Which Mobo for me? £400 - £550

[PaulW]

Hi,
i am once again looking at mobo choices, i have a little more extra budget now for a mobo.
i orginally specd the Asus ROG Strix X670E-F Gaming WIFI but am now considering throwing and extra £100 at it. so far the choices could be either

MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi
Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming
Asus ProArt X670E-Creator WiFi + Sound card for optical (ASUS why no SPDIF?)

The main focus of my work would be 3D modeling work, Unreal engine 5 work, some rendering, gaming and some video editing.
Probably all of these would do the job but would like some reason to consider buying one over another. All the motherboads are to expensive imo, but thats the world we currently live in so will just have to accept it.

Anyway I would love your thoughts
Thanks
Paul

 

[PaulW]

yes i need a SPDIF for my audio setup.
atm my build is this

Case	Lian Li O11 Air Mini - Black
CPU	Ryzen 9 7950X
RAM 64gb	Kingston FURY Beast RGB 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C40 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KF556C40BBAK2-64)
GCard	Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming OC 24GB
PWR Supply	MSI MPG A1000G PCIE5 UK PSU 1000W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply
CPU water cooler	ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 - Multi Compatible All-in-One CPU AIO Water Cooler
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X670E-F Gaming WIFI
HDD M2 2tb	Samsung 990 Pro 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.3c Solid State Drive

As i say i have some extra money that i didnt expect to have so it can eiather cover the cost of the 4090 or i can spend it on something better.
the only thing that would be better in the longer term for the Mobo is some extra Gen 5 M2 slots. very much doubt i will get another GPU.

the whole AMD mobo chip swelling / bubbles seems a bit worrying though. i hope they can sort it pretty soon

 

[PaulW]

Atx motherboard the case only supports a 240mm rad.

• The 7 Slot Mode has space for up to ATX motherboards. This mode will reduce radiator support – removing support for a top radiator when using any size motherboard. When using an ATX motherboard, the bottom radiator can only be 240mm, but with ITX and M-ATX you can install up to a 280mm radiator.
• The 5 Slot Mode is ideal for ITX and M-ATX motherboards and allows up to 280mm radiators to be installed at the top. If using a M-ATX motherboard, the bottom radiator can only be 240mm, but with ITX you can install up to a 280mm radiator.
• The VGA-Vertical Top Mode gives more clearance for fan installation in the bottom, with 60mm total clearance. With an ATX motherboard only 240mm radiators can be installed in the bottom.
• The VGA-Vertical Bottom Mode gives only 20mm clearance and does not allow for fan or radiator installation. With any motherboard it does not allow fan or radiator support in the bottom.

Lian Li O11 Air Mini, Midi-Tower, Tempered Glass - Black

Order Lian Li O11 Air Mini, Midi-Tower, Tempered Glass - Black now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

thanks Micky, i thought you could buy some seprate offset adaptors to put the 280 Rad at the top, is this not correct?

Lian Li O11 AIR MINI optional radiator Offset Mounting Bracket

Order Lian Li O11 AIR MINI optional radiator Offset Mounting Bracket now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

 

[PaulW]

Not for a 280mm radiator from my understanding with the use of those brackets and an ATX motherboard , top mounting is listed below

Radiator-Mountings:

1x 240 mm (O11 Air Mini) 1x 240 / 360 mm (O11D Mini)

i really dont get why it won't fit considering the size is in bettween both of them. seems a bit of a design mishap on Lian Li's part in that instance. if this is a massive issue then i'll get a 360 or a 240 if the 240 would cool the 7950x well enough ( probaly not reccomended).
i bet i could make something to fit the 280 in it and i am sure other people already have.

 

[PaulW]

o i c the O11 Air Mini its a smaller depth

 

[PaulW]

but it does say 280mm RAD mounted at the top with an ATX MB in there official video on there site. not sure i am allowed to link the video but on there offical page for it it says it at 0:48. i think i am going to ask them a question on it. but thanks for the info on the width. it might still be the reason.

 

[PaulW]

So I have not contacted Lian Li yet. this morning i have been all over the shop in thinking what is the best solution to make it all work . i really want a smaller case than my current bulky and heavy tower. the sticking point has been the AIO compatibility in the case. i dont think a 240 would be adequate to cool a 7950X or i'd go with that.
the other option i have considered is going with the 011-Dynamic-mini instead. this would mean an extra £100 for a 1000w SFX-L PSU but it would mean it could then fix two issues. one being the AIO as i could use a 240/280/360 in the case on the top it would also allow more clearance at the front of the case for the monster gigabyte graphic card. Here are a list of draw backs. i can only hope that between now and when i come to buy Lian Li do a refresh of the 011's Minis and make them more compatible.

Lian Li Air Mini - issues
1) Gigabyte 4090 may not fit with the 280 RAD at the front of the case
2) 280 RAD cant be mounted on top ( will ask Lian Li)
3) 240 RAD wont cool the 7950X enough ( unless i undervolt which i might do anyway)

O11-Dynamic-mini
1) Needs a 1000w SFX - SFX-L ATX 3.0 PSU going with Corsair SF-L Series SF1000L Fully Modular Low-Noise atm.
2) not as good airflow in the case

 

[PaulW]

Note MSI boards in the UK only have a poor 1 year warranty

. i think one year is pretty terrible these days especially since we are now seeing issues with AMD AM5 chips and boards 6 months after they have been out. yeah i am looking for a AMD board but thanks for the info on it.
i need to sit out the chip expanding issue for the moment untill that is resolved or go intel.

 

[PaulW]

intrestiing, i have always been told its a bad idea to have a radiator at the bottom of a case and a AIO due to bubbles in the system at the pump. i dont think i could go a custom loop like you have, looks cool though .
the fact also that the Air can take full ATX PSU was also why i wanted to go with the Air.
to get the air with a 280 RAD in it and a gigabyte 4090 what do people recommend i do? i saw one video of a guy dremeling his case and drilling in new drill holes to get it to fit on the side.