I'm trying to decide between two motherboards for my new build: the ASUS PRIME B650M-A WIFI II CSM AM5 or the MSI B650M Gaming Plus Wifi, which costs an extra $80 and includes SSD heatsinks. I have a Kingston NV3 1TB SSD that I plan to use, and my main activities will be light gaming, web browsing, and using Adobe applications. Should I prioritize the motherboard's integrated heatsinks, or is it fine to stick with the ones that come with the NVMe SSD?
3 Answers
Honestly, the heatsinks that come with the SSD are generally adequate! You’ll be fine either way, so you could save the cash and go with the ASUS motherboard if it meets your needs.
As long as you're not pushing your SSD to the max with heavy workloads, it really shouldn't get too hot. SSDs don’t run that hot under normal conditions. Plus, you can always grab a cheap M.2 heatsink later if you want more cooling.
I prefer motherboards with larger heatsinks because they tend to cool better, but if the price difference is too much, it might not be worth it. What specific models are you looking at?
Right now, it’s just the ASUS PRIME B650M-A WIFI II CSM AM5 and the MSI B650M Gaming Plus Wifi. Since it’s my first build, I’m unsure about the features to really focus on!
So you think I should go for the ASUS motherboard and maybe add a heatsink later?