I've been wondering how much of a difference there is between motherboards that were released shortly after the AM5 socket came out and the newer ones available today. If I decide to buy an early motherboard, will it hold back newer CPUs and RAM that come out 4-5 years later, or can I expect it to last until the next socket version arrives? I'm thinking about upgrading my CPU around the time AM6 comes out and want to gauge the best timing for this.
5 Answers
The main thing that could affect performance is hardware changes, which are pretty rare and usually labeled with a revision number. Most changes you’ll encounter will be software-related, so you can often just update your firmware and carry on without issues.
I like to think of motherboards as the frame of a car. A great frame doesn’t really boost performance, but if you have a weak one and try to install a powerful engine, you might just end up with a wreck. Age isn’t as critical as quality; a cheap board will struggle to support high-end CPUs due to inadequate cooling and power delivery.
For AMD, it’s really all about the chipset rather than the motherboard itself. New chipsets tend to roll out during the lifespan of a socket. Typically, by about 1.5 to 2.5 years in, you’ll have a clearer idea of which chipsets perform well, especially once rumors about future chipsets start circulating. With Intel, it’s a bit different since they usually announce chipsets at launch. When Intel wants to introduce a new chipset, they often change the socket too, which makes it trickier for users.
Totally agree! It feels like manufacturers really stepped up their game with AM4 once Ryzen proved to be a solid option, while AM5 was welcomed with more respect from the start.
Not really much changes; you mostly just gain insights on which boards are better as time passes. I bought the ASUS Prime B650 Plus and it’s been disappointing with VRM cooling and RAM overclocking. Still, it runs my 9800x3D well enough, but I’d recommend finding a board with solid cooling if you're looking to OC, especially with the increased power from next-gen CPUs.
When it comes to quality and performance, you likely won’t see a big difference between earlier boards and newer ones. Most of the time, newer chipsets might offer extra peripheral connections, but if you get a solid board, it should perform just fine for years.
Yeah, with the AM4 socket, we saw significant improvements in chipsets like the jump from 300 to 500 series. In contrast, with AM5, the upgrades from 600 to 800 haven't been as pronounced since there's less evolution in PCIe tech, as Gen 5 is more than what most consumers need.