Following the July release of the Ryzen 9000 CPU family, AMD has announced the upcoming availability of high-end X870E and X870 motherboard chipsets designed for the AM5 socket. Team Red has yet to announce an exact date, but there are plenty of speculations and estimations to work with at the moment.
Current predictions point towards a late September launch. These motherboards should land on store shelves closer to the highly anticipated unveiling of the Ryzen 9000X3D processors, offering builders a powerful platform to experience the cutting-edge performance of AMD’s latest Zen 5 architecture. We have to note that AMD has yet to announce the new X3D range.
New features and incentivizing a switch
These motherboards boast several upgrades over previous models. Most notably, they will all include USB4 support, a significant leap from the previous generation. Additionally, they will feature PCIe Gen 5 for both GPU and M.2 NVMe storage drives. This allows for much faster data transfer speeds. The X870E and X870 motherboards will also support higher memory overclocking speeds with AMD’s EXPO technology, enabling users to take advantage of faster DDR5 memory kits.
While several motherboard manufacturers showcased their X870E and X870 designs at Computex 2024, the actual release will come two months after the Ryzen 9000 CPU launch in July. This delay is likely due to the existing stock of 600-series AM5 motherboards that need to be cleared out. To incentivize the switch to AM5, motherboard vendors are likely planning to offer discounts on existing X670, B650, and A620 boards.
Will the X870 delay affect current AM5 pricing?
The good news is that the current 600-series motherboards are fully compatible with the new Ryzen 9000 CPUs. There are already many excellent options available from various manufacturers. Similarly, existing Ryzen 7000 CPUs are expected to see price reductions in the coming weeks, making the AM5 platform even more attractive.
DDR5 memory prices have also reached record lows, and some Ryzen 7000 CPUs, like the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, are now available for around $300. Even high-end CPUs have seen price drops below $500 recently.
Premium price point expected for the 800 series
The upcoming X870E and X870 motherboards will be priced at a premium due to their high-end features, particularly their advanced memory overclocking capabilities that surpass even the best X670E models.
While more details about these overclocking features are forthcoming, one thing is clear: AMD offers a comprehensive selection of motherboards with the 600-series. For those who want to maximize performance with the latest Zen 5 processors, the 800-series X870E and X870 will be available a few months after the CPU launch.
