AMD Ryzen series APUs (Cezanne) support DDR4 4733+(OC) / 4666(OC) / 4600(OC) / 4533(OC) / 4466(OC) / 4400(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4266(OC) / 4200(OC) / 4133(OC) / 4000(OC) / 3866(OC) / 3800(OC) / 3733(OC) / 3600(OC) / 3466(OC) / 3200 / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buffered memory * On the other hand, the Riptide is a Micro ATX board, employing a dozen 50A power stages for the vcore. It manages to fit in four PCIe slots, though full usage is only possible with a single slot graphics card. It has two M.2 slots, with the primary slot being PCIe 5.0 compatible. It also features 9 USB 3.2 ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, a 2.5Gbit LAN, and WiFi 6E. Then, we have the Asus Prime series, which includes the Prime B650M-A WiFi, Prime B650-Plus, and Prime B650M-A WiFi II. Unfortunately, we must recommend avoiding these. Like the ultra-affordable Gigabyte B650M K, the Asus Prime boards all use discrete MOSFETs, resulting in poor VRM thermals. Port configuration settings between different BIOS versions or share them with friends. Q-Fan Control

October 4th, 2022 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions announced the latest AMD B650 motherboards based on the success of the X670 series. The comprehensive lineup includes AORUS, AERO, and GAMING series to provide more reasonable options with notable features for users. GIGABYTE select B650 motherboards adopt PCIe ® 5.0 / 4.0 x16 graphics interface and PCIe 5.0 / 4.0 M.2 slots with EZ-Latch technology, making it easier than ever for users to upgrade graphics cards and M.2 SSDs, avoiding accidental damage to the surrounding components. Further, up to 16+2+2 phase Twin Digital power, 105Amps Smart Power Stage, and up to 12-layer PCB provide increased stability, optimal compatibility, and performance for AMD Ryzen™ 7000 series processors. With the advanced thermal design, VRM temperature is reduced, stabilizing the power and performance of the PCIe 5.0 slot and PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD and avoiding performance drop due to thermal throttling. Meanwhile, the enhanced shielding design of SMD slots strengthens the reliability of signals and slot structure. In addition, select models take advantage of Active OC Tuner technology to deliver optimized performance with a more flexible and user-friendly experience. AMD B550 Gaming Motherboard with 10+3 Phases Digital Twin Power Design, Enlarged Surface Heatsinks, PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot, Dual PCIe 4.0/3.0 x4 M.2, Realtek GbE LAN with Bandwidth Management, Front USB Type-C™, RGB FUSION 2.0, Q-Flash Plus The VRM thermal design of GIGABYTE B650 motherboards is enhanced by full-coverage heatsinks and heat-pipe according to different features and configurations of various models. The mid-range AORUS ELITE and Micro-ATX AORUS models stand out from the competitors with up to 4X large surface and real one-piece build heatsinks, while the passive heat dissipation design of B650I AORUS ULTRA greatly improves thermal performance. Meanwhile, the enhanced SMD slot design purifies signals for PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots to reduce noise interference and processor’s high-speed Gen5 signals more easily. In addition, the adjustment of the M.2 slot surrounding area enables the support of the latest 25110 M.2 SSD form factor, while the strengthened metal shielding design increases the stability up to 50%. Furthermore, B650 select motherboards adopt exclusive M.2 Thermal Guard III with heightened SSD heatsink to keep temperatures under control and allow users to eliminate any throttling due to overheating. GIGABYTE will soon release next-gen AORUS PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSDs as well to unleash the utmost transfer speed. Further enhanced by PWM/DC fan support, multiple temperature detectors, 7-phase dual fan curve adjustment modes, Fan Stop technology, and GIGABYTE Smart Fan 6 Technology, users can manage the temperature variation accurately and obtain the supreme thermal performance on the processor, VRM, chipset or key components. Abundant Connectivity:USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C ® port and seven additional USB ports, PCIe 5.0 x16 SafeSlot, and HDMI ® 2.1AMD Ryzen series APUs (Picasso) support DDR4 3600+(OC) / 3466(OC) / 3200(OC) / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 non-ECC, un-buffered memory * One of the more unique features of the X670E boards is their dual PCHs. The chipset (actually a chipset, defined as multiple chips) uses two Promontory 21 (PROM21) chips. Instead of exclusive access to the CPU for each, the two chips connect to each other through four PCIe 4.0 lanes, which then connect to the CPU directly, sporting the same PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth as X570 for DMI. Combined, the chipset provides three PCIe 4.0 x4 interfaces (12 lanes total) and eight PCIe 3.0, the latter reserved for slower connectivity like networking. Board partners have the flexibility to configure the PCIe 3.0 to SATA ports, which yields a mix and match of six SATA plus two PCIe (x4 + x4). AMD B550 AORUS Motherboard with 12+2 Phases Digital Twin Power Design, Enlarged Surface Heatsinks, Dual PCIe 4.0/3.0 x4 M.2 with Dual Thermal Guards, WiFi 6E 802.11ax, 2.5GbE LAN, Front USB Type-C™, RGB FUSION 2.0, Q-Flash Plus And with that said, let us know which of these B650 boards you're planning on buying, or perhaps you've already bought your board. Either way, let us know in the comments section. Hopefully, this B650 buying guide was helpful to you. If so, please share it with your peers; it might help us muster up the energy to do this again with another generation of motherboards. Shopping Shortcuts:

Orange Line = top recommendation among its key competitors (form factor, price segment, features, etc.).

Mini ITX AM5 with full PCIe 5.0 support.

The fact that it offers two PCIe 5.0 enabled x16 slots is a big plus. We're not saying you need that, but if you want it, this is the cheapest means of acquiring that configuration. Build quality and layout wise, ASUS nailed this one. Everything is just organized and with a craftmanship apt for brand’

High-Performance Networking:On-board WiFi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth ® 5.2, and Intel ®2.5G Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard However, the B650 Gaming X AX is a less attractive option since the Aorus Elite AX offers a superior product at the same price, boasting fourteen 70A power stages for the vcore VRM, PCIe 5.0 M.2 support, and eleven USB 3.2 ports. AMD B550 Mini-ITX AORUS Motherboard with Direct 8 Phases Digital VRM, Advanced Thermal Design with Extended VRM Heatsink, Thermal Baseplate, Dual PCIe 4.0/3.0 M.2 with Thermal Guard, Intel ® WiFi 6 802.11ax, 2.5GbE LAN, RGB FUSION 2.0, Q-Flash Plus The rest of the board includes fairly typical ITX fare, though just two SATA ports might be an issue for some. Three fan headers is the absolute minimum too. More impressive is support for a front USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port and dual ARGB headers. Perhaps most curious feature of all is the inclusion of an embedded DP connector on the rear of the board. Mini-ITX boards are pretty much niche products. For most gamers, a regular ATX board will do the job, perhaps for cheaper and come with a better VRM or a few more USB or SATA ports. But small form factor fans are—to state the obvious, specifically looking for SFF boards, and they're prepared to live without four M2 slots or PCIe slots for expansion cards.Robust Power Solution:10 + 2 power stages with an 8-pin ProCool power connector, high-quality alloy chokes, and durable capacitors to support multi-core processors AMD B550 Ultra Durable Motherboard with Pure Digital VRM Solution, PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot, Dual PCIe 4.0/3.0 M.2 Connectors, 802.11ac WIFI, Realtek GbE LAN, Smart Fan 6 with FAN STOP, RGB FUSION 2.0, Q-Flash Plus AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Vermeer) support DDR4 4600+(OC) / 4533(OC) / 4466(OC) / 4400(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4266(OC) / 4200(OC) / 4133(OC) / 4000(OC) / 3866(OC) / 3800(OC) / 3733(OC) / 3600(OC) / 3466(OC) / 3200 / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buffered memory *

Having taken a look at each board individually, it's time to get to testing. For testing all B650 boards, we're using the Gigabyte Aorus C500 Glass case with the Aorus WaterForce X 360mm AIO. We should stress that once VRM temps dip below 70c, it doesn't really matter which board runs cooler; for core-heavy productivity in a warm environment, all boards will perform exceedingly well. Even temperatures sub 80c are very acceptable and really, it's only the boards running at over 90c that we'd advise avoiding, especially in warmer climates.The Asus TUF Gaming B650M-Plus WiFi is also noteworthy. It's a MicroATX board with a dozen 60A power stages for the vcore VRM. Although decent on paper, it doesn't really surpass the B650M Aorus Pro AX, especially given it offers significantly fewer USB 3.2 ports. Configure the fan's operating speed manually or use pre-configured Standard, Silent, Turbo, or Full Speed modes. By default, system fans will automatically switch to full speed if the temperature reaches 75° C. Aura On/Off mode (Stealth) AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Matisse) support DDR4 4600+(OC) / 4533(OC) / 4466(OC) / 4400(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4266(OC) / 4200(OC) / 4133(OC) / 4000(OC) / 3866(OC) / 3800(OC) / 3733(OC) / 3600(OC) / 3466(OC) / 3200 / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buffered memory * Performance wise, don’t get fooled by its appearance. It might look small but it has everything the ATX boards has to offer with the obvious exclusion of the extra slots and headers we used to see from the standard form factor.