*Updated* AM5 socket release date, price & more – What we know

The AM5 socket is AMD's next generation of gaming hardware, and with AM4’s massive success, it has some pretty big shoes to fill. We look at the latest AM5 news, announcements, leaks, release date and more.

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AMD’s AM5 is the socket type for the AMD Ryzen 7000 series of processors on the Zen 4 architecture. Our Ryzen 7000 series CPU reviews are live, take a look if you’re in the market for a new Ryzen 7000 series CPU. The AM5 socket has been out for some time now.

• Ryzen 5 7600X
• Ryzen 9 7900X

We’re going to provide everything we know about the socket so far such as the AM5 release date and new technologies and speculate on a few other exciting details too. This page will be updated with all the latest AM5 socket news so come back and check daily if you want the very latest details. 

AM5 is the successor to AM4 and it has some pretty big shoes to fill as far as we’re concerned. AM4 was one of the best and most widely supported motherboard platforms, so we hope AM5 will live up to the expectations.

Latest News: AMD Changes AM5 and Zen 4 Launch date to September 27th, the same day as Intel’s Raptor Lake unveil. This release date was confirmed at AMD’s “Together we advance PCs” event, held on August the 29th, 2022.

AMD to host a “meet the experts” event on the 4th of August 2022, where AMD will talk about AM5 and the “next frontier of Ryzen motherboards”. As the date draws nearer, anticipation grows for both Ryzen 7000 series and AM5 motherboards.

Officially, Dr. Lisa Su, the CEO of AMD, has announced that the release date for both AM5 motherboards and Zen 4 CPUs will be scheduled for Fall 2022, meaning we could see Ryzen 7000 CPUs hit the shelves as early as September. Check out our Zen 4 release date page for more details. Another leak suggests that AM5 and Zen 4 will release on the 27th of September 2022. AM5 was going to launch on September 15th but AMD moved the launch to the same day as Intels Raptor Lake unveil.

Now read: AM5: Where to buy. If you want to be kept up to date on the best AM5 retailers upon launch. Or check the bottom of this article to find the very same retailer hubs for AM5.

Have any questions about Zen 4 and Ryzen 7000 series CPUs? check out our AMD Zen 4 everything we know page.

As the days draw nearer for the release of AM5, we’re currently working on getting our hands on some AM5 motherboards to put to the test – along with some Zen 4 CPUs of course. One would be useless without the other. So stay tuned for some first-hand benchmarks around AM5 and Zen 4.

With the days to September 27th counting down, leaks and information is starting to seep through. The prices for the AM5-based Zen 4 CPUs just got leaked to VideoCardz.

Some of the topics we will be discussing in this AM5 article are: 

02/09/22 Samples of AM5 motherboards should be getting shipped out soon/have already been shipped out. We expect to receive ours very soon.

06/09/22 – Zen 4 and AM5 review embargo confirmed as 26th of September 2022, meaning we should be getting review samples within the next week or so. We’ll then put them through their paces.

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Latest AM5 socket news

Here we will bring you the latest AM5 motherboard news as we receive it. The most recent AM5 news will be at the top. Anything marked as a “rumor” or “leak” should be taken with a pinch of salt, as the information did not come from AMD themselves.

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AMD plans to support AM5 through 2025 at a minimum

AMD has finally officially announced the AMD Zen 4 Ryzen 7000 series line-up. AMD at its “Together we advance PCs” event, revealed all the information we needed about its up-and-coming Zen 4 processors and some AM5 motherboard details.

We have an article covering the most noteworthy things said about Zen 4 here: AMD Ryzen 7000 series price, performance, and specs revealed.

first things first, we now have an official release date for AM5 motherboards, and that’s the 27th of September 2022. This date was confirmed today by AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su.

This news was accompanied by the fact that AMD wishes to support AM5 all the way through til “2025+”, states David McAfee, CVP of AMD, meaning the socket will see a healthy three-year life cycle at a minimum.

