With multi-GPU on the decline, AMD Ryzen platform buyers are drawn to the mid-range AMD B450 chipset-based motherboards as the chipset still offers CPU overclocking features not available on its Intel counterpart, the B360 Express, helping buyers save money over X470-based products. Motherboard vendors, seeing a potential for enthusiasts seeking out B450, have each launched quasi-premium motherboards based on the chipset, such as the GIGABYTE Aorus B450 Pro, MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon, and ASUS ROG Strix B450-F Gaming. ASUS is taking this concept further with the better-endowed new ROG Strix B450-E Gaming. This product is interesting, because ASUS hasn't yet launched a Strix-E SKU based on the AMD X470. The company included a mention of the product in its launch reveal for its AMD B450 motherboard series, and is beginning to roll the product out.

The ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming features a more premium CPU VRM than even the Strix X470-F, with a "12-phase" (likely blind-doubled 8-phase CPU with either blind-doubled 4-phase vSOC or 2+1+1), compared to the B450-F, with its 8-phase (4 CPU + 4 SOC) design. The component quality is a step up from the Strix B450-F, and so are the VRM heatsinks. ASUS added metal reinforcement for two of the board's three PCI-Express x16 slots, although the second and third slots are x4. You also get two M.2-2280 slots, one of which comes with SSD heatsink. Intel i211-AT wired 1 GbE and Intel 9260 802.11ac + Bluetooth 5 WLAN, take care of networking. The onboard audio solution is unchanged from the Strix B450-F. The ROG Strix B450-E Gaming is priced around 149.99€.

GIGABYTE today introduced the B450M Gaming, a low-cost socket AM4 motherboard based on AMD B450 chipset, designed to be priced under $100. Built in the compact micro-ATX form-factor (205 mm x 244 mm), the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS, and uses a 4+3 phase VRM to power the AM4 SoC. A large VRM heatsink dominates the main MOSFET block, which also covers up a portion of the rear I/O area. The AM4 socket is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel memory, the board's sole M.2-2280 slot, and the PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot with metal reinforcement. Two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots wired to the B450 chipset make for the rest of the expansion area.

Storage connectivity includes one M.2-2280 slot with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, and four SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes four USB 3.1 gen 1 type-A ports on the rear panel, and two USB 3.1 gen 1 ports via header. Networking, interestingly, is a 1 GbE interface driven by Realtek Dragon 8118AS controller, which was originally launched as Realtek's competitor to the i219-V (comes with various performance enhancements). Audio is a basic 6-channel fare driven by Realtek ALC887, somewhat improved with ground-layer isolation and electrolytic capacitors.

GIGABYTE introduced an Aorus-branded, quasi-premium mini-ITX motherboard based on AMD B450 chipset, for socket AM4 processors, the B450-I Aorus Pro WiFi. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS, conditioning it for the SoC with a lean 4+2 phase VRM. The AM4 SoC is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory; and the board's lone PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot.

Storage connectivity on the B450-I Aorus Pro WiFi includes an M.2-2280 slot with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring; and four SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes six USB 3.0 ports (four on the rear panel, two by headers); and two USB 3.1 gen 2 (both on the rear panel). With just 6-channel jacks, the onboard audio solution may look cheap, but is redeemed by Realtek ALC1220 CODEC. The Intel 9260 adapter is at the helm of wireless networking, with 802.11ac + Bluetooth 5.0, while GbE is handled by Intel i211AT. There's also some RGB LED fun to be had, with two 4-pin ARGB headers, and a small 8-pixel diffuser behind the PCB. GIGABYTE could price this board around $120.

ASUS today announced that the ROG Strix, Prime and TUF Gaming series motherboards built on the AMD B450 chipset and supporting the latest AMD Ryzen processors are now available. AMD's Ryzen platform offers an incredible desktop compute experience with multithreaded horsepower plus accessible overclocking and gaming prowess. Earlier this year AMD launched the second-generation Ryzen family with the updated X470 chipset designed to further enhance the performance of higher-end gaming and content creation rigs. Now, AMD is launching the B450 chipset for a new generation of affordable motherboards.

