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sacks99

sacks99

sacks99

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Joined
9 Feb 2020
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I currently have an aging gaming PC.

Non overclocked 2500k with 16gb ram, gpu is a 5700xt.

So I'm looking at a lower end x570, 3800x and either 16gb 3600 or 32gb 3200.

I doubt I will overclock this initially anyway. I game at 1440 most csgo although will be looking at newer games.

Anyone got anything to say or suggest about.my plan?

Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
General info:

The MSI Tomahawk 450 or Carbon (depending on whether you need WiFi) is more than adequate for a gaming PC and will save you a considerable amount of money. Most builds within this forum are built on the foundation of these boards if you browse.

The 3700X is the best bang for buck 8c/16t - nothing wrong with 3800X but comparatively it's not worth the extra - plus the above MSI board will take the next gen of AMD chips (the last) so your upgrade path isn't stilted. But looking at how long you hold onto systems this probably isn't a concern.

3200MHZ/3600MHz the speed difference is marginal but with money saved (and time between upgrades) i would get the 3600MHz - there's only ~£10 difference for 16GB and no need to tinker. 32GB is a luxury that isn't required but some games with addons are starting to test the limit if 16GB so a personal call. But memory is cheap - so if you have the money go for it (saving on board and CPU would cover cost if you went b450 route and 3700X)

Example

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £459.47 (includes shipping: £10.50)


You may want to strap on a third party cooler if relative silence is key -but again not essential as the supplied does the job.​
 
I take it I will need to flash the board?

Also with the drop in price on the 3800x it's only £40 more.

RAM I think I will go a good 16gb and add later if I want.

Thanks
 
sacks99 said:
Also with the drop in price on the 3800x it's only £40 more.
Click to expand...

As above - the Tomahawk had a revision last year to make it Zen 2 compatible out of the box (it needed a larger eeprom) and a face lift for relaunch - MAX edition. But, it was the best value Zen+ board in it's original incarnation and with the revamp it is now the go to board for Zen 2 for average user.

*Note there's MATX version of the board if you would like to move to smaller format.
 
sacks99 said:
Does that include the carbon?

This https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-...ocket-am4-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-33s-ms.html
Click to expand...

Only the Tomahawk and Mortar had the revision update - but if you receive a fresh batch of Carbon's they're arriving with the latest BIOS - i.e. Zen 2 ready. If not it's a relatively simple process to update the BIOS to Zen 2 even without a CPU (special feature of these particular B450s).

Plenty of flash guides and useful experience/advice if you go down that route/need WiFi.
 
sacks99 said:
I take it I will need to flash the board?

Also with the drop in price on the 3800x it's only £40 more.

RAM I think I will go a good 16gb and add later if I want.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I’d say it’s worth it if you want to run faster RAM. The 3800X offers a little higher clock and memory speed.
 
Thx guys really appreciate the advice.

Gonna go 3800x, b450 carbon and 16gb 3600mhz

Last question as its been 7 years since I changed motherboard will I need a new win10 license?
 
sacks99 said:
Last question as its been 7 years since I changed motherboard will I need a new win10 license?
Click to expand...
If it's a Retail copy and tied to your MS account you should be fine - a quick via MS chat usually resolves any issues if it doesn't register automatically.
 
The Pro Carbon really is an excellent quality board for the money for Zen 2 and you would be looking at the TUF (WIFi needed) or greater for similar quality.

I would, personally, save the £100 and put it towards a better panel, storage, games or meal out.
 
sacks99 said:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-...4-x570-chipset-atx-motherboard-mb-34g-ms.html
Click to expand...
That board is essentially garbage:
https://www.kitguru.net/components/...0-vrm-temperature-analysis-luke-deep-dive/11/
If you need Wifi, £50 cheaper B450 Carbon would do better per money than that.
Just like £70 cheaper Tomahawk.
(VRM components themselves are same in all three)
That's how bad MSI is in X570 boards.

MSI has such amount of totally substandard boards in X570, that it's best avoided in them.
Just like Asus and Gigabyte are best avoided in B450 boards.
Now in X570 Asus and Gigabyte are the best giving good modern VRMs at best prices.
 
So far I have bought 3700x, 4tb HD, Asus tuf wifi x570.

Ram to buy and then I'm set, I dont mind paying out for the motherboard as I may upgrade the cpu at a later date and I think I will be better off in the long run.

Thanks for all the replies.
 
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