I'm pondering whether the MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max would make a good motherboard choice to pair with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D and an RTX 5080. I've been checking various motherboards from ASUS and MSI priced between £200 and £250, and it seems most people regard the MSI B850 as one of the top performers. I'd love some tips or suggestions. Are there any other brands you think perform better or have had fewer issues?
3 Answers
In my opinion, the MSI B850 Tomahawk Max is the best B850 out there! However, I would suggest considering the RTX 5070 Ti instead of the 5080. While the 5080 is indeed a beast, the 5070 Ti is slightly slower and costs around 30% less. Also, steer clear of ASRock motherboards for now; they have a lot of issues with X3D chips lately.
I get that, but saving for the 5080 makes sense. I'm not going for a 5090; those prices are outrageous. Do you think a Corsair RM1000X power supply will be enough, or should I aim for something in the 1200 range? Just planning to save up for around January or February.
Tomahawks are generally solid boards—well designed and durable. You shouldn’t go wrong with that choice.
Make sure that the motherboard has the right CPU slot (AM5) for your processor and check which type of RAM it supports. Some motherboards perform better with specific RAM types. It's also good to find one that has a Wi-Fi card built-in; if it mentions 'Wi-Fi' in the name, that’s ideal. Look for at least two M.2 SSD slots, as that gives you upgrade options later. And if you're considering Wi-Fi, make sure it supports Wi-Fi 7 to ensure the best connection.
Would a Corsair Vengeance 2x 16GB kit work well? I’m also looking at the Samsung 9900 Pro M.2 drive; I have one in my PS5, and it’s been solid for 5 years!
Absolutely! That setup should work perfectly for you.
But why choose the 5070 Ti when the 5080 fits your budget? Seems like a better investment to me.