The B450 is streamlined for straightforward builds and smaller form factors, and ASUS has a complete collection available now. ROG Strix B450-I and B450-F Gaming elevate the platform with signature features for serious gamers, TUF B450-Plus and B450M-Plus Gaming focus on essentials and durability, and Prime B450-Plus, B450M-A and B450M-K put a more professional face on the platform.

BIOSTAR debuts two mATX motherboards for the 1st and 2nd generation AMD AM4 Ryzen processors with the BIOSTAR B450MHC and BIOSTAR B450MH. Both BIOSTAR B450 motherboards include features found in higher-end motherboards to take full advantage of the 2nd Gen Ryzen processors. The BIOSTAR B450MHC and BIOSTAR B450MH support DDR4-1866/ 2133/ 2400/ 2667/ 2933/ 3200(OC), 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, 2x PCIe 2.0 slots, 4x SATA III connectors, 1 x M.2 (B450MH only), 6x USB 3.1 Gen1 (5Gb/s) ports (4 on rear I/Os and 2 via internal headers) 6x USB 2.0 ports (2 on rear I/Os and 4 via internal headers) and more.

The BIOSTAR B450MHC and BIOSTAR B450MH are built with higher-end features to keep up with gamer demands. The B450 chipset gives gamers the option to overclock the CPU to take full advantage of the full graphic settings (not usually found in mid-range motherboards). The chipset has an efficient idle power to draw less than 2W, saving power and reducing heat when not in use. The B450 also has enhanced VRM and memory routing specifications, a featured originally introduced with the X470 design.

The leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, proudly introduce the new motherboard lineup for AMD's B450 chipset, the new products improves in almost every way on its already powerful predecessor, the B350. ASRock is bringing all those improvements - and more - to users with this powerful new AMD B450 motherboard range.

ASRock's B450 motherboards are able to provide 4Kx2K (4096x2160) @ 60Hz video output via onboard DisplayPort. This means high-end monitor support will never be a problem. These boards are perfect for high resolution movie playback with movie theater quality. With 4K video, you get more vibrant, vivid detail on even the largest screens, putting you right into the action - it's almost better than being there.

GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the release of the new B450 AORUS Motherboard series. These new models support the full spectrum of AMD Ryzen processors and boast innovative technologies including AMD StoreMI as a way to accelerate traditional HDDs to speed levels only found in SSDs. Excellence in computer experience is achieved through the use premium details such as the integrated I/O shield, next-gen Wi-Fi and USB Type-C connectivity. A new armor design highlights the contours of the AORUS falcon while providing an advanced cooling solution for one of the most critical areas of the motherboard.

With this launch, GIGABYTE is also introducing a new naming scheme for the AORUS models. It better represents model hierarchy using terminology more familiar to gamers with B450 AORUS PRO and B450 AORUS ELITE as the top options based on the B450 chipset from AMD. True optimization for all 2nd Gen Ryzen CPUs requires a robust power design and to meet all power requirements with the utmost quality, the motherboards utilize solid pins inside the power connectors.

MSI, the leading motherboard manufacturer, is proud to announce that MSI B450 motherboards are on shelf now. To satisfy all kinds of gamers and users, MSI has prepared motherboards in Performance GAMING, Arsenal GAMING and PRO Series. With more MSI exclusive features and hardware improvements, MSI B450 motherboards allow users to maximize performance and gain better gaming experiences.

According to MSI OC Lab, we are proud to achieve CPU frequency up to 5.7 GHz with three of MSI B450 motherboards. With highly optimized design and premium layout and MSI exclusive feature, Core Boost, the B450 GAMING PLUS, B450 TOMAHAWK, and B450M MORTAR all push AMD Ryzen 2600X CPU frequency rate over 5.7 GHZ by using LN2, with 5781 MHz, 5752 MHz, and 5771 MHz respectively. This is an incredible result to show that MSI B450 motherboards are perfect with higher performance.

