AMD B550 Chipset Detailed, It's Ready for Zen 3, Older AM4 Motherboards not Compatible

[IceShroom]

That aside, how much more expensive would it be for a consumer if motherboard makers used 256 Mbit ROMs? I think someone said it was like just an extra dollar per board to switch from 128 to 256Mbit per ROM chip...

If the MB maker put more money on big ROM chip, they cant put more useless RGB and RGB header on the board. RGB is more usefull than bigger ROM chip.

 

[logain]

I don't think you understand how this works. Support is added for the entire architecture, not on a per SKU basis.

Granted it is up to the motherboard manufacturer, with regards to their bios support, but support, on a per SKU basis can be done, and has been done, in the past. Or look at old FX. While it was the same architecture, 760g didn't support beyond the FX 8350. Even if a motherboard manufacturer made a 760g board, with adequate VRM support, 760g didn't support FX 9xxx CPU's. Same arch different SKU's.

Or look at Intel requiring a different chipset, for Skylake, or better, E3 Xeons, because they didn't like people scooping them up, and dropping them into their regular consumer chipset equipped boards.

 

[Cybrshrk]

Luckily I am in the refund window still thanks to extensions. I will be refunding my tomahawk max now and waiting for B550, wow this is a shitty move, everyone told me it was a safe move to go from 3600 to 4800x on tomahawk max b450.

I have a half a mind to sell my ryzen 3600 cpu now and just go back to intel and z490 since its about to come out, if I have to buy a new mobo every two generations might as well go with Intel, and Navi drivers are a disappointment, so might as well stick with tried and true Intel and Nvidia combo yet again. so long AMD you had a good run

Hahahahaha

This is exactly why I canceled my 1800x x370 order in 2017 once I knew it didn't have the IPC to keep up with Intel. I always knew this dream was a half promise at best. Now I'm finally ready to upgrade and a 10900k and z490 is looking really good at least Ill get at least one cpu upgrade out of it. Lol

Truth be told it's a stupid idea to begin with u wouldn't want to keep my outdated motherboard today and slot in the 10900k for my 7700k. I don't even have addressable rgb just the old style not to mention no Pic express 4.0 or 2.5/10g ethernet.

I find the upgrade window of every 3 years with a new cpu AND motherboard to be perfect fit.

Well AMD the one excuse you had that others tried to use as a reason to go with you is gone and with it the final thought of me going with one at this point what's the point?

Like the guy above said and stability and reliability just isn't anything close to Intel.

I'm tired of troubleshooting booting problems for my friends who were duped into a ryzen setup.

Possibly, yes. This is coming from people I know at the motherboard makers. Maybe there's no point for another chipset from AMD's side, until they move to their DDR5 and potentially PCIe 5.0 supporting CPUs. Keep in mind that the X570 was sort of forced, since ASMedia couldn't deliver on PCIe 4.0, so they took the I/O die of the Zen 2 and turned it into a chipset.
I don't have a source at AMD, so maybe they're planning something else, but so far, it's not something that's known outside of the company, if that's the case.


Everyone being? People on forums? But AMD never said this would be the case, right?
If you'd bought into the first gen Ryzen, you could've used your CPU on an X370 board, so that's three generations...
Sorry you feel like you got screwed, but it's not really the case.

No but my buddy who just bought a b450and a 3700) which he thought he'd get to upgrade to a much newer cpu in a year or 2 isn't going to be able to.

He might as well have waited a week or 2 and went Intel.

That's a skewed perspective, yes Ryzen 1 was shit at Xmp but if you got compatible memory and didn't try to exceed it's limit it worked stable and without issue, I have two within my fixit remit that I have not fixed in two years and their owners are not enthusiasts and are very happy with them but I did learn the hard way.

my buddy with a confirmed kit and running within spec still has boot issues and finds he has to randomly remove 1 of the 4 sticks to get it running and it changes which one and in which slot.

It's gotten so old he just ends up running 24gb ram 99% of the time.

