I’m currently running a 11900K, but I’ve been dealing with an increasing number of BSODs—even after a full Windows reset. I’ve had enough and decided it’s time for a new system.
I’m considering upgrading to a 9800X3D with an X870E motherboard and DDR5 RAM, which I plan to run at stock speeds (no XMP or AMD EXPO enabled). Stability is my top priority, so I’m looking for motherboard and RAM recommendations that are known for reliability and minimal stability issues.
I’ll be bringing over my RTX 4080, so GPU compatibility isn’t a concern.
Are there any specific motherboard models and RAM kits (brands, configurations, IC types) that stand out for rock-solid stability? Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
On the DDR5 RAM front I’d say stock settings basically never fails unless you did something wrong or got a dud. I tried 5 or 6 sets of sticks from multiple companies (Teamgroup, Lexar, Corsair, Gskill, I think 1 other) on a Gigabyte B650I w/ 7700x recently and all worked on JEDEC and none worked on expo even though 3 were on the QVL list. Also QVL list can be sus, and probably not really needed if you just run JEDEC (I now run a Lexar set not on the QVL list at EXPO). From what I’ve read Hynix A kits are great for AM5 and there’s many options that are very very similar from multiple companies. Any kit from a reputable company run at JEDEC should be fine, just needs to be tested. Use some stress test when you put it together for a few hours to test stability and you should be fine.
Motherboard is probably the trickier situation. If you only need the 1 PCIe slot for the GPU you have a lot of options and if you look on reviews online there’s basically no difference in performance between any of them.
Other features you’re looking for on the motherboard are probably the more limiting factor (size, connectivity, weird things you wanna do in your spare time). Hardware unboxed ran a pretty good video a while back comparing all the X870E motherboards they got their hands on, you can take a look and see what you like. Not all motherboards are there and there also might be B850 or B650/X670E boards that are better for you.
I have an X670E ProArt, and I am sure the X870E Pro Art will be the same, but it has been super reliable. I would recommend you to use DDR5 6000 CL30 RAM because why leave performance on the table? I have had a Gskill kit in my computer from day one running the Expo profile had never once have I had any system instability. Even with ECC UDIMMs I have not had system instability unless I tried doing some stupid RAM settings. At that point it was a reset and we’re good. If you’re going to bother getting a 9800X3D, then don’t avoid the Expo settings and leave all that CPUs performance on the table. Either buy a cheaper CPU or buy and use a good EXPO kit of RAM.
Straight from the QVL on ASUS.Com for the X870E Pro Art. This is the exact memory I have and it’s been nothing but rock solid reliable at EXPO settings.
For a stable system with your 9800X3D and X870E motherboard, consider motherboards like the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero, MSI MEG X870E ACE, or Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master for their reliability and strong performance. For RAM, options like Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 CL30, G.Skill Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6000 CL30, or Kingston FURY Beast DDR5-6000 CL36 are solid choices known for stability at stock speeds.