Upgrade Path Advice
Upgrade Path Advice
I have moved my AM4 configuration to a SFF PC in the living room, leaving my current ATX case and fans unused. I’m planning to switch to an AM5 setup and am unsure which motherboard would be optimal for me. I mainly play esports titles at 1080p, occasionally AAA games, but with manageable performance expectations. My upgrade pattern usually occurs every 9-10 years. Considering extending the system life as much as possible and the experience with AM4, I’m weighing these options:
1. Purchase an X870 board paired with the cheapest CPU available (the R5 8400F for $85), which I’ve found a good deal on. My idea is that in a few years I could upgrade to a more powerful board like the 9800X3D or similar future X3D models, and this setup would still be sufficient.
2. Opt for a B650 board with a 9600X motherboard. This should be more cost-effective, and I’m aware of the performance gap between the 8400F and 9600X.
I’ve read about the differences between chipsets and noticed that PCI-E 5.0 might become relevant in the future, though it seems less critical right now given my low upgrade frequency. My instinct is to choose the newest motherboard now and adapt as needed along the way. Thanks for your advice.
I'd advise on option 2 but you should look at the X3D chips since they are the route to take if your build is primarily for gaming. With the B650 chipset and subsequent BIOS updates, you should be able to stave off the need to change platforms. How about you stylize your thread with info asked of in this thread; *How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice* How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel... forums. and the community could pass on suggestions that may be worthwhile.
Budget range is approximately $400 per JPY60,000 for the CPU/MOBO/SSD/RAM. For four items, it's about $400. I'm not sure of your expectations, but I hope they are reasonable.
Location:
Japan
Hmm, this site is based in the USA, but if you could share your preferred purchase sites and other accessible platforms, it would help us understand the types of brands or components available.
Additional Comments:
I need to verify if the X870 fits my use case or timing better than the B650. From what I see, the X870 isn’t really necessary unless you’re after cutting-edge tech for bragging rights. You don’t seem to be a content creator or involved in anything that requires basic functionality—so a B650 with a 7800X3D should suffice. I built a system with an MSI B650i Edge WiFi, 7800X3D, and DDR5-6600MHz Titanium First Edition RAM for a friend in April of this year. It hasn’t been a big deal so far. If you’re willing to wait a few months or less (assuming a Q1 2025 release), you might want to explore the B850 chipset boards from AMD.
It was an unrealistic pricing target. I could remove the SSD and reuse my SATA SSD instead.
Dospara and PC Koubou are my main sources for PC parts locally. Amazon Japan sometimes works or doesn’t.
That’s what I usually read. I’m okay with B-chipsets because I used one in my AM4 iso X570 and it worked well. If B850 is released, maybe waiting would be better. I just thought X870 will become the new B-level for AM5.
So perhaps B650 makes more sense. Thanks a lot everyone!
I would purchase that 8500f CPU for 12,711 Yen, then acquire this motherboard (18480 Yen), RAM (17800 Yen), and either the NVMe SSD (11280 Yen) or the one with 9580 Yen. The important T500 is a very fast SSD with DRAM cache, though it pushes the budget slightly over at 60,271 Yen. The other SSD keeps the total under budget at 58,571 Yen.
It fits nicely within my intended budget. It seems the B650E is the top choice, perhaps an upgraded version. I initially paid too much attention to the X870 and missed this one.
Regarding the motherboard chipset with MSI, I’ve only used Asus, Gigabyte, and AsRock before. I’m new to Asus and have experience with LGA 1155 and AM4.
ASUS motherboards work well when you locate one that fits your budget. They tend to be slightly pricier, but I compared every board in your price range across both platforms and found the top choice in terms of features. Each chipset offers varying numbers of PCIe lanes, USB standards, and other specifications.
Here’s a helpful comparison chart to understand the distinctions among them. The B650E model includes a dedicated X16 PCIe 5.0 slot for your graphics card.