A little help choosing a Motherboard please (for 9800X3D)

Middenacht · 18 Dec 2024 at 11:34

Hi

Ill come right out and say Im an average user (gamer). I will dabble in a bit of productivity but not enough to care that the X3D isnt best suited to that. My build will be a 9800 X3D, RTX 4080 Super. Im coming from an Intern 4790k (who remembers that?) and a GTX 1080. So basically any decision I make is going to be a very nice upgrade for me.

The 9800 X3D is on backorder and comes in 30 Dec (im in no rush so what will be will be).

Im at the 'which motherboard' stage. And I have a few thoughts of my own but would like your advice:

1. I dont think I need anything over a B650. If you think I do, please let me know why? My reasoning is that my GPU isnt going to saturate (or even come close) PCIe 4. I dont need to go to 5. I have no intention of getting a m.2 gen5 all the real world testing seems to imply that unless im moving huge files around a lot, I wont notice in my day to day gaming and boot up experience (and again understand Im using some 8 year old SSD currently).
2. Given my CPU doesnt arrive until 30 Dec at best - should i wait a bit before buying motherboard GPU and ram? I dont want to fall foul of returns policies. Is it best they all arrive close to each other?
3. Are folks wedded to any brands of Mobo? Ive used Asus in my last 2 builds and they have been great to me. However its been 8 years or so since I built this PC and companies can go down hill...

Many thanks for any replies! Im looking forward to building again.

Matt

mickyflinn · 18 Dec 2024 at 12:15

Hi.

I'm of the the thinking that paying a bit extra for some what future proofing such as pcie5 is better in terms of longevity of the platform. AMD are known for supporting there platforms and while the tech is expensive look how affordable pcie4 m2 have become.

Pcie5 motherboards can be had for £200 and while a decent b650 pcie4 motherboard £135 if you think the difference can be better spent elsewhere then so be it.

Middenacht · 18 Dec 2024 at 12:58

mickyflinn said:
Hi.

I'm of the the thinking that paying a bit extra for some what future proofing such as pcie5 is better in terms of longevity of the platform. AMD are known for supporting there platforms and while the tech is expensive look how affordable pcie4 m2 have become.

Pcie5 motherboards can be had for £200 and while a decent b650 pcie4 motherboard £135 if you think the difference can be better spent elsewhere then so be it.

Hi, thanks for the thoughts.
As this appears to be my once in a decade build, I'm not adverse at all to ponying up for a pcie5 mobo if that future proofing is likely to be useful.

Which PCIE5 might you shoot for? A B650-E? or an X670?

gupsterg · 18 Dec 2024 at 13:03

Middenacht said:
Which PCIE5 might you shoot for? A B650-E? or an X670?

I think from your requirements B650E would be fine, but if a X670E (non E doesn't have PCI-E 5.0 GPU slot) is similarly priced I'd nab that. I got a great deal on TUF Gaming X670E-Plus WiFi, when I was looking for B650E. Also if you see a X870 (non E) for comparable pricing, get that. X870 (non E) is basically B650E with USB4, link.

mickyflinn · 18 Dec 2024 at 13:17

Middenacht said:
Hi, thanks for the thoughts.
As this appears to be my once in a decade build, I'm not adverse at all to ponying up for a pcie5 mobo if that future proofing is likely to be useful.

Which PCIE5 might you shoot for? A B650-E? or an X670?

X870 brings native pcie5 support and start at £200 check them out.

X870 & X870E Motherboards

Explore a fantastic range of X870 and 870E motherboards here at Overclockers UK, manufactured to fully support the latest AMD Ryzen 9000 Series CPUs.

www.overclockers.co.uk

This b650E is at the same £200 price point.

Gigabyte B650E AORUS ELITE X AX ICE (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard

Order Gigabyte B650E AORUS ELITE X AX ICE (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

pewpew · 18 Dec 2024 at 19:52

Looking into it myself also - i think B650E has everything you could need but prepare to spend more than a few years ago. Honestly Motherboards are just more expensive than they used to be, asthetics seem to be the main reason people get the higher end boards on AM5 - there is not much performance difference between lower and higher end boards - Overclocking is not what it used to be and seems like the gains are way
less. One thing to beware is sometimes B650 boards may need a bios update to support later CPU's - I think most support updating bios via USB but worth checking if this is the case for the specific board you want.

https://www.amd.com/en/products/processors/chipsets/am5.html

My thought process
1. Pick a size (ATX / Micro?)
2. Choose what I/O you need (How many USB A/USB C/AUDIO/WIFI)
3. Choose how many NVME/Sata drives you need/Check PCIE support
4. Pick a colour theme (Black/White) and Choose options by asthetics - (Do you want extra RGB on the board?)
5. Sort by price acending and slowly whittle down options

mahius · 18 Dec 2024 at 20:23

Depends what other features and how many M.2s/drives/fans/stuff you want to connect.
I always go for boards with Error Code readouts, they help with diagnosing issues.

Even my latest build, 2 weeks after first setting it up it wouldn't boot and I was googling the error codes (got it sorted by reset CMOS and swapping out GPU).

For B650, Asrock Taichi (lite) B650E is top notch. Though I went with Asus Strix B650E-E on my build cos I wanted the full 5 audio jacks like on my previous build a decade ago.
Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite (not the X870E version) and MSI X870 Tomahawk are decent mid-range X870 boards in the event those B650E boards are above £250.

The biggest differences are thing like PCIe and M.2 slots.

Middenacht · 18 Dec 2024 at 21:46

mahius said:
Depends what other features and how many M.2s/drives/fans/stuff you want to connect.
I always go for boards with Error Code readouts, they help with diagnosing issues.