AMD today announced the B450 motherboard chipset for socket AM4 processors and APUs. Positioned as the mid-range option from AMD's 400-series chipset family, the B450 will power motherboards priced anywhere between $70 to $160, and packs certain high-end features that could let you save money over choosing pricier X470-powered boards. To begin with, the B450, like the X470, has a lower TDP and power-draw, so it runs cooler, and can make do with lighter heatsinks. It comes with slightly improved reference CPU VRM and memory wiring specifications that AMD introduced with the X470. The B450, like the X470, also supports XFR 2 "Enhanced" and Precision Boost Overdrive (that lets you tinker with boost frequencies without arbitrarily setting a high clock speed).

The B450 is recommended by AMD for both Ryzen 5 series and Ryzen 7 series, provided you don't need multi-GPU, as motherboards based on B450 aren't allowed to have PEG lane bifurcation. You still get multiplier-unlocked CPU overclocking support (something the competing Intel B360 platform lacks), as well as memory overclocking. The B450 packs out of the box support for AMD StoreMI, a storage virtualization feature that stripes a portion of your memory, your fast SSD, and slower HDD, into a single volume, and juggles hot data in and out of the faster media in the background. You can have any brand of drives to use StoreMI. B350 motherboards support StoreMI through BIOS updates.

GIGABYTE is ready with two Aorus branded motherboards based on the upcoming AMD B450 mid-range socket AM4 chipset. These include the B450 Aorus Pro in the ATX form-factor, and the micro-ATX B450 Aorus M. The B450 Aorus Pro packs many of the features you'd expect from a more expensive board based on the pricier X470 chipset. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning it for the AM4 SoC using a 11-phase VRM with high-current chokes. The AM4 SoC is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and the board's sole reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The second x16 slot is physically gen 3.0 x4 and shares its lanes with the top M.2-22110 slot; which is wired directly to the AM4 SoC. With an M.2 SSD installed, auto-switching gates the second x16 AIC slot. The third x16 slot is gen 2.0 x4, and wired to the chipset. The second M.2-2280 slot is gen 2.0 x4, too. A single PCIe x1 slot makes for the rest of the expansion.

Both M.2 slots on the B450 Aorus Pro feature heatsinks. Six SATA 6 Gbps ports, from which two come from the AM4 SoC, make for the rest of the storage connectivity. As part of the "gamer-grade" varnishing, this board gets rather high-end onboard audio, including a Realtek ALC1220 (120 dBA SNR) codec with EMI shielding, audio-grade WIMA and Muse capacitors, and ground layer isolation. USB connectivity includes two USB 3.1 type 2 ports (one each of type-A and type-C); and six USB 3.1 gen 1 (four on the rear panel, two by headers). Display outputs include DVI and HDMI. The sole networking connectivity is a 1 GbE interface. Its controller is unknown. You get RGB LED illumination and headers, and an integrated rear I/O shield.

As AMD is moving closer towards completing its staggered Ryzen 2000 series' launch, first benchmarks and silicon photos have surfaced. AMD's Ryzen 3 2300X is a quad-core solution that leverages the Zen+ architecture on the 12 nm process, improving performance and power consumption over the original Ryzen 3 1300X. Alongside the new CPU line, AMD is also expected to refresh its chipset offerings, with a revised B450 superseding the B350 chipset - though users can drop in their Ryzen 2000 series processors on 300-series chipsets, provided they have the adequate BIOS already installed.

The Ryzen 3 2300X, paired with a BIOSTAR X370 motherboard, was put through its paces under CPU-Z (where it scored 509 and 2020 points in the single and multi-thread benchmarks respectively), as well as in Cinebench (where it scored 690 points). The 2300X can seemingly boost up to 4.2 GHz without any manual overclocking from its 3.5 GHz base clock - an improvement of around 500 MHz in the XFR-enabled boost over its predecessor, which only hit 3.7 GHz.

