Hello all, I have recently been doing 4k video editing, and my current PC (spec in signature) is increasingly struggling with this. So I was looking to do a mini-upgrade to some parts of my PC. I say "mini-upgrade" because I would ideally like to wait for Zen4/DDR5/lower GPU prices before I change my entire system. Right, with that said, the main issue for me currently is that 16GB of RAM is not enough - this is what happens with Premiere Pro, Photoshop and After Effects open: So the main thing I'll probably look to do is get more RAM. I currently have 2x8GB sticks, so I'll probably just upgrade to 2x16GB sticks. BUT one issue is that my current motherboard is rubbish: It generally has bad reviews. I sometimes have issues where my PC simply won't POST/boot. The RAM speed on the B350M-A is capped at 3,200 Mhz. But even with 3,000 Mhz RAM inserted, it defaults to 2133 Mhz and it's not always stable getting it running at 3,000 Mhz. So I'll probably look to upgrade both my motherboard and RAM but I had a few questions: What is the best micro ATX Ryzen board available for under £100 right now? I can afford more than £100 for the mobo, but I ideally don't want to spend too much considering that I'll look to upgrade to Zen4/DDR5 in a year or so. Should I get a 4-slot motherboard, and then insert both the 2x16GB sticks and 2x8GB sticks? Or should I just use the 2x16GB sticks only? I think that's pretty much it - thanks for any help/insights
I'm not going to opine on "best," but I've got an Asus PRIME B450M-K with 2x 16GB 3,000MHz DDR4 RAM (Corsair CMK32GX4M2B3000C15, lshw says) running stable as you like at XMP settings, no bother. It's only two-slot, though, so you wouldn't be able to throw your existing 8GB sticks in there for bonus memory. Seems to have been replaced by a PRIME B450M-K II, which is only £65 on Amazon - well within budget. (Ignore the bit that says it has four memory slots in the specs, I can only see two in the pictures.)
Thanks for that, yeah the reviews for the Prime B450* seem good so hopefully it was just some early teething issues with the B350M. Running just two sticks is fine tbh, so that motherboard would meet the requirements well thanks
My understanding is that they recommend 2 sticks to achieve maximum speed, something like this slide from earlier Ryzen: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...xoKHcLNAOcQMygFegUIARClAQ&safe=active&ssui=on So 2x16GB would be the way to go. But don't shy away from inserting everything if you have the slots and actually need the RAM capacity. It's only a bad idea if you don't use the extra capacity.
Hmm, that'd probably apply to me then! I doubt I would need beyond 32gb to be honest, but it's hard to currently. The other option is the Asus Prime B550-K mATX which is below £100 (just!) on Scan and has 4 RAM slots. I could start with the 2x16GB RAM, but have the other as a backup just in-case I come near 32GB usage.
