I'm in the process of selecting a motherboard for my new build featuring the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the Radeon 9070 XT. I've done some homework on different options, but I'm currently stuck. My budget is about $1500 to $1700, and I'm trying to save wherever possible. I want to know if it's worth getting a motherboard with at least one PCIe Gen 5 slot for future-proofing, rather than settling for one with all PCIe Gen 4 slots. I found a potential option here: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B650-A-WIFI. Also, are Thermaltake PSUs reliable? I saw the GF1 2024 850W Gold+ model at a better price point than a comparable Corsair model.
3 Answers
The B650 Tomahawk is also a solid choice. Just keep in mind that PCIe 5 isn’t really critical for GPUs right now. Even newer models like the 5090 don’t fully utilize PCIe 5.
It sounds like there's a bit of debate on PCIe 5 usage. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Consider going with a B850 motherboard but avoid the absolute cheapest options. You might want to check the PSU quality using the SPL PSU tier list too. For compatibility and pricing, pcpartpicker.com is a great resource to help you out.
I recommend either the MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI or the Gigabyte B850 EAGLE WIFI6E. They're both priced similarly and widely available right now. Do you think it's better to grab one of these now, or should I hold out for a potentially better deal?
That's not entirely accurate. As games increase in VRAM usage, PCIe throughput will become more necessary for optimal performance. The 5090 is a poor example since it has enough VRAM to buffer without needing PCIe5. We need to be careful not to spread misinformation.