Please help me choose a B650 board

[Yoshiii335]

Hello,



Please help me choose a B650 board. I will use a 7950X or 7900X cpu. I will use the computer for gaming, 3D design, 3D rendering, movie editing. I will use one or two M.2 drives and one or two ssd or hdd drive for large storage. Maybe a internal sound card.



Here are some I looked at:

https://www.microcenter.com/product...trix-gaming-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard?ob=1

https://www.microcenter.com/product/659691/gigabyte-b650-aorus-elite-ax-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product...rog-strix-gaming-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product...rog-strix-gaming-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product/659690/gigabyte-b650-aorus-pro-ax-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product/659689/gigabyte-b650-aero-g-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product/659573/msi-b650-mpg-edge-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product/659572/msi-b650-mpg-carbon-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

 

[Shou Miko]

What is your budget and how many usb ports and so on do you want?

 

[Ayhamb99]

Hello,



Please help me choose a B650 board. I will use a 7950X or 7900X cpu. I will use the computer for gaming, 3D design, 3D rendering, movie editing. I will use one or two M.2 drives and one or two ssd or hdd drive for large storage. Maybe a internal sound card.



Here are some I looked at:

https://www.microcenter.com/product...trix-gaming-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard?ob=1

https://www.microcenter.com/product/659691/gigabyte-b650-aorus-elite-ax-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product...rog-strix-gaming-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product...rog-strix-gaming-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product/659690/gigabyte-b650-aorus-pro-ax-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product/659689/gigabyte-b650-aero-g-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product/659573/msi-b650-mpg-edge-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

https://www.microcenter.com/product/659572/msi-b650-mpg-carbon-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

Perhaps since you're planning to use the 7900X/7950X with a lot of storage, going with an X670 board would be more beneficial for you for the extra PCI-E Lanes.

 

[Yoshiii335]

What is your budget and how many usb ports and so on do you want?

350 dollars at the most for B650. Most boards seem to have plenty of the ports I want. If I can get one with USB 3.2 gene 2x2, that would be cool but otherwise ok.

Perhaps since you're planning to use the 7900X/7950X with a lot of storage, going with an X670 board would be more beneficial for you for the extra PCI-E Lanes.

So because I plan to use one or two M.2 and one or two ssd or hdd, the X670 is better?

 

[Ayhamb99]

350 dollars at the most for B650. Most boards seem to have plenty of the ports I want. If I can get one with USB 3.2 gene 2x2, that would be cool but otherwise ok.


So because I plan to use one or two M.2 and one or two ssd or hdd, the X670 is better?

I believe so, and if your budget is around $350 then i am pretty sure you can find good quality X670 boards around the $300 mark

Gigabyte X670 AORUS ELITE AX AMD AM5 ATX Motherboard - Micro Center

Get it now! With fast moving of technology changes, GIGABYTE follows with the latest trends and provides customers with advanced features and latest technologies.

www.microcenter.com

 

[The King]

It looks like Msi dropped the ball with their B650 motherboard lineup since they all only 6 layers.
Not so important if you don't care much about RAM overclocking but still disappointed personally in their lineup.

Here are two videos that may help you with your purchasing decision.

 

[Kapone33]

I would go Asus before Gigabyte on the lineup you posted. The Strix line is basically the premium features at mid range prices. I don't know if they have a TUF but those are also usually rock solid. It then comes down to what you want the first board is not as good as the 3rd in terms of flexibility. I would pay the $349 for that one as you get the same PCIe 5.0 allocation as some X670 boards. It comes with 2 (hopefully wired as x8) PCIe 5.0 slots and you still get another x16 slot. It also has a post code. That is something that should be seen as a necessity with a brand new platform.

 

[Tek-Check]

Please help me choose a B650 board. I will use a 7950X or 7900X cpu. I will use the computer for gaming, 3D design, 3D rendering, movie editing. I will use one or two M.2 drives and one or two ssd or hdd drive for large storage. Maybe a internal sound card.
Here are some I looked at:

None of those boards listed.
- firstly, there is nothing wrong with going high-end CPU and B650 board. I have 5900X, 6800XT and B550 ProArt. Works great together!
- secondly, if you do not specifically need 7950X for those workloads, don't overpay and buy 7900X. Only buy 7950X if time is a critical factor and if you run those workloads everyday for several hours. In this case, 7950X will do the job faster, if workloads are CPU bound. If GPU bound, 7900X is enough.
- next, if you wish to add sound card, Thunderbolt card or capture card, in addition to GPU, don't buy ITX board, as those have only one PCIe slot
- M.2 Gen4 Samsung 980 Pro are super fast and discounted now; for SATA SSD Crutial MX500 are performant and affordable (spec sheets attached)
- if HDD, buy 7200 rpm and not 5400 rpm. 7200 disks are faster. WD Gold 12TB get you speeds up to 255 MB/s for large video files and renders. 12TB capacity is better than 10TB HDD - 12TB disk uses less power and it's more quiet due to HelioSeal tech.

Motherboards
A lot of video workflows and renderings suggest you might want to consider a board with wide bandwidth video outputs and fast data connectivity ports, to move a lot of data around, and fast, right? If so, I'd suggest motherboards with USB4/Thunderbolt 4 ports at 40 Gbps for speedy transfer and HDMI 2.1 FRL ports for up to 32 Gbps video signal to better monitors.

