I'm looking to upgrade my setup from a Ryzen 5900X to a 9800X3D and need to choose a new motherboard and RAM. I currently have three M.2 SSDs that I plan to use: one for the OS, one for games, and one for storage. I'm wondering if it's necessary to buy a $300 X870 board to unlock the full potential of the 9800X3D. Is the MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi a good choice, or is that just wasting money? I'm also considering future-proofing my build, as I plan to upgrade to Zen 6 and possibly the X950X3D in a couple of years, so I'd like a motherboard that can support that CPU as well.
Regarding RAM, I've seen some recommendations for 6000 MT/s with CL28, like the G.Skill Flare X5 32GB Kit DDR5-6000 CL28, especially for gaming titles like Battlefield. However, I've also come across information about Infinity Fabric and the need to configure some settings in the BIOS, but I'm uncertain about whether that's actually necessary.
I already have a case, an RTX 4090, and a 1300W power supply. Any insights on these components would be appreciated!
3 Answers
A B650 or B850 motherboard should work perfectly fine for your setup. No need to overspend, really.
I recently went for an X870E board for the better chipset, and honestly, don't stress too much about having fancy RAM. CL30 at 6000 MT/s is more than enough. I splurged on some Corsair RGB RAM that ended up not even working, so save your money on that. Just focus on solid performance over gimmicks.
You don’t need a top-tier X870 motherboard for the 9800X3D; a decent B850 board will do just fine. However, keep an eye on the board’s M.2 slots since some mATX boards only have space for two SSDs. As for RAM, while the 6000 CL28 is great, in real-world gaming, you probably won’t notice a huge difference compared to CL30 kits unless the price difference is small. Also, no need to mess with BIOS ratios for a 6000 kit—just let it auto-configure.
Does having a better chipset actually improve gaming performance, though?