 

[R0H1T]

You don't have PCIe 4.0 on 10xxx chips

 

[Cybrshrk]

now this is an intel like dickmove )

Yes I'll take my dicking from the front and not behind my back also take it with reliable/stable system operation and the fastest gaming performance.

just set up my refund for my b450 tomahawk max, will be going z490 and intel 10 core, and ampere. fk it

It's exactly what I did got my z490 board already in pre-order.

This was the final sign that I was making the right choice to stick with old reliable (and not to mention the best performance) I'll pay a bit more to never have to troubleshoot insane boot problems. I've already had to do it more than enough for friends.

Just go for a 3800X/3900X and a X570 and call it a day. Hell, go for 3950X if you got the budget. Amazon US has it for $720 at the moment and I'm trying not to be tempted.

It still doesn't (even being hundreds more) beat a 500 Intel cpu at gaming. That's all that matters to me and it's never going to be a crown amd wears.

If budget is of your concern, the 12-core 3900X is also at $432, which is good deal. I use a 2080 Super in mine and I don't have any problems. I would only go Intel if I absolutely need high FPS and even then thats only for competition.

My goal is 4k/120hz gaming (my displays native Max) and with a upgrade to whatever the fastest hdmi 2.1 gpu there is in my future I will not "settle" for amd and the one trick they had that was weighing on me is now gone and I'm free to choose Intel without any guilt.

 

[dyonoctis]

Haha. I don't know why AMD couldn't annouce that sooner. Now we are having lots of knee jerk reaction from people feeling betrayed, and AMD went back to being a trash company with uncompetitive product. The little bit of faith that they painfully managed to get from some people is now gone forever. Ah well, they still managed to shook intel enough to make them react.

As usual, YMMV, but I never had any stability issues with my b350/1700x with 3000mhz memory. Some people are acting as if they really were interested in AM4, when they seemed to had a preference for Intel all along, and they are now rubbing it in the face of those who prefered AMD. "Now we are the one with an uppgrade path"

 

[Cybrshrk]

You don't have PCIe 4.0 on 10xxx chips

No but I (more than likely) have support for it if I decide to upgrade to a later cpu (a move that amd is now missing out on).

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

Hahahahaha

This is exactly why I canceled my 1800x x370 order in 2017 once I knew it didn't have the IPC to keep up with Intel. I always knew this dream was a half promise at best. Now I'm finally ready to upgrade and a 10900k and z490 is looking really good at least Ill get at least one cpu upgrade out of it. Lol

Truth be told it's a stupid idea to begin with u wouldn't want to keep my outdated motherboard today and slot in the 10900k for my 7700k. I don't even have addressable rgb just the old style not to mention no Pic express 4.0 or 2.5/10g ethernet.

I find the upgrade window of every 3 years with a new cpu AND motherboard to be perfect fit.

Well AMD the one excuse you had that others tried to use as a reason to go with you is gone and with it the final thought of me going with one at this point what's the point?

Like the guy above said and stability and reliability just isn't anything close to Intel.

I'm tired of troubleshooting booting problems for my friends who were duped into a ryzen setup.



No but my buddy who just bought a b450and a 3700) which he thought he'd get to upgrade to a much newer cpu in a year or 2 isn't going to be able to.

He might as well have waited a week or 2 and went Intel.

my buddy with a confirmed kit and running within spec still has boot issues and finds he has to randomly remove 1 of the 4 sticks to get it running and it changes which one and in which slot.

It's gotten so old he just ends up running 24gb ram 99% of the time.

Individual issues are not the sole remit of AMD but you can if it makes you feel good imply that one equals everyone.

As for your friends they might want to take their pc to the shop for a proper setup .

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

I guess people that have invested in an X470/B450 motherboard are going to be pissed off that they can't use a Ryzen 4000 CPU in their boards...

Shame the CPU uplink isn't PCIe 4.0.

Count me in among them. I bought a X470 crosshair, and currently have a 2700x, was planning on grabbing a 4900x. When AMD said "we will support AM4 through 2020" everyone assumed, rightly, there would be forwards compatibility. If you're not going to support forward compatibility, why bother using the same socket?

I've put up with the random issues this board and CPU have with OCs, memory stability, and odd boot times on the promise of the 4900x. Serves me right for thinking AMD would hold up their end of the bargain, and given that Intel is STILL faster in games, might as well go back to intel.

