AMD unveils its B550 chipset for AM4 AMD Ryzen processors.
AMD B550 supports Zen3
The third generation of Bx50 motherboard has arrived.
Unlike B450, AMD B550 chipset will support PCIe Gen 4 for both graphics and storage. The PCIe interface for other devices (general purpose lines) will be upgraded from 2nd to 3rd generation. This is the most important change for those currently using B350 and B450 motherboards.
AMD confirmed that B550 will be compatible with Zen3, the architecture behind Ryzen 4000 desktop processors expected by the end of this year. Only the X570 and B550 motherboards will support Zen3. The news comes as a blow to currently B470 owners because those motherboards will not support Zen 3, AMD confirmed today during pre-Ryzen 3 launch briefing.
An important note, the slide posted by AMD clarifies that the Ryzen 3000G series (with integrated Radeon Vega graphics) will not be compatible with B550 motherboards.
The B550 is the first mid-range chipset offering PCIe Gen 4 support, that’s including AMD and Intel lineup. Intel’s B460 chipset has not been confirmed or even rumored to support PCIe Gen 4. Both motherboards will compete in the Ryzen 3/5 and Core i3/i5 market segment, which represents a huge amount of systems, including prebuilt PCs.
What is also worth noting is that AMD confirmed dual-GPU support for the B550 motherboards, which to this date was a premium feature for X470/570 motherboards. Most of the B550 motherboards unveiled today (pictured below) have up to 3 PCIe x16 slots. Support for SLI and Crossfire will likely depend on motherboard maker.
The B550 motherboards will be available on June 16th with a price starting at 100 USD.
Photos from TechPowerUP
