Upgrading to Ryzen 9 9950X3D – Recommendations for Motherboard and RAM?

Hey! My suggestion would be to avoid buying motherboards from Amazon in the UK. Check out alternatives like Scan or Overclockers instead. Since you need a lot of storage, you should consider how many M.2 ports you really need. The 9950X3D is currently priced around £629. If you're looking to save, the MSI X870E Tomahawk at about £309 is a solid choice. But if you need more than four M.2 ports, look into an M.2 expansion card or the MSI MEG X870E Godlike, which has seven M.2 slots for around £1,100. Remember, most motherboards will perform similarly unless you need something specific, and ASUS tends to be pricier without much extra benefit. A PCIe 5.0 expansion card for M.2 slots costs around £80, which is worth considering if you need additional capacity.

I get wanting a high-end board to future-proof your setup. The Tomahawk is more of a midrange option, but if you want top-tier, the Godlike does look impressive. I've not personally used it, but it seems to offer excellent features. If you're looking for something similar but maybe a bit less budget-crushing, you might check for other options that deliver around 90% of the Godlike's capabilities without all the extra bells and whistles. It's a solid plan to aim for something that won't become obsolete too quickly!