I'm gearing up to build a new PC in the coming months and I'm stuck on which B850 motherboard to choose. I'm planning to pair it with a 9800x3d CPU and an RTX 5070 GPU. I've heard some negative feedback about Asrock and how it interacts with the 9800x3d, so I'm looking for some solid alternatives. Any suggestions?
6 Answers
Lately, I've been recommending the MSI B850 Gaming Plus WiFi. Honestly though, you shouldn't run into many issues with any non-ASRock options. ASRock has great features for the price, but they really need to step up their game.
Don't forget about the MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI. It's a solid choice too.
Just to note, here's a link to a useful resource that covers lane sharing which might help you decide: [Lane Sharing Info](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NQHkDEcgDPm34Mns3C93K6SJoBnua-x9O-y_6hv8sPs/edit?pli=1&gid=454171143#gid=454171143).
When I choose a motherboard, I mainly focus on the number of M.2 slots and the price. I've mostly used Asus and MSI boards and have been happy with both brands.
Curious, why do you specifically want a B850? In most scenarios, there's really no performance difference between B650 and high-end X870E boards. For PCIe 5, until you have a more budget GPU with only 8 lanes, it might take a while to hit the limit for PCIe 4 anyway.
You might want to check out a great video on Hardware Unboxed about B650 motherboards that discusses VRM and features. I went with an Asus TUF B850 for my build, but the Asus TUF B650 and MSI B650 Gaming Plus were also on my radar because they were readily available.
Totally agree! The price-to-feature ratio is impressive, but it's just frustrating when they don't deliver on performance.