AMD X870 Motherboards Review- ASUS, ASRock and MSI present line-ups

By admin On Aug 25, 2024

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Same socket AM5, yet new chipsets

The four Ryzen 9000 processors that AMD launched earlier this month simply fit into the existing socket AM5 and therefore also work with existing A620, B650 and X670 motherboards. The disadvantage of this is that most of these boards are already two years old. You can tell in some areas, such as the support for certain standards. In addition, they lack all the handy features and new features that motherboard manufacturers have come up with since then.

Although AMD secretly has no new chipset ready, the CPU designer will develop ‘new chipsets’ soon. From Monday 30 September, motherboard manufacturers can sell new boards with the X870 and X870E chipsets.

X870 vs. X870E: X870 is secretly B650 2.0

As a chipset, however, it simply contains ASMedia’s Promontory 21 chip that was also used for the B650 and X670, as confirmed by various motherboard manufacturers at Gamescom. From AMD’s perspective, the only difference is that they keep a tighter grip on the reins.

For example, all X870(E) motherboards are required to offer USB4. In practice, this will almost always involve two ports, because no single-port version of the external ASMedia ASM4242 controller is used for this purpose. The days of Intel’s Thunderbolt chips on AMD motherboards seem to be numbered with the availability of ASMedia’s USB4 controller, if only because the ASMedia chip is cheaper.

The difference between the X670 and X670E on the one hand and their comparable B650 variants on the other hand was whether the primary PCIe x16 slot supported PCI Express 5.0. It doesn’t get any clearer, but between the X870 and X870E, the meaning of the E suffix is completely different. PCIe 5.0 compatibility for both the x16 slot and at least one M.2 slot is mandatory for all X870 motherboards, with or without E.

In the new generation of motherboards, an X870 motherboard has one Promontory chip as a chipset, and an X870E motherboard has two Promontory chips. A manufacturer can therefore offer twice as many connections in an X870E motherboard. This is the same difference as in the previous generation between B650 and X670. In short: X870 is B650 with a new coat of paint, and X870E is X670 with a new coat of paint.

ASUS: Complete Lineup from Prime to Crosshair

ASUS undoubtedly went all out with X870 motherboards at Gamescom. The company showed no less than eight motherboards, ranging from the high-end Crosshair X870E Hero to the budget-friendly Prime X870-P. At least I expect the latter to be ‘budget-friendly’, because ASUS has not yet announced prices. All ASUS X870 motherboards are equipped with a new BIOS revision with an increased resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and the Q-Dashboard option that gives you a visual overview of your motherboard and all connected devices.

ROG Crosshair X870E Hero

The ROG Crosshair X870E Hero is currently the top model and is particularly notable for the large, RGB-illuminated letters on the I/O shroud. The memory slots are equipped with shorter gold pins that should ensure less noise, which should increase the maximum achievable memory clock speed under the same conditions by 400MT/s. Furthermore, the board has two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and five M.2 slots, three of which with PCIe 5.0 support. For connecting server-grade SSDs, there is even a SlimSAS connector next to the SATA ports.

For a few generations now, we’ve seen motherboard manufacturers come up with tricks to make it easier to remove the video card and install M.2 SSDs without tools. ASUS has added a new trick to the Hero, the ROG Strix models and the ProArt for both. There is no longer a button to unlock the PCIe slot; you simply do it by not pulling the video card straight out of the slot, but towards the right. The demonstration of this in the video above says more than a thousand words. The M.2 heatsink can now be released with a button to the right of it and easily clicked back in. It is a bit of a shame that you still have to screw in the coolers on the secondary M.2 slots.

ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming WiFi

The X870E-E is the first member of the ROG Strix series, positioned just below the Crosshair series. In terms of connectivity, it largely offers the same options as the Hero, such as Wi-Fi 7, 5Gbps Ethernet, and of course dual USB4. However, the second PCIe 5.0 x16 slot is gone, so you can no longer do x8/x8 lane splitting when using dual add-in cards.

ROG Strix X870-F and X870-A Gaming WiFi

The X870-F is in many ways a bit more sparsely equipped than the X870E-E, without the second chipset of the X870E. The second M.2 slot with PCIe 5.0 support is gone, the 5Gbit/s Ethernet adapter has been replaced by a 2.5Gbit/s one, and four of the USB ports on the back work at 5Gbit/s instead of 10Gbit/s or 20Gbit/s. The X870-A is simply a white variant of the X870-F.

ROG Strix X870-I Gaming WiFi

The sole Mini-ITX motherboard in ASUS’ X870 lineup features stacked M.2 slots on top of the chipset heatsink, just like its X670 predecessor, so you can still fit two cooled SSDs on this small board. For additional cooling of the SSDs and VRM, ASUS has added a small fan. The front panel headers and SATA ports are housed on a 90-degree mounted daughterboard, and the audio provision is in an external USB-C box. This also provides direct shelter for additional USB ports, error diagnostic LEDs and a customizable FlexKey.

TUF Gaming X870-Plus WiFi

In the cheaper TUF series, ASUS currently only has one X870 model. The TUF Gaming X870-Plus WiFi does not have a tool-free SSD cooler and uses a mechanism for unlocking the PCIe x16 slot that we know from older generations of motherboards. The number of USB ports has been reduced compared to the more expensive models, but you still get four M.2 slots, two of which support PCIe 5.0.