1. Asrock Taichi B650E - one of the most amibitious and future-proof B650 board, according to me. It's a high quality board, no doubt.
- pricier $449, but offset if paired with 7900X
- has USB4/Thunderbolt 4 port at 40 Gbps and front USB-C at 20 Gbps
- HDMI 21. FRL port at 32 Gbps for onboard graphics link to 4K/120 10-bit monitor and HDCP 2.3
- powerful VRAM 24+2+1, each at 105A and 8-layer PCB, E-ATX factor, so wider clearance is needed in a case
- two PCIe slots, x16 Gen5 and x4 Gen4 on chipset for AIC
- three M.2, one Gen5 and two Gen4, and 4 SATA ports for drives
- 12 rear USB ports and up to 7 front USB ports

ASRock B650E Taichi

Supports AMD Ryzen™ 9000, 8000 and 7000 Series Processors; 24+2+1 Phase Power Design, SPS for Vcore+GT; 4 x DDR5 DIMMs, Supports Dual Channel, up to 7600+ (OC); 1 PCIe 5.0 x16, 1 PCIe 4.0 x16; Graphics Output Options: 1 USB4 Type-C, 1 HDMI; Realtek ALC4082 5.1 CH HD Audio Codec,, ESS SABRE9218...

www.asrock.com

2. Gigabyte Aorus Master B650E
- cheaper $349, goes either with 7900X or 7950X, depending on which CPU you need
- front USB-C at 20 Gbps
- instead of TB4 at rear I/O, there is internal TB4 header for x4 Thunderbolt card
- HDMI 21. FRL port at 32 or 40 Gbps for onboard graphics monitor at 4K/120 or 8K/60 10-bit and HDCP 2.3
- moderate VRAM 16+2+2, each at 105A and 8-layer PCB, ATX factor
- three PCIe slots, x16 Gen5, x4 Gen4 and x2 Gen4 on chipset
- four M.2, all Gen5 and 4 SATA ports for drives
- 13 rear USB ports and up to 7 front USB ports

B650E AORUS MASTER (rev. 1.0) Specification | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ultimate platform for...

www.gigabyte.com

Enjoy building a new system. X670 board might be an overkill for your needs. You will not regret B650E board, if carefully chosen.

 

[ir_cow]

I'm a big fan the Gigabyte B650E Master for what you are getting. https://www.techpowerup.com/review/gigabyte-b650e-aorus-master/ . Though other choices do exist. The big reason to go X670 is for more USB ports and PCIE slots, but at $350 you probably won't see much of that. Secondly, The (E) versions are for PCIe Gen5 support. If you never planning on using Gen5 devices, why pay for it.

 

[Kapone33]

None of those boards listed.
- firstly, there is nothing wrong with going high-end CPU and B650 board. I have 5900X, 6800XT and B550 ProArt. Works great together!
- secondly, if you do not specifically need 7950X for those workloads, don't overpay and buy 7900X. Only buy 7950X if time is a critical factor and if you run those workloads everyday for several hours. In this case, 7950X will do the job faster, if workloads are CPU bound. If GPU bound, 7900X is enough.
- next, if you wish to add sound card, Thunderbolt card or capture card, in addition to GPU, don't buy ITX board, as those have only one PCIe slot
- M.2 Gen4 Samsung 980 Pro are super fast and discounted now; for SATA SSD Crutial MX500 are performant and affordable (spec sheets attached)
- if HDD, buy 7200 rpm and not 5400 rpm. 7200 disks are faster. WD Gold 12TB get you speeds up to 255 MB/s for large video files and renders. 12TB capacity is better than 10TB HDD - 12TB disk uses less power and it's more quiet due to HelioSeal tech.

Motherboards
A lot of video workflows and renderings suggest you might want to consider a board with wide bandwidth video outputs and fast data connectivity ports, to move a lot of data around, and fast, right? If so, I'd suggest motherboards with USB4/Thunderbolt 4 ports at 40 Gbps for speedy transfer and HDMI 2.1 FRL ports for up to 32 Gbps video signal to better monitors.

1. Asrock Taichi B650E - one of the most amibitious and future-proof B650 board, according to me. It's a high quality board, no doubt.
- pricier $449, but offset if paired with 7900X
- has USB4/Thunderbolt 4 port at 40 Gbps and front USB-C at 20 Gbps
- HDMI 21. FRL port at 32 Gbps for onboard graphics link to 4K/120 10-bit monitor and HDCP 2.3
- powerful VRAM 24+2+1, each at 105A and 8-layer PCB, E-ATX factor, so wider clearance is needed in a case
- two PCIe slots, x16 Gen5 and x4 Gen4 on chipset for AIC
- three M.2, one Gen5 and two Gen4, and 4 SATA ports for drives
- 12 rear USB ports and up to 7 front USB ports

ASRock B650E Taichi

Supports AMD Ryzen™ 9000, 8000 and 7000 Series Processors; 24+2+1 Phase Power Design, SPS for Vcore+GT; 4 x DDR5 DIMMs, Supports Dual Channel, up to 7600+ (OC); 1 PCIe 5.0 x16, 1 PCIe 4.0 x16; Graphics Output Options: 1 USB4 Type-C, 1 HDMI; Realtek ALC4082 5.1 CH HD Audio Codec,, ESS SABRE9218...

www.asrock.com

2. Gigabyte Aorus Master B650E
- cheaper $349, goes either with 7900X or 7950X, depending on which CPU you need
- front USB-C at 20 Gbps
- instead of TB4 at rear I/O, there is internal TB4 header for x4 Thunderbolt card
- HDMI 21. FRL port at 32 or 40 Gbps for onboard graphics monitor at 4K/120 or 8K/60 10-bit and HDCP 2.3
- moderate VRAM 16+2+2, each at 105A and 8-layer PCB, ATX factor
- three PCIe slots, x16 Gen5, x4 Gen4 and x2 Gen4 on chipset
- four M.2, all Gen5 and 4 SATA ports for drives
- 13 rear USB ports and up to 7 front USB ports

B650E AORUS MASTER (rev. 1.0) Specification | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ultimate platform for...

www.gigabyte.com

Enjoy building a new system. X670 board might be an overkill for your needs. You will not regret B650E board, if carefully chosen.
View attachment 270123

What is better on the boards above than this one from the OP's list

https://www.microcenter.com/product...rog-strix-gaming-wifi-amd-am5-atx-motherboard

 

[Tek-Check]

What is better on the boards above than this one from the OP's list

"Better" is relative. I listed a package features that he might find more interesting for his intended use.
Asrock boards, MSI Edge and Aorus Master B650 are the only boards in entire initial AM5 line-up that have HDMI 2.1 port with FRL protocol, allowing onboard video output at 32 Gbps, for 4K/120 connections to monitors. All other boards, including Asus, have older HDMI 2.0 for 4K/60 at 18 Gbps. Taichi board has more robust VRM and Thunderbolt port 40 Gbps, for fast video files transfer. I am repeating myself.