MSI showed off two of its latest socket AM4 motherboards based on AMD's upcoming B450 chipset, the B450 Tomahawk and B450-A Pro. The Tomahawk is slotted in MSI's minimalist yet gamer-grade Arsenal Gaming series, and has a clean look, with a feature-set that doesn't exceed that of the chipset by much. Slick new VRM and chipset heatsink designs which debuted with Intel 300-series Tomahawk boards, make their appearance here. There's just one M.2-22110 slot. The B450-A Pro is part of MSI's mainline motherboard lineup, and targeted at system-integrators, with a similar feature-set to the Tomahawk, though slightly built to a cost.

Computex 2018 is flush with socket AM4 motherboards based on the mid-range AMD B450 chipset, which will launch sometime later in Q3. Leading ASUS' pack is the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Strix B450-F Gaming. This board covers all the essentials to qualify as a gaming-grade product worthy of the ROG tag. Built in the ATX form-factor, it draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning it for the SoC using an 8-phase VRM. The CPU is wired to just one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, the second x16 slot is electrical x4.

Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gbps (of which two come from the SoC), and two M.2 slots, from which one is gen 3.0 x4 (32 Gbps), and the other is gen 2.0 x4 (20 Gbps). You also get two 10 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 2, six 5 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 1, gigabit Ethernet powered by Intel i219-V controller, and high-grade onboard audio with Realtek ALC1220A (120 dBA SNR) CODEC, electrolytic capacitors, ground layer isolation, and headphones amp. There isn't much of a lighting besides a glowing ROG logo at the rear I/O shroud, and a few addressable RGB headers. Expect this board to be priced around $120.

This Computex, we are on the lookout for motherboards based on Intel Z390 and upcoming AMD chipsets such as the B450, or even the Z490; but a new X399 motherboard for the Ryzen Threadripper was the last thing we expected. Imagine our shock at the sight of the MSI MEG X399 Creation. This board has the most polarizing, in-your-face design from MSI since the mid-2000s (roller-coaster heatsinks, anyone?). The board appears to be clearly wider than ATX spec, and approaching E-ATX territory.

A humongous L-shaped heatsink dominates the bottom-right corner, cooling not just the AMD X399 chipset, but also three M.2 slots. The top-left, and far-left corners feature some of the largest CPU VRM heatsinks we've seen in a long while. The VRM heatsink extends to the left side, while the rear-I/O shroud blends into it, running the entire length of the left side. The board gives you a maximum of 7 M.2 slots. A 19-phase VRM drawing power from two 8-pin EPS connectors fuels your Threadripper. Four PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, eight DDR4 DIMM slots, and the whole shebang of OC features make for the rest of it.

ASRock, a global leader in motherboard, graphics card, and small form factor PC, today announced that it will demonstrate its Intel and AMD series motherboard, Phantom Gaming series graphics card, and blockchain solution at COMPUTEX Taipei 2018, from June 5 to June 9, 2018.

The cutting edge computing solutions will be part of ASRock exhibit, showcasing its latest technologies and solutions addressing the demands of daily computing, gaming, and blockchain computing applications, including:

• Intel 300 series motherboard;
• AMD B450 series motherboard;
• Latest Phantom Gaming series graphics card;
• The world's leading solution for blockchain and high performance computing;
• Small Form Factor Solution equipped with Intel 300 series chipset and Mini-STX motherboard.

AMD is giving finishing touches to its second 400-series motherboard chipset, the B450. Slated for a 2H-2018 launch alongside the Ryzen 5 2500X and a few other entry-level 2nd generation "Zen" processors, the B450 succeeds the mid-range B350 chipset, comes with out of the box support for Ryzen 2000 "Pinnacle Ridge" processors, and has a couple of features up its sleeve. To begin with, it puts out the same numbers of USB, SATA, and PCIe links as the B350. You get two 10 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 2 ports, just two 5 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 1 ports, just two SATA 6 Gbps ports, and just six downstream PCI-Express gen 2.0 lanes. The AM4 SoC augments this paltry connectivity with two more 5 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 1 ports, two more SATA 6 Gbps ports, and a 32 Gbps M.2 PCIe slot. Unlike mid-range chipsets from Intel, the AMD B450 and B350 retain CPU overclocking support.

