Skip to main content

AMD B450 chipset offers Crossfire, better overclocking to mainstream Ryzen users

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Motherboards sporting AMD’s new B450 chipset are now officially available and they upgrade the last generation B350 chipset with some exciting features that were previously exclusive to the X470 platform. Featuring support for multiple AMD graphics cards over Crossfire and its enhanced overclocking XFR2 feature, the new boards aren’t necessarily a worthy upgrade for those with existing Ryzen systems, but could be a new baseline for new Ryzen buyers in the future.

One of the big features of AMD’s overarching Zen platform is that the two existing generations of processors use the same sockets. Where the last-generation B350 and X370 motherboards required a BIOS update to support the Ryzen 2000 series CPUs though, the new B450 chipset — like the x470 — supports the newer Zen+ CPUs right out of the gate.

In many ways, the B450 chipset is more like its more powerful X470 cousin than it is the B350 predecessor. It does share USB support with that older chipset (two x USB 3.1, six x USB 3.0, and six x USB 2.0), and both of them only have six PCIExpress 2.0 lanes, but in terms of SATA connections (six SATA III, two SATA Express) and features, it’s more like the X470. Both have support for multiple AMD graphics cards with Crossfire (no SLI on the B45) and they also support the new StoreMI feature, which lets users with SSDs and hard drives create their own caching drives from a pair, whereby all of the regularly accessed files are placed on the SSD and less commonly used files on the hard drive.

A more exciting feature for performance-minded users though is the overclocking support that the B450 offers. Along with XFR2, the second-generation of AMD’s automated overclocking tool, the B450 chipset also supports AMD’s Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO). That allows the system to automatically adjust frequencies and voltages to push the chip to its absolute maximum speed whilst maintaining stable performance. Since that could result in quite aggressive settings, despite overall stability, not all motherboard manufacturers are likely to provide support for it themselves, but the feature is an exciting addition to what is otherwise being marketed as a mainstream chipset.

The B450 looks set to offer much of what Ryzen enthusiasts have been paying much more for with X470 motherboards and could represent a shift in what is most recommendable for Ryzen CPU owners. Expect to see at least one B450 motherboard appear on our best of list in the near future.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
AMD’s overclockable Ryzen 9 5900 HX-series chips can boost up to 4.8GHz
everything amd has announced at ces 2021 so far 6

After Intel kicked things off on Day 1 of CES 2021, AMD has punched back with its own impressive processor launch, all centering on its Ryzen 5000 mobile chips. They've long been rumored, especially since the debut of their desktop counterparts in late 2020. But today, they're official.

AMD CEO Lisa Su took to the stage and announced theinitial Ryzen 5000 chips in the lineup, all based on the Zen 3 core architecture. The first is the Ryzen 7 5800U, which fits eight cores and 16 threads into a 15-watt power envelope for thin-and-light laptops. Su reminded the audience that it's still the only x86 system with eight cores in a 15-watt TDP.

Read more
AMD motherboards start getting updates to support Ryzen 5000 processors
AMD Ryzen 5000 with no lid.

With AMD's new Ryzen 5000 processors snatching away Intel's gaming performance crown, it's a great time for gamers looking to get a new rig or upgrade any existing PC setups. If you happen to fall into the latter camp, there is even better news. Rather than having to upgrade your motherboard too, you could save some cash this holiday season by waiting for your board-maker to add support for your new CPU.

AMD had previously stated that beta firmware will be available by soon as early 2021 for 400-series boards, and it appears that some of its partners are able to deliver on that promise ahead of schedule.

Read more
AMD’s new chipset drops support for older CPUs to prepare for Ryzen’s future
AMD Ryzen processor in a motherboard.

AMD has a new motherboard chipset that marks a hard cutoff in support for older processors. B550, the follow-up to the B450, will not support previous generations of Ryzen processors -- notably those that use Zen and Zen+ architecture.

AMD's policy on backwards compatibility has been very public, with the company committing to motherboards with the AM4 sockets until 2020. This commitment has lasted nearly four years and encapsulates the first era of Ryzen.

Read more