3600XT B450 or B550

Rowan88 · 12 Dec 2020 at 09:11

Hi.

I have a pretty old spec PC (except GPU) which I originally was going to just build a new one from scratch but I managed to get my hands on a free Ryzen 5 3600XT. I wasnt sure whether to sell and buy a 5600X but based on my gaming only use I wasnt sure if selling for £200 and spending £80+ more and waiting was worth it.

Basically if I purchased a new motherboard and ram I could use it just now but should I get a B450 or B550 motherboard? I heard a BIOS update will allow the 450s to run 5 series CPU so is there a great deal going for a 550?

Thanks

Grimley · 12 Dec 2020 at 14:10

Up to you. A lot of B450 boards have poor VRM setups, so if you decided to upgrade the CPU later on said boards would no be stable with 8/12/16 Core CPU's under load or overclocking. MSI are an exception to that rule.

As a result B550 boards are better in that regard but a bit more money. Bear in mind that 3xxx & 5xxx are only CPU's B550 boards will accept (officialy). B & X 600 series boards will probably be a new socket & DDR5, the max CPU a B550 board will accept will be a 5950/5950XT if AMD release such a CPU, which could be possible next year once TMSC perfect the wafer manufacturing & the binning procedure.

Joxeon · 12 Dec 2020 at 14:30

The b450 tomahawk max board is a solid b450 option at a decent price and will handle CPUs up to 16 core so really you're only losing PCIe gen 4.0 which makes no difference for gaming, a second nvme slot and some I/O if you want with that over a b550 or x570. It also now supports 5000 series as I'm running a 5800X in one and seeing no performance difference to reviewers running that CPU in top of the range X570 boards.

Screenbeat · 12 Dec 2020 at 15:22

If buying now I would go B550

If money isn't an issue

Rowan88 · 12 Dec 2020 at 21:51

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah build quite a few with Tomahawk Max B450 agree its a great board.. its only minor downside is no 5v ARGB header.

I was swaying between this or the MSI MPG B550 Gaming.

Then is 3200MHZ still the sweet point or should I try and get 3600?

Then hopefully next year all I need is a new case.. m.2 and hopefully anything from 5700XT to 6800.

PowerPie5000 · 12 Dec 2020 at 22:32

I'd just go for a middle of the road B550 board if you don't want to spend too much, and it'll still be better than pretty much any B450 board. I'm almost sure B550 and X570 boards are the end of the line for AM4. There will probably be a Ryzen 5000 refresh at some point for them though.

I have the MSI MPG B550 Carbon and it's a great board with a very good VRM setup. I got it at a decent black Friday price and it also included Assassin's Creed Valhalla and a cashback offer from MSI.... The board ended up being a real bargain!

I'd say the only negative with most B550 boards is the step-back when it comes to audio. Most use the Realtek ALC1200, which isn't that great considering how much some of these boards cost. The ALC1220 is a fair bit better if implemented properly and usually includes a headphone amplifier of some sort. I ended up just buying a Sound BlasterX AE-5 for my audio needs anyway. I'm sure most people would be ok with the ALC1200 though.

Rowan88 · 12 Dec 2020 at 23:24

PowerPie5000 said:
I'd just go for a middle of the road B550 board if you don't want to spend too much, and it'll still be better than pretty much any B450 board. I'm almost sure B550 and X570 boards are the end of the line for AM4. There will probably be a Ryzen 5000 refresh at some point for them though.

I have the MSI MPG B550 Carbon and it's a great board with a very good VRM setup. I got it at a decent black Friday price and it also included Assassin's Creed Valhalla and a cashback offer from MSI.... The board ended up being a real bargain!

I'd say the only negative with most B550 boards is the step-back when it comes to audio. Most use the Realtek ALC1200, which isn't that great considering how much some of these boards cost. The ALC1220 is a fair bit better if implemented properly and usually includes a headphone amplifier of some sort. I ended up just buying a Sound BlasterX AE-5 for my audio needs anyway. I'm sure most people would be ok with the ALC1200 though.

The board I seen is around £135 with AC Valhalla.

On-board audio isnt a deal breaker as I use a Scarlett 2i2 for my active speakers and guitar anyway.