This is fantastic news, AM4 was (and still is) a fantastic socket. However, being supported for around six years has left AM4 feeling outdated and sluggish, especially compared to the new generation of hardware we’ve seen snippets of today. We feel that AM4 has hindered the progression of AMD slightly, as six years is far too long to keep a platform supported in this quickly advancing industry.

So it’s at this point that we agree, that three to four years is plenty of time to support a platform. AMD seems to be coming out on top of this generation from what we’ve seen so far.

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ASUS announces new small form factor AM5 motherboards

ASUS, at Gamescom 2022, has just announced new M-ATX and M-ITX AM5 motherboards. Up until now, there were only ATX form factor AM5 motherboards available on the X670 and X670E chipset, leaving the tiny PC enthusiasts a little worried that they were going to have to sacrifice performance for size.

ASUS announces two AM5 motherboards: The ROG Crosshair X670E Gene, and the ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi. Both are capable of PCIe gen 5 for storage and GPU, USB 4.0, and DDR5 memory compatibility.

You can find the full ASUS press release here: ASUS announces new small form factor AM5 motherboards

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MSI leaks Ryzen 7000 series installation video

Oh, look, another MSI leak! MSI has been pretty loose-lipped around the whole “AM5 motherboard thing” as this is the second major leak we’ve seen so far.

You’ll notice that the above video is not on MSI’s YouTube channel, that is because the video has since been taken down for obvious reasons. Thankfully YouTube channel “Overclcoking_com” managed to download the video before the take-down happened, and re-hosted the video on their own channel.

The video depicts the installation and uninstallation of a Ryzen 7000 series CPU into an unknown AM5 socket motherboard (likely an MSI motherboard for obvious reasons).

Check out the full story here: MSI leaks Ryzen 7000 series installation video.

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AMD confirms Zen 4 CPUs & AM5 AMD EXPO to be unveiled on August 29th

AMD has announced a Livestream to be held on its Youtube channel to officially unveil the next generation of Ryzen 7000 series processors. The event is called “together we advance”.

The event is to take place on AMD’s Youtube channel on August 29th at 7 PM ET / August 30th at 1 AM CET. 

Here’s the press release put out by AMD announcing the event. 

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AMD pushes back AM5 motherboard release to September 27th

AMD now plans to release its AM5 motherboards and accompanying Zen 4 7000 series CPUs on the 27th of September 2022. 

The release of AMD’s Zen 4 CPUs has now been pushed back to September 27th, according to Wccftech’s sources. Interestingly enough, the new release date aligns with Intel’s unveiling of its Raptor Lake CPUs. 

This is a bold move for AMD, sacrificing a new two-week head start just to rain on Intel’s parade is a power move if we’ve ever seen one. 

Check out more information here in our “AMD pushes back Ryzen 7000 series release to September 27th” article. 

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MSI AM5 motherboards listed early by Italian retailers

Twitter leaker Momomo_US discovered AM5 X670E and X670-P MSI motherboards listed by Italian retailers way before AMD’s official release date of Zen 4 CPUs and AM5 motherboards. The official release date of all AM5 motherboards is the 27 of September 2022. 

The motherboards in question are the MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi and the I Pro X670-P WiFi. 

In Italy, the price for the MSI X670E Carbon starts at 562.19 Euros and ends at 640.15 Euros. Whereas, the X670-P Pro starts at 375.35 Euros and ends at 426.27 Euros. 

Here’s a list of Italian retailers that have the two MSI motherboards currently listed. 

• MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi – 562.19 Euros (CityWebShop)
• MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi – 625.50 Euros (Eurotronic)
• MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi – 640.15 Euros (TekWorld)
• MSI PRO X670-P WiFi – 374.35 Euros (CityWebShop)
• MSI PRO X670-P WiFi – 416.50 Euros (Eurotronic)
• MSI PRO X670-P WiFi – 426.27 Euros (TekWorld)

These prices don’t seem too outlandish, but we do have some information suggesting that the all-new Zen 4 CPUs that are compatible with the new AM5 socket motherboards will be a little more pricey than we’re used to.

