AMD’s all-new X870 and X870E motherboards launch: Where to buy the best match for Ryzen 9000 CPUs
USB4 and DDR5-8000 RAM support comes with a new wave of motherboards featuring AMD’s latest chipsets.
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What you need to know
Building a cutting-edge PC aroundAMD’s Ryzen 9000 Seriescan finally be an all-out affair as motherboards featuring the cutting-edge X870 and X870E chipsets hit the market today. Full-size ATX boards did, anyway, so anyone looking to build a compact micro-ATX or mini-ITX PC without compromising on thelatest USB 4.0 standardwill have to wait. Nevertheless, enthusiasts can pick up various models from brands like ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI as the first batch appears on Newegg.
800 Series motherboards aren’t mandatory for new AMD processors like theultra-powerful AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and 9950Xsince they are fully compatible with last-gen options featuring the 600 Series chipset and AM5 socket. Still, the new range supports the latest DDR5-8000 memory with AMD EXPO RAM profiles and canunlock over 60% CPU power for the Ryzen 9000 chipswith their stock AGESA PI 1.2.0.2 BIOS software.
Which X870 and X870E boards are the cheapest?
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At least 25motherboards supporting the X870 and X870E chipset are available on Newegg today, but some reach lofty (and hilarious) prices of around $699.99. If you’re willing to spend that much cash, then I doubt you need any convincing. However, for the rest of us looking to build a new rig on a budget, here are the cheapest boards in both variants available right now.
ASRock X870 PRO RS | $189.99 after $10.00 rebate at Newegg
Ever the budget-conscious brand, ASRock delivers two USB-C 4.0 ports, 2.5GB Ethernet, and PCIe 5.0 for GPUs and M.2 SSDs.
GIGABYTE X870 GAMING WIFI6 | $209.99 after $10.00 rebate at Newegg
Gigabyte also offers dual USB-C 4.0 ports and PCIe 5.0 for expansion and storage, alongside Wi-Fi 6 for built-in wireless networking.
MSI PRO X870-P WIFI | $229.99 after $10.00 rebate at Newegg
MSI bumps up to the latest Wi-Fi 7 tech and 5Gb Ethernet(!), but you’ll only get one USB-C 4.0 port alongside the PCIe 5.0 support.
ASUS PRIME X870-P WiFi | $249.99 at Newegg
ASUS delivers Wi-Fi 7 but sticks with 2.5Gb Ethernet, though you get two USB-C 4.0 ports and PCIe 5.0 with extra-large heatsinks.
GIGABYTE X870E AORUS ELITE | $319.99 at Newegg
Gigabyte has the cheapest X870E option with dual USB-C 4.0 ports, Wi-Fi 7, and an overall sleek design with huge heatsinks and built-in RGB.
What’s new in X870 and X870E?
It might not seem like a massive list of changes from600 Series motherboardsto the new 800 Series chipsets, and that’s because it really isn’t. However, the advancement to includingUSB 4ports as a standard feature rather than an optional, expensive addition comes alongside support for that blisteringly fast DDR5-8000 RAM. It’s a generational leap for storage and expansion, though adoption usually takes a while before it becomes mainstream.
Nevertheless, becoming an early adopter isn’t as painfully expensive as I might have expected. While there aren’t any confirmations, it’s not impossible to believe thatNVIDIA’s high-end RTX 5000graphics cards could move to PCI 5.0, though it might leave too many users behind unless reserved only for a fabled RTX 5090. On the other hand, storage offerssome of the fastest SSDs with PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket support, so an X870 motherboard could at least deliver some of the best transfer speeds and boot times in Windows 11.
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Ben is a Senior Editor at Windows Central, covering everything related to technology hardware and software. He regularly goes hands-on with the latest Windows laptops, components inside custom gaming desktops, and any accessory compatible with PC and Xbox. His lifelong obsession with dismantling gadgets to see how they work led him to pursue a career in tech-centric journalism after a decade of experience in electronics retail and tech support.
