The New AM5 Platform
For starters, the ‘Zen4‘ based Ryzen 7000 CPUs will make use of the new AM5 socket. As team red likes to say: AMD very rarely announces a new platform, with their previous AM4 socket lasting for around 5 years. A new socket allows for new technologies and overcomes hindrances that might have been otherwise faced if AMD were to use an older socket.
1) New LGA Design
With AM5, AMD is ditching the old PGA (Pin Grid Array) layout and has opted for the LGA (Land Grid Array) route. This is similar to what Intel offers on essentially all of its desktop CPUs. Such a step had to be taken due to the next-Gen PCIe 5.0 graphical and storage solutions that will be featured with Zen4 along with the new DDR5 memory. Long gone are the days of worrying about dropping your CPU and ruining the pins beneath it.
2) Higher Power Delivery
AMD’s new AM5 platform aims to deliver up to (but not limited to) 230W of power. This enables high performance computing and allows users and gamers to utilize the full potential offered by AMD’s Zen4 architecture.
3) RAM Overclocking
AM5 comes with a new technology dubbed as EXPO (EXtended Profiles for Overclocking) akin to Intel’s XMP (Extreme Memory Profile). AM4 had its fair share of issues when it came to overclocking DDR4 memory. However, now since all of that has been sorted, expect AM5 to deliver insane results with DDR5 overclocking. AMD is promising 11% faster DDR5 OC capabilities along with ~63ns of ultra-low latency. AMD expects the customers have 15 EXPO enabled memory kits up to DDR5–6400 available to them by launch. Adding onto that, AMD’s new platform is now only DDR5 compatible meaning you will not be able to use DDR4 memory anymore. In contrast, Intel is still giving DDR4 memory support even on its upcoming Raptor Lake CPUs.
4) Additional Features
This platform supports DDR5-5200 (JEDEC) memory with up to 28 memory lanes. Similarly, the lanes available for NVMe 4.0 and even USB 3.2‘s I/O lanes have seen a major bump as compared to the last Gen. One of the most overlooked features is DirectStorage offered by Microsoft. This basically enables direct GPU decompression for insanely fast loading times. AMD has highlighted this as a major feature for AM5. As of now, there are not many games that support Microsoft’s DirectStorage. However, if this platform lasts for 5 years as was the case with AM4. We may see many games featuring this new technology popping up as early as 2023.
5) Pricing and Support
AMD plans to keep AM5 in support through 2025 and even longer if things go accordingly. In addition to that, motherboards as low as $125 are expected in the market by the end of this year.
X670 Series Platform
Next-Gen motherboards featuring the X670/X670E chipsets have already been detailed and announced by almost every major AIB partner. The X670 chipset is aimed at the enthusiast segment of the market aiming to provide exceptional performance levels with its enhanced power delivery, extreme overclocking, and PCIe 5.0 support. For those interested, only the Extreme ‘E’ series motherboards will allow for both PCIe 5.0 GPUs and PCIe 5.0 M.2 storage solutions. Otherwise, if you opt for a ‘non-E’ motherboard, you will have to make a choice between the two.
B650 Series Platform
The B650/B650E motherboards are aimed at the mainstream market and those looking for a cost-effective solution. This chipset acts as the direct successor of the B550 platform featuring support for RDNA 2 iGPUs, which will be included with the Ryzen 7000 CPUs.
Launch Schedule
The Ryzen 7000 CPUs along with the X670 and X670E motherboards will officially be available for purchase on the 27th of September. Those who are interested can pre-order these CPUs starting from the 15th of September. For those on a budget, the lower-mid end B650 chipsets will hit the shelves by the 10th of October.
Pre-orders for Ryzen 7000 CPUs = 15th September, 2022Ryzen 7000 CPUs | X670/X670E Motherboards Launch Date = 27th September, 2022B650/B650E Motherboards Launch Date = 10th October, 2022