If you would like to know more, check out our “MSI X670E & X670-P listed online by Italian retailers” article. 

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Gigabyte X670E AM5 motherboard sent to overclockers early

A Tweet from prolific Overclocker @SkatterBerncher was made showcasing a brand new GIGABYTE X670E Aorus Master. Unfortunately, the tweet has since been removed.

AMD and Intel often allow the early release of products early to certain people, these are the “Overclockers”. These Overclockers often get samples of the latest and greatest from manufacturers ahead of reviewers. But why do manufacturers do this? Well, It serves two purposes. 

Overclockers can provide feedback to the manufacturers about the product, catching areas for improvement early before the product hits reviewers can save the company a large headache later.

Check out our “Gigabyte X670E AM5 motherboard sent to overclockers early” article for the full story.

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FinalWire announces support for AM5 and Zen 4 in Aida64

In a press release, Finalwire said they’re adding official support for AMD Zen 4 and AM5 motherboards in its latest AIDA64 release. 

This addition of support from AIDA64, suggests we’re mere months away from release. It’s looking like the September 2022 projections are correct.

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The release of AM5 and Zen 4 has been officially confirmed by MSI. MSI beat AMD to the punch on this one when MSI made a press release about its new AM5 motherboard line-up following AMD’s “meet the experts” event.

The event took place on AMD’s website, where AMD invited guest speakers from various motherboard manufacturers to speak about the new AM5 motherboards they have developed.

According to Wccftech, MSI accidentally confirmed the release date of AM5 and Zen4 CPUs during this press release.

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AMD hosts “Meet the experts” event

On the 4th of August 2022, AMD hosted its “Meet the experts” webinar, which revealed a plethora of information about AM5 motherboards.

Read the full piece we did covering this event here: Manufacturers reveal information on their X670E and X670 AM5 motherboards.

In a nutshell, there’s a lot to be excited about. Here are some of the key points mentioned in the Webinar.

AM5 “Meet the experts” key points

AM5 motherboard manufacturers seem to have pumped a lot of resources into power staging and VRMs this time around, with a heavy and consistent focus on power delivery coming from each of the manufacturer’s presentations. 

Focusing on power delivery proves advantageous as it extends the overclocking potential of Zen 4 processors, by supporting higher voltages and frequencies with greater stability. 

Some X670E and X670 motherboards will come equipped with the M.2-25110 slot standard to ensure compatibility with upcoming high-performance SSDs. 

Connectivity is new and improved with the main X670 and X670E motherboards supporting USB4 and Thunderbolt 3/4 via an external controller. 

Some X670 and X670E motherboards will support the latest Wi-Fi 6 connectivity using AMD’s own RZ616 Wi-Fi 6E controller, whereas others will use a solution made by Intel. 

There was no real mention of DDR5 voltages or speeds in any of the manufacturer’s presentations. 

Now let’s take a look at what Asus, ASRock, MSI, Gigabyte, and Biostar have in store for us when AM5 launches. 

Announced AM5 socket motherboards

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Here we will give a little information about the new AM5 motherboards announced during the “Meet the experts” event hosted by AMD.

Asus AM5 motherboards

Asus showcased two motherboards in Thursday’s webinar, the ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme and the ROG Crosshair X670E Hero, but there are more to come. The motherboards will feature VRMs based on Infineon ASP2205 power management IC (PMIC) and Vishay SIC850 110A smart power stages. Both of Asus’s motherboards will feature future-proof connectivity, boasting two USB4 ports, 10GbE(Extreme), or 2.5GbE (Hero), a more advanced audio system, and Wi-Fi 6E adapters

ASRock AM5 motherboards

ASRock’s AM5 lineup will consist of five motherboards, including two flagship X670E Taichi Carrara and X670E Taichi platforms, X670E Steel Legend, X670E Pro RS, and X670E PG Lightning. The X670E Taichi Carrara also features state-of-the-art connectivity, with two USB4/Thunderbolt 4 ports, eight SATA 3.0 ports, and a PCI Express 5.0 x4 M.2 slot.

