Which X370 board for Ryzen 1600

[Elminst]

Hello,
After much deliberation, I've decided to make my new build an AMD one. Everything is purchased except the mobo and CPU.
I'd like to go with an X370 board so that I will have the option to upgrade the CPU in the next 3 years before AMD changes the socket, as well as expanded connection and drive support.

I have narrowed my choices down to these 4 boards and would like opinions:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/fZKhP6,zBH48d,xQQRsY,B698TW/

Please give reasons for/against, not just "pick this one."

I have used ASUS boards in the past and been very happy with them. (Current board is a P6T Deluxe v2 that's lasted 7+ years) So i'm leaning to the STRIX X370-F right now. I'd rather not drop the extra $50-80 on the Crosshair VI, but am willing if it's worth it.
I also prefer the m2 nvme location on the ASUS, something just irks me about cramming it under the main vid card.

My main concerns are:
Stability
Support (bios updates, etc.)
Moderate Overclocking (built in profiles is a plus)
Aesthetics (got some LED strips to run. )

My main use is Gaming, probably >75% of the time. Currently 1080/60Hz but probably move up to 1440 or higher res in the next couple years. not concerned with 144Hz refresh.

For reference, the rest of the build is here. I'm keeping my current GTX970.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($196.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (Purchased For $34.88)
Motherboard: Asus - STRIX X370-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard ($176.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (Purchased For $126.59)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (Purchased For $155.88)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Evolv ATX ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $99.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $69.90)
Total: $860.01
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-13 17:53 EDT-0400

 

[Barty1884]

What's the appeal with X370, out of curiosity? Your main concerns could be addressed with B350..... X370's real benefit is only in SLI and (very slightly) better overclocking.

The B350 Tomahawk is ATX and has an RGB LED header and onboard RGB?
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Y4kwrH/msi-b350-tomahawk-atx-am4-motherboard-b350-tomahawk

All 4 of your options are quality offerings, I just don't see the need for the additional $100 investment.

 

[elbert]

The CM212 is about the same as a stock spire cooler. If you want higher than 3.7~3.8Ghz get a Cryorig H5 or Noctua U12S-AM4 cooler. Anyways the asrock-x370-killer-sliac is a great X370.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($196.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (Purchased For $34.88)
Motherboard: ASRock - X370 KILLER SLI/ac ATX AM4 Motherboard ($111.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (Purchased For $126.59)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (Purchased For $155.88)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Evolv ATX ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $99.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $69.90)
Total: $795.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-13 18:10 EDT-0400

 

[Elminst]

What's the appeal with X370, out of curiosity? Your main concerns could be addressed with B350..... X370's real benefit is only in SLI and (very slightly) better overclocking.

Can you elaborate on this?
I was previously considering the STRIX B350-F. I'm under the impression the X370 has better overclock, better power phase, more RAM support, and thus more future proof. And the B350s generally only have 4 SATA connections from what i've seen/read.

Mostly, I'd like this to potentially last me a good while, while still giving me options for expansion in 3-5 years. Whether that is moving up to an R7 or whatever CPU comes out in 2-3 years, or expanding to SLI and high res gaming. I may not be doing that now but things change.
My P6T Deluxe v2 cost me $250 and is still running strong 7+ years later.

I'm happy to be proven wrong, though.

 

[Elminst]

The CM212 is about the same as a stock spire cooler. If you want higher than 3.7~3.8Ghz get a Cryorig H5 or Noctua U12S-AM4 cooler. Anyways the asrock-x370-killer-sliac is a great X370.

Already kicked myself for swinging the wrong way on the 212 vs the H5/H7.
I'm probably going to return the 212 and eat the restock fee.
I'm very unfamiliar with ASRock, but they seem to be getting decent reviews (I do like the black/white scheme, too).
What's the difference on the Killer SLI vs the Taichi, other than $70?

