Purchasing 3950X, seeking a motherboard tailored for particular applications
Purchasing 3950X, seeking a motherboard tailored for particular applications
The Aorus Ultra appears to be the most affordable option for your needs, offering a better heatsink than the Pro WiFi and an extra M.2 port. If you're comfortable paying a bit more, the MSI Unify is a solid choice. Generally, the Ace model is the best value without RGB or gold accents, priced lower than most competitors like the Asus X570-E—unless you find a special deal from Microcenter.
they lack the Unify, though I know about it. I'm not aligned with the Anti-RGB group; I prefer lighting inside the case. I don't use rainbow puke (just a heads-up—I can't adjust the RGB on this pre-AURA Z170 board shown). Here are the boards available from Microcenter: https://www.microcenter.com/search/searc...SortNow=Go. If the store doesn't have it, pick the Marietta, GA location and note that I receive an extra $30 off when purchasing the board together with the CPU. Buildzoid, he seems skeptical about the X570-E, saying it's too expensive for the value. He suggests going with the TUF or Hero VII instead. I favor the dedicated W Pump header over an AIO Pump on the VIII versus the TUF, and I appreciate more USB ports and advanced features on the VIII. At this stage, I'm weighing whether the $100-200 premium for the Hero VIII justifies it for my ultimate goals. The Meg ACE is actually cheaper than the Unify on Newegg, though I've dismissed that idea. I'm planning to rewatch the video tomorrow morning before heading out to the store. This might be my final post in the next 5-6 hours since I need to rest.
I believe it features RGB headers but lacks onboard LEDs, which varies with the price. The X570-E is essentially the Crossahir 8 Hero Wifi model without advanced overclocking capabilities; the extra phase in the VRM isn't crucial because it's already quite powerful.