New construction - AM4 motherboard
New construction - AM4 motherboard
I'm preparing a new PC next week. I already have a brand-new case from Fractal Design called Meshify S2, a Samsung M2 NVMe EVO Plus with one 1TB SSD, Corsair Vengeance RGB 2x16GB CL16 at 3200MHz RAM. Next week I plan to purchase an R7 3700X or 3800X (price uncertain), but I'll wait for the best deal. I'm getting a full modular 750W 80 Plus Gold PSU. I'm unsure which motherboard to choose, but I can spend around 200€ (about 220€) and maybe 70€ more if needed. I need an X570 chipset because it supports PCIe 4.0. I want better audio, two M.2 slots, sufficient memory for next-gen CPUs like 4900X or 4950X, and a reliable board that allows overclocking later.
Initially, the 3800x offers little improvement over the 3700x and uses more power which generates more heat. Avoid that PSU unless you have at least an 80+ bronze rating. I recommend choosing a Corsair CXM 550w with 80+bronze or, if you can afford it, an RXM 650w with 80+gold. It supports third-generation Ryzen right out of the box. However, since you're planning to install eight-core CPUs, opting for an X570 motherboard might be ideal. Depending on your budget, the Strix X570-E under $350 is a solid choice—it features two Ethernet ports (one 2.5Gbps, one 1Gbps), Intel 6x6 Wi-Fi, and custom antennas. It includes a SupremeFX audio card, two M.2 slots, and a robust VRM+chipset fan with RGB lighting, multiple RGB strips, and fan headers.
Why should you stay quiet? This full modular PSU is 750w, 80plus gold, and it fits the bill. It only costs a bit more—about 40€ or 50$ extra—for the 3800x version, which makes me consider it. Or perhaps I’ll go with the 3700x model to upgrade my board. I’ve checked it out, and it looks great on paper, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to invest that much.
Opt for this option, it runs smoother and performance stays almost identical. Invest the funds in a higher-quality board.
Where are you from ? What's total budget ? Do you need a GPU, i mean, of powerful kind, for games or just to for display output ? What's this PC for ? As @SavageNeo already said there's no need for R7 3800X and if it's for gaming then you don't need it either, get R5 3600(X) but if it's for some CPU-heavy workstation stuff then you'll need aftermarket cooling system too, stock cooler are good for low-load but nothing more.
I'm based in Slovenia. My budget is around 650 to 700€ for completing the build. I'll be cleaning up my old Asus Turbo GTX1070 since it should suffice. The PC will handle video, photo editing, Adobe design work, and weekly gaming. For now, I'll stick with a stock cooler and consider upgrading later.
You're looking at a budget of around 650-700 EUR for the main components. If you really need an X570 board without PCIe 4.0, it might not be worth it. To upgrade to a Ryzen 9 4950X or similar, you'd want a solid motherboard with decent VRM—ASUS TUF or ASRock Pro4 Steel Legend Phantom 4 would fit well. Avoid Gigabyte and MSI X570 models due to weaker VRM and limited options for 16-core CPUs. For the power supply, Enermax Revolution D.F. 650W is a solid choice, though you might need 650W or more if planning a high-end GPU like RTX2080 Super Ti. The total comes to roughly 610 EUR after taxes and shipping.