A flood of latest AM5 B650 motherboard listings has appeared on Newegg, from Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and ASRock, together with board costs. However these boards are something however low-cost. The most cost effective motherboard in AMD’s B650 lineup begins at $169.99, with no boards coming near AMD’s official beginning MSRP of $125. At their peak, B650E flagship boards promote at a whopping $450+.
These unimaginable value hikes signify a substantial change in goal for AMD’s complete chipset lineup. All of AMD’s chipset fashions compete with one another now, with costs overlapping between B650, B650E, X670, and even X670E chipset boards. Consequently, customers now have to pivot and begin motherboard mannequin names first to discover a good worth. Consequently, trying on the chipset title completely is nearly pointless.
It means all motherboard fashions starting from B collection to X collection boards will in all probability have practically similar characteristic units, regardless of the chipset title variations. The principle distinction between the chipset names now comes from connectivity, and that’s it.
Beginning on the low finish, ASRock’s B650M PG Riptide is the most affordable B650 motherboard, beginning at $169.99. Stepping as much as the mid-range boards, all these boards sit within the $199-$300 value bracket. They embody fashions such because the Asus Prime collection, Asus TUF collection, Gigabyte Aorus Elite boards, ASRock Riptide (ATX variations), and MSI Mortar, Tomahawk, and Edge variants. All vary from ATX, microATX, and mini-ITX fashions. To be exact, these board variations embody each B650 and B650E chipsets.
These mid-range boards will in all probability be your greatest all-rounders, for best-bang-for-buck on the AM5 platform; these boards all include good USB connectivity, Wi-Fi 6E help, a number of M.2 slots out there to the person, and typically, have good high quality energy supply techniques, enough for basic overclocking use.
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When you transcend $300, you get into the ridiculous class of B650/E motherboards. The quantity of USB connectivity you get turns into very excessive, and borderline overkill for something however the highest-end energy person. The identical goes for every thing else, together with, audio, M.2 storage, and extra.
The one exception is for overclockers, the place you get a number of the greatest energy supply techniques AMD’s AIB companions can supply. A great instance is ASRock’s B650E Taichi which supplies the identical 24+2+1 energy supply system because the X670E variant. So overlockers can go for AMD’s flagship B650E choices and possibly get the identical overclocking expertise as on flagship $1,000 X670E variations until you are chasing world data.
X670 costs begin to overlap at $250, which is the place X670 costs begin and finish at $450, the place the B650E flagship boards prime out. On this $250 to $450 value bracket, customers might want to decide whether or not or not they need further PCIe connectivity over extra options B650 may supply. For probably the most half, X670/E equal boards with the identical branding title, characteristic a $50-$80 value hike over their B650/E equivalents.
However, past or beneath this value bracket, is the place the chipset names will make an precise distinction. Beneath $250, you may solely discover B collection motherboards, and above $450, you may solely discover top-tier X670/X670E motherboards. With some going as excessive as $1,000.
