AMD Ryzen CPUs are the next-generation Intel processor "killers" and are almost out in the market. Based on its new Zen architecture, AMD is set to take the processor market by storm. But to build a new system around this completely new processor architecture will be very tricky indeed. Since the new processors will only fit into a new socket named AM4, new motherboards are called for. So which one?
Early reviews and press releases have convincingly shown that AMD Ryzen CPUs are a giant killer. Targeting the enthusiast market, the top three AMD Ryzen processors are available for pre-order. Here are the different motherboard configurations that support the new AMD chipsets and AM4 platform.
AMD's X370. First off is the highest in the food chain. This is likely choice of the extremely select elite gamers out there.
AMD's x370 platform is like the B350 on steroids (we'll get to that later). The X370 is equipped with an additional four 5Gbps USB gen 1 port, double the number of SATA III ports, and two more PCIe lines.
And in keeping up with gaming paradise specs, it is equipped with dual PCIe 3.0 slots for CrossFire support and SLI multi-GPU setups. So if you are aiming to achieve gaming nirvana by loading your gaming PC with all the latest and best technology has to offer, AMD's X370 boards are the ticket.
B350 motherboards. Next are the B350 motherboards which may very well be the honey pot for PC gamers who love the single-GPU setup. These pack a punch since overclocking is available, unlike their A320 counterparts.
Also present are two 10Gbps USB 3.1 ports instead of one and six PCIe lines for those top-of-the-line third-party gizmos like SSDs and the like. The only drawback is the fact that it doesn't support multi-GPU setups.
According to PCWorld, AMD explains: "Only AMD's X370 and X300 chipsets support two PCIe 3.0 x8 graphics card slots with direct access to the processor. If multi-GPU setups are used on other socket AM4 chipsets, they will not have the same PCIe 3.0 bandwidth, and those configurations are not officially supported."
A320 motherboards. These are the most basic, no-frills boards intended for budget systems and out of the box PCs from the likes of Dell and HP. These boards come equipped with one USB 3.1 gen 2 port, two 5 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 1 ports, and up to six USN 2.0 ports.
An additional four USB 3.1 gen 1 ports are already built in on the AMD Ryzen CPUs. The A320 also supports a pair of SATA III and SATA Express ports and four PCIe gen 2 lines for extra PCIe devices like SSDs, network cards, sound cards, etc.
Unfortunately, as previously stated, since this is a budget board targeted for users in general, overclocking is not supported. So if you are looking to push your processor's limits, you will do better to look elsewhere.
The AM4 platform is also offered in two small form-factor PC setups: X300 and A300/B300. These mini-ITX versions rely on the inherent capabilities built into the AMD Ryzen processors.
The difference between the two is that the X series is targeted for the gamers and enthusiasts, offering overclocking capabilities and dual PCIe 3.0 slots. Availability of these mini-ITX versions is still in the cloud as of this writing.
One thing is for sure, no matter which motherboard you pick, it's there for the long haul. AMD plans to support the new platform until 2020 at least unlike Intel that tends to change chipsets with every other generation of processors.
Considering that this is AMD's biggest processor offering in a very long time and a host of manufacturers like Asus, MSI, ASRock, and Gigabyte supporting the new platform, you can narrow down your search for the perfect AMD Ryzen-based setup for you.
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