MSI AM5 motherboards

MSI is currently working on four top-of-the-line AM5 motherboards. These are the MEG X670E Godlike, MEG X670E Ace, MPG X670E Carbon Wi-Fi, and the X670-powered Pro X670-P Wi-Fi. The godly flagship (MEG X670E Godlike) will feature power phases never before seen on an MSI board, boasting a 24 + 2 + 1 phase design with 105A power phases for Voltage cores. As well as all the connectivity and PCIe Gen 5 capabilities you could ever need.

GIGABYTE AM5 motherboards

Gigabyte has brought four high-end motherboards to the table, the X670E Aorus Xtreme, X670E A Aorus Master, X670 Aorus Pro AX, and X670 Aorus Elite AX. The flagship AM5 motherboard (X670E Aorus Xtreme) will feature a full 18 + 2 + 2 power delivery design. only GIGABYTES X670E motherboards will support PCIe gen 5 on the PCIe slots and M.2 storage slots. Whereas the X670 line-up will only feature PCIe gen 5 connectivity for SSDs. however, all of GIGABYTE’s AM5 motherboards will feature at least one M.2-25110 slot. 

Biostar AM5 motherboards

Biostar will have but one X670E motherboard ready for the AM5 launch, and that motherboard is the X670E Valkyre. This board will feature a 22-phase VRM design with 105A Dr.MOS stages. The X670 Valkyre will also feature a PCIe Gen 4 X16 slot, four Gen 4/5 M.2-2208/22110 slots with high-performance heat spreaders, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 ports, two display outputs (DP 1.4 and HDMI 2.1), and finally a 2.5GbE connecter. 

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AMD Zen 4 CPUs could release all at once

Moore’s law is dead on Youtube has reported that all AMD Zen 4 CPUs could release all at once when September rolls around. Although this doesn’t mention AM5 specifically it could have some implications.

This could suggest that AM5 motherboards may follow the same release model. At the end of the day, the only reason AMD would release all of their CPUs at once is that it’s a power play on Intel. And why would AMD tank the sales of its more budget CPUs, if there are no budget boards released to pair them with?

We know that there are three main chipsets on the AM5 platform that are launching, but we don’t specifically know in what order. If we go off AM4 and the 5000 series of CPUs, we know that it was the X570 that first saw the light of day, followed by both the B550 and the A520 months later.

could we see a solid and united release of all AMD products this time around? We sure hope so.

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What is AM5 and the AM5 socket? 

AM5 is a zero insertion force flip-chip land grid array. It’s designed by AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) and I planned to be used for the up-and-coming Ryzen 7000 series Zen 4 CPU microarchitecture. This socket will be the first socket AMD has designed on the LGA socket architecture.

The AM5 socket is set to replace the current long-standing AM4 socket to house the up-and-coming Zen 4 Ryzen CPUs and it has very big shoes to fill after the massive success of its predecessor. 

Intel switches its socket type every couple of years whereas AMD kept AM4 in the running for six years but now, it’s time for a change. 

Not much is known about AM5 yet but the most notable difference with AM4 is the move from PGA to the land grid array CPU socket (LGA) with 1718 pins, 18 pins more than the latest Intel CPU socket. 

AM5 will be the best of the best hands down, AM4 has proven its worth. Now it’s time for AM4 to step aside and cement its place in history as probably the most legendary socket there will ever be.