Even my latest build, 2 weeks after first setting it up it wouldn't boot and I was googling the error codes (got it sorted by reset CMOS and swapping out GPU).

For B650, Asrock Taichi (lite) B650E is top notch. Though I went with Asus Strix B650E-E on my build cos I wanted the full 5 audio jacks like on my previous build a decade ago.
Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite (not the X870E version) and MSI X870 Tomahawk are decent mid-range X870 boards in the event those B650E boards are above £250.

The biggest differences are thing like PCIe and M.2 slots.

Thank you.

I will probably run a 2 x M.2 drives and 1 GPU (4080s) so thats it for pcie lanes.
32 or 64 Gb RAM (havent landed on what is sensible yet). Probably 32.

Case is going to be a Lian Li EVO RBG and I will probably have a silly amount of fans in there along with an AIO. Does the number of fans pose an issue. the case can hold 10 x 120s. 3 of them will be an AIO CPU cooler. Ill probably use all 10.

mickyflinn · 18 Dec 2024 at 21:59

Middenacht said:
Case is going to be a Lian Li EVO RBG

What colour ?

Quartz · 18 Dec 2024 at 22:43

Middenacht said:
Im at the 'which motherboard' stage. And I have a few thoughts of my own but would like your advice:

I just did this!

Which motherboard for 9800X3D?

Spec me! I have an Intel 13700. This is, of course, a ticking time-bomb. The obvious thing to do is replace it with a 9800X3D when they become available, which will require a new motherboard. It will need three x4 M.2 slots (1x 1 TB, 2x 4 TB). Format is ATX. I have 10 Gb ethernet so the board...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

mahius · 19 Dec 2024 at 00:21

Middenacht said:
Does the number of fans pose an issue. the case can hold 10 x 120s. 3 of them will be an AIO CPU cooler. Ill probably use all 10.

All of the boards I listed have 8 fan/pump headers. Things like the AIO might need splitters if you plan to use a lot of fans. On this front I would recommend going for fewer larger fans for better airflow & noise. That case supports 140mm fans.

Middenacht · 19 Dec 2024 at 21:19

mickyflinn said:
What colour ?

Black. I was going to do a white build but a) im getting a little tired of seeing them b) the cost of a white motherboard and graphics card i actually want is just a premium im not prepared to pay.

Middenacht · 19 Dec 2024 at 21:21

mahius said:
All of the boards I listed have 8 fan/pump headers. Things like the AIO might need splitters if you plan to use a lot of fans. On this front I would recommend going for fewer larger fans for better airflow & noise. That case supports 140mm fans.

If you got the Lian Li fans which connect together....say 3 x 120 as a block, does that just use one header?

mahius · 19 Dec 2024 at 21:27

Middenacht said:
If you got the Lian Li fans which connect together....say 3 x 120 as a block, does that just use one header?

I forgot about those, yes you're correct, they do.

But if you care about noise, multiple fans spinning at same RPM amplifies sound compared to fans spinning slightly different speeds from each other.
Can't remember which product but Apple used varying fan speeds to reduce noise.

Middenacht · 19 Dec 2024 at 21:50

Quartz said:
I just did this!

Which motherboard for 9800X3D?

Spec me! I have an Intel 13700. This is, of course, a ticking time-bomb. The obvious thing to do is replace it with a 9800X3D when they become available, which will require a new motherboard. It will need three x4 M.2 slots (1x 1 TB, 2x 4 TB). Format is ATX. I have 10 Gb ethernet so the board...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

I know. I read your thread. Problem for me is that money is not no object. I object to feeling like I havent got good bang for buck.

mickyflinn · 19 Dec 2024 at 22:10

Middenacht said:
Black. I was going to do a white build but a) im getting a little tired of seeing them b) the cost of a white motherboard and graphics card i actually want is just a premium im not prepared to pay.

Oh well that gigabyte ice motherboard is a decent price for the spec.

Any board your leaning towards?

Middenacht · 19 Dec 2024 at 23:50

Leaning towards the Asus Prime X870-P Wifi.

not decided though and honestly, I would rather be shopping for paint. This is so boring reading motherboard reviews. It took me about 5 mins to decide on the exact CPU and GPU. I then sank 5 days into choosing the case and 2 days so far on the motherboard.

It is possible I will die before Ive chosen the mobo.

Mojo24 · 21 Dec 2024 at 14:51

I have the Gigabyte B650E Aorus Elite X AX Ice with the 9800X3D, just waiting for the wife to take the kids out so I can finish the build with the help of YouTube.

Middenacht · 22 Dec 2024 at 14:04

Mojo24 said:
I have the Gigabyte B650E Aorus Elite X AX Ice with the 9800X3D, just waiting for the wife to take the kids out so I can finish the build with the help of YouTube.

Let the kids help with the build. I have never heard of anything ever going wrong with children helping build inside a PC case. Also i believe jam smeared all over your RAM and CPU is worth an extra 5 FPS.

Middenacht · 1 Jan 2025 at 20:44

For anyone interested, I purchased the Asus Prime X870-P Wifi. HOWEVER...

It got delivered and due to boring nonsense I did nothing with it for 3 days. I then watched several more reviews on in (in particular about PCIe lane sharing) and had major second thoughts.

I found the MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk Wifi for 20 quid more elsewhere and snapped it up. Returned the Asus unopened. Much better lane sharing principles, better Wifi and better LAN. And it looks nicer so thats worth another 1 FPS. Im much happier with this decision.