 

[Cybrshrk]

Individual issues are not the sole remit of AMD but you can if it makes you feel good imply that one equals everyone.

As for your friends they might want to take their pc to the shop for a proper setup .

Lol I'm a 22 year vet of the pc repair world they know who to go to when it's time for pc advice.

Some of them still even call me for over the phone help after moving 4 states away.

I'm much more knowledgeable than the kids they hire at geek squad. ( I would know I worked with many a bozo when I was younger).

 

[tfdsaf]

Luckily I am in the refund window still thanks to extensions. I will be refunding my tomahawk max now and waiting for B550, wow this is a shitty move, everyone told me it was a safe move to go from 3600 to 4800x on tomahawk max b450.

I have a half a mind to sell my ryzen 3600 cpu now and just go back to intel and z490 since its about to come out, if I have to buy a new mobo every two generations might as well go with Intel, and Navi drivers are a disappointment, so might as well stick with tried and true Intel and Nvidia combo yet again. so long AMD you had a good run

That is INSANE! Intel literally changes mobo chipset every new generation, which has been their old generation for the past 5 years. With AMD you had 3 generations of the same chipset that supports all the way up to Ryzen 3000. So if you want to upgrade new mobo every year for the same processors with new names, you should definitely go back to Intel and stop shilling about them!

 

[Cybrshrk]

Individual issues are not the sole remit of AMD but you can if it makes you feel good imply that one equals everyone.

As for your friends they might want to take their pc to the shop for a proper setup .

Sad thing too is I had started actually believing in my recommendation to go ryzen (I didn't in the beginning and is why I canceled my 1800x and left my friend dealing with those issues alone) and I still recommended them for my friend with a 2700x build that took me two days over the phone to get working properly. Now a 3rd friend has taken my advice and went 3700/b450 after my speech about how he will have "support" for upgrade for a while now.


Oops but again it's my turn to upgrade and Intel has landed the answer just like the last time with the 1800x/7700k launches.

 

[TheLostSwede]

nah, Z490 is almost here. might as well go with that will get the $169 MSI Z490 board and the $499 Intel 10 core, and hopefully rtx 3080 will be out before cyberpunk 2077 comes out. i really enjoy overlcocking gpu and navi was never able to deliver on that stable, i won't be overclocking cpu so ryzen is still decent, but i might as well go with z490 now that its here. it will be faster in most games i expect, 9900k still beats amd by 5-10 fps across the board. i expect it will be around same here if not a little more.

So you're getting a cheapo board with a super power hungry CPU? Makes perfect sense...
It's also hardly comparable with what you just bought, so it seems like you're just having an angry reaction to a press release for no apparent reason.

Mobo manufacturer can bypass this, you can see A320 boards supporting Ryzen 3000 series no problem at all.

And you know this how?

 

[Cybrshrk]

That is INSANE! Intel literally changes mobo chipset every new generation, which has been their old generation for the past 5 years. With AMD you had 3 generations of the same chipset that supports all the way up to Ryzen 3000. So if you want to upgrade new mobo every year for the same processors with new names, you should definitely go back to Intel and stop shilling about them!

Keyword HAD!

It literally doesn't matter as they've shown their "promises" to be quite hollow at times and who wants to take that risk.

Not when Intel is STILL delivering better gaming performance and that's all I care about.

The 7700k was the right move in 2017 and the 10900k is again in 2020.

I'm a gamer on this pc above everything else and amd NEVER has been able to meet or exceed Intel where it matters most to me.

And any benefits they did have over Intel (and were weighing on me heavily to just go with them) have now been proven to be a "hope" at best.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

Count me in among them. I bought a X470 crosshair, and currently have a 2700x, was planning on grabbing a 4900x. When AMD said "we will support AM$ through 2020" everyone assumed, rightly, there would be forwards compatibility. If you're not going to support forward compatibility, why bother using the same socket?

It's quite clear those assumptions were not right.

The socket is being supported, everyone's assumptions are what aren't supported.

They simplifies motherboard OEM build support by retaining features like pciex and the socket, that's actually the simple bit to explain, less to learn equals good.

I'm in the same boat but my assumptions were measured by fact from the start so I'm less surprised by this it seams.

