In recent months, rumors surrounding AMD’s impending Ryzen 7000 processors for desktops have been in full swing. Although Lisa Su presented Zen 4 at CES 2022, it was anticipated that the new AM5 platform would include multiple chipsets, just as AM4 has over 500 motherboards with a lifespan of X370, X470, X570 and all chipsets in between. .
AMD announced its X670E, X670 and B650 chipsets during AMD Keynote at Computex 2022And tonight, AMD has announced a fourth chipset for the Ryzen 7000, the B650E chipset. The B650E chipset will run alongside the already announced B650 chipset, but since it’s part of AMD’s ‘Extreme’ series of chipsets, it will benefit from PCIe 5.0 lanes in at least one M.2 slot, as well as optional PCIe 5.0 support for a PCIe graphics slot, features not available with standard B650 boards.
During AMD Keynote at Computex 2022, AMD CEO Lisa Su Introduced Three AM5 Chipsets designed to harness the power of its 5nm Zen 4 cores inside Ryzen 7000 processors. We already knew that socket AM5 was based on a Lane Grid Array (LGA) socket with 1718 pins, aptly named LGA1718. Some of the significant benefits that come with AM5 include native CPU PCIe 5.0 support, not only for use with PCIe slots, but also PCIe 5.0 storage, where the first consumer drives are expected to start rolling out in November 2022. .
AMD’s latest announcement of the B650E (Extreme) chipset gives motherboard vendors and users the option of a lower cost platform, but without sacrificing the longevity and expansion support of PCIe 5.0. The X670E chipset is reserved for its most premium models, such as the flagship ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme motherboard unveiled at Computex 2022.
| AMD AM5 Chipset Comparison | ||||
| Characteristic | X670E | X670 | B650E | B650 |
| CPU PCIe (PCIe) | 5.0 (Required) 2×16 slots |
4.0 (5.0 optional) |
4.0 (5.0 optional) |
4.0 (5.0 optional) |
| PCIe CPU (M.2 slots) | At least 1 PCIe 5.0 slot | PCIe 4.0 (5.0 optional) |
||
| Total CPU PCIe Lanes | 24 | |||
| USB super speed 20Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2×2) |
up to 14 | |||
| DDR5 support | Quad channel (128-bit bus) speeds to be determined |
|||
| WiFi 6E | Yes | |||
| overclocking support | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Available | September 2022 | October 2022 | ||
Using PCIe 5.0 lanes requires a more premium PCB, typically with more layers, allowing the lanes to maintain signal integrity, but this typically adds cost. The existence of the B650E chipset will allow vendors to use more expensive PCIe 5.0 lanes with more modest controller sets, allowing them to offset the cost. Ideally, it gives users a broader, more future-proof platform to upgrade to, but without breaking the bank on unnecessary driver sets; users who want the best sets of drivers should go for the X670 or X670E.
Ultimately, this means that AMD will have a main platform that has PCIe 5.0 by default (B650E) and a lower cost alternative with only PCIe 4.0 lanes for the PEG and M.2 slots. AMD is pushing motherboard vendors hard to offer at least one PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot for storage on most of their boards, as this is one of the main benefits of AMD’s AM5 platform.
As announced by AMD during its Together We advance_PCs event, Ryzen 7000 desktop processors will launch on September 27, with both X670E and X670 chipset motherboards. Motherboards with the B650E and B650 chipsets will be available for purchase at a later date in October.