Our opinion so far on AM5

We think that AM5 is going to be the best socket we have ever seen in terms of technology, AM4 held its ground for over 5 years and held it well. AM5 has to fill those shoes but based on the state of things so far, and everything we know about the specifications of the AM5 standard. We know this is going to be big. Zen 4 is an extremely powerful new CPU generation we aren’t exactly sure how powerful, but we have seen projected performance improvements of up to 30% in some areas. However, a good CPU is only as good as the socket it sits in.

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What is LGA 1718?

LGA stands for land grid array and has been Intel’s socket of choice since 2006 but now with AMD making the switch, we thought it would be beneficial to run you through what LGA actually is. 

LGA is a packaging technology with a rectangular grid of contacts called ‘lands’. This differs from the PGA or pin grid array packaging technology that AMD currently uses. 

The pin grid array is similar to the land grid array layout, but in place of “lands”, you have pins protruding from the bottom of the chip itself. Compared to PGA, LGA reduces the likelihood of damage to the chip either before or during the installation process. This is just one of many benefits to LGA. 

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AMD AM5 motherboards are to release on 27th September 2022.

AMD has now moved the launch of AM5 and Zen 4 to September 27th, the same day Intel will unveil its Raptor Lake CPUs.

The AM5 release date is 27th September 2022.

A Twitter leaker @wxnod has leaked a picture of a presentation pertaining to the release of AM5 and Zen 4.

During a presentation in China, presumably for local distributors and PC part retailers, the person giving the presentation may have accidentally confirmed the date Ryzen 7000 series and AM5 motherboards become available to the public

During the presentation, one of the slides indicated that the Zen 4 series and accompanying AM5 motherboards could be available to purchase on September 15th. The slide in question marked September 15th as the “on-sale” date. 

AMD AM5 release confirmed as “Fall 2022” at Computex 2022

AM5 motherboards are set to release alongside Zen 4 CPU in “Fall 2022” says AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su, at Computex 2022. A fall 2022 release date means we could see all three current AM5 chipsets, X670E, X670, and B650, hit the shelves as early as September 2022.

There’s no specific release date information yet, but we’re sure we will get some information via leaks or official AMD announcements in the coming months.

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How much will AM5 motherboards cost?

the suspected price for AM5 motherboards has been leaked by Moore’s law is dead over on YouTube. The leaker states in their video that AM5 chipsets could range from $130 on the bottom-end, to $500 on the high-end.

Here’s a list of suspected prices according to Moore’s law is dead.

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The 600 series AM5 motherboards 

The AMD 600 series AM5 motherboards have been announced at Computex 2022 and will release sometime in the Fall of this year. The New motherboards are set to feature a whole host of new technology including DDR5 support, 24 ultrafast PCIe lanes capable of gen 5 speeds, and 14 super speed USB ports, boasting 20GB/s speeds – just to name a few. 

There are three chipsets for AM5 that have been announced, these are the X670E, X670, and B650. Of course, much like the current gen, these motherboards will ship with different features and be targeted toward different users within the market. 

The current hierarchy stands at: 

• X670E (extreme) is the best of the best, featuring all the connectivity powered by the latest and fastest technology – DDR5, PCIe 5 – and the most extreme overclocking potential. 

• X670 will feature some PCIe gen 5 connectivity, but not all PCIe or M.2 slots. X670 will also most likely have less connectivity, but will still feature strong overclocking potential 

• B650 is the budget option, being a more bare-bones motherboard with less connectivity. The perfect balance of price point and capability – featuring all the connectivity that AM5 has to offer, but none or much less of the overclocking capabilities. 

If you want to know more about the 600 series AM5 motherboards, check out our 600 series AM5 news piece. 

AM5 X670E chipset

The X670E chipset is the best AM5 has to offer, with the letter ‘E’ meaning ‘Extended’. The X670E chipset features all the benefits AMD announced at its keynote, these are PCIe Gen 5 for graphics and storage, SVI-3 power infrastructure for better overclocking and more power stages, and up to four HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.0 ports. The X670E features PCIe connectivity for all of its PCIe slots, meaning primary and secondary PCIe slots, and all M.2 storage slots. 

