Which budget B650 motherboard is best for the AMD Ryzen 7800X3D?

Question

So I finally got my hands on a 7800X3D for my new build and I'm super hyped to finally play Cyberpunk at decent frames!! Problem is I blew most of my cash on the CPU and a 4070 Ti Super so I'm trying to stay under $160 for the motherboard. I'm looking at the ASRock B650M Pro RS WiFi and the Gigabyte B650 Gaming X AX v2 but honestly I cant decide which one is better for the long run. The ASRock is cheaper but the Gigabyte looks like it has better cooling for the VRMs maybe? I'm building this in a Lian Li case this weekend so I need to order today. Which one should I go for or is there something else in that price range that's better?

gyyztxyzyj · Accepted Answer

Actually spent all night looking at benchmarks when I was building my own rig last month... settled on a similar setup. Ngl, the 7800X3D is so efficient that even budget boards dont really sweat under the load. I am currently using the ASRock B650M Pro RS WiFi and I have been really happy with it. It has three M.2 slots which is basically unheard of at this price point. One is even PCIe 5.0 ready if you ever want to upgrade to a crazy fast drive down the road. If you are worried about the look in a Lian Li case, that silver and white finish on the ASRock looks super clean. Another solid choice if you want to stick to ATX is the MSI PRO B650-S WIFI DDR5 ATX. I have had zero complaints with MSI stability lately and their BIOS is pretty straightforward for setting up EXPO profiles. Dont stress the VRM cooling too much for this specific CPU. It is a gaming beast but it is not a power hog like the i9 chips. Just make sure you update the BIOS first thing to get those improved boot times because early AM5 was a bit slow. TL;DR: Go with the ASRock B650M Pro RS WiFi. It is cheaper, has better storage options, and looks better in white cases. You wont notice a performance difference between these boards anyway.

VVVVM · Answer

> I'm looking at the ASRock B650M Pro RS WiFi and the Gigabyte B650 Gaming X AX v2 but honestly I cant decide Unfortunately, picking between budget boards feels like choosing which headache you want to deal with. I've been through a few of these recently and the experience was not as good as expected for the price. The Gigabyte B650 Gaming X AX v2 ATX has decent 60A power stages, but honestly, I had issues with their RAM training times. It takes forever to boot even with the latest AGESA updates. Super annoying when you just want to jump into Night City. Plus, their PCB quality feels a bit thin compared to older generations. Not exactly the premium feel you want for a 7800X3D build. The ASRock B650M Pro RS WiFi AM5 is actually surprisingly decent for the money, but it's a 6-layer PCB and the VRM is a basic 8+2+1 setup. It’ll handle the 7800X3D fine since that chip is incredibly efficient, but the lack of thermal padding on the backside is disappointing for long-term durability. It looks a bit dinky in a large Lian Li case too, which is kinda a bummer after spending that much on a 4070 Ti Super. If you want my real advice, look at the MSI PRO B650-P WIFI DDR5. It's often on sale around $160 and the VRM performance is way more consistent. If you're dead set on your two options tho, go ASRock. Gigabytes coil whine lately has been a total lottery and its just not worth the risk when you're building this weekend. Just make sure you update that BIOS immediately... ASRock's Instant Flash is way less finicky than Gigabytes Q-Flash Plus in my experience.