 

[elbert]

The Taichi has more phase and better components for oc'ing. Tho not sure you really need it unless your going extreme water cooling trying to hit 4.2Ghz with dangerous voltages near 1.45v. The Taichi also has 4 more SATA ports. The Killer has plenty enough phases for the 1600 tho as a few reviews have hit 4.1Ghz. I would say the Taichi is what you would want with the 8 core and the killer is fine for the 6 core with overclock 24/7.

 

[Elminst]

The Taichi has more phase and better components for oc'ing. Tho not sure you really need it unless your going extreme water cooling trying to hit 4.2Ghz with dangerous voltages near 1.45v. The Taichi also has 4 more SATA ports. The Killer has plenty enough phases for the 1600 tho as a few reviews have hit 4.1Ghz. I would say the Taichi is what you would want with the 8 core and the killer is fine for the 6 core with overclock 24/7.

Thank you.
This is the sort of info I'm looking for. I'll be getting the 6 core 1600 now, but I'd like the option of picking up a faster 8 core in 2-3 years. I wasn't planning on pushing the OC as high as possible.

If anyone has similar reasonings for/against the other boards I'd like to hear them.

 

[elbert]

Generally 24/7 safe voltage is 1.35~1.368 which is pretty much limiting to 4Ghz. The Killer can handle even the 8 core 24/7 voltage OC. In 2~3 years your looking at Zen 2 or Zen 3 at 7nm so may be 12~16 core. Generally AMD makes their top end chipset requires to handle future top end CPU's. Example my 970 doesn't handle the 9590 but most all the 990fx chipsets do. Those would overheat my VRM's.

 

[Barty1884]

Can you elaborate on this?
I was previously considering the STRIX B350-F. I'm under the impression the X370 has better overclock, better power phase, more RAM support, and thus more future proof. And the B350s generally only have 4 SATA connections from what i've seen/read.

Mostly, I'd like this to potentially last me a good while, while still giving me options for expansion in 3-5 years. Whether that is moving up to an R7 or whatever CPU comes out in 2-3 years, or expanding to SLI and high res gaming. I may not be doing that now but things change.

It's been covered already really, but to throw my answer in too, yes the X370 has the "better" OCing potential, with more phases and just better components..... but from the testing I've seen, the different in OC and temps don't differ much at all between B350 and X370.

Now, those test have been on consumer level coolers. If you were to go the LN2 or look to achieve some world records, X370 would definitely help out some.

As for "future proof", SLI is the only 'real' argument IMO - providing you're starting out with a top of the line card to begin with, otherwise upgrading in a cycle to a single, stronger GPU is going to make more sense than SLI anyway.

From the CPU standpoint; upgrading to a future CPU is going to be a complete guess at this point anyway.
The R3, R5 and R7 are 65-95W CPUs, so whether any boards have been manufactured for theoretical future TDPs is unlikely.

Given it's AMD, I'd expect a 'buffer' on at least the B350 and X370 chipsets to about 125W (just from prior trends), which should allow you to drop in any future Zen chip. The X370 would *probably* be able to OC those better, just due to the better overall components..... but it's total guesswork at this point.

Sure, +$100 may seem like a decent enough investment if it does accommodate future chips (at the time you want to upgrade), but considering B350 chipset boards can be had for $70-$80 and will do the job perfectly right now........ I would expect a future, comparable chipset (with whatever updated features come in time) to be available for similar money in future.

Current CPU ($200) + B350 board (say $80) = $280
Current CPU ($200) + X370 board ($170?) = $370

"New" CPU in future (say $300) + "existing" X370 board (+$0) = $300
"New" CPU ($300) + "new" BXXX chipset board (around $80 too) = $380

Very similar cost overall ($660 vs $670) in the long run (approx)...... but in a couple of years, there may be further additions (more M.2 etc, "new" features, whatever they may be).

If nothing "new" comes along, then the X370 would likely look like the better buy for the long-run..... but it's impossible to know. I wouldn't expect any groundbreaking technology to come along within Zen's lifespan, but it's worth considering.