The Extreme version of the X670 is also said to have completely unrestricted overclocking, meaning all the VRMs you could ever need with excellent power staging and delivery. 

The X670E is the best of the best, and will most likely cost a pretty penny, These will most likely be your Crosshair Heros and Aorus Extremes. 

AM5 X670 chipset

The X670 chipset is the little brother to the X670E, with all of the connectivity, just not as many features. The X670 still features enthusiast-level overclocking support, although it may not feature quite as much delivery support. 

The main difference is the PCIe Gen 5 support, with the X670 only having PCIe GPU support in its primary X16 PCIe slot, the rest will be PCIe Gen 4. 

Storage remains the same, however, with PCIe Gen 5 powering M.2 storage on both the X670E and X670 motherboards. 

The X670 chipset motherboard will likely cost a little less than the X670E, how much exactly we’re not quite sure. 

X670 & X670E dual chipset design

The AM5 X670 and X670E will feature a dual chipset design, meaning there are not one but two chipsets on one motherboard. The dual chipset design is relatively unheard of, in fact, AMD didn’t discuss it at all in its keynote presentation at Computex 2022. It was MSI that spilled the beans on the high-end X670 chipset design.

Why use two chipsets though? well, good question. One huge complaint among X570 consumers was the loud active chipset cooling solution that motherboards were coupled with. This time around AMD decided to double the chipsets and spread the processing load among them, meaning each chipset individually won’t have to work as hard, lessening the heat generated.

Not much is known about the nature of the dual chipset design, however, we know that they’re most likely going to be dual B650 chipsets.
If you would like to read more on the subject, we have an “MSI shows off dual X670 chipset design” news piece for you to read.

AM5 B650 chipset

The B650 chipset is the budget-oriented AM5 motherboard. The B650 will not feature any overclocking support and will most likely have much fewer VRMs, as a result. 

The B650 chipset will not feature PCIe Gen 5 capabilities for any of its PCIe slots, 8x or 16X. However, the B650 will still feature PCIe Gen 5 storage technology for compatible M.2 SSDs.

If you want to know more, check out our X670E vs X670 vs B650 chipset page.

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Will the AMD 5000 series fit AM5?

No, the Ryzen 5000 series CPUs are based on the AM4 socket. That socket itself is based on PGA or Pin Grid Array, meaning the socket architecture is completely different from that of AM5. The AM5 socket is based on LGA or Land Grid Array, meaning the bottom of the CPU is populated with “lands”, little contact pads that correspond to pins in the socket.

Although AM5 CPU coolers retain compatibility with AM4 sockets, it is not the same case with CPUs. Don’t buy an AM5 CPU and expect it to fit into an AM4 socket.

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Is AM5 LGA or PGA?

As mentioned above, AM5 is based on the LGA (Land Grid Array) socket architecture, this is the same socket type that Intel has been using for many years now. The reason for the switch is, among many things, it allows better connectivity between CPU and motherboard, and seating the pins in the motherboard socket instead of on the bottom of the CPU, better protects them from harm.

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Will AM5 last as long as AM4?

Dr. Lisa Su announced that AM5 will be given a long life cycle, aiming to support the socket for many years to come. Whether AM5 will last as long as AM4 remains to be seen. We doubt AMD will wait this long to upgrade socket types again, however, as AM4 is visibly showing its age. And has set AMD back a little bit in terms of performance on the current socket.

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This next section contains old news.

Here are all the unofficial leaks and tweets pertaining to AM5 and its release date. We feel it’s important to leave it here for a while so you can admire all the sources and all the hard work that went into figuring out AMD’s plans before it announced them.

You can skip ahead to “AMD AM5 socket and mounting mechanism” if you do not wish to read all the unofficial leaks.

