Hey everyone! I'm in the process of building a new PC since my old one is still running a GTX 1070 and an Intel i7-6700. Right now, I'm considering these components: a Radeon RX 9070 XT for the GPU, and an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D for the CPU, along with 32GB of DDR5 RAM from TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta. I'm unsure about which motherboard and PSU to choose. I want to avoid missing any small details that might mess up my build. Any recommendations for motherboards? Also, how do I figure out the right PSU? Do I just need one that can handle the combined wattage of my components, or is there more to it? Thanks in advance!
5 Answers
For your motherboard, I'd suggest looking for any B650 or B850 boards that have solid VRMs and the features you need. Just remember to steer clear of ASRock boards. That's pretty much the key!
For PSUs, I'd recommend the Montech Century II; it's solid and reasonably priced. And here's a document to help you compare motherboards: [link]. Generally, avoid the bottom-tier boards and stick with mid-tier options like Tomahawk or Strix; they're usually reliable.
In my honest opinion, I’d avoid AMD GPUs. They’re not bad, but they often lag behind in software support since they have a smaller market share. As for your RAM, make sure you're getting a pair of 16GBs instead of a set of four—performance is typically better that way!
Totally agree on the performance for price with AMD, but I hear you on the software side!
When searching for a motherboard, look for the cheapest one that meets these three criteria: it has all the I/O ports you need, reasonably chunky VRM heatsinks, and ideally looks good to you. Expect to start around the $180 range. Regarding your PSU, yes, you generally want one that can handle more than the cumulative wattage of your components. A good rule is to add 20% to the estimate from PCPartPicker to determine the wattage you should aim for.
Thank you for breaking that down!
Most B850 and B650 ATX boards should have enough VRMs for your CPU, typically costing around $200. When choosing a board, prioritize your needs: how many rear I/O ports you have, PCIe lane layout, price, aesthetics, and brand reputation. For a PSU, around 850W is ideal. Though, some might go up to 1000W for future-proofing, but 850W gives you good headroom without overdoing it.
Thanks for the tip!