Choose between ASUS ROG Strix B365-F and ASRock B365 Phantom Gaming 4 for your gaming setup.
Choose between ASUS ROG Strix B365-F and ASRock B365 Phantom Gaming 4 for your gaming setup.
To determine which board performs better, we should evaluate factors like build quality, component compatibility, and overall reliability beyond brand or support.
The B series boards with a few phases and a good heat sink are essentially similar, as they lack overclocking options—just choose the most affordable model that won’t throttle an i7. What are you really looking for? Edited June 2, 2020 by Fasauceome
I’m looking for a budget-friendly build with room for future upgrades. I need an ATX motherboard that can handle a 9th gen Intel i3 (9100f) later upgraded to i5 or i7, around 16 GB of RAM, a 500 GB M.2 drive, 2 TB of storage, a GTX 1650 Super, a 550 W power supply, and a Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB. I understand the specs might be limited due to import costs in India, but I still want something reliable for about 7-8 years of heavy use.
I’ve heard mixed reviews about ASRock—some say their boards can fail components or have BIOS issues—but others praise their build quality. My concern is that they mostly use older Intel socket generations (3rd-4th gen), which might affect longevity and upgrade paths. I’m considering getting an ASUS board for the lower price, but I don’t want it to cost more in repairs than the ASRock option.
I need to decide whether ASRock’s current quality is better or if ASUS offers a more stable choice for my needs.
What do you think about the MSI Z390A-Pro? It seems like it might be too much for a non-unlocked CPU, particularly if it's an i3 processor.
To upgrade efficiently with a smaller investment, AMD Ryzen offers a solid option. You can use any Ryzen CPU with a B450 motherboard, and AMD supports the fourth generation Ryzen on those boards. It’s not advised to purchase an 8th or 9th generation board. Prices for 9th and 8th gen components will rise once the 10th generation becomes available. Here’s a sample parts list from PCPartPicker:
- CPU AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core ₹8527.00 (Amazon India)
- Motherboard ASRock B450M Pro4-F Micro ATX AM4 ₹7000.00 (Amazon India)
Shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts are included in the total of ₹15527.00.
Prices were generated by PCPartPicker on June 3, 2020.
I appreciate your advice. However, my experience with AMD support was quite disappointing, especially with the FX 8350 I used on another machine. I’m leaning more toward gaming and think Intel is the better choice for that. I faced several issues with that model—like overheating, crashes, and frozen screens—that made it nearly unusable. It was purchased online with no warranty from AMD. In my area, there aren’t many local dealers carrying AMD parts except for graphics cards. Online shopping for PC components in India seems risky based on what I’ve heard. My nearby dealer only had Intel. Still, I’m open to exploring AMD if possible. Which Ryzen processor would be a solid alternative to the i3-9100f at a similar price? Also, from what I’ve noticed, graphics cards often cost more for AMD models due to customs fees.
Zen 2 has made a significant improvement, but I don’t have much to say about their customer service. Still, why bother asking when it’s this good?
Intel isn’t improving much. AMD delivers solid gaming chips. Unless you’re only into Counter-Strike, AMD stands out as a better value. The FX lineup was really lacking. That’s a bigger issue, sadly. If you can’t afford it, it’s not worth considering. Still, most Indian users here seem to handle AMD parts smoothly, even on Amazon. The one I mentioned earlier has four cores and uses Zen+—generally good value. Anything with Zen+ on the budget is a solid choice, whether it’s second or third generation graphics cards.
The 3200g works well, but I suggest the 1200 model. It’s essentially the same as the 3200g but without APU and costs half as much.