• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Ryzen 3000 - B450, B450 MAX or X570

GrimLobster

New Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2019
Messages
7 (0.00/day)
Located in Australia , budget around $1500 USD. Not planning to manually overclock at this stage and just using PC for gaming.

Looking at MSI 450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC but concerned about BIOS, some say it's ok. Very hard at the moment to find stock of the MAX boards - fine out of the box with Ryzen 3000 CPU's. Best I could find that's currently being sold in Aus is Tomahawk MAX. Just read that MSI will have ongoing updates/support regarding BIOS in future for MAX boards, whereas they won't cater to the old boards. Not sure how important that is but maybe a factor to consider. X570 boards an option.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type​
Item​
Price​
CPU
$238.90 @ OutletPC​
Motherboard
$157.89 @ OutletPC​
Memory
$134.99 @ Newegg​
Storage
$74.99 @ Adorama​
Video Card
$549.99 @ Amazon​
Case
-​
Power Supply
-​
Operating System
$99.89 @ OutletPC​
Monitor
-​
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total (before mail-in rebates)​
$1266.65​
Mail-in rebates​
-$10.00​
Total
$1256.65
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-20 05:28 EDT-0400​
Very simplified:

MSI 450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC - Best audio, network adapter included - features I want - may have ongoing BIOS issues with 3600X.

MSI 450 Tomohawk MAX - Not as good audio, around $20 USD cheaper than Gaming Pro - less or no BIOS issues with 3600X.

X570 boards - Around $70 USD more expensive than Gaming Pro Carbon AC at a minimum, depending on model the price will go much higher - less or no BIOS issues with 3600X.

- - Just wondering about people's experience with Ryzen 3000 with these specific B450 boards or the X570's? Or any advice?

Thanks a lot
 

las

Joined
Nov 14, 2012
Messages
1,533 (0.37/day)
System Name Obsolete / Waiting for Zen 5 or Arrow Lake
Processor i9-9900K @ 5.2 GHz @ 1.35v / No AVX Offset
Motherboard AsRock Z390 Taichi
Cooling Custom Water
Memory 32GB G.Skill @ 4000/CL15
Video Card(s) Gainward RTX 4090 Phantom / Undervolt + OC
Storage Samsung 990 Pro 2TB + WD SN850X 1TB + 64TB NAS/Server
Display(s) 27" 1440p IPS @ 280 Hz + 77" QD-OLED @ 144 Hz VRR
Case Fractal Design Meshify C
Audio Device(s) Asus Essence STX / Upgraded Op-Amps
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x / Native 12VHPWR
Mouse Logitech G Pro Wireless Superlight
Keyboard Corsair K60 Pro / MX Low Profile Speed
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
Get a B450 board certified for 3000 series and buy 3600 over 3600X.

Don't waste money on X570 for Ryzen 5.

Get NVME x4 SSD like 970 / 970 Plus over that SATA SSD.

I'd personally choose a EVGA, MSI or Asus GPU instead, but I guess that's subjective - My experience with Gigabyte has not been the best, their software is really bad (firmware too, most often).
 
Joined
Feb 23, 2019
Messages
5,581 (3.00/day)
Location
Poland
Processor Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite
Cooling Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE
Memory 2x16 GB Crucial Ballistix 3600 CL16 Rev E @ 3800 CL16
Video Card(s) RTX3080 Ti FE
Storage SX8200 Pro 1 TB, Plextor M6Pro 256 GB, WD Blue 2TB
Display(s) LG 34GN850P-B
Case SilverStone Primera PM01 RGB
Audio Device(s) SoundBlaster G6 | Fidelio X2 | Sennheiser 6XX
Power Supply SeaSonic Focus Plus Gold 750W
Mouse Endgame Gear XM1R
Keyboard Wooting Two HE
B450 Carbon if you manage to find it. Last BIOS update was on July 30th, that's week after non-Max Mortar/Tomahawk got theirs. Considering most people having issues with Mortar/Tomahawk had it on previous BIOS I'd say any issues with Carbon were similarly resolved with the latest update. YMMV.

