Feedback Please - Micro ATX AM5 Build

[bongla316]

Hi there, looking to build, I've posted before not too long ago but since then the 7900x has released and I've changed my mind about doing an itx build in the ssupd case. I was worried about the thermals in that case, especially when I (eventually) get a dedicated gpu. So I've decided to find a middle ground and do a micro atx build. I was wondering what you guys think about this current build I'm planning and if there's any obvious things I've overlooked. I've got the ram already (G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30).

FYI, I know the motherboard is really expensive, but I'm not sure of the B650 options and whether or not I'd be losing out by not having a PCIe5 slot.

My basket at OcUK:

 1 x Asus ROG Crosshair X670E Gene (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6J3-AS) = £579.95
 1 x AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Twelve Core 5.60GHz  (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DH-AM) = £449.99
 1 x Arctic Liquid Freezer II High Performance CPU Water Cooler - 360mm (SKU: HS-07D-AR) = £119.98
 1 x Phanteks AMP 1000W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-0AS-PT) = £149.99
 1 x Asus Prime AP201 MicroATX Case - Black (SKU: CA-062-AS) = £89.99
 1 x Samsung 980 Pro 1TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive (SKU: HD-248-SA) = £128.99

Total: £1,531.19 (includes delivery: £12.30)​
​

 

[Tetras]

Which graphics card do you plan to use? If you're going nvidia, you might want a native 12/16 pin PSU (though I know that's a can of worms in itself).

There's not a huge amount of clearance for the graphics card in that case, but I assume you're aware of that?

Do you want a PCI-E 5.0 primary, or a PCI-E 5.0 M.2 slot? I think the (B650, M-ATX) Gigabyte Aorus Elite and ASRock Riptide have a PCI-E 5.0 M.2 slot, but PCI-E 4.0 primary. If you got the Riptide you'd save £400 odd and if PCI-E 5.0 on the primary PCI-E ever matters then you could buy a new board. With AM4, the second gen of AM4 boards retained compatibility with the first generation of CPUs, so hopefully the same would be true for AM5.

 

[bongla316]

Which graphics card do you plan to use? If you're going nvidia, you might want a native 12/16 pin PSU (though I know that's a can of worms in itself).

There's not a huge amount of clearance for the graphics card in that case, but I assume you're aware of that?

Do you want a PCI-E 5.0 primary, or a PCI-E 5.0 M.2 slot? I think the (B650, M-ATX) Gigabyte Aorus Elite and ASRock Riptide have a PCI-E 5.0 M.2 slot, but PCI-E 4.0 primary. If you got the Riptide you'd save £400 odd and if PCI-E 5.0 on the primary PCI-E ever matters then you could buy a new board. With AM4, the second gen of AM4 boards retained compatibility with the first generation of CPUs, so hopefully the same would be true for AM5.

I was planning on either the rtx 4080 or 7900xtx. I'm worried about pci-e 5.0 primary and whether or not that will be important for future gpus. I'm trying to make sure the build is somewhat "future proof" but the motherboard is where I'm confused. Because i'd really rather not pay that much but I feel like I'll lose out. The m2 slots I'm not too concerned about

 

[Tetras]

I'm worried about pci-e 5.0 primary and whether or not that will be important for future gpus. I'm trying to make sure the build is somewhat "future proof" but the motherboard is where I'm confused. Because i'd really rather not pay that much but I feel like I'll lose out. The m2 slots I'm not too concerned about

I really doubt it will matter in the lifetime of the board. If we take PCI-E 3.0 for example (or even PCI-E 2.0, except the CPUs are too slow anyway ), then it still barely matters for high-end cards now (4090 scaling link).

Would I personally pay £400 for it? Hell to the no! That's practically a new CPU/motherboard.

 

[bongla316]

I really doubt it will matter in the lifetime of the board. If we take PCI-E 3.0 for example (or even PCI-E 2.0, except the CPUs are too slow anyway ), then it still barely matters for high-end cards now (4090 scaling link).

Would I personally pay £400 for it? Hell to the no! That's practically a new CPU/motherboard.

in that case i will save the money and consider a b650. The Asus TUF b650m was my b650 option. Asides from the psu suggestion, what do you think of the build?

 

[Tetras]

in that case i will save the money and consider a b650. The Asus TUF b650m was my b650 option. Asides from the psu suggestion, what do you think of the build?

With the TUF B650M, I think it is a decent build. I actually like the Phanteks too, I'm just not sure what the best option is for a 12 pin card. For a 7900 XT/XTX there's no issue.

 

[Legion]

in that case i will save the money and consider a b650. The Asus TUF b650m was my b650 option. Asides from the psu suggestion, what do you think of the build?

B650M AORUS ELITE AX (rev. 1.0/1.1) Key Features | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...

www.gigabyte.com

This is the motherboard you should be looking at. While it's very similarly featured to the Tuf, it does have an 8 layer PCB as opposed to the 6 layer PCB on the Tuf.
At the midrange this is the best motherboard of the m-ATX B650's, there are no B650E variants.

I'm using one in my work rig with a 7950x, very happy with it.
In fact I'm so happy with it, I'll be buying another for a 7xxx X3D build when the CPU's appear.
Forget about PCI-e 5.0 on the 16x slot, right now it really doesn't matter and nor will it for for a few years yet.

As for the rest of the build you've specced, the Arctic AIO's are a solid choice. The G.skill 6000 kit is also a solid choice. If you buying a new Gen Ngreedia card, you can either buy a new ATX 3.0 PSU or get a replacement cable for an existing ATX2.x specced PSU, neither matters really. Although if you do buy an ATX 2.x PSU I would choose a Corsair PSU for the replacement cable. There's no immediate need to jump on the ATX 3.0 bandwagon. The Asus Prime AP201 case is really popular atm for MFF builds and very good value at the pricepoint.

TLDR, nothing you've chosen is a bad choice. I'd just buy the Gigabyte motherboard over the Asus. It is a better motherboard for almost the same price.