With AMD’s Ryzen 9000 launch came the announcement of a new AM5 chipset – X870. Both chipsets fully support the new processors (as well as previous AM5 socket CPUs) and seem to have similar features. So when comparing X670 vs X870, which is the best choice?
X670 Chipset
The X670 chipset is the older of the two, originally released as the solution for high-end users who wanted the best possible performance compared to the more mainstream B650. X670 offers a number of higher end features for AM5 CPUs such as PCIe 5.0, 44 PCIe lanes, multiple SATA and USB 10 Gbps ports, and high end VRMs. Even though X670 was released with the original batch of AM5 Ryzen 7000 processors, these motherboards still fully support the newer Ryzen 9000 using the latest BIOS.
X870 Chipset
Announced alongside Ryzen 9000, X870 chipset motherboards were originally held back from release for a few months, likely so manufacturers could sell though X670 inventory, but are now set to become available at the end of September. X870 includes all of the features of X670 with the addition of the following:
- USB 4.0 standard on all boards
- PCIe Gen5 on graphics AND NVMe M.2 (though this was available on almost all X670E and B650E)
- Higher EXPO memory clock support for overall faster RAM speeds
What about X870E?
Like X670 and B650 before it, AMD has also released an “Extreme” versions of X870, abbreviated as “E.” X870E the same features but with a different allocation of PCIe Gen 4 and Gen 5. X670E has 20 lanes dedicated to Gen 5 vs 4 with X670. B650E has 20 Gen 5 lanes vs 0 in B650.
X670 vs X870 – A Comparison
|
X870 |
X870E |
X670 |
X670E |
|
| Socket |
AM5 |
AM5 | AM5 |
AM5 |
| Overclockable |
yes |
yes | yes |
yes |
| RAM Type |
DDR5 |
DDR5 | DDR5 |
DDR5 |
| MaxPCIe Lanes |
36 |
44 | 44 |
44 |
| PCIe Gen 5 Lanes |
24 |
24 | 8 |
24 |
| Max USB 10Gbps |
6 |
12 | 12 |
12 |
|
Max USB 20Gbps |
1 | 2 | 2 |
2 |
| Max SATA | 4 | 8 | 8 |
8 |
| USB 4 | standard | standard | optional |
optional |
| Memory Clock | up to 8000 | up to 8400 | up to 8000 |
up to 8000 |
X670 vs X870 – Which is Best?
The right motherboard chipset really depends on you. If you recently built or purchased a new X670/X670E PC, there’s very little reason to upgrade unless you simply have to have that USB 4 for some reason. Likewise if you’re looking to buy in the near future before the X870 stock becomes fully available. But in a few months, if you find yourself choosing between X670 and X870 at a similar price point, that extra USB 4 is certainly a nice little bonus to have.
Configure your next X870 or X670 system here.
Josh Covington
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