In regards to your Win 10 Home OEM:
Haven't used it, but if TPU's running the ad for them I suppose it's safe. Win 10 Pro for $12 instead of a $100.

Ps.
You've got two topics basicly asking the same questions, over here and in System Builder's Advice.
 
Last edited:

GrimLobster

New Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2019
Messages
7 (0.00/day)
B450 Carbon if you manage to find it. Last BIOS update was on July 30th, that's week after non-Max Mortar/Tomahawk got theirs. Considering most people having issues with Mortar/Tomahawk had it on previous BIOS I'd say any issues with Carbon were similarly resolved with the latest update. YMMV.

In regards to your Win 10 Home OEM:
Haven't used it, but if TPU's running the ad for them I suppose it's safe. Win 10 Pro for $12 instead of a $100.

Ps.
You've got two topics basicly asking the same questions, over here and in System Builder's Advice.

Thanks a lot for the link will absolutely check it out.

Yes true, in system builder it was for overall build opinions then it became more specific to motherboards - thought I'd ask here too.

Good point though - should I delete this thread?
 
Joined
Sep 24, 2014
Messages
1,269 (0.37/day)
Location
Birmingham UK
System Name El Calpulator
Processor AMD Ryzen R7 7800X3D
Motherboard ASRock X670E Pro RS
Cooling ArcticCooling Freezer 3 360ARGB AIO
Memory 32GB Corsair Vengance 6000Mhz C30
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 4080 Gaming Trio X @ 2925 / 23500 mhz
Storage 6TB nvme SSD + Synology DS115j NAS with 4TB HDD
Display(s) Samsung G8 34" QD-OLED + Samsung 28" 4K 60hz UR550
Case Montech King 95 PRO Blue
Audio Device(s) SB X4+Logitech Z623 2.1+Astro A50 Wireless
Power Supply be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W ATX 3.0 80+ Gold
Mouse Logitech G502X Plus LightSpeed Hero Wireless plus Logitech G POWERPLAY Wireless Charging Mouse Pad
Keyboard Logitech G915 LightSpeed Wireless
Software Win 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores Just enough
I purchased something similar lately and I had to send back the motherboard, RAM compatibility issues (XMP issues to be precise) I opted for the X570 Aorus Elite just for future proofing and better VRM and a few other gimmicks. You can easily go for the B450 PRO Carbon as it has flasback bios so you will be able to update BIOS without a CPU installed.
 
Joined
Jul 26, 2019
Messages
418 (0.24/day)
Processor R5 5600X
Motherboard Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus
Memory 32 GB 3600 MT/s CL16
Video Card(s) Sapphire Vega 64
Storage 2x 500 GB SSD, 2x 3 TB HDD
Case Phanteks P300A
Software Manjaro Linux, W10 if I have to
As long as the CPU support list includes the 3600(x) you can expect it to work or get your money back. I wouldn't worry about it over much.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2018
Messages
273 (0.12/day)
I have ryzen 3600 and MSI B450M mortar.

The BIOS is not finished yet!

RAID function is not available, the BIOS itself is stripped down.

I would buy MAX version because it has 64MB BIOS flash, so full featured BIOS.
 
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
8,068 (1.40/day)
Location
Hillsboro, OR
System Name Main/DC
Processor i7-3770K/i7-2600K
Motherboard MSI Z77A-GD55/GA-P67A-UD4-B3
Cooling Phanteks PH-TC14CS/H80
Memory Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) LP /4GB Kingston DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) Asus GTX 660 Ti/MSI HD7770
Storage Crucial MX100 256GB/120GB Samsung 830 & Seagate 2TB(died)
Display(s) Asus 24' LED/Samsung SyncMaster B1940
Case P100/Antec P280 It's huge!
Audio Device(s) on board
Power Supply SeaSonic SS-660XP2/Seasonic SS-760XP2
Software Win 7 Home Premiun 64 Bit
Don't get a non-MAX MSI motherboard for Ryzen 3000. Their BIOS is too small, so the updates end up removing functionality from the motherboard.

