I'm building a new PC around a Ryzen 7 7800X3D that I found at a good price, but I'm having trouble deciding which motherboard to pick. I live in Israel, and the local prices and availability aren't great, which limits my options. For my build, I'm mainly focused on gaming, and I don't need any built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. I doubt I'll ever need PCIe 5.0 for graphics since I'm planning to use either an RTX 4070 or 3080, which won't max out PCIe 4.0. Additionally, I have fast Gen3/Gen4 NVMe drives, so Gen5 isn't necessary—just need at least 2 M.2 slots. I'm looking to spend around $250 and have narrowed it down to a few options: 1) MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI ($265), which has solid VRMs and a strong design. 2) ASUS TUF GAMING B650M-E WIFI ($229), known for good VRMs and cooling. 3) Gigabyte B850M DS3H ($219), which is the cheapest with PCIe 5.0 but has mediocre VRMs. 4) MSI PRO B650M-A WIFI ($187), which seems solid for the price. I'd love any advice or personal experiences with these boards!
2 Answers
Consider the MSI B850 Tomahawk if you can find it; it's a solid choice. Also, keep in mind that GPUs might not "saturate" PCIe as you'd think. They need bandwidth for loading assets into VRAM, and it's quite important during gaming. Spending a bit more on a decent B850 board could make sense in the long run, especially if you want to avoid losing unnecessary performance. ASUS TUF boards can be a bit cheaper in quality, while ROG boards are often overpriced although usually of good quality. Just something to think about!
Check the MSI X670E Gaming Plus Wi-Fi if you can find it in your price range. However, if you're strict on budget and don't need fancy I/O features, the MSI PRO B650M-A is likely to be the best fit for you. It's a solid choice without breaking the bank!
That B850 Tomahawk is actually $387 here, which is way above my budget. I decided to add my budget now; I'm looking to spend around $250.