ProArt X870E-Creator WiFi

For those who want a less flashy motherboard, ASUS has the ProArt Creator. Previously, this motherboard had two distinguishing features: USB4 (or Thunderbolt) and 10Gbit/s ethernet. The first is of course no longer distinguishing, now that it is mandatory for every X870 board. What is striking is that you get many features that are only found in higher-positioned models in the gaming line-up, such as the new way of PCIe unlocking, the tool-free SSD heatsink, and a second PCI 5.0 x16 slot.

Prime X870-P (WiFi)

Finally, ASUS showed its entry-level model, the Prime X870-P. A model with WiFi will also be released. The board has one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and one M.2 slot with Gen5 support. The other slots support PCIe 4.0 x4, and one only PCIe 3.0 x2. On the connection panel, we even see the necessary USB 2.0 ports on this model, and ASUS probably uses the not-so-luxurious Realtek ALC897 codec for the audio.

ASRock: three times X870E, three times X870

As the only one of the three manufacturers showing X870 motherboards at gamescom – Gigabyte didn’t show any at all – ASRock did so on the show floor itself rather than at an offsite location. On the motherboard wall at ASRock’s booth, we counted six X870 motherboards, half of which were dual-chipset (X870E) and half single-chipset.

X870E Taichi and Taichi Lite

The X870E Taichi has a distinctive design with radar work. The VRM consists of no less than 27 110A power stages. In comparison: ASUS’ top model had ‘only’ 20 of them. In both cases that is of course heavy overkill, for whatever processor you can put in it. Just like ASUS, ASRock has come up with ways to easily unlock the video card in the primary PCIe slot and to detach and attach the SSD cooler without tools. Both PCIe x16 slots support PCIe 5.0, but only one of the four M.2 slots does so.

Just like with the previous generations, ASRock is also releasing a Taichi Lite. This board has exactly the same specifications, but without all the RGB and excessive heatsinks, and also without the ‘EZ-Release’ function for the PCIe slot. With previous generations, this saved everything around 50 euros, so the Lite can be worth it if you don’t care that much about the looks.

X870E Nova WiFi

The Nova WiFi does pay attention to the exterior, with a lot of lighting and a special design. Compared to the Taichi, the second PCIe x16 slot is missing. In return, you do get an extra M.2 slot, but its speed is very limited with PCIe 3.0 x2.

X870 Riptide WiFi and Steel Legend WiFi

The rest of ASRocks models are all based on X870, with one chipset. The Riptide and Steel Legend have three M.2 slots, of which one still supports PCIe 5.0. The 5Gbit/s network adapter of the more expensive models has been replaced with a 2.5Gbit/s version on these boards.

The only difference between the Riptide and the Steel Legend is the appearance. The Steel Legend is not black, but white with some silver here and there, unlike the previous boards. Only under the bottom M.2 heatsink is RGB lighting.

X870 Pro RS WiFi

Even the cheapest board, the Pro RS WiFi, is dressed in white. We still count three M.2 slots, but the last of them only has a PCIe 3.0 speed on this model. Nevertheless, ASRock even puts a nice ALC1220 audio codec on this board.

MSI: cautious start

MSI starts off cautiously, with three new motherboards for socket AM5. Only the most luxurious of the bunch, the X870E Carbon WiFi, uses a dual chipset.

MPG X870E Carbon WiFi

I may be starting to become a stuck plate, but MSI has also come up with new systems for removing your video card and mounting the M.2 heatsinks. MSI’s system for unlocking the PCIe slot works a little differently, with a button on the right that slides the clamp at the end of the slot between two positions.

With the SSD cooler, it is a matter of pushing against a protruding lip and lifting it up, and pushing it back in the other way. What is also unique is that the large plate that serves as a heatsink for the secondary M.2 slots can also be removed in this way. Only at MSI can you install SSDs in all M.2 slots without needing tools.

The Carbon has two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots for lane splitting, but probably only one Gen5 slot for an SSD. The included spec sheet doesn’t provide any clarity on that, though.

MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi

The Tomahawk is from the more budget-friendly MAG series. Other than the slightly less powerful VRM, there don’t seem to be many differences in terms of specifications at first glance. For example, the Tomahawk has 5Gbit/s ethernet, Wi-Fi 7 and the same M.2 and PCIe systems as the Carbon. The tool-free M.2 system is limited to two of the slots on this board, and the appearance of the board is a bit more subdued.

Pro X870-P WiFi

This model from the Pro series is even cheaper. According to the card, the same mechanisms for SSD cooler mounting and PCIe unlock are present. The first is correct, but the unlock mechanism really seems to be missing. Furthermore, you only get one M.2 heatsink with this board and MSI uses less powerful 60A power stages for this model.

Conclusion

We still have to wait a while until the AM5 platform is not only equipped with new processors, but also with fully up-to-date motherboards. The various manufacturers are clearly almost ready for it, because the motherboards shown look as good as finished, although the number of models present still varies considerably per manufacturer. And although Gigabyte did not bring them to the gamescom, that brand will undoubtedly also be preparing the necessary models.

What remains uncertain for now are the prices. Socket AM5 is not known as a cheap platform and with the obligation of both an external USB4 controller and PCIe 5.0 speeds for both the x16 slot and an M.2 SSD, I fear that you have to take into account a hefty price tag. But because the technical differences between X870 and X670/B650 are further limited, as a price-conscious consumer you can still easily purchase a board from the previous generation. Especially those who want the latest and best will soon have an interesting option with X870.