Ryzen 5 3600 motherboard and VRM options available.
Ryzen 5 3600 motherboard and VRM options available.
I'm working on a new PC with a Ryzen 5 3600 processor. The X570 chipset boards are too costly in my region, but I need flexibility for future upgrades to Zen 3. There are some budget-friendly choices that meet my requirements, though reviews mention issues with the VRM design and cooling. The main concern is whether a solid VRM board still matters if I won’t push the CPU beyond its limits. I definitely don’t want the board to shorten its lifespan, but since my CPU has limited headroom already, I’m not planning heavy overclocking either.
B450 tomhawk max mortar max B550 pro 4 offers the strongest power output among these devices, featuring a setup of 12+1+3 and reaching up to 300A of current. It also supports Zen 3 with a beta BIOS.
It isn't only non-X Zen 2 CPUs that offer limited overclocking potential—it applies to most of them as well. To push performance further, turn on PBO and let it optimize itself. You have several B450 models capable of handling up to a 12-core 3900X, and according to MSI they support Zen 3 in the future with beta BIOS versions: B450-A Pro, B450 Gaming Plus, B450 Mortar, B450 Tomahawk, B450 Gaming Pro Carbon, plus their "Max" versions (except GPC) that come ready for Ryzen 3000. Think about adding a B550, since it's confirmed to work with Zen 3 and provides strong power delivery compared to earlier B-series boards, though the lower-end ones are exceptions.
Essentially, the 3600 offers limited flexibility and the x model provides no room for adjustment
Beta bios flash appears unbalanced and may lead to launch issues. Unknown features of the upcoming 4th gen Ryzen are uncertain, such as widespread PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD support. The B550 motherboards are out of stock until early August. I don’t require a board capable of handling a 3900X; if affordable, I’d prefer something with room for future upgrades like a 3600 processor.
The X570-P from Asus remains affordable despite lacking many extra features you might expect.
I never claimed this would be the best way to ensure Zen 3 compatibility, just that it exists, making it preferable over having no support at all. If B550 boards aren't available and you're not keen on B450 because they might not fully meet Zen 3 requirements, then X570 seems like the next logical choice, right? Or wait for B550 to be released where you are. Most X570 models can manage a 3600 core, just with six cores. In fact, any board that isn't a faulty A320 should work at stock speeds. If you're after the most affordable X570 options, you'd likely consider MSI's X570-A Pro, Gigabyte's X570 UD, and ASUS's Prime X570-P. Among these, the Prime X570-P is solid (simple in features but its VRMs should handle even a 3950X easily), while the A Pro is subpar and UD is nearly so.
The X570-P typically costs between $150 and $160, whereas the X570-Plus ranges from $170 to $180.