Is this a suitable combination? 5600X
Is this a suitable combination? 5600X
CPU choice: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X at 3.7 GHz with 6 cores (~$420 CAD).
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 ($234.99 on Amazon Canada).
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 ($209.99 on Amazon Canada).
Consideration: You mentioned wanting a shinier board but noticed few mid-range options with BIOS flashing. Since Wi-Fi isn’t a priority, the Tomahawk looks like a solid match.
It seems my focus is mainly on gaming, though I may expand into software development later.
I don't understand why you're choosing the ASUS TUF TUF X570 Plus as your mainboard for a possible future 5600X or 5800X. Does the B550 Tomahawk offer more features and better VRM compared to the TUF? Plus, it looks like a solid pairing. I haven't found any videos about the optimal RAM frequency for the 5600X yet, so I'm keeping an eye on that as well.
I started with the TUF plus, but it lacks the bios flashback option so it might not integrate well with the newer RYZEN systems unless you have an older AM4 board to load and update the firmware. The TUF-Pro includes this feature but is available only in a Wi-Fi variant... regarding the VRM, the Tomahawk model is rated S tier while the TUF models sit one level below in A tier. It's unclear if this difference matters much depending on your intended overclocking scope.
I was aiming for a 3100 while hoping the 5600x or 5800x would arrive soon enough so the BIOS update wouldn’t cause problems. I chose that board after reviewing the ones from buildzoid and gamers nexus, though those guides were from before the b550 boards came out. I wasn’t really familiar with the motherboard tiers, so thanks for the details.
There are a few key points to note. Data shows Zen 3 works significantly better with 8GBx4 RAM compared to 16GBx2. I recommend opting for 3600MHz with more precise timings, such as 16-16-16-36, unless it strains your budget too much. A video from Gamers Nexus covered this topic. RAM is important for Ryzen processors.
I also saw that video, probably the problem was more about 2x8G versus 4x8GB, and 2x16 was just as good or better than 4x8, though they mentioned they’d do a follow-up. Regarding the RAM speeds, I’m struggling to find much in Canada that’s faster or significantly cheaper than what they showed. I doubt I’ll see a big jump, definitely not $100 or more in the difference. Since I’m holding off on purchases until I get the CPU, I can wait for more detailed reviews and videos.
16-16-16-36 seems to point to a Samsung B-die, whereas 16-19-19-39 is almost certain to be a Micron E. https://www.newegg.ca/g-skill-16gb-288-p...6820232195 The lowest price I found for 16-16-16-36 on Newegg in CA was around $131 on eBay via Newegg. Edit: It looks like the only CA$ 131 listing is on eBay from Newegg? https://www.ebay.ca/itm/G-SKILL-Ripjaws-...Swh~1dAMxc 16-16-16-36 is typically a decent B-die, usually fitting between 3666-3800 CL14 when overclocked (and even higher at CAS16). The Micron E offers better stability but looser timing. I own a 5600X and B550 Tomahawk, using TridentZ RGB 3600 with a B-die. I’m working on achieving stable 3800 CL14 performance. @Kraven213