@Cybrshrk that was banter, but naming one occasion and implying it's the norm will bring out such comments , personally I found there's memory that's supposed to work that's flakey.
So I stopped buying that for Ryzens, since buying patriot viper for such systems all my issues and theirs evaporated but there are other memory suppliers putting adequate test and spec in place, Corsair is not and are a good example of dodge and avoid, Even labeled supported memory from them is not great.

Then there's the boards, total shitshow at the mid to low end, but again that's my perspective it doesn't mean shit verses the world and I wouldn't suggest any different since YMMV.

 

[Cheeseball]

It still doesn't (even being hundreds more) beat a 500 Intel cpu at gaming. That's all that matters to me and it's never going to be a crown amd wears.

My goal is 4k/120hz gaming (my displays native Max) and with a upgrade to whatever the fastest hdmi 2.1 gpu there is in my future I will not "settle" for amd and the one trick they had that was weighing on me is now gone and I'm free to choose Intel without any guilt.

Sure, it doesn't beat it at high framerate/FPS gaming and that's only because the CPU is able to boost beyond the 4.7 GHz of the 3950X. I only see this as an advantage if you are a pro-gamer (e.g. you join a league or such that pays for your wins) or online streamer that needs to minimize 1% lows.

Aiming for 4K @ 120 Hz doesn't help with this at all and is only for the average action-filled game or if you're going for visual fidelity. This can be achieved with any modern AMD or Intel CPU now, with AMD being more efficient with their products at the moment.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Yes, but there is no justifiable reason not to include them, as they are a starter CPU, for many. I can understand leaving the 2nd gen CPU's out, but these APU's should be included.

AMD's APUs are one generation behind in terms of the model name vs. the CPU core, so these are 2nd gen.

 

[Cybrshrk]

Sure, it doesn't beat it at high framerate/FPS gaming and that's only because the CPU is able to boost beyond the 4.7 GHz of the 3950X. I only see this as an advantage if you are a pro-gamer (e.g. you join a league or such that pays for your wins) or online streamer that needs to minimize 1% lows.

Aiming for 4K @ 120 Hz doesn't help with this at all and is only for the average action-filled game or if you're going for visual fidelity. This can be achieved with any modern AMD or Intel CPU now, with AMD being more efficient with their products at the moment.

When you're aiming for the most fps and throwing as much gpu as you can you need to cpu to back it up. I don't want to be a 90 fps when I COULD be at 100-110.

Im just using an example and don't know how close these gpu/cpu combos will get to my goal but it's a hard goal to reach and every bit extra helps.

And I mean why would I SETTLE for less than when I don't have to?

 

[tfdsaf]

Yes, but there is no justifiable reason not to include them, as they are a starter CPU, for many. I can understand leaving the 2nd gen CPU's out, but these APU's should be included.

If the mobo doesn't support ANY 1st and 2nd gen, how can they support 2nd gen 3200g and 3400g?

Why they don't support older gen? Probably because everyone whines and cries like little babies if they try to run B550 with a old R5 1600 and its got issues or instability or whatever, everyone readies their pitchforks. AMD would rather not deal with that shit, and have a clean slate, where they can focus on having amazing and stable experience for the 3000 and 4000 series!

Why hear you cry like baby if it has issues, demanding endless support, maybe some would like Athlon 64 support too on these boards?

Intel literally changes chipset compatibility every year, every generation, no one cries about it, everyone accepts it as if its word from god, but AMD does it in order to have a clean slate and be better positioned for stability and good experience and everyone brings their torches and pitchforks!

They can't win, everyone is so freaking entitled!

 

[logain]

Yes I'll take my dicking from the front and not behind my back also take it with reliable/stable system operation and the fastest gaming performance.

Enjoy spending more for that meager performance gain. The cost to get that meager CPU performance gain is enough to move up to a better tier of GPU. B550 pricing shouldn't be much different than B450 pricing, for motherboards. So you could get a 3700x, and a B550 board, for not much more than the cost of the i7 10700k, by itself. Right now you can do a 3700x, and a B450 Tomahawk max, for around $410. The tray pricing, on the i7 10700k is $374, and you still have to buy a cooler. Factor in the board cost, for the Intel chip, and the cooling to tame such a beast, and you are easily moving up to a higher tier of GPU, which is going to matter far more. Very few people are going out an buying 2080ti's, but I bet if people are left with having to choose between a 2060s and and a 2070s, or a 2070s vs a 2080s due to CPU choice, they are going to rather have that better GPU.

