Archive · 22 Aug 2025
AMD's AM5 Motherboard Shift: B850 is the New Standard
AMD is changing the motherboards for their AM5 CPUs.
The older B650 motherboards are being replaced by the new B850 ones.
The main difference is that the new B850 boards will have the newest, fastest type of storage built-in.
This means you can buy really fast storage drives right away.
The change is happening now, and the older B650 boards will still be available for a little while.
However, once they're gone, only the newer, more expensive B850 boards will be sold.
This upgrade makes it easier to build faster PCs, but could make it more expensive.
AMD is phasing out B650 chipsets in favor of the new B850.
B850 boards will mandate PCIe 5.0 support for NVMe storage, unlike the optional support in B650.
GPU PCIe 5.0 support remains optional in B850, with vendors able to keep it at PCIe 4.0 to reduce costs.
B650 stock clearance is expected to run until October.
The transition from B650 to B850 is considered smooth, with both supporting the same CPU socket and basic technologies.
- Who
- AMD is the company making the change and it affects PC builders.
- What
- AMD is transitioning from B650 to B850 chipsets for AM5 motherboards, with B850 mandating PCIe 5.0 support for NVMe storage.
- When
- The transition is happening now, with B650 stock likely to last until October.
- Where
- N/A
- Why
- To make faster storage more easily accessible for PC builders.
Consumers on a Budget
Performance Enthusiasts
Cost Considerations
Consumers on a Budget
They may prefer to purchase the cheaper B650 while it's still available, even if it means forgoing PCIe 5.0 for storage.
Performance Enthusiasts
They need to factor in increased costs as B850 boards become the standard.
- Chipset Change
- B650 to B850
- PCIe 5.0 for Storage
- Mandatory with B850
- PCIe 5.0 for GPU
- Optional with B850
- Compatibility
- B650 and B850 are compatible with the same CPU socket and basic technologies, such as DDR5 and EXPO