing it makes sense to opt for the 3300X?

[Edit] Intending on using the stock cooler either way as I'm not looking to over clock and it saves on budget

RAM
I was then trying to follow the ASUS QVL, the only reasonable options seem to be Corsair LPX 3200 CL 16 or 3600 CL18 which using the simplistic speed formula I've seen elsewhere ((CL / MHz)*1000) both are the same speed so go for the cheaper I guess? Otherwise I'm open for any suggestions on 3600 CL16-14 in a similar price bracket but can't see any from the QVL?

So the build...

Reusing:
Case: Lian Li v2100 ATX / E-ATX
PSU: TX650 V2 650W Enthusiast Series (Until next year)
GPU: EVGA Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB XC Ultra Turing (Until next year)
SSD: Crucial 480GB (Second gaming drive)

New:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £585.46 (includes shipping: £10.50)
​




Next Year:
PSU: When PSUs stock get back maybe the RM SERIES RM650 650W '80 PLUS GOLD'?
CPU: Ryzen Zen 3 4K series (3700X equivalent)
GPU: RDNA 2 / Ampere
SSD: PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe (When they're cheaper and more abundant, the new 1TB M.2 will then become second gaming drive)

Thanks :cool:
 
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I would get an MSI MAG Tomahawk X570 for £220 rather than a B550 for £210, the price difference is too small to lose out on the additional features. At overt he £200 mark, B550 are crazy overpriced for what you get.

Other than that your uograde path is pretty much exactly like mine... I intend to pop in a 4700x or 4900x and then enjoy it for a couple of years at least. :)
 
If you shop around you can get the Ryzen 5 3600 for just £3 more than the 3300X on here. Personally I would rather have the extra cores/threads and lose 100mhz that you won't even notice.
 
pastymuncher said:
If you shop around you can get the Ryzen 5 3600 for just £3 more than the 3300X on here. Personally I would rather have the extra cores/threads and lose 100mhz that you won't even notice.
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I just did a big search and cannot find any Ryzen 5 3600 for £123. £152 is the cheapest I can find on any legit UK website.
 
PiKe said:
Extra threads are still worth the extra £29 imo.
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Really... the 2 additional cores are worth an extra 25% more money and no tangible increase in gaming performance, for a short-term CPU that will be sold and replaced when AMD 4000 hits in a couple of months? When all of the professional reviews and detailed benchmarks are showing the 3300x to be an incredibly capable performer in both gaming and general use scenarios?

Interesting... logic.
 
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Richdog said:
Really... the 2 additional cores are worth an extra 25% more money and no tangible increase in gaming performance, for a short-term CPU that will be sold and replaced when AMD 4000 hits in a couple of months? When all of the professional reviews and detailed benchmarks are showing the 3300x to be an incredibly capable performer in both gaming and general use scenarios?

Interesting... logic.
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This was my thought process too. I got the 3300X as it's a great little CPU and the 4000 series will launch soon.

Pairing the 3300X with my Tomahawk X570 is not balanced but it's going to get an upgrade to 6 or 8 cores eventually.

Why would you spend £210 on a B550 board when there are X570 boards with decent specs for that price? I saw a Gigabyte B550 for £289! Madness.
 
terryuk22 said:
which is the faster memory that he wants and can you use 4 sticks of this as was thinking the same build myself
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4 sticks is generally not recommended for AMD rigs... 2 sticks is optimal. 4 sticks will generally work as long as the RAM is compatiblework, but you may see reduced stability and overclocking capability.

JollyJamma said:
This was my thought process too. I got the 3300X as it's a great little CPU and the 4000 series will launch soon.

Pairing the 3300X with my Tomahawk X570 is not balanced but it's going to get an upgrade to 6 or 8 cores eventually.

Why would you spend £210 on a B550 board when there are X570 boards with decent specs for that price? I saw a Gigabyte B550 for £289! Madness.
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Unfoortunately what I am seeing both in this thread and in the dedicated 3300x thread here https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/ryzen-3300x-not-as-popular-as-i-expected.18890844/ are people just basically parroting "get a 6 core CPU" without really knowing why they are evnen saying it other than "it has 2 extra cores so it's worth it".

The 3300x is a strong performer in gaming, does fine at productivity and if it will be used only for a few months until an upgrade to Zen3 then for what logical reason would you spend 25% more on an extra 2 cores that you don't need? Answer: you shouldn't because it makes no sense.