Just my $0.02

 

[Elminst]

It's been covered already really, but to throw my answer in too, yes the X370 has the "better" OCing potential, with more phases and just better components..... but from the testing I've seen, the different in OC and temps don't differ much at all between B350 and X370.

Now, those test have been on consumer level coolers. If you were to go the LN2 or look to achieve some world records, X370 would definitely help out some.

As for "future proof", SLI is the only 'real' argument IMO - providing you're starting out with a top of the line card to begin with, otherwise upgrading in a cycle to a single, stronger GPU is going to make more sense than SLI anyway.

From the CPU standpoint; upgrading to a future CPU is going to be a complete guess at this point anyway.
The R3, R5 and R7 are 65-95W CPUs, so whether any boards have been manufactured for theoretical future TDPs is unlikely.

Given it's AMD, I'd expect a 'buffer' on at least the B350 and X370 chipsets to about 125W (just from prior trends), which should allow you to drop in any future Zen chip. The X370 would *probably* be able to OC those better, just due to the better overall components..... but it's total guesswork at this point.

Sure, +$100 may seem like a decent enough investment if it does accommodate future chips (at the time you want to upgrade), but considering B350 chipset boards can be had for $70-$80 and will do the job perfectly right now........ I would expect a future, comparable chipset (with whatever updated features come in time) to be available for similar money in future.

Current CPU ($200) + B350 board (say $80) = $280
Current CPU ($200) + X370 board ($170?) = $370

"New" CPU in future (say $300) + "existing" X370 board (+$0) = $300
"New" CPU ($300) + "new" BXXX chipset board (around $80 too) = $380

Very similar cost overall ($660 vs $670) in the long run (approx)...... but in a couple of years, there may be further additions (more M.2 etc, "new" features, whatever they may be).

If nothing "new" comes along, then the X370 would likely look like the better buy for the long-run..... but it's impossible to know. I wouldn't expect any groundbreaking technology to come along within Zen's lifespan, but it's worth considering.

Just my $0.02

Thank you very much for this.

After your initial post I went back and reevaluated my usage patterns and did much the same calculations.
I do want to be able to move up the display resolution tree to 2k or 4k, but i'm not a pro gamer, and don't need 144Hz. So it is highly unlikely I'll be doing any SLI. And I've never bought the top-most video card in any generation (though that may change now that i have better job ).

However, the added feature sets on the X370 boards (more SATA, more USB, RGB, etc) still hold a good appeal. And I'm willing to pay a bit more for better board components.

So with that in mind, I have shifted focus to the "lower" X370 boards, and the better B350 boards. Such that I'm in the $80-120 range, instead of the $170-220. As mentioned, I was previously considering the ASUS Strix B350-F. And evidently ASRock has gained a pretty good reputation.
So I think my short list would be as follows, with prob the 2 ASUS as top picks:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/LgmxFT,qMdFf7,yBtWGX,ZHyxFT/

Opinions?

 

[Barty1884]

Whether the additional SATA ports, or USB, or "more" RGB will benefit you, only you can decide of course.
For me, personally, 4 SATA ports + M.2 is more than enough..... and USB ports 2 on the rear for mouse/keyboard and a couple of 3.0/3.1 on the front panel are all I need/use.

The ASRock - AB350 Pro4 looks to be a very compelling offering though. 6x SATA, 8x USB onboard + headers, RGB headers and integration.
The only aspect it appears to lack vs X370 is SLI.

Considering your resolution, I don't think X370 is worth considering if SLI is all it's bringing to the table for you.
Even if you moved to 1440p 144Hz or 4K, there are single card solutions that'll handle it. Building around SLI makes very little sense IMO, outside of a few select titles.

 

[Elminst]

Unless anyone has any other opinions or objections, I think I will be going with the Asus Strix B350-F.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond.

 

[elbert]

The ASUS Strix B350-F GAMING or the ASRock AB350 pro4 are good motherboards. Here is a good deal on the motherboard plus gets you a free game.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Asus - STRIX B350-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard ($86.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $86.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-14 13:01 EDT-0400

Newegg has a combo deal on the 2 also.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.3580519