AMD B350 vs X470: Which One is Better
AMD’s return to the mainstream processor market was met with a lot of critical acclaims. A company that had struggled for years in making a good processor finally had something that was looking promising. After the reveal and the release of original Ryzen processors, the company’s future was only looking better and better.
Obviously, AMD did not just stop there; they continued with the second generation of Ryzen processors and is not gearing up for the 3rd. However, we are not here to talk about the processors or their generations. The topic of discussion is the chipsets that accompany these processors.
Much like Intel, AMD also has a habit of introducing newer chipsets, although they are much more lenient thanks to the fact that they provide us with options such as backward compatibility. Today, we are going to compare the budget-oriented B350 and the high-end X470 (Read About Best X470 Motherboards here) chipset from AMD and see what the differences and similarities are.
AMD B350 Chipset
We are going to start with the budget-friendly B350; do not let the “budget-friendly” fool you, though. It is one of the most feature-packed offerings available from AMD, and as a matter of fact, if you happen to be a gamer, it is the perfect sweet spot for those who are looking to have great gaming performance, and some light productivity as well. We actually have a list of the best B350 motherboards that should make things easier for you.
For those who are wondering, you can overclock your CPU, and you even get a 10Gbps USB 3.1 port. You also get two more PCI-E lanes, which means that if you are looking to use something like a Samsung 970 Pro, you are going to have a great experience doing so.
However, the B350 chipset does not come without its caveats; for starters, you cannot run multi-GPU on this motherboard. However, there have been reports that some B350 motherboards can run multi GPU, but AMD was quick to issue a response saying that while they might run, you will not get the same performance or bandwidth as Crossfire or SLI is not officially supported on these motherboards.
On the bright side, if you are building your AMD gaming PC, and you are on a budget, then the B350 will give you some amazing options that you can choose from. In many cases, you can actually buy an amazing motherboard without spending more than $100. Something that in our opinion is a definite bargain and something that should not be missed.
Who is it For?
If you are wondering about B350 being an ideal choice for the budget minded, you are wondering the right thing. With just the right amount of gamer-oriented features. Your experience with this motherboard is certainly going to be a good one and you will definitely get the performance that you have been looking for.
It is the perfect sweet spot for anyone who is in the market and wants to save some money while they are at it.
AMD X470 Chipset
AMD released the X470 chipset to mark the arrival of the 2nd generation of Ryzen processors. However, AMD was not cutting support for the X370. So, in other words, it was an improved version of the already popular and well-established X370 but with more features to boot.
To start with, the X470 chipset supported 2,933 MHz memory speeds right out of the box whereas the previous generation could only manage 2,667 across the board. As per AMD, the X470 motherboards were also a lot better when it comes to handling the higher clock speed of 2nd generation Ryzen processors.
The biggest benefit and change that the X470 brings to the table is AMD’s new storage technology. This technology allows the users to combine a cheap hard drive with an SSD or up to 2GB RAM. Once the combination is done, you get two storage pools into a single virtual disk. What might seem rudimentary provides the benefit of the fact that frequently used applications, as well as files, seed on the fastest drive. The best part is that the StoreMI can be created or deleted without having to reinstall the Windows, or worse, formatting the drive.
However, the caveat of an X470 motherboard is that it is not the cheapest option available in the market. For starters, the cheapest X470 motherboard is going to cost you above $140, but will not have as many features as you may prefer. If you want to have the higher end options, you will have to spend about $300 in many cases in order to get the best possible experience.
Who is it For?
The pressing question returns. Just who will buy the X470 motherboards? Well, the answer is simpler than you might think in the first place. Anyone who is looking to build a high-end AMD based PC will be going for the X470 chipset. Surely, those who are looking for the top performance will opt for it regardless of what the price they have to pay.
Other Comparisons: AMD X370 vs B350: Which is the better
Rest assured, if it is a performance that you want, you know what to go for.
Conclusion
Drawing a conclusion is not all that difficult. If you want to know which chipset is better, the answer is simple; it is the X470. However, that does not mean that the B350 serves no purpose. It still happens to be a great option for those who are on a budget and are not looking to spend a lot of money. It just pales in comparison to the X470 when it comes to a sheer number of features and functionality.