I personally believe that a person should spend the extra money and get a X570 motherboard, if purchasing a motherboard for a Ryzen 3000 build.
 
Joined
Jul 26, 2019
Messages
418 (0.24/day)
Processor R5 5600X
Motherboard Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus
Memory 32 GB 3600 MT/s CL16
Video Card(s) Sapphire Vega 64
Storage 2x 500 GB SSD, 2x 3 TB HDD
Case Phanteks P300A
Software Manjaro Linux, W10 if I have to
I have ryzen 3600 and MSI B450M mortar.

The BIOS is not finished yet!

RAID function is not available, the BIOS itself is stripped down.

I would buy MAX version because it has 64MB BIOS flash, so full featured BIOS.
Good point, definitely check that all the functions you require are also available.
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2018
Messages
278 (0.14/day)
I would get the X570. Just incase you want PCI-E 4.0 and future proof a CPU upgrade. I know you only need a Ryzen 5; but AMD could release a refresh with a speed bump and more cores down the line.
If your already spending $1300; I would find the best board you could.
And yea, save on that windows KEY, I've bought 15 keys from Ebay for like $2-$4; all have worked. No issues.
If you don't like that idea, get a old win 7 key; I think they are still activating good.
 
Joined
Mar 18, 2015
Messages
2,960 (0.90/day)
Location
Long Island
I have never found the "cheap" chipsets to be worth the savings. First thing I always do is scroll down and look at the sound and LAN subsystems, usually it the cheapest of the cheap with ALC 88 or ALC892. By the time you work ya way up the B450 price tiers to get ALC 1220, you are up to something like the Gaming pro carbon and its $157... and now yoou are $2 short of a X570 board with ALC 1220 ... B450 for $2 ... doesn't seem logical.... if its a gaming box, why settle for 887 or 892 ?
 
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
1,495 (0.69/day)
Location
London, UK
I paid $110 b450 gaming plus, $227 3600 and overclocked to 4.2 all cores 1.32v, you need a good cooling for it, 240 aio minimum. In your case, all depends on price, I would get the cheapest, do not use onboard audio, is a waste, buy a pcie sound card or an external amp audio.
 
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Messages
93 (0.03/day)
Location
The Netherlands
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard AsRock X570 Steel Legend
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black
Memory G.Skill TridentZ Neo 16GB 3600Mhz
Video Card(s) Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XT Vapor-X
Storage Samsung 980 PRO 1TB
Display(s) LG Ultragear 27GP850-B
Case NZXT H5 Flow Black
Power Supply Corsair RM750x White
Mouse Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB
Keyboard Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Cherry MX Silent
Anyone got some advice for me? Currently looking for a mobo for 3700x. Preferably black/white with RGB. Also, good VRAM and cooling capabilities. Need USB 3.1 (getting a NZXT H510 case). I'm torn between Asus Prime X470-PRO and MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon. Lastly, price max 150 EUR imo.
 
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Messages
92 (0.02/day)
Location
Braga, Portugal
System Name HTC Vive PC
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard MSI B450 tomahawk Max
Cooling Be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 16gb 3200mhz CL16
Video Card(s) Nvidia 3060 Ti
Storage Samsung 970 Evo nvme 1tb + 850 Evo SSD 1tb
Display(s) Qnix QX2700 27" IPS 1440p monitor @ 90Hz + 23'' 1080p 144hz
Case Be Quiet Pure Base 500DX
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar DX
Power Supply Be Quiet pure Power 11 600w
Mouse Hama Ergonomic Mouse
Keyboard Ozone Mechanical Keyboard
VR HMD HTC Vive
Software WIN 11 64bits
I would buy the MSI B450 Tomahawk Max but it's not available in my country yet, I don't understand why since it's been available in Germany for a month now.
 

