12 plus 2 or 8 plus 2 on the motherboard
12 plus 2 or 8 plus 2 on the motherboard
Which board are you connecting to? What processor are you running?
This is not something you should focus on, and it's really irrelevant. The actual number is pointless... for example, it could be 8 x 70A power stages, for a total of 560A peak current, versus 12 x 40A stages, for a total of 480A peak current .. .12+2 looks good on paper, for marketing reasons, but no guarantee it's better. It could also be 8 real power stages, versus 12 as in 6 doubled power stages ... which makes a very tiny difference, almost not worth discussing. And last, unless you plan to buy a 10+ core processor, anything higher than 6 power stages on modern motherboards won't give you any benefits besides slightly cooler VRM.
The 3600x model draws up to 80-100 watts. A four-phase VRM can handle it without issues, though it may get warm. The B450m-a pro max appears to use a three-phase VRM but has two units, giving you six low-side MOSFETs... according to a search they’re Sinopower SM4503 devices rated for 60A at 100°C. That means six times 60A equals 360A peak—well within the safe range (100-150W / 1.0–1.4V = 100–150A). In the video, the person notes that a 5600x (about 5W less than 3600x) keeps the VRM around 60-70°C, while a 5800x (8 cores) reaches 110W and stays near 100-110°C, which is close to the recommended limits. The MOSFETs are rated for up to 150°C, but the nearby capacitors sit around 95-100°C and are rated for 105°C. You can easily boost cooling by adding adhesive-backed heatsinks or similar solutions. Examples are available here: https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Heatsink...084X4VMP9/
Of course it will improve things. Is there any necessity? Not really. A superior motherboard won't speed up your CPU. It just enhances your overall PC experience with additional USB ports, possibly improved built-in audio, and other features unrelated to the VRM. The 3600x model doesn’t overburden the VRM here, so you shouldn’t worry much. If you can afford around $500, definitely consider a new motherboard. But if your budget is $150, you might get better performance and value by upgrading your graphics card instead.
Checking for stability issues might help. Upgrading to a new device could resolve the problem.
probably not. full specs please. also latest gpu, chipset and bios? XMP on ram enabled?
Check your XMP settings by accessing the system settings or BIOS, then navigating to graphics or display options. Look for XMP profile configuration and adjust it according to your GPU specifications.