I paid £110 for my 3300x and will go and pick it up later today... can't wait for my mobo to get here now! :)
 
Richdog said:
The 3300x is a strong performer in gaming, does fine at productivity and if it will be used only for a few months until an upgrade to Zen3 then for what logical reason would you spend 25% more on an extra 2 cores that you don't need? Answer: you shouldn't because it makes no sense.

I paid £110 for my 3300x and will go and pick it up later today... can't wait for my mobo to get here now! :)
Click to expand...

The higher ghz of the 3300X plays nicely with games.
I fully expect Zen 3 to be far better for clockspeed as a whole. The one thing that Intel has an advantage over AMD in is clockspeed.

I like the 3600 but for gaming and non video editing use, you can't go wrong with the 3300X at its price.
 
pastymuncher said:
Which is just £3 more than the price of the 3300x on here and exactly what I stated.
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Sorry, but how silly is it to say you searched for the "cheapest 3600 possible on the web" and yet not search for the cheapest 3300x possible in UK stores to make your comparison? If you are going to use the OCUK price for the 3300x then why wouldn't you use the OCUK price for the 3600? Lets use some common sense please. :)

Clearly the OCUK price does not reflect the rrp or the price you can get it for at many other major UK stores. The 3300x is £120 and that is the price that needs to be used when comparing any 3600. ;)
 
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JollyJamma said:
The higher ghz of the 3300X plays nicely with games.
I fully expect Zen 3 to be far better for clockspeed as a whole. The one thing that Intel has an advantage over AMD in is clockspeed.

I like the 3600 but for gaming and non video editing use, you can't go wrong with the 3300X at its price.
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Sums it up perfectly. I can't wait to see what the 4700x / 4900x are like. I will buy one of those and then just sit back and chill for the next 3 years or so until AM5 is mature and widespread and prices settle to reasonable levels. :)
 
I'd also budget for a new cooler regardless. Stock ones are annoying as they ramp up and own for no apparent reason!

You don't have to spend a lot though.
 
TripleT said:
I'd also budget for a new cooler regardless. Stock ones are annoying as they ramp up and own for no apparent reason!

You don't have to spend a lot though.
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Oh yes I forgot! I got a Scythe Mugen Rev B and it looks amazing...within a few % of the Noctua DH15 and Be Quiet! Dark 4. It's also one of the most silent coolers on the market.

Check out reviews on Youtube. :)
 
Richdog said:
Sorry, but how silly is it to say you searched for the "cheapest 3600 possible on the web" and yet not search for the cheapest 3300x possible in UK stores to make your comparison? If you are going to use the OCUK price for the 3300x then why wouldn't you use the OCUK price for the 3600? Lets use some common sense please. :)

Clearly the OCUK price does not reflect the rrp or the price you can get it for at many other major UK stores. The 3300x is £120 and that is the price that needs to be used when comparing any 3600. ;)
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Wow you have reallly got a stick up your *** today. Why the hell are you being so aggressive and smarmy? He posted the OCUK links so I presumed he was going to get it all from here. If that was the case the £3 difference is nothing and the 3600 would clearly be a better buy. For your information all I searched for was "Ryzen 3600) and the first hit was the place I said was only £3 more. Yes I could have searched for the 3300x but was in a hurry. Sorry for trying to be helpful.
 
pastymuncher said:
Wow you have reallly got a stick up your *** today. Why the hell are you being so aggressive and smarmy? He posted the OCUK links so I presumed he was going to get it all from here. If that was the case the £3 difference is nothing and the 3600 would clearly be a better buy. For your information all I searched for was "Ryzen 3600) and the first hit was the place I said was only £3 more. Yes I could have searched for the 3300x but was in a hurry. Sorry for trying to be helpful.
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While I am sure you had good intentions and sorry if you are offended, I'm not so interested in how much of a hurry you are in, just that accurate information is given, because I have been reading similar stuff as what you wrote for the last week, which then takes me time to respond to and correct things. If you are in a hurry and aren't sure of what you are posting, then just wait until later when you do have time to check things properly, what's the rush? :)
 
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Thanks for the replies so far guys!

Richdog said:
I would get an MSI MAG Tomahawk X570 for £220 rather than a B550 for £210, the price difference is too small to lose out on the additional features. At overt he £200 mark, B550 are crazy overpriced for what you get.
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I've taken a second look to compare and I must have missed the price on this one, it looks like for £10 you're trading the slightly better Audio on the B550 for an additional Gen 4 PCIe and M.2 slot from what I can see, otherwise they're pretty much exactly the same aside from the chipset fan?