Sadja

New Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2019
Messages
2 (0.00/day)
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Messages
92 (0.02/day)
Location
Braga, Portugal
System Name HTC Vive PC
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard MSI B450 tomahawk Max
Cooling Be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 16gb 3200mhz CL16
Video Card(s) Nvidia 3060 Ti
Storage Samsung 970 Evo nvme 1tb + 850 Evo SSD 1tb
Display(s) Qnix QX2700 27" IPS 1440p monitor @ 90Hz + 23'' 1080p 144hz
Case Be Quiet Pure Base 500DX
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar DX
Power Supply Be Quiet pure Power 11 600w
Mouse Hama Ergonomic Mouse
Keyboard Ozone Mechanical Keyboard
VR HMD HTC Vive
Software WIN 11 64bits
Hi there!
Ryzen 5 3600 / MSI B450m Mortar / Corsair LPX cl15 3000mhz 2x8gb / A-data XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro 512GB working great. I'm using a passive Power supply Seasonic platinum 400W and a Firepro W5100 grafic card; both are second hand. Budget under 650$.
Bios MB: A80 , no cpu OC, no game OC
RAM: OC to 3600mhz CL 16/18/18/40
Test results: https://www.passmark.com/baselines/V9/display.php?id=124860044495
and https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/19883762
Which CPU did you have before.
Anyone here coming from the 2500k overclocked?
 

Sadja

New Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2019
Messages
2 (0.00/day)
Which CPU did you have before.
Anyone here coming from the 2500k overclocked?
I'm currently use an i7 7700/z270/samsung 2x8gb 3466mhz/gtx1070/ samsung evo 960 M2.
The system with ryzen 3600 use less power with better result. In test for the moment for 3D, video.
 

Chloefile

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
10,879 (2.64/day)
Location
Finland
System Name 4K-gaming
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite
Cooling Custom loop (CPU+GPU, 240 & 120 rads)
Memory 32GB Kingston HyperX Fury @ DDR4-3466
Video Card(s) PowerColor RX 6700 XT Fighter
Storage ~4TB SSD + 6TB HDD
Display(s) Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
Case Fractal Design Define Mini C
Audio Device(s) Asus TUF H3 Wireless
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse Logitech MX518 Legendary
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores It runs Crysis remastered at 4K
Kinda offtopic, but I've been wondering that could a non-MAX MSI motherboard be upgraded with a MAX bios chip? The boards seem to be identical otherwise.
 
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Messages
92 (0.02/day)
Location
Braga, Portugal
System Name HTC Vive PC
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard MSI B450 tomahawk Max
Cooling Be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 16gb 3200mhz CL16
Video Card(s) Nvidia 3060 Ti
Storage Samsung 970 Evo nvme 1tb + 850 Evo SSD 1tb
Display(s) Qnix QX2700 27" IPS 1440p monitor @ 90Hz + 23'' 1080p 144hz
Case Be Quiet Pure Base 500DX
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar DX
Power Supply Be Quiet pure Power 11 600w
Mouse Hama Ergonomic Mouse
Keyboard Ozone Mechanical Keyboard
VR HMD HTC Vive
Software WIN 11 64bits
Kinda offtopic, but I've been wondering that could a non-MAX MSI motherboard be upgraded with a MAX bios chip? The boards seem to be identical otherwise.
From what I've read, it could, but you would have to remove de bios chip from the non Max motherboard and solder a 32mb one. Do you have the skills?
 

Chloefile

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
10,879 (2.64/day)
Location
Finland
System Name 4K-gaming
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite
Cooling Custom loop (CPU+GPU, 240 & 120 rads)
Memory 32GB Kingston HyperX Fury @ DDR4-3466
Video Card(s) PowerColor RX 6700 XT Fighter
Storage ~4TB SSD + 6TB HDD
Display(s) Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
Case Fractal Design Define Mini C
Audio Device(s) Asus TUF H3 Wireless
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse Logitech MX518 Legendary
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores It runs Crysis remastered at 4K
From what I've read, it could, but you would have to remove de bios chip from the non Max motherboard and solder a 32mb one. Do you have the skills?
Yeah, I can handle a soldering iron :)

Totally forgot that these aren't socketed always like back in the day.
 