 

[Kapone33]

"Better" is relative. I listed a package features that he might find more interesting for his intended use.
Asrock boards, MSI Edge and Aorus Master B650 are the only boards in entire initial AM5 line-up that have HDMI 2.1 port with FRL protocol, allowing onboard video output at 32 Gbps, for 4K/120 connections to monitors. All other boards, including Asus, have older HDMI 2.0 for 4K/60 at 18 Gbps. Taichi board has more robust VRM and Thunderbolt port 40 Gbps, for fast video files transfer. I am repeating myself.

There is no APU that supports HDMI 2.1 that can do 4K 120HZ so that seems moot to me (Not the 2 cores in 7000 CPUs). The VRM on that Asus board is fine but the Asus has a better BIOS implementation than the rest of them. The Thunderbolt port needs a Compliant device and what other than E-GPUs need that kind on bandwidth while that Asus board will support a 2*M2x4 Raid card at up to 5.0 speed. The Audio solution on the Gigabyte board is also less than desirable but we are talking about specifics. The difference in performance would be difficult to measure other than those parameters.

 

[Hofnaerrchen]

350 dollars at the most for B650. Most boards seem to have plenty of the ports I want. If I can get one with USB 3.2 gene 2x2, that would be cool but otherwise ok.


So because I plan to use one or two M.2 and one or two ssd or hdd, the X670 is better?

X670 is worse than B650E in many aspects. If you wanted to have a significant upgrade you would have to go for X670E - else you are losing PCIe 5.0 x16 for getting a relatively small amount of more chipset PCIe lanes and probably USB. The ASUS STRIX B650E-E - a MB I am watching myself - you have on your list already comes with 4 M.2 slots (3 usable without sacrificing reducing PCIe x16 to x8). As Tek-Check already mentioned: B650E is a good choice for AM5.

 

[Tek-Check]

There is no APU that supports HDMI 2.1 that can do 4K 120HZ so that seems moot to me

Both Rembrandt 6000 APUs and AMD 7000 CPUs support, on die, HDMI 2.1 FRL protocol up to 48 Gbps and DP 2.1 at 40 Gbps. Have you missed presentations of their display and video engines capabilities? If you follow tech world and have claims about APU, you should know which features VCN and DCN engines support. Here are the specs.

Rembrandt 6000 APU display engine - DCN​	Raphael 7000 CPU display and video engines - DCN and VCN​

In addition, Rembrandt APUs are VESA certified for DP 2.1 ports are 40 Gbps. It's up to vendors to expose those capabilities, and many have been sluggish. Asrock has done a great job by giving their boards HDMI 2.1 FRL port at 32 Gbps. Gigabyte's board has the same port.

It's not about gaming here, of course, but displaying images on better monitors for whatever productivity workloads. I prefer to have a better HDMI port than worse one. After all, 99% of GPUs have only one HDMI 2.1 FRL port, and that one is often used for 4K TV and other display. So, having another capable HDMI 2.1 port for on-board graphics is always welcomed rather than not having it.

Yes, Thunderbolt does need external compliant devices. That's exactly why I recommended this board. Video workloads mentioned in the OP include possibility of working with Thunderbolt and USB4 devices. Such host port is hugely beneficial as it can be attached to TB hub and then several devices can be attached to hub or daisy chained. You can't underestimate benefits of Thunderbolt ecosystem for creative workflows. Plus, such TB port can also serve as VLAN 10 Gbps port for large file transfers over internal network, which is exactly what many creative do between PCs or PC and NAS devices.

I have nothing against Asus board per se, but for proposed workflows I suggested two boards that seem the best fit. I explained why and I will not ping-pong anymore about one or two features. I firmly stand by my choice of boards for this member and it's up to him to decide. Simple. You can try to convince him to buy Asus. But, please, do not try to convince me that Asus board is "better" for this case use scenario.

As Tek-Check already mentioned: B650E is a good choice for AM5.

Exactly. I proposed two boards with more advanced video and data transfer ports to enhance his video rendering workflows. Chosen board will serve him well for several good years. Audio from Asus board wouldn't matter too much as the member mentioned option of installing AIC sound card. All in all, Gigabyte Aorus Master or Asrock Taichi B650E are for this case use.

 

[Hofnaerrchen]

Audio from Asus board wouldn't matter anyway as the member mentioned option of installing AIC sound card.

All in all, Gigabyte Aorus Master or Asrock Taichi B650E for this case use scenario.

Did not mention the board as a recommendation (it was just the one I knew), just to clarify the M.2 slot situation. I am quite sure almost all B650E boards come with at least 3 usable slots. After reading your commentay I checked AsROCK boards and found one that suits my requirements even better than the mentioned ASUS one.

 

[Kapone33]

Both Rembrandt 6000 APUs and AMD 7000 CPUs support on die HDMI 2.1 FRL protocol up to 48 Gbps and DP 2.1 at 40 Gbps. Have you missed the presentation of their display engine capability? If you follow tech world and have claims about APU, you should know which features VCN and DCN engines support.

In addition, Rembrandt APUs are VESA certified for DP 2.1 ports are 40 Gbps. It's up to vendors to expose those capabilities, and many have been sluggish.

Asrock has done a great job by giving their boards 32 Gbos HDMI 2.1 FRL port. Gigabyte's board has the same port.

It's not about gaming here, of course, but displaying images on better monitors for whatever productivity workloads. I prefer to have a better HDMI port than a worse one. After all, 99% of GPU have only one HDMI port, and that one ifms often used for 4K TV and other display. So, having capable HDMI 2.1 port on-board is always welcomed rather than not having it.

Yes, Thunderbolt does need external compliant devices. That's exactly why I recommended this board. Workloads mentioned include possibility of working with Thunderbolt devices. Such host port is hugely beneficial as it can be attached to TB hub and then several devices can be attached to hub or daisy chained. You can't underestimate benefits of Thunderbolt ecosystem for creative workflows. Plus, such port can also serve as VLAN 10 Gbps port for large file transfers over internal network, which is exactly what many creative do with PC and NAS devices.