Because they're pretty much exactly the same the similar pricing makes sense, does make me wonder is the MSI underpriced or the B550 overpriced as I can't see why you would go for the B550 other than for the brand name.

I guess it then only comes down to when it will be available as the Asus B550 is in stock now, but the MSI X570 is still on pre-order (Another site suggesting stock in on 22nd July) - I guess it's just more of the waiting game! :(
  • ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F Gaming WiFi
    • + S1220A Audio
  • MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI
    • + Second Gen 4 PCIe slot
    • + Second Gen 4 M.2 slot
    • - ALC1200 Audio
    • - Chipset fan - seen a lot of noise about people disliking these?

Richdog said:
Oh yes I forgot! I got a Scythe Mugen Rev B and it looks amazing...within a few % of the Noctua DH15 and Be Quiet! Dark 4. It's also one of the most silent coolers on the market.

Check out reviews on Youtube. :)
Click to expand...

I'll take a look thanks for the suggestion - I'm not too bothered about the sound as I'll have headphones on if that's the only difference though?


pastymuncher said:
He posted the OCUK links so I presumed he was going to get it all from here
Click to expand...
Richdog said:
Clearly the OCUK price does not reflect the rrp or the price you can get it for at many other major UK stores. The 3300x is £120 and that is the price that needs to be used when comparing any 3600. ;)
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Sorry guys I didn't mean to cause trouble! I was avoiding mentioning other prices as I didn't want to fall fowl of the rules


JollyJamma said:
The higher ghz of the 3300X plays nicely with games.
I fully expect Zen 3 to be far better for clockspeed as a whole. The one thing that Intel has an advantage over AMD in is clockspeed.

I like the 3600 but for gaming and non video editing use, you can't go wrong with the 3300X at its price.
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This was pretty much it, I know for little more you can get the extra cores, but that will likley only be better utilised by newer games I would have thought by which time I'll hopefully be on Zen 3 - so my thinking was go for the slightly better clock speed for less.

I've suggested opting for the Zen 3 3700X equivalent as from what I can see both the Xbox Series X and PS5 are basically using 3700X under the hood so the "newer gen" version of this made sense


terryuk22 said:
which is the faster memory that he wants and can you use 4 sticks of this as was thinking the same build myself
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So either way it seems regardless of overdoing it with the X570, both the 3600 and 3300X apparently top out at 3600 Mhz RAM so no point in buying anything faster. The MSI QVL (which is annoyingly a little harder to filter on) still appears to suggest both the original Corsair LPX are supported.

I can't seem to find any of the part numbers in the 3600Mhz range from the MSI QVL other than HYPERX PREDATOR 16GB 3600 CL 17 which is both much more expensive and is out of stock anyway - not sure there's much point for the bump to CL17?
 
Pencheven said:
Because they're pretty much exactly the same the similar pricing makes sense, does make me wonder is the MSI underpriced or the B550 overpriced as I can't see why you would go for the B550 other than for the brand name.
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Right here we go, ASUS are running a cash back promotion for which OcUk is a qualifying retailer, so if I opted for the 3600 along with the ROG STRIX B550-F Gaming (Wi-Fi) I picked out, that would be £40 + you can stack it with a review for £25 totalling £65.

Because both board and CPU need to be ordered from the same retailer, we could split the difference with the lowest price available for the 3600 (at this point in time) which leaves £37.96 to knock off the motherboard.

This makes the new price of the board if the cashback comes through of £172.03

So the new question: is the value proposition of the Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi at a final price of £172.03 enough to stop justifying the jump to the X570 at £219.95 (Widening from £10 to £47.92)

I guess the impulse buyer in me says atleast this way I could order it now as everything happens to be in stock rather than waiting for another 3 weeks :D ... It is a bit of a faff though

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £615.46 (includes shipping: £10.50)
​
 
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I would get 3600mhz Cl16 ram as detailed tests from Gamers Nexus etc show that's the sweet spot. Also I had to upgrade to a 2TB SSD as I just found that 1TB wasn't enough for all my games and mods.

With the £40+£25 cashback, that makes the 3600 more appealing... seems like a crazy good deal for doing pretty much nothing! :eek:

Just be sure you don't need a mobo with front USB-C headers as many cases are now providing front USB-C ports. However, you can of course always use a hub or something.
 
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