Joined
Feb 23, 2019
Messages
5,581 (3.00/day)
Location
Poland
Processor Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite
Cooling Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE
Memory 2x16 GB Crucial Ballistix 3600 CL16 Rev E @ 3800 CL16
Video Card(s) RTX3080 Ti FE
Storage SX8200 Pro 1 TB, Plextor M6Pro 256 GB, WD Blue 2TB
Display(s) LG 34GN850P-B
Case SilverStone Primera PM01 RGB
Audio Device(s) SoundBlaster G6 | Fidelio X2 | Sennheiser 6XX
Power Supply SeaSonic Focus Plus Gold 750W
Mouse Endgame Gear XM1R
Keyboard Wooting Two HE
If you're cool with voiding your warranty...
 

Chloefile

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
10,879 (2.64/day)
Location
Finland
System Name 4K-gaming
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite
Cooling Custom loop (CPU+GPU, 240 & 120 rads)
Memory 32GB Kingston HyperX Fury @ DDR4-3466
Video Card(s) PowerColor RX 6700 XT Fighter
Storage ~4TB SSD + 6TB HDD
Display(s) Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
Case Fractal Design Define Mini C
Audio Device(s) Asus TUF H3 Wireless
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse Logitech MX518 Legendary
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores It runs Crysis remastered at 4K
If you're cool with voiding your warranty...
No problem with that. Now I just need to find a pre-flashed MAX chip somewhere.
 
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
877 (0.35/day)
Location
Home
System Name Blackbox
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Motherboard Asus TUF B550-Plus WiFi
Cooling Scythe Fuma 2
Memory 2x8GB DDR4 G.Skill FlareX 3200Mhz CL16
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 3060 Ti Gaming Z
Storage Kingston KC3000 1TB + WD SN550 1TB + Samsung 860 QVO 1TB
Display(s) LG 27GP850-B
Case Lian Li O11 Air Mini
Audio Device(s) Logitech Z200
Power Supply Seasonic Focus+ Gold 750W
Mouse Logitech G305
Keyboard MasterKeys Pro S White (MX Brown)
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores It plays games.
I wouldn't be so sure it's just a matter of replacing the BIOS chip since that wasn't the only upgrade. They also upgraded the USB, you get USB 3.2 instead of 3.1, I believe. Can't keep up with the ridiculous naming.
 

Chloefile

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
10,879 (2.64/day)
Location
Finland
System Name 4K-gaming
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite
Cooling Custom loop (CPU+GPU, 240 & 120 rads)
Memory 32GB Kingston HyperX Fury @ DDR4-3466
Video Card(s) PowerColor RX 6700 XT Fighter
Storage ~4TB SSD + 6TB HDD
Display(s) Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
Case Fractal Design Define Mini C
Audio Device(s) Asus TUF H3 Wireless
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse Logitech MX518 Legendary
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores It runs Crysis remastered at 4K
I wouldn't be so sure it's just a matter of replacing the BIOS chip since that wasn't the only upgrade. They also upgraded the USB, you get USB 3.2 instead of 3.1, I believe. Can't keep up with the ridiculous naming.
The naming is hilarious, USB3.2 gen1 is still the same as USB3.0.

131074
 
Last edited:
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Messages
92 (0.02/day)
Location
Braga, Portugal
System Name HTC Vive PC
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard MSI B450 tomahawk Max
Cooling Be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Memory 16gb 3200mhz CL16
Video Card(s) Nvidia 3060 Ti
Storage Samsung 970 Evo nvme 1tb + 850 Evo SSD 1tb
Display(s) Qnix QX2700 27" IPS 1440p monitor @ 90Hz + 23'' 1080p 144hz
Case Be Quiet Pure Base 500DX
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar DX
Power Supply Be Quiet pure Power 11 600w
Mouse Hama Ergonomic Mouse
Keyboard Ozone Mechanical Keyboard
VR HMD HTC Vive
Software WIN 11 64bits
I wouldn't be so sure it's just a matter of replacing the BIOS chip since that wasn't the only upgrade. They also upgraded the USB, you get USB 3.2 instead of 3.1, I believe. Can't keep up with the ridiculous naming.
From what I've read the only change is the bios chip.
 
Top