I have nothing against Asus board per se, but for proposed workflows I suggested two boards that seem the best fit. I explained why and I will not ping-pong anymore about one or two features. I firmly stand by my choice of boards for this member and it's up to him to decide. Simple. You can try to convince him to buy Asus. But, please, do not try to convince me that Asus board us "better".


Exactly. And I proposed two boards with more advanced video and data transfer ports to enhance his video rendering workflows. Chosen board will serve him well for several good years.

Audio from Asus board wouldn't matter anyway as the member mentioned option of installing AIC sound card.

All in all, Gigabyte Aorus Master or Asrock Taichi B650E for this case use scenario.

Regardless, if the OP wants M2 storage that Strix board is the most flexible. If you want M2 the Strix does not rob lanes. The 1220 Codec will blow away cards like the Asus Xonar AE as it is a new codec that has been updated.

Strix Expansion and Storage​

AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Desktop Processors*
2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots (supports x16 & x8/x4 modes)
AMD B650 Chipset**
1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (supports x4 mode)
* Please check PCIe bifurcation table in support site (https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1037507/).
Total supports 4 x M.2 slots and 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports*
AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Desktop Processors
M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280
(supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode)
M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280
(supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode)
AMD X670 Chipset
M.2_4 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
*AMD RAIDXpert2 Technology supports both PCIe RAID 0/1/10 and SATA RAID 0/1/10.


AS Rock B650 TAICHI

CPU:
- 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1), supports x16 mode*
Chipset:
- 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2), supports x4 mode*
- 1 x Vertical M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT PCIe WiFi module

- 15μ Gold Contact in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE1)

*If M2_3 is occupied, PCIE2 will be disabled.
Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks


CPU:
- 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2230/2242/2260/2280/22110 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode*
Chipset:
- 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
- 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
ASMedia ASM1061:

4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

I know that the OP has decided to go with As Rock but based on his wants the Strix seems to make the most common sense to me. Even though the 670 is listed all of that data is from the Strix website.

 

[Yoshiii335]

Both Rembrandt 6000 APUs and AMD 7000 CPUs support on die HDMI 2.1 FRL protocol up to 48 Gbps and DP 2.1 at 40 Gbps. Have you missed the presentation of their display engine capability? If you follow tech world and have claims about APU, you should know which features VCN and DCN engines support.

In addition, Rembrandt APUs are VESA certified for DP 2.1 ports are 40 Gbps. It's up to vendors to expose those capabilities, and many have been sluggish.

Asrock has done a great job by giving their boards 32 Gbos HDMI 2.1 FRL port. Gigabyte's board has the same port.

It's not about gaming here, of course, but displaying images on better monitors for whatever productivity workloads. I prefer to have a better HDMI port than a worse one. After all, 99% of GPU have only one HDMI port, and that one ifms often used for 4K TV and other display. So, having capable HDMI 2.1 port on-board is always welcomed rather than not having it.

Yes, Thunderbolt does need external compliant devices. That's exactly why I recommended this board. Workloads mentioned include possibility of working with Thunderbolt devices. Such host port is hugely beneficial as it can be attached to TB hub and then several devices can be attached to hub or daisy chained. You can't underestimate benefits of Thunderbolt ecosystem for creative workflows. Plus, such port can also serve as VLAN 10 Gbps port for large file transfers over internal network, which is exactly what many creative do with PC and NAS devices.

I have nothing against Asus board per se, but for proposed workflows I suggested two boards that seem the best fit. I explained why and I will not ping-pong anymore about one or two features. I firmly stand by my choice of boards for this member and it's up to him to decide. Simple. You can try to convince him to buy Asus. But, please, do not try to convince me that Asus board us "better".


Exactly. And I proposed two boards with more advanced video and data transfer ports to enhance his video rendering workflows. Chosen board will serve him well for several good years.

Audio from Asus board wouldn't matter anyway as the member mentioned option of installing AIC sound card.

All in all, Gigabyte Aorus Master or Asrock Taichi B650E for this case use scenario.

Regardless, if the OP wants M2 storage that Strix board is the most flexible. If you want M2 the Strix does not rob lanes. The 1220 Codec will blow away cards like the Asus Xonar AE as it is a new codec that has been updated.

Strix Expansion and Storage​

AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Desktop Processors*
2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots (supports x16 & x8/x4 modes)
AMD B650 Chipset**
1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (supports x4 mode)
* Please check PCIe bifurcation table in support site (https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1037507/).
Total supports 4 x M.2 slots and 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports*
AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Desktop Processors
M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280
(supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode)
M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280
(supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode)
AMD X670 Chipset
M.2_4 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
*AMD RAIDXpert2 Technology supports both PCIe RAID 0/1/10 and SATA RAID 0/1/10.


AS Rock B650 TAICHI

CPU:
- 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1), supports x16 mode*
Chipset:
- 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2), supports x4 mode*
- 1 x Vertical M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT PCIe WiFi module

- 15μ Gold Contact in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE1)

*If M2_3 is occupied, PCIE2 will be disabled.
Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks


CPU:
- 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2230/2242/2260/2280/22110 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode*
Chipset:
- 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
- 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
ASMedia ASM1061:

4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

I know that the OP has decided to go with As Rock but based on his wants the Strix seems to make the most common sense to me. Even though the 670 is listed all of that data is from the Strix website.

Thanks everyone.

I have not chosen one yet. But I will. Strix has more storage options?

Both Rembrandt 6000 APUs and AMD 7000 CPUs support, on die, HDMI 2.1 FRL protocol up to 48 Gbps and DP 2.1 at 40 Gbps. Have you missed presentations of their display and video engines capabilities? If you follow tech world and have claims about APU, you should know which features VCN and DCN engines support. Here are the specs.

Rembrandt 6000 APU display engine - DCN​	Raphael 7000 CPU display and video engines - DCN and VCN​
View attachment 270218	View attachment 270219​

In addition, Rembrandt APUs are VESA certified for DP 2.1 ports are 40 Gbps. It's up to vendors to expose those capabilities, and many have been sluggish. Asrock has done a great job by giving their boards HDMI 2.1 FRL port at 32 Gbps. Gigabyte's board has the same port.

