Because I keep getting questions from people having a hard time choosing AM4 mobos I've decided to make this post.
#1
ASUS Crosshair VII Hero
Amazing for LN2 overclocking. However for daily I'd say it's very excessive and you'd be better of with a cheaper board and spending the extra budget on something else. Like say better RAM or CPU cooling.
Unfortunately I haven't tested the other top end X470 boards.
#2
MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon
When it comes to static overclocking this board can absolutely max out a 2700 or 2700X. For PBO the board doesn't have the best BCLK overclocking implementation but I honestly think messing with BCLK is a waste of time since at best you're gonna pick up like 2-4% more performance across the board. I honestly consider this a go to board for a daily build. Strong VRM with good heatsinks + solid memory overclocking at a reasonable price.
#3
MSI B450M Mortar/Tomahawk/Gaming Pro Carbon
Overclocking wise it's like an X470 Gaming Pro Carbon with a VRM downgrade. It can still handle a 2700X just fine. You do some non overclocking features due to these being being cheaper B450 boards but I'll leave it up to you to decide if you need those or not.
#4
Gigabyte B450M Gaming
I think this is a really good fit for an APU build. The VRM is rather weak but for an APU that doesn't really matter much and with 2DIMMs the board actually does a really good job of memory overclocking. Which is where 90% of an APU's GPU performance comes from. The only major issue with this board is that the voltage monitoring is kinda messed up.
Boards that didn't make the cut and why.
ASUS X470 Prime Pro
It costs almost the same as the Gaming Pro Carbon from MSI while having a worse VRM and doesn't really make up for that in any way that I consider significant.
Gigabyte X470 Ultra Gaming / Gaming 5
The VRM on both of these sucks(it's the same one after all). There's no LLC settings. Voltage only works in offset mode which leads to problems with overclocking CPUs that have a low stock voltage like the R7 2700. Memory overclocking was awful when I last tried it. Really at this price point you can just go for one of the listed X470 or B450 MSI board and get a better board.
Asrock X470 Master SLI / Gaming K4
This is basically a Gigabyte X470 Ultra Gaming with worse VRM cooling and a worse BIOS(so it doesn't have LLC settings). The memory overclocking is pretty good but again at this price you can get an X470 or B450 MSI board that's just better overall.
#1
ASUS Crosshair VII Hero
Amazing for LN2 overclocking. However for daily I'd say it's very excessive and you'd be better of with a cheaper board and spending the extra budget on something else. Like say better RAM or CPU cooling.
Unfortunately I haven't tested the other top end X470 boards.
#2
MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon
When it comes to static overclocking this board can absolutely max out a 2700 or 2700X. For PBO the board doesn't have the best BCLK overclocking implementation but I honestly think messing with BCLK is a waste of time since at best you're gonna pick up like 2-4% more performance across the board. I honestly consider this a go to board for a daily build. Strong VRM with good heatsinks + solid memory overclocking at a reasonable price.
#3
MSI B450M Mortar/Tomahawk/Gaming Pro Carbon
Overclocking wise it's like an X470 Gaming Pro Carbon with a VRM downgrade. It can still handle a 2700X just fine. You do some non overclocking features due to these being being cheaper B450 boards but I'll leave it up to you to decide if you need those or not.
#4
Gigabyte B450M Gaming
I think this is a really good fit for an APU build. The VRM is rather weak but for an APU that doesn't really matter much and with 2DIMMs the board actually does a really good job of memory overclocking. Which is where 90% of an APU's GPU performance comes from. The only major issue with this board is that the voltage monitoring is kinda messed up.
Boards that didn't make the cut and why.
ASUS X470 Prime Pro
It costs almost the same as the Gaming Pro Carbon from MSI while having a worse VRM and doesn't really make up for that in any way that I consider significant.
Gigabyte X470 Ultra Gaming / Gaming 5
The VRM on both of these sucks(it's the same one after all). There's no LLC settings. Voltage only works in offset mode which leads to problems with overclocking CPUs that have a low stock voltage like the R7 2700. Memory overclocking was awful when I last tried it. Really at this price point you can just go for one of the listed X470 or B450 MSI board and get a better board.
Asrock X470 Master SLI / Gaming K4
This is basically a Gigabyte X470 Ultra Gaming with worse VRM cooling and a worse BIOS(so it doesn't have LLC settings). The memory overclocking is pretty good but again at this price you can get an X470 or B450 MSI board that's just better overall.
I think I recalled you mention the gaming 7 , any reason it didn’t make the cut other than gigabyte bios layout?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same thing.
DeleteI have a question about ITX boards. Between MSI B450-I Gaming and Asus B450-I Rog Strix, which is better for APU, and which for 2700X (stock PBO)? From your videos I didn't quite get where does MSI fit into, except that it has better VRM. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI would like to know can B450I AORUS PRO WIFI work with 2700X (stock/Xfr/PBO) in mu case its 40usd cheaper than Asus strix Itx
ReplyDeleteOr Asus is worth it? Thank you in advance..
I would also like to know your thoughts on the Gigabyte ITX Board :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, I consider to get b450 tomahawk / mortar for my build
ReplyDeleteBuildzoid, Could you do VRM Thermal test for B450M pro4/K4 and X470 Master Sli?
ReplyDeleteand I would like to know your Though on B450 Steel legeond...
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ReplyDeleteBuildzoid, currently in South Africa I can get the B450 Tomahawk and X470 Gaming Plus for the same price. Would it still be better to go for the B450 Tomahawk? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJust to add, I'm pairing with a Ryzen 3600
DeleteResidence is generally a great starting point that track, and it is usually the correct destination to conclusion. https://imgur.com/a/hTA5AL7 https://imgur.com/a/1mWtQsZ https://imgur.com/a/xVVzddC https://imgur.com/a/TF9H6nx https://imgur.com/a/j3iYBAK https://imgur.com/a/OEQV3Sz https://imgur.com/a/CAiqtPZ
ReplyDelete