That is what is so great about Ryzen, now. People have a real choice, after years of just recommending Intel for everything. Until my 3700x, I ran nothing, but Intel, for my main rig, since core 2. Price/peformance is where I shop, and right now, AMD has that crown.

 

[Cybrshrk]

When you're aiming for the most fps and throwing as much gpu as you can you need to cpu to back it up. I don't want to be a 90 fps when I COULD be at 100-110.

Im just using an example and don't know how close these gpu/cpu combos will get to my goal but it's a hard goal to reach and every bit extra helps.

And I mean why would I SETTLE for less than when I don't have to?

Also I'm not playing counter strike or league of legends here I'm talking real games that actually put a demand on a system.

Cyberpunk 2077 for example.

 

[R0H1T]

No but I (more than likely) have support for it if I decide to upgrade to a later cpu (a move that amd is now missing out on).

We don't even know if Intel will allow PCIe 4.0 on z490 let alone a new(er) gen CPU with native PCIe 4.0 on it. Having said that (more) options is a good thing, would be interesting if the x6xx MB from AMD will have dual support for DDR4/5 & possibly more than 2 gens of CPU supported.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

It's quite clear those assumptions were not right.

The socket is being supported, everyone's assumptions are what aren't supported.

They simplifies motherboard OEM build support by retaining features like pciex and the socket, that's actually the simple bit to explain, less to learn equals good.

I'm in the same boat but my assumptions were measured by fact from the start so I'm less surprised by this it seams.

"fact" What fact? AMD is supporting the socket, except it inst if you have the first two generations. That wasnt stated back in 2017.

Given AMD's history, it was reasonable to assume there would be forwards compatibility for all generations. AM2 motherboards could run AM3 CPUs, hell a few could run AM3+, and AMD didnt even have to promise those.

If the newest CPUs only support certain chipsets, then pray tell how is this any different then Intel switching sockets every 2 years? If you want to move forward you have to buy a new mobo either way.

 

[Cybrshrk]

Enjoy spending more for that meager performance gain. The cost to get that meager CPU performance gain is enough to move up to a better tier of GPU. B550 pricing shouldn't be much different than B450 pricing, for motherboards. So you could get a 3700x, and a B550 board, for not much more than the cost of the i7 10700k, by itself. Right now you can do a 3700x, and a B450 Tomahawk max, for around $410. The tray pricing, on the i7 10700k is $374, and you still have to buy a cooler. Factor in the board cost, for the Intel chip, and the cooling to tame such a beast, and you are easily moving up to a higher tier of GPU, which is going to matter far more. Very few people are going out an buying 2080ti's, but I bet if people are left with having to choose between a 2060s and and a 2070s, or a 2070s vs a 2080s due to CPU choice, they are going to rather have that better GPU.

That is what is so great about Ryzen, now. People have a real choice, after years of just recommending Intel for everything. Until my 3700x, I ran nothing, but Intel, for my main rig, since core 2. Price/peformance is where I shop, and right now, AMD has that crown.

I feel ya and it's why Ive recommended amd for most of my friends the last couple years but it's also why Ill be sticking with Intel.

I don't want to settle I want what's best and if I'm going to spend that money it's going to be what's the best value as well and my only measurement is gaming performance (it's a gaming pc after all).

 

[ERazer]

Sad thing too is I had started actually believing in my recommendation to go ryzen (I didn't in the beginning and is why I canceled my 1800x and left my friend dealing with those issues alone) and I still recommended them for my friend with a 2700x build that took me two days over the phone to get working properly. Now a 3rd friend has taken my advice and went 3700/b450 after my speech about how he will have "support" for upgrade for a while now.


Oops but again it's my turn to upgrade and Intel has landed the answer just like the last time with the 1800x/7700k launches.

hopefully by your next next upgrade intel got 7nm out