It's not about gaming here, of course, but displaying images on better monitors for whatever productivity workloads. I prefer to have a better HDMI port than worse one. After all, 99% of GPUs have only one HDMI 2.1 FRL port, and that one is often used for 4K TV and other display. So, having another capable HDMI 2.1 port for on-board graphics is always welcomed rather than not having it.

Yes, Thunderbolt does need external compliant devices. That's exactly why I recommended this board. Video workloads mentioned in the OP include possibility of working with Thunderbolt and USB4 devices. Such host port is hugely beneficial as it can be attached to TB hub and then several devices can be attached to hub or daisy chained. You can't underestimate benefits of Thunderbolt ecosystem for creative workflows. Plus, such TB port can also serve as VLAN 10 Gbps port for large file transfers over internal network, which is exactly what many creative do between PCs or PC and NAS devices.

I have nothing against Asus board per se, but for proposed workflows I suggested two boards that seem the best fit. I explained why and I will not ping-pong anymore about one or two features. I firmly stand by my choice of boards for this member and it's up to him to decide. Simple. You can try to convince him to buy Asus. But, please, do not try to convince me that Asus board is "better" for this case use scenario.


Exactly. I proposed two boards with more advanced video and data transfer ports to enhance his video rendering workflows. Chosen board will serve him well for several good years. Audio from Asus board wouldn't matter too much as the member mentioned option of installing AIC sound card. All in all, Gigabyte Aorus Master or Asrock Taichi B650E are for this case use.

The Asus board has HDMI 2.1

ASUS B650E-E ROG Strix Gaming WiFi AMD AM5 ATX Motherboard - Micro Center

Get it now! ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-E GAMING WIFI motherboard is built for gamers who pursue optimal in-game experience with boosted power delivery and an optimized cooling design to maximize the demand for Ryzen 7000 series processors. Along with the latest Wi-Fi 6E, DDR5 Memory, and PCI Express 5.

www.microcenter.com

Is that the same as the ones you suggested? So using the cpu onboard video helps out how with the gpu? Also I have a 3090Ti, might upgrade to a 4090, it has HDMI 2.1, so do I need to worry about having that on the motherboard? I want to use the graphic power of the gpu when editing video, do I connect thru gpu with monitor or the motherboard?

 

[Kapone33]

Thanks everyone.

I have not chosen one yet. But I will. Strix has more storage options?

The Asus board (according to the specs) allows you to have 2 5.0 M2 drives and 2 4.0 M2 drives. The board also has 3 x16 expansion slots that are wired as 16, 8 and 4. The first 2 are connected to the CPU and support lane splitting. Even though it might seem like you would be losing bandwidth x8 on that board would be the same as a full x16 slot on a X570. With those 2 you could get a RAID 0 array spanning across 2 drives. You could then create a 4 drive array. The thing is they would all be connected to the CPU and you could use whatever generation you want. The 3rd slot could easily hold another 4.0 drive using an adapter. Then you still have your SATA to populate. According to the Specs those are also connected to the CPU. Either the Specs are misleading or that board is the most flexible B650 as it appears to use a X670 chipset. RAID on M2 NVME is worth it for the jump in sequential data speeds for processing videos.

The Asus board (according to the specs) allows you to have 2 5.0 M2 drives and 2 4.0 M2 drives. The board also has 3 x16 expansion slots that are wired as 16, 8 and 4. The first 2 are connected to the CPU and support lane splitting. Even though it might seem like you would be losing bandwidth x8 on that board would be the same as a full x16 slot on a X570. With those 2 you could get a RAID 0 array spanning across 2 drives. You could then create a 4 drive array. The thing is they would all be connected to the CPU and you could use whatever generation you want. The 3rd slot could easily hold another 4.0 drive using an adapter. Then you still have your SATA to populate. According to the Specs those are also connected to the CPU. Either the Specs are misleading or that board is the most flexible B650 as it appears to use a X670 chipset. RAID on M2 NVME is worth it for the jump in sequential data speeds for processing videos.

You could get 4 of these for just over $1200 and have 8 TB of NVME

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You could get one of these to feed 2

https://www.amazon.ca/M-2-X16-Expansion-V2-Supports/dp/B07NQBQB6Z

and use the other 2 on the board. According to the board M2 1 and M2 3 support 5.0.

The Asus board (according to the specs) allows you to have 2 5.0 M2 drives and 2 4.0 M2 drives. The board also has 3 x16 expansion slots that are wired as 16, 8 and 4. The first 2 are connected to the CPU and support lane splitting. Even though it might seem like you would be losing bandwidth x8 on that board would be the same as a full x16 slot on a X570. With those 2 you could get a RAID 0 array spanning across 2 drives. You could then create a 4 drive array. The thing is they would all be connected to the CPU and you could use whatever generation you want. The 3rd slot could easily hold another 4.0 drive using an adapter. Then you still have your SATA to populate. According to the Specs those are also connected to the CPU. Either the Specs are misleading or that board is the most flexible B650 as it appears to use a X670 chipset. RAID on M2 NVME is worth it for the jump in sequential data speeds for processing videos.


You could get 4 of these for just over $1200 and have 8 TB of NVME

Computer Accessories and Peripherals

Shop Dell's computer accessories like keyboards, mice, webcams & batteries, all tailored for your home or business needs. Enjoy great deals and free shipping!

www.dell.com

You could get one of these to feed 2

https://www.amazon.ca/M-2-X16-Expansion-V2-Supports/dp/B07NQBQB6Z

and use the other 2 on the board. According to the board M2 1 and M2 3 support 5.0.

