AMD is gearing up for a release of its next wave of chipset motherboards designed for budget-conscious consumers, with the B850 and B840 models slated to hit the market in the early months of 2025. This comes after an adjustment in the release schedule, which pushes back the originally anticipated 2024 launch.
The company is sticking to its typical release pattern, introducing its high-end products first, as seen with the lineup of CPU, motherboard, and GPU options. AMD’s top-of-the-line X870 and X870E chipsets are anticipated to launch in September for the existing Ryzen 9000 series CPUs, as confirmed by insights from ComputerBase.
This recent release of the Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 processors has motherboard manufacturers on their toes, preparing their X870 and X870E chipset offerings for a September release.
The delay in the launch of the mainstream B850 and B840 chipsets seems unusual, as the reason for this remains undisclosed. This means that budget users might have to make do with the existing B650 or B650E chipsets, or alternatively, wait for the 800 chipset variants. While the 600 series will require BIOS updates to work with the latest Ryzen processors, the 800 series will come all set with an updated BIOS for out-of-the-box compatibility. AMD might be timing its release to coincide with more mainstream CPU options slated for the next year.
Furthermore, the B840 is expected to be the first in line with an X40 series chipset, offering PCI-E 3.0 support exclusively. This model is seen as the successor to the entry-level Ax20 chipset from previous Ryzen CPU generations. Details on whether there will be a B850E chipset are still not officially stated, but the B850 and X870/X870E chipsets will allow users to tap into CPU overclocking, unlike the B840.
Much like its predecessors, the X870 and X870E AMD chipsets will support native PCI-E 5.0 functionality. These chipsets aim to compete with Intel’s Z790 offerings according to AMD. However, with Zen 5 set to face off against Intel’s newer processors, the X870/E models will likely be positioned against Intel’s Z890 motherboards geared towards Arrow Lake CPUs. Intel’s Z890 motherboards are expected to make their debut on 17th October, close on the heels of the X870/X870E launch.
The anticipation for AMD’s latest chipset motherboards continues to build, with an eye on how they will fare in the ongoing competition with Intel’s solutions. Consumers looking for budget-friendly options will have to wait a bit longer for AMD’s offerings but can look forward to a full showcase at the upcoming CES event.
