Compare AM5 B650 boards with the 7800X3D processor from MSI and Gigabyte.
Compare AM5 B650 boards with the 7800X3D processor from MSI and Gigabyte.
Hello, you're considering two motherboards for your new build: the MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk Wi-Fi and the Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX V2. I've only seen comparisons with older Gigabyte models, where MSI was usually ahead. Now, the V2 supports PCIe 5, while the Tomahawk does not. Personally, I'm not sure if PCIe 5 is necessary since the RTX 4x series still uses PCIe 4, and NVMe drives aren't particularly important for everyday tasks. Unboxed reviews suggest these two are comparable, with the Gigabyte option being slightly better. I'm trying to decide based on practical needs rather than chasing maximum specs that you won't use. I also looked into BIOS support and ease of setup but didn't find strong opinions online. Any advice would be appreciated!
what's the price range? budget? around 650 million hdv is the standard board. tomahawk and aorus elite feel like they’re stuck in an odd valley—neither much better than a basic b650 livemixer/pg lightning, nor significantly superior. They lack features found in a b650e taichi lite or something like b650 proart (pcie bifurcation). For mid-range, go with b650 pg lightning or b650s/p wifi based on your needs. Higher tiers? jump straight to b650e taichi lite.
Hello, thank you for reaching out. I'm based in Belgium and am considering a budget of around 200USD/EUR. Anything above that seems excessive for my needs. On Amazon here, the Aorus Elite AX V2 is listed at 171 EUR, while the Tomahawk is priced at 193 EUR. The Taichi appears to be too costly for my setup. My decision was really about choosing between these two options.
The positive side is that if you're not using the expensive PCIe5 M.2 NVME drive, it doesn't really matter. Right now, no game takes full advantage of PCIe4 speed, let alone PCIe5. So PCIe5 NVME is likely just a nice addition rather than a necessity. Looking at the key benefits, AORUS V2 provides more connections compared to MSI, except for the SATA slot. For this price point, you might want to consider the ASRock B650 Steel (slightly cheaper depending on your region). The white finish option is available with the ASRock Steel Legend if you prefer a full white build at a lower cost. When it comes to cooling performance, AORUS still leads, while the other two models perform adequately. Either choice remains a solid option.
P.S. It's true what was said about X3D on Zen5 when it first launched—BIOS would overvolt the CPU to boost performance. This wasn't unique to Gigabyte or ASUS; now they've fixed it, so X3D on Zen5 should run smoothly without risk of damage. Edited August 28, 2024 by ImWilly Additional info for older BIOS versions
Thanks for the update! The ASRock B650 Steel Legend isn't in stock on Amazon right now, and prices elsewhere have risen to 325 EUR. Given the high cost, I don't see it being a good value despite the positive feedback.
It wasn't necessary since you noted the AORUS B650 was priced at 171 EUR, which is cheaper than MSI. AORUS offers more ports (besides SATA) and better cooling performance, making AORUS ELITE AX the clear winner. The small WiFi issue on the V1 model has been resolved in the V2 version.