Sorry I posted the 1 TB

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/seagate-firecuda-530-2tb-nvme-pci-e-internal-hard-drive-zp2000gm3a013/15644367?cmp=seo-15644367&cmp=knc-s-71700000055264139&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsdKbBhDHARIsANJ6-jd0kVeCq2Bi-XOD_8uII-C47hIf2iQxb53U_uY2_wLAPwQROtQV_SAaAl2xEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Hofnaerrchen]

As far as I am informed DP is downward compatible and the IGPU will most likely never be able to make use of the bandwidth DP 2.1 offers. So even DP 1.4/1.4a would do the job should you ever need the IGPU, especially when your are going to use a top-tier GPU nonetheless. When it comes to storage it's about shared resources (PCIe-lanes). I will not go into detail. There is a channel on YT with a focus on content creation builds I stumbled upon lately (BuildOrBuy) that will love to tell you how many lanes you get in detail.

Long story short: If you want PCIe x16 gen 5 you will have no other choice than a "E" chipset, simply because you are already using a last gen top end GPU and I doubt that you will want to forgo the option to use a next gen PCIe gen 5 GPU in 2-3 years time.

In my opinion X670 is primarily good for people who have a need for max. connection but not max. speed (being mostly limited to PCIe gen 4) - as desktop CPUs have limited PCIe resources the PCIe x16 slot will probably be used for a gen 4 AIC, using no dedicated GPU at all. So you will have to check the selected motherboards manuals (found for download on the brand's homepage) for PCIe resource usage/sharing. 2 NVME SSDs and 2 SATA HDD/SSDs will most like work on all B650E boards. If you need more: X670E - might get costly, though or when money does not play any role: Workstation MB.

1. Even though it might seem like you would be losing bandwidth x8 on that board would be the same as a full x16 slot on a X570 and 2. The thing is they would all be connected to the CPU and you could use whatever generation you want.

1. Not when you are using a PCIe gen 4 GPU. In that case bandwith will be limited to 16GT, not 32. Spliting gen 5 lanes into half does not mean it will run at full x16 gen 4 speed. If you want to achieve that it's getting very costly very fast (probably costing as much as the MB, RAM and CPU combined), because you will need a special AIC to do that.

2. You should consult the MB (ASUS ROG Strix B650E-E) manual: AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Desktop Processors M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode) M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode) M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode) AMD B650 Chipset M.2_4 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode) 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports.

I don't think there is any AM5 MB that supports 4 NVME drives directly by the CPU. The CPU has 28 PCIe gen 5 lanes. 16 for GPU, 4 for NVME, 4 to Chipset and the remaining 4 are mostly used for connectivity and a gen 4 NVME. So the max. Number of drives - when sacrificing the x16 slot to be x8 - connected to the CPU are 3. Appart from that ATX is limited in space. When you are willing to sacrifice 8 GPU lanes, you are limited to 4 NVME drives on the ASUS B650E. If you want more, than you have to put an AIC in the PCIe gen 5 x16 slot, losing the option to use a dedicated GPU. These are desktop motherboards, not HEDT nor Workstation. Resources are limited and shared all the time.

 

[Kapone33]

Not when you are using a PCIe gen 4 GPU. In that case bandwith will be limited to 16GT, not 32. Spliting gen 5 lanes into half does not mean it will run at full x16 gen 4 speed. If you want to achieve that it's getting very costly very fast (probably costing as much as the MB, RAM and CPU combined), because you will need a special AIC to do that.

The OP has a 3090TI and is thinking about a 4090, even in 2-3 years whatever GPU will not saturate a 5.0 Bus even running at 16 GT/s. I don't think money is the issue. and as much as you think it is expensive it is only when you buy an AIC with a controller that you pay a premium. Windows is plenty smart for RAID arrays. You only get a controller if you want Windows to see it as 1 drive without building the array anyway (AIDA will still see 2 drives). You could also buy a WD AN1500 1TB for $300 and put 2 bigger 3.0 drives for more storage and have an AIC that works in any slot.

 

[Tek-Check]

Regardless, if the OP wants M2 storage that Strix board is the most flexible. If you want M2 the Strix does not rob lanes. The 1220 Codec will blow away cards like the Asus Xonar AE as it is a new codec that has been updated.

The OP mentioned one or two NVMe drives, and that's another reason why I recommended the boards I did. With two M.2 drives, his PCIe expansion needs will not be "robbed" and any AIC can be installed in the second slot on Taichi or even in the third PCIe slot Aorus Master.

Both boards that I recommended either have ALC1220 (Gigabyte) or newer ALS4082 (Taichi). The point is mute.

The Realtek ALC4080 on the new Intel boards demystified and the differences to the ALC1220 | Insider | igor´sLAB

The Realtek ALC4080, which was launched in 2020, can now be found as a sound solution on many new mid-range and high-end Intel boards without the customer really knowing what’s behind it.

www.igorslab.de

I have not chosen one yet. But I will. Strix has more storage options?

Yes, but you will need to take into account serious limitations for storage and GPU, due to shared lanes. This is explained in the spec from the manual:

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/Socket%20AM5/ROG%20STRIX%20B650E-E%20GAMING%20WIFI/E20246_ROG_STRIX_B650E-E_GAMING_WIFI_UM_WEB.pdf

that board is the most flexible B650 as it appears to use a X670 chipset

No! Strix has one Promo21 chip, according to the manual above. Why would Asus install two Promo21 chips, sell it as B650, and not as X670?

Here, explained again:
PCIe and NVMe expansion and bifurcation options on B650E Strix board we need to be aware of. There are just as many lanes you can play with on B650.

Out of four M.2 slots, M.2_3 shares the bandwidth with PCIe x16_1, which would run in x8 mode if M.2_3 is installed. So, one drive less there.

If you connect anything to PCIe x16_2 slot, it will run at x4 speed and PCIe x16_1 will automatically drop to x8 speed. x8 is ok for any modern GPU.
The same with M.2_3 drive. Connecting this drive will drop PCIe x16_1 to x8, and this will drop PCIe x16_2 slot to x4 speed. There are only 16 lanes to play with.

