With the arrival of the AMD Ryzen 2000 processors, we have introduced a new generation of motherboards with the AMD 400 chipsets, which so far only contain the X470 and B450 chipsets, so we will analyze the differences between them and the previous models. AMD B450 vs B350 vs X470, differences between chipsets.
First of all, we need to understand the importance of the chipset on the AM4 platform. Ryzen processors are based on a SoC (System on a chip) design so that the processor itself integrates a large part of the logic required for its operation. The processor contains everything necessary for its operation, but it is too restricted for its users. This means that we do not see any motherboards without chipsets, although it should be technically possible to run one of these processors on a motherboard without chipsets.
The AM4 motherboards are divided into three different ranges with the X, B, and A series chipsets, while the lowest is the A series chipsets, which is why AMD has decided not to launch a new model in this second generation. The new X470 and B450 chipsets complement the existing X370 and B350 in addition to the low-end A320, all Ryzen processors are compatible with all motherboards and offer high assembly flexibility. The top model, the Ryzen 7 2700X, can be perfectly mounted on the cheapest motherboard on the market, although it is not recommended as the VRM of this model is not designed for such a powerful processor.
The following table summarizes the main features of the chipsets for the AM4 platform:
| Chipset | X470 | X370 | B450 | B350 | A320 |
| USB 3.1 Gen 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| USB 3.1 Gen 1 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| SATA III | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| PCIe 3.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| PCIe 2.0 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| GPU | 1 × 16/2 × 8 | 1 × 16/2 × 8 | 1 × 16 | 1 × 16 | 1 × 16 |
| Overclock | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Do not |
| XFR2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Precision Boost Overdrive | Yes | Do not | Yes | Do not | Do not |
| Store MI | Yes | Do not | Yes | Do not | Do not |
B450 is a slight circumcision of the X470 to be cheaper to produce.
X470 is the new high-end chipset, the model that brings the most advanced and expensive motherboards to life. The main difference between this chipset and the midrange B450 is that it offers four additional USB 3.1 ports as well as two additional SATA III ports and additional PCI Express lanes for high-end graphics cards and NVMe storage drives. This makes the X470 a better chipset for users who use multiple graphics cards on a single PC or want to use a large number of NVMe drives. Another difference is that the B450 only allows CrossFire configurations, while the X470 allows CrossFire and SLI.
Please note that both the B450 and X470 let the processor overclock, although the X470 motherboards are usually equipped with a more robust and better cooled VRM, making them better suited for demanding to overclock, although this difference is due to factors outside the chipset. It is also possible that the BIOSes on X470 motherboards have more overclocking parameters, which allows fine-tuning. These differences in overclocking will only be noticeable to more experienced users, so for most players, both chipsets offer the same thing.
Little innovation compared to the previous generation
The differences between X470 and X370 and B450 and B350 are very small. In addition to supporting Ryzen 2000 processors without BIOS upgrade, they include new Store MI and Precision Boost Overdrive technologies. The first is to use an SSD to accelerate a mechanical hard disk, just like Optane. The goal of Precision Boost Overdrive is to enable processors to achieve slightly higher operating frequencies by relying on advanced algorithms to achieve their full potential.
At this point we are in doubt whether it compensates the change from an AMD 300 motherboard to one of the new AMD 400 motherboards, our conclusion is that it is not worth it, because the best you get are very few and do not compensate the economic effort to wait better for the third generation.
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