CPU upgrade advice

[OnlyAlex22]

Hi everyone, I have a PC built by Overclockers that is an ASUS B350 mobo, CPU Ryzen 7 1700 and x2 8GB RAM 2133.

Mum has bought me an AMD Ryzen 7 3700x for Christmas. I am not a huge gamer, I just play the Sims 4 and we wanted to get it ready for Windows 11.

I was under the impression that it would be compatible but I am concerned after researching about two things:

Is 2133 RAM compatible? I read that it should be 3200 if you want really fast gaming but I only play The Sims 4. Is this RAM acceptable or will I definitely have to upgrade?

Will a Corsair CS550M be compatible PSU?

Someone said CPU will throttle with VRM? What does this mean? I don't do any overclocking or anything. Any advice appreciated as I am a complete noob. Cheers!

 

[Lutfij]

Correct DDR4-3200MHz at the very least but you could try and pick up DDR4-3600MHz. I'd get a CX unit or a something higher in tier like the TX or RM. PSU's are like hearts, they have a heart attack, the system's dead.

Mind sharing the exact model of your motherboard? If the VRM is lackluster in design and layout, then yeah you will need to look at a B450 or a B550 Chipset motherboard.

 

[OnlyAlex22]

Correct DDR4-3200MHz at the very least but you could try and pick up DDR4-3600MHz. I'd get a CX unit or a something higher in tier like the TX or RM. PSU's are like hearts, they have a heart attack, the system's dead.

Mind sharing the exact model of your motherboard? If the VRM is lackluster in design and layout, then yeah you will need to look at a B450 or a B550 Chipset motherboard.

Is 2133 RAM not compatible at all? I don't do overclocking or gaming and I read somewhere that if you buy 3200, it will most likely be at 2400 and you will have to enable DOCP etc. Would my current PSU be compatible though? Thanks.

I have ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. PRIME B350-PLUS (AM4)

Cheers for the help.

 

[Lutfij]

DDR4-2133MHz is what DDR4 rams start off as but the reason I asked you to get higher frequency rams is to make sure you're getting all the performance out of your platform. Depending on which series Ryzen you get, they loves higher frequency ram kits.

You've posted the question in PC Gamer's forums, so I'm going to automatically think your build will involve some form of gaming.

That PSU is know to be the worst possible unit in the computing industry. I asked you to get a reliably built PSU to make sure your investments are secure and you're not worrying about reliability. To reiterate, the grey labelled PSU's from Corsair's CX lineup are okay. The Green labelled CX units and beyond are horrible.

The motherboard you have has a poorly designed VRM area...no surprise since it's not a pricey motherboard.

 

[OnlyAlex22]

DDR4-2133MHz is what DDR4 rams start off as but the reason I asked you to get higher frequency rams is to make sure you're getting all the performance out of your platform. Depending on which series Ryzen you get, they loves higher frequency ram kits.

You've posted the question in PC Gamer's forums, so I'm going to automatically think your build will involve some form of gaming.

That PSU is know to be the worst possible unit in the computing industry. I asked you to get a reliably built PSU to make sure your investments are secure and you're not worrying about reliability. To reiterate, the grey labelled PSU's from Corsair's CX lineup are okay. The Green labelled CX units and beyond are horrible.

The motherboard you have has a poorly designed VRM area...no surprise since it's not a pricey motherboard.

Thank you. What's the minimum that you would recommend PSU wise Corsair grey?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRaZ2Txv13M
- this at 5:09 tests ASUS B350 and Ryzen 7 3700 and the VRM is perfectly safe, so I am unsure why people are saying it isn't, unless I've missed something? Cheers for the help.

 

[Lutfij]

What graphics card will you be pairing the system with? Any other parts that you want to add t your build, like RGB/ARGB components or add-on cards?

 

[OnlyAlex22]

What graphics card will you be pairing the system with? Any other parts that you want to add t your build, like RGB/ARGB components or add-on cards?

GTX 980 ti and no, nothing else. Thanks for your help. Everyone is confusing me. I have looked online and spoken to someone who has this board and CPU this morning and they said it works fine, but the PSU would need upgrading and RAM?

 

[Lutfij]

650W of power at the very least, a little more like 750W for headroom if you intend to overclock or want to hold onto the unit for a long time.

You might want to keep in mind that in the long term, any power delivery area will give out if they're being taxed or run to their limits. The A320 chipset was designed for no frill system's then AMD decided to release AGESA code to allow overclocking with ram and the ability to drop in higher tier processors but the motherboard makers didn't put top tier VRM's in the lower budget boards, hence why my suggestion is to look at a board that has a better VRM layout.