Asus board will support a 2*M2x4 Raid card at up to 5.0 speed

- that is true, but there are serious caveats. There are no magical additional lanes to serve both GPU and NVMe RAIDx4. You have only 16 lanes to play with
- NVME RAID x4 is also a very expensive add-on solution. Such card with four M.2 drives installed will cost a lot of money, in addition to total system costs.
- Hyper NVMe RAID add-in card with four NVMe drives can only be supported in PCIe x16 slot 1, as shown below. This will run in x8 Gen5 mode
- this means that you would have to install your GPU to PCIe x16 slot 2, which would run at x4 Gen5 speed
- as we do not have consumer Gen5 GPUs, slot 2 would effectively run GPU at Gen4 x4, which would significantly affect the performance of your GPU in slot 2
- so, good bye to NVMe RAID in slot 1. You should install GPU in slot 1.

Effectively, without obstructions, on Strix you can run:
- slot 1: GPU in x8 Gen4 mode (or x8 Gen5 when new gen of GPUs come out in 2024)
- slots 2 and 3: two devices x4, one Gen5 and one Gen4
- four NVMe drives in M.2 slots, two Gen5 and two Gen4

On Gigabyte Aorus Master B650E, you can do the following without obstructions:
- slot 1: GPU in x8 Gen4 mode (or x8 Gen5 when new gen of GPUs come out in 2024)
- slots 2 and 3: two devices, one Gen4 x4 and one Gen4 x2
- four NVMe drives in M.2 slots, all four Gen5 (drives B and C share lanes with x16 slot and drop it to x8 for GPU, as mentioned above)

In terms of PCIe, you lose two Gen4 lanes in slot 3 on Gigabyte, you gain two faster NVMe drives Gen5.

Summary:
1. Taichi - best VRM for OC, video port with HDMI 2.1 at 32 Gbps, best data transmission with Thunderbolt 4 at 40 Gbps and front USB 20 Gbps, two non-shared NVMe drives and two PCIe slots
2. Aorus Master - decent VRM, four M.2 drives Gen5, three PCIe slots, video port HDMI 2.1 at 32 Gbps, TB4 header, front USB 20 Gbps
3. Strix - decent VRM, TB4 header, rear USB 20 Gbps, four M.2 drives, three PCIe slots and HDMI 18 Gbps port

 

[Hofnaerrchen]

The OP has a 3090TI and is thinking about a 4090, even in 2-3 years whatever GPU will not saturate a 5.0 Bus even running at 16 GT/s. I don't think money is the issue. and as much as you think it is expensive it is only when you buy an AIC with a controller that you pay a premium. Windows is plenty smart for RAID arrays. You only get a controller if you want Windows to see it as 1 drive without building the array anyway (AIDA will still see 2 drives). You could also buy a WD AN1500 1TB for $300 and put 2 bigger 3.0 drives for more storage and have an AIC that works in any slot.

True, you will not lose much performance this generation (2-5%) and performance impacts on next gen would be speculation - so it's wasted time. The reason I corrected you was not for performance reasons but simply you did spread FAKE information, also with M.2 slots.

 

[Kapone33]

"Either the Specs are misleading or that board is the most flexible B650 as it appears to use a X670 chipset". On the website for the board it says

The OP mentioned one or two NVMe drives, and that's another reason why I recommended the boards I did. With two M.2 drives, his PCIe expansion needs will not be "robbed" and any AIC can be installed in the second slot on Taichi or even in the third PCIe slot Aorus Master.

Both boards that I recommended either have ALC1220 (Gigabyte) or newer ALS4082 (Taichi). The point is mute.

The Realtek ALC4080 on the new Intel boards demystified and the differences to the ALC1220 | Insider | igor´sLAB

The Realtek ALC4080, which was launched in 2020, can now be found as a sound solution on many new mid-range and high-end Intel boards without the customer really knowing what’s behind it.

www.igorslab.de

Yes, but you will need to take into account serious limitations for storage and GPU, due to shared lanes. This is explained in the spec from the manual:

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/Socket%20AM5/ROG%20STRIX%20B650E-E%20GAMING%20WIFI/E20246_ROG_STRIX_B650E-E_GAMING_WIFI_UM_WEB.pdf

No! Strix has one Promo21 chip, according to the manual above. Why would Asus install two Promo21 chips, sell it as B650, and not as X670?

Here, explained again:
PCIe and NVMe expansion and bifurcation options on B650E Strix board we need to be aware of. There are just as many lanes you can play with on B650.
View attachment 270220
Out of four M.2 slots, M.2_3 shares the bandwidth with PCIe x16_1, which would run in x8 mode if M.2_3 is installed. So, one drive less there.
View attachment 270221
If you connect anything to PCIe x16_2 slot, it will run at x4 speed and PCIe x16_1 will automatically drop to x8 speed. x8 is ok for any modern GPU.
The same with M.2_3 drive. Connecting this drive will drop PCIe x16_1 to x8, and this will drop PCIe x16_2 slot to x4 speed. There are only 16 lanes to play with.

- that is true, but there are serious caveats. There are no magical additional lanes to serve both GPU and NVMe RAIDx4. You have only 16 lanes to play with
- NVME RAID x4 is also a very expensive add-on solution. Such card with four M.2 drives installed will cost a lot of money, in addition to total system costs.
- Hyper NVMe RAID add-in card with four NVMe drives can only be supported in PCIe x16 slot 1, as shown below. This will run in x8 Gen5 mode
- this means that you would have to install your GPU to PCIe x16 slot 2, which would run at x4 Gen5 speed
- as we do not have consumer Gen5 GPUs, slot 2 would effectively run GPU at Gen4 x4, which would significantly affect the performance of your GPU in slot 2
- so, good bye to NVMe RAID in slot 1. You should install GPU in slot 1.
View attachment 270222
Effectively, without obstructions, on Strix you can run:
- slot 1: GPU in x8 Gen4 mode (or x8 Gen5 when new gen of GPUs come out in 2024)
- slots 2 and 3: two devices x4, one Gen5 and one Gen4
- four NVMe drives in M.2 slots, two Gen5 and two Gen4

On Gigabyte Aorus Master B650E, you can do the following without obstructions:
- slot 1: GPU in x8 Gen4 mode (or x8 Gen5 when new gen of GPUs come out in 2024)
- slots 2 and 3: two devices, one Gen4 x4 and one Gen4 x2
- four NVMe drives in M.2 slots, all four Gen5 (drives B and C share lanes with x16 slot and drop it to x8 for GPU, as mentioned above)

In terms of PCIe, you lose two Gen4 lanes in slot 3 on Gigabyte, you gain two faster NVMe drives Gen5.