Like the X470, the new B450 comes with a reduced idle power-draw of less than 2W, and hence can be cooled by extremely tiny heatsinks. The chipset has the same "enhanced" CPU VRM and memory routing specifications (additional PCB layers), introduced by the X470. To be more business/enterprise-friendly, the B450 lets system administrators disable specific USB ports of the motherboard from the UEFI setup program. Also, both X470 and B450 support NVMe RAID, which was exclusive to the X399 in the previous generation. You also get out of the box support for AMD StoreMI technology. Interestingly, the table detailing the B450 lists a feature exclusive to the X470 and B450, called "XFR 2.0 Enhanced." No AMD technical document we read tells us what XFR 2.0 Enhanced is, and how it's different from XFR 2.0 (separately listed in that table).

Bluechip computer, a German IT distribution company, has inadvertently spilled the beans on AMD and Intel's plans for the remainder of this year, shedding some more light on a number of products whose existence was still somewhat marred in fog. The information comes straight from a webinar Bluechip presented to its industry partners - a 30-minute presentation which made its way to YouTube.

The information gleaned is a confirmation, of sorts, of AMD's planned launch of their Z490 platform in June; the B450 chipset coming a little bit later, in July (an expected product, in every sense); and AMD's second-gen Threadripper, a known-quantity already, which should accompany a X399 platform refresh.

There is more clarity on when AMD plans to launch its 2nd generation Ryzen "Pinnacle Ridge" processors, along with companion 400-series chipsets. Retailers in Japan, citing upstream suppliers, expect AMD to launch Ryzen # 2000-series (or "Ryzen 2") processors in March 2018, along with two motherboard chipset models, the top-tier AMD X470, and the mid-range AMD B450. An older report pegged this launch at February. The two chipsets are differentiated from their current-generation 300-series counterparts in featuring PCI-Express gen 3.0 general purpose lanes. The "Pinnacle Ridge" processors, on the other hand, are expected to be optical-shrinks of current Ryzen "Summit Ridge" silicon to the new 12 nm silicon fabrication process, which will allow AMD to increase clock speeds with minimal impact on power-draw.

AMD Ryzen 2 "Pinnacle Ridge" processors will be built in the existing socket AM4 package, and are expected to be compatible with existing socket AM4 motherboards, subject to BIOS updates by motherboard manufacturers. AMD plans to nurture the socket AM4 ecosystem till 2020. Future motherboards based on AMD 400-series chipsets could also feature compatibility with existing "Summit Ridge" Ryzen processors. These motherboards will come with out of the box support for Ryzen "Raven Ridge" APUs, something that requires BIOS updates on current 300-series chipset motherboards.

A recent AMD roadmap leak showed the company's "tick", process-improved plans for 2018's Zen+, as well as its painter-imbued aspirations with Zen 2 in 2019. Now, there's some new info posted by DigiTimes that's being sourced straight from motherboard makers that points to the company's Pinnacle Ridge launch being set sometime in February 2018.

This information seems to have been delivered to the motherboard makers straight from AMD itself, as a heads-up for when they should be expecting to ramp up production of next-generation chipsets. Sources report that AMD will follow their Summit Ridge, Ryzen launch, with the initial release of Pinnacle 7 in February, followed by the mid-range Pinnacle 5 and entry-level Pinnacle 3 processors in March 2018. DigiTimes also reports that AMD is expecting to see its share of the desktop CPU market return to at least 30% in the first half of 2018 which, coeteris paribus, is more of a simple mathematical progression than clarvoyance.