AM5 leaks

A prolific Twitter leaker (who has posted AMD’s internal road maps in the past) named Greymon55 suggests that the Zen 4 CPU’s release will not be in Q4 at all, despite earlier indications. As we know we will see AM5 socket motherboards released alongside AMD’s Raphael CPUs.

In a response to Hassan Mujtaba from Wccftech, Greymon55 confirmed that the launch is set to go ahead before September 2022. Could we see an August release date for Zen 4/AM5?

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getwinder Zen 4 leak

As we know Zen 4 and AM5 have to release simultaneously as one is useless without the other.
There has been another Zen 4 leak by getwinder over at Chiphell suggesting that Zen 4 CPUs could see the light of day in April 2022. With that, we should also see AM5 motherboards hit the shelves if the leak is to be true.

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AM5 release date: Mass production

Twitter leaker Greymon55 took to Twitter to suggest that the AMD Ryzzen 7000 series CPU could enter mass production as early as April – May. This lines the CPU up for an August – September release date if AMD production history is to repeat itself. This of course means that the AM5 motherboards will be released alongside the brand new Raphael CPUs.

If you’d like to read more on these leaks and what they mean, check out the Zen 4 article we wrote, where we explain them in more detail.

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AM5 pre-production and Q3 2022 launch (rumor)

Wccftech reports that announcements regarding AM5 and Zen 4 CPUs are expected to be delivered at Computex 2022, one of the world’s largest tech conventions that usually takes place at the end of May.

based on information gained from the Chinese website Enthusiastic Citizen The X670 series of AM5 motherboard will likely launch alongside the Zen 4 CPU sometime in mid-Q3 2022, this looks like a similar launch cycle to the Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 series CPU – That is if the rumor proves true, it looks like it might be, however, as an August release might be on the cards. This is in line with rumors of Zen 4 entering mass production early this quarter. (see above)

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AM5 HWINFO support

AM5 and Zen 4 compatibility was added to HWINFO on 15/02/2022 in update v7.20, and with it came some information around a possible release date for AM5.

With HWINFO releasing an update adding support for Ryzen 7000 series and AM5 motherboards, we can make some assumptions around its release date. Historically, HWINFO adds compatibility for technology three to six months prior to launch or release. meaning we could very well see a mid-year release date for AM5.

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AM5 will ship with support for DDR5 only

There have been many hints by AMD in the past that AM5 and the Ryzen 7000 series will be based around the DDR5 memory standard and, recently, AMD’s representatives in AMD’s ‘meet the experts’ webinar confirmed that Raphael will be AMD’s first DDR5-based platform. these claims are substantiated by CapFrameX.

This is all according to a tweet from CapFrameX.

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AM5 code name leaked on OpenBenchmarking.org

Among other information surrounding Zen 4, we got a sneaky look at the AM5 motherboard code name from a benchmarking submission on OpenBenchmarking.org. The post has since been removed, but somebody managed to grab a screenshot.

We examine all this information more closely in our “Zen 4 CPU leaked with 5.2GHZ Boost & RDNA 2 iGPU” news piece, but for now, we’re only interested in the motherboard information.

The codename is printed as the AMD Splinter-RPL (WS22427N BIOS). This doesn’t really give us much to go on for now, but we’ll be on the lookout for announcements at Computex 2022 later this month. Stay tuned for more information.

End of the old news section

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AMD AM5 socket and mounting mechanism

The first motherboard chipset to feature the AM5 socket should be part of the AMD 600 series of motherboards. 

There’s a surprising amount of information floating around about AMD’s new Socket AM5. One of the most notable and exciting pieces of information comes from Igor’sLAB which shared a leaked render of the AM5 (LGA 1718) socket and all of its components, most likely obtained from the gigabyte hack last year.

Igor’sLAB noticed differences in the AM5 socket compared to LGA1700 in the sense that the backplate is now attached to the Socket Actuation Mechanism (SAM) with four screws ensuring the backplate is always aligned with the socket.   

We know how frustrating it can be trