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Possible new Ryzen build

542 views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Melcar 
#1 ·
So my Sabertooth died (melted VRM). Was going to get an Aura board as replacement, but cancelled the order at the last minute as I was having doubts. Wasn't planning on overhauling my rig for a while still, but a dead motherboard is a good excuse for a change.
Mobo + CPU + RAM is all I need, since I plan to recycle everything else (PSU is almost 5 years old so hopefully it lasts another few). So far this is what I have in mind:

- Asus Prime x370 Pro
- Ryzen 5 1600 (I may splurge for a R7 1700 if you can REALLY convince me)
- ??? RAM (not sure, but I'm aiming for 2x16GB sticks to latter in a possible future add another 2x16GB)

Still deciding on the board. Any other recommendations at that price level? I picked the Asus mostly because I love their UEFI and I had a good overall experience with their AM3+ boards.
 
#2 ·
Pick what you like. If Asus is your jam, then do it up. Pay attention to the memory configurations for Ryzen. They are still irioning out memory issues so keep that in mind. If your not doing anything crazy in the sense of content creation, a 1600 is more than enough. 2x8GB mmemory as well unless your doing said content creation.
 
#3 ·
Been thinking about spending a bit more on the motherboard.

Asus Crosshair VI Hero
Gigabyte Gaming K7
Asrock Taichi

The Taichi is the cheapest. Never used an Asrock board. Seems to have good features. Not crazy about that color setup. How is their BIOS?
The Giga seems nice and loaded with extras. Seems to have the best sound (better than my Xonar DX?). Not crazy about all the RGB. The M.2 slot placement I don't like (not that I plan on using M.2 drives). Is their BIOS still utter crap? Pricewise it's half way between the Asus and Asrock boards.
The Crosshair has the Asus tax on it. I heard they have big problem with their BIOS updates.
 
#4 ·
taichi hero and asrock professional have better sound .

k7 has soundblaster software but no soundblaster chip like the intel version so its glorified realtech.

Feat wise and vrm both taichi and asus have better and more

taichi

(- 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec)
- Premium Blu-ray Audio support
- Supports Surge Protection
- Supports Purity Sound™ 4
- Nichicon Fine Gold Series Audio Caps
- 120dB SNR DAC with Differential Amplifier
- TI® NE5532 Premium Headset Amplifier for Front Panel Audio Connector (Supports up to 600 Ohm headsets)
- Pure Power-In
- Direct Drive Technology
- PCB isolate shielding
- Impedance Sensing on Line Out port
- Individual PCB Layers for R/L Audio Channel
- Gold Audio Jacks
- 15μ Gold Audio Connector
- Supports DTS Connect)

k7
(
2 x Realtek® ALC1220 codecs
Support for Sound Blaster X-Fi MB5
High Definition Audio
2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
Support for S/PDIF Out)

hero
(ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC S1220
- Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs
- Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
- High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR recording input
- SupremeFX Shielding Technology
- ESS® ES9023P
- Supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback *2
Audio Feature :
- Gold-plated jacks
- Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
- Sonic Radar III
- Sonic Studio III)
 
#5 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Melcar View Post

Been thinking about spending a bit more on the motherboard.

Asus Crosshair VI Hero
Gigabyte Gaming K7
Asrock Taichi

The Taichi is the cheapest. Never used an Asrock board. Seems to have good features. Not crazy about that color setup. How is their BIOS?
The Giga seems nice and loaded with extras. Seems to have the best sound (better than my Xonar DX?). Not crazy about all the RGB. The M.2 slot placement I don't like (not that I plan on using M.2 drives). Is their BIOS still utter crap? Pricewise it's half way between the Asus and Asrock boards.
The Crosshair has the Asus tax on it. I heard they have big problem with their BIOS updates.
Buy the Taichi if you aren't going to buy the X370 Prime Pro. More so if you plan on using the 2nd M.2 slot or wifi+BT.

For a Ryzen 5 1600 , I think the X370 Prime Pro is fine. The Taichi is better for Ryzen 7 CPUs or future upgrades (Zen refresh / Zen +) since the power delivery is overkill.

A Ryzen 5 1600 will work fine even on a cheaper X370 board that has 8 phases (such as the Asrock X370 K4 or MSI X370 boards with 8 phases), maybe not at 1.4V , but 1.3-1.35V should be fine.

edit: keep in mind the X370 Prime pro doesn't have a debug Code LED
 
#6 ·
Yeah, just realized the Prime Pro has no debug LEDs of any kind, not even Asus' own Q-leds.
CPU has changed to 1600X. Board options are now between:

Crosshair VI
Taichi
Gaming K7

Need to leverage Linux support too. That has me fearful of any Gigabyte board. Had better luck with Asus boards in this regard.
 
#7 ·
Taichi is known to work in Linux per Level1techs. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjGWqTFultI)

Gigabyte's Gaming 5 also works in Fedora Linux per level1techs and the K7 is essentially the same board + BCLK. The VRM is less capable. (https://level1techs.com/video/ryzen-aorus-ax370-gaming-5-review-linux-test)

However it won't run older Ubuntu (get 17.04) , you NEED a Linux with kernel 4.10 for SMT (multithreading) fixes and 4.11 to use ALC1220. If you use Ubuntu update the kernel to 4.12 (you can do it GUI-based via UKUU).

GPU passthrough https://level1techs.com/article/ryzen-gpu-passthrough-setup-guide-fedora-26-windows-gaming-linux

" built-in secondary SATA controller on the CH6 is not in an isolated IOMMU group as it is on the ASRock Taichi."
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlphaC View Post

Taichi is known to work in Linux per Level1techs. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjGWqTFultI)

Gigabyte's Gaming 5 also works in Fedora Linux per level1techs and the K7 is essentially the same board + BCLK. The VRM is less capable. (https://level1techs.com/video/ryzen-aorus-ax370-gaming-5-review-linux-test)

However it won't run older Ubuntu (get 17.04) , you NEED a Linux with kernel 4.10 for SMT (multithreading) fixes and 4.11 to use ALC1220. If you use Ubuntu update the kernel to 4.12 (you can do it GUI-based via UKUU).

GPU passthrough https://level1techs.com/article/ryzen-gpu-passthrough-setup-guide-fedora-26-windows-gaming-linux

" built-in secondary SATA controller on the CH6 is not in an isolated IOMMU group as it is on the ASRock Taichi."
Thanks for the links. Really helped to narrow my choices. I can get the Taichi or the K7 for about the same price from local vendors, while the Asus is a good $50 more.
 
#9 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Melcar View Post

Yeah, just realized the Prime Pro has no debug LEDs of any kind, not even Asus' own Q-leds.
CPU has changed to 1600X. Board options are now between:

Crosshair VI
Taichi
Gaming K7

Need to leverage Linux support too. That has me fearful of any Gigabyte board. Had better luck with Asus boards in this regard.
Why did you choose 1600X over 1600?
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amhro View Post

Why did you choose 1600X over 1600?
I don't plan on overclocking. Initially anyway. Plan to keep it stock for a couple of years and then play with it. I know it's blasphemy, but I'm at a point in life where I rather just have a fast stable rig and not deal with possible instabilities from overclocks.

I'm really leaning towards the K7. Been looking at YouTube videos showcasing the UEFI from both boards. While neither seems as nice as Asus eufi, I have to say Gigabyte's has improved some. I especially like the extensive fan control. That will come in handy. Asrock eufi in comparison looks rather amateurish to be honest. The only thing I would miss from the Taichi would be the overkill VRM (still up for debate if it's actually usefully for the platform) and the external CMOS reset button (not having to open the case for that is very convenient). The K7 has more of the stuff I would actually use.
 
#11 ·
So I'm decided for the Gigabyte K7 and the R5 1600X. For the RAM I'm thinking of a pair of Corsair Vengence LPX (3200) sticks. Not a fan of Corsair, but I read that they work with little issues and they are cheap over here (the cheapest of them all).
 
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