Over the past two months, rumors have been swirling around AMD’s upcoming desktop Ryzen 7000 processor. Although Lisa Su has already announced Zen 4 at CES 2022 this year, it is predicted that the new AM5 platform will support multiple chipsets, just like the AM4 lineup already features more than 500 motherboards such as X370, X470, X570 and more.
During the Computex 2022 keynote today, AMD announced the X670E, X670 and B650 chipsets. AMD announced the B650E chipset, the fourth chipset for the Ryzen 7000. The B650E chipset will be sold alongside the already announced B650 chipset, but since it is part of AMD’s “Extreme” family of chipsets, it will have features not available on the standard B650, such as support for PCIe 5.0 lanes in at least one M.2 slot.
During AMD’s keynote at Computex 2022, AMD CEO Steve Su introduced three AM5 chipsets to better leverage the power of the 5nm Zen 4 core in the Ryzen 7000 processor. We already know that the AM5 socket is based on a channel grid array (LGA) socket with 1718 pins, aptly named LGA1718. Some of the significant benefits AM5 brings include native PCIe 5.0 support for CPUs, not only for PCIe slots but also for PCIe 5.0 storage, with the first consumer drives expected to be available starting in November 2022. The first consumer drives are expected to be available starting in November 2022.
AMD’s newly announced B650E (Extreme) chipset offers motherboard vendors and users a choice of low-cost platforms without sacrificing PCIe 5.0 longevity and expansion support. The X670E chipset is reserved for its most advanced models, such as the flagship ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme motherboard unveiled at Computex 2022.
Using PCIe 5.0 lanes requires a higher quality PCB, often with more layers to allow the alignment to maintain signal integrity, but this typically increases cost. The presence of the B650E chipset will allow vendors to offset costs by enabling the use of more expensive PCIe 5.0 lanes and more modest controller sets. Ideally, it provides users with a broader, more future-proof upgrade platform without spending a lot of money on unnecessary controller sets; those who want the best controller set should choose the X670 or X670E.
