I'm building my first PC and am considering the MSI Pro X870-P WiFi for a Ryzen 7 9850X3D. I need plenty of USB connectivity, four RAM slots, and support for four SSDs. I'll also be using a Palit GamingPro RTX 5080, and I'm concerned that its large cooler may block some of the motherboard's expansion slots. Should I choose the MSI X870-P, or would the ASUS TUF Gaming B850-Plus WiFi be a better option?
4 Answers
I’d also look at the MSI B850 Tomahawk Max or Gigabyte B850 Aorus Elite. A B850 board can save money while delivering essentially the same CPU performance. Pick X870 mainly if you specifically want features such as USB4 or a particular arrangement of USB and storage connections.
The MSI Pro X870-P WiFi is a solid match for that processor. Its power delivery is more than adequate for an eight-core X3D chip, and it offers good memory and storage support. You probably won’t see any performance difference between X870 and B850; the main differences are connectivity and expansion features.
Check the slot layout carefully with that RTX 5080. The graphics card may cover one of the lower expansion slots, and the MSI board’s second and third slots are only PCIe 3.0 x1. Its fourth slot is PCIe 4.0 x4, which could still work with an M.2 adapter. Also note that the third M.2 slot runs at PCIe 4.0 x2, so it makes more sense to place a slower Gen 3 SSD there.
Between the MSI Pro X870-P and the similarly priced B850 options, I’d choose the X870-P if the price is the same. It has a couple more rear USB ports and USB4. However, USB4 is not essential for most desktop builds, so the B850 Gaming Plus WiFi may be the better value if it’s cheaper. Whichever board you choose, confirm the rear I/O and internal USB headers meet your needs; the MSI board has several USB headers, including USB 2.0, 5Gbps, and USB-C connections.
Also look for built-in Wi-Fi and a BIOS Flashback button. Those features are useful for a first build, especially if the board needs a firmware update before recognizing the processor.