Summary:
1. Taichi - best VRM for OC, video port with HDMI 2.1 at 32 Gbps, best data transmission with Thunderbolt 4 at 40 Gbps and front USB 20 Gbps, two non-shared NVMe drives and two PCIe slots
2. Aorus Master - decent VRM, four M.2 drives Gen5, three PCIe slots, video port HDMI 2.1 at 32 Gbps, TB4 header, front USB 20 Gbps
3. Strix - decent VRM, TB4 header, rear USB 20 Gbps, four M.2 drives, three PCIe slots and HDMI 18 Gbps port

I don't have either board but you can only go on specs.
Again if you don't have a RAID 0 array on NVME how can you know what it costs? As it is not that expensive.

We can wax on about the Specs but I would never get a Gigabyte board before an Asus. The only thing I buy from Gigabyte is GPUs but that is my opinion.

You will not be able to confirm anything unless we see how the boards are wired vs the specs anyway. There is an example I will use both the X570 Unify and X570S Ace Max list the 3rd 16 lane as x4 but it is actually wired as x8 and provides more bandwidth than the X570 E Strix that is actually wired at x4.

 

[Yoshiii335]

The OP mentioned one or two NVMe drives, and that's another reason why I recommended the boards I did. With two M.2 drives, his PCIe expansion needs will not be "robbed" and any AIC can be installed in the second slot on Taichi or even in the third PCIe slot Aorus Master.

Both boards that I recommended either have ALC1220 (Gigabyte) or newer ALS4082 (Taichi). The point is mute.

The Realtek ALC4080 on the new Intel boards demystified and the differences to the ALC1220 | Insider | igor´sLAB

The Realtek ALC4080, which was launched in 2020, can now be found as a sound solution on many new mid-range and high-end Intel boards without the customer really knowing what’s behind it.

www.igorslab.de

Yes, but you will need to take into account serious limitations for storage and GPU, due to shared lanes. This is explained in the spec from the manual:

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/Socket%20AM5/ROG%20STRIX%20B650E-E%20GAMING%20WIFI/E20246_ROG_STRIX_B650E-E_GAMING_WIFI_UM_WEB.pdf

No! Strix has one Promo21 chip, according to the manual above. Why would Asus install two Promo21 chips, sell it as B650, and not as X670?

Here, explained again:
PCIe and NVMe expansion and bifurcation options on B650E Strix board we need to be aware of. There are just as many lanes you can play with on B650.
View attachment 270220
Out of four M.2 slots, M.2_3 shares the bandwidth with PCIe x16_1, which would run in x8 mode if M.2_3 is installed. So, one drive less there.
View attachment 270221
If you connect anything to PCIe x16_2 slot, it will run at x4 speed and PCIe x16_1 will automatically drop to x8 speed. x8 is ok for any modern GPU.
The same with M.2_3 drive. Connecting this drive will drop PCIe x16_1 to x8, and this will drop PCIe x16_2 slot to x4 speed. There are only 16 lanes to play with.

- that is true, but there are serious caveats. There are no magical additional lanes to serve both GPU and NVMe RAIDx4. You have only 16 lanes to play with
- NVME RAID x4 is also a very expensive add-on solution. Such card with four M.2 drives installed will cost a lot of money, in addition to total system costs.
- Hyper NVMe RAID add-in card with four NVMe drives can only be supported in PCIe x16 slot 1, as shown below. This will run in x8 Gen5 mode
- this means that you would have to install your GPU to PCIe x16 slot 2, which would run at x4 Gen5 speed
- as we do not have consumer Gen5 GPUs, slot 2 would effectively run GPU at Gen4 x4, which would significantly affect the performance of your GPU in slot 2
- so, good bye to NVMe RAID in slot 1. You should install GPU in slot 1.
View attachment 270222
Effectively, without obstructions, on Strix you can run:
- slot 1: GPU in x8 Gen4 mode (or x8 Gen5 when new gen of GPUs come out in 2024)
- slots 2 and 3: two devices x4, one Gen5 and one Gen4
- four NVMe drives in M.2 slots, two Gen5 and two Gen4

On Gigabyte Aorus Master B650E, you can do the following without obstructions:
- slot 1: GPU in x8 Gen4 mode (or x8 Gen5 when new gen of GPUs come out in 2024)
- slots 2 and 3: two devices, one Gen4 x4 and one Gen4 x2
- four NVMe drives in M.2 slots, all four Gen5 (drives B and C share lanes with x16 slot and drop it to x8 for GPU, as mentioned above)

In terms of PCIe, you lose two Gen4 lanes in slot 3 on Gigabyte, you gain two faster NVMe drives Gen5.

Summary:
1. Taichi - best VRM for OC, video port with HDMI 2.1 at 32 Gbps, best data transmission with Thunderbolt 4 at 40 Gbps and front USB 20 Gbps, two non-shared NVMe drives and two PCIe slots
2. Aorus Master - decent VRM, four M.2 drives Gen5, three PCIe slots, video port HDMI 2.1 at 32 Gbps, TB4 header, front USB 20 Gbps
3. Strix - decent VRM, TB4 header, rear USB 20 Gbps, four M.2 drives, three PCIe slots and HDMI 18 Gbps port

Thanks

So I will only use 2 NVME drives, 2 ssd or hdd drives. So does it matter which board? What would I use slots 2 and 3 for? What if I want to run two gpu? Any MSI boards that are good? If I can get more money, should I go X670?

 

[Kapone33]

Thanks

So I will only use 2 NVME drives, 2 ssd or hdd drives. So does it matter which board? What would I use slots 2 and 3 for? What if I want to run two gpu? Any MSI boards that are good? If I can get more money, should I go X670?

To be honest that does not matter. If you don't want any lane issues go with X670. If you want multi GPU both the Taichi and the Strix will do that but not the Gigabyte board. It comes down to what you want as there are many choices. You just need to be aware of the way the lanes are allocated for your storage.