Which X570 mainboard should I get for my last DDR4 build with a 5900X & VFIO?

Hey L1T, long time reader, first time poster :smiley:

I want to replace some parts in my current Ryzen system (R7 2700X @ X470) for it to become a peak-DDR4 build, so that the next upgrade is far in the future.
I am mostly interested in your opinion on which mainboard I should buy. I would definitely not shy away to invest a few more ā‚¬ extra to get an X570 compared to a B550, so only consider the B550 if would be ultimatively better.
The machine is used for work 8h every day and also daily gaming.
I do not currently have VFIO running, so any pointers how and what to use would also be appreciated.

Example build as PCPartPicker: pcpartpicker .com/list/GQbMZw

Parts of the planned build are:

  • [Reuse] GPU: Palit RTX 3070Ti GamingPro
  • [Reuse] RAM: 32GB (4x8GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX LP DDR4-3200 DIMM CL16 (currently running at 3200)
  • [Reuse] M.2 SSD: Samsung 980 1TB (PCIe 3.0 x4)
  • [Reuse] M.2 SSD: Crucial P1 1TB (PCIe 3.0 x4)
  • [New] Mainboard: X570, but which?
  • [New] CPU: either 5900X, 5800X3D or 5800X
  • [New] Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R
  • [New] Case: be quiet! Pure Base 600

What I care about:

  • Stability
  • A working suspend to RAM (was not reliable at all on the MSI X470)
  • VFIO: Linux as host, Win10 as guest (only spins up after work)
  • Some USB in different VFIO groups for the pass through
  • The guest GPU should have PCIe 4.0 x16 (3070Ti)
  • The host GPU can be connected quite slow (I have an old GTX 550Ti, but I could also buy a cheap new one)
  • Host and guest each have their dedicated M.2 SSD

Nice to have but not necessary:

  • Bluetooth
  • a good amount of USB ports
  • since the RTX 3070Ti is only used for after work gaming, it would be awesome to keep it from consuming power during the day

What I do NOT care about:

  • Overclocking
  • Thunderbolt
  • latest and greatest USB3.x standards
  • silence (mostly)
  • RGB / how it looks

The Questions:

  • Is it even possible what I am asking for?
  • Iā€™ve read quite a lot praise for the X570 AORUS Elite and GIGABYTE boards in general. If I understood that correctly then GIGABYTE boards have the unique ability to chose the POST-GPU, which I would need for my wish list, right? Does it really make a difference to have that GPU connected via PCIe 4.0 x16 or would x8 be sufficient? Currently itā€™s connected via 3.0 16x which is the same speed as 4.0 x8, right?
  • With the 12c/24t I do need to pay attention to the VRM phases or is that only relevant for overclocking?

Thanks for reading!

AMDā€™s AM4 platform is nearing end-of-life and will likely get only one more CPU refresh this year before being discontinued. After that AMD will transition to AM5 with their Zen 4 CPUs. So IMO, it really doesnā€™t make sense to spend that kind of money on a new system that lacks future upgradabilty unless you just happen across a killer deal.

If youā€™re needing a new system right now Iā€™d suggest looking into a 12th Gen Intel (Alderlake) CPU with a DDR4 Z690 or H670 motherboard. Or if you can wait 6-12 months it might be worth waiting to see what Zen 4 looks like on AM5.

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I can recomment the Gigabyte Aorus X570 Master. It is an all around nice board that has good IOMMU groupings for VFIO and WIFI + Bluetooth. As long as you donā€™t populate the second PCIex16 slot the first one should at x16 speeds.

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I concur with the same Gigabyte X570 Master board, I have it and love it.

Just running the 5800x CPU with 32GB of DDR4/3200 RAM.

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The only components I would exchange would kind of only be the CPU and board. I would only get the new cooler and case, so that I can pass that core system on to someone else and get the money right back from it.
If I wait for the next generation I would also need to replace the RAM which looks surprisingly cheap ATM, but you never if it stays that way.

That would work, populating the third slot would leave slot one at full speed.

Do you know how the Master compares to the Pro, Ultra and Elite IOMMU wise? I can see the specs at a comparison site, but that does not tell me about IOMMU groups, etc. In my location the cheapest Master is 80ā‚¬ more than the Pro. And Bluetooth is relly only a ā€œnice to haveā€ and I would not spend a lot money to have that

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I am running my host GPU, in the bottom most slot as well. It has a PCIe3.0x4 link, which is enough to display any 2D content and use video acceleration.

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The Pro has fine groups as well. I have that one, too!

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Nice, I double checked and the Pro is even 130ā‚¬ cheaper than the Master, the Pro AX was 80ā‚¬.

Do you have the Pro or Pro AX? The AX is apparently also a X570S.

Just to be on the safe side: With a Pro I could hardware-pass-through a whole M.2 drive and some USB ports?

I have both, the X570 Master and the X570 Pro. I do not have the X570 Pro AX.

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Have not testes this since I use images. I do not see why this would not work, tough. Only the USB could be problematic. But I honestly have no experience with that, I pass through single USB devices and not the controller.

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My gamer heart would really appreciate passing at least 2 USB Ports through with no latency, so that I can not blame mishaps on the setup :smiley:

I remember there was a command that would tell you what device is in which IOMMU groupā€¦ but I do not remember it anymore, since I sadly could not VFIO in a stable manner with the MSI board I have right now, so my whole experience is limited to reading and watching videos.
Maybe Iā€™m asking real noob questions with the M.2 pass-through. :wink:

Should be doable, If I remember correctly the ports in the back are attached to two different controllers. I believe 4 were attached to one and 2 to the other one. But you have to do an internet search for that, since my memory could be faulty. I canā€™t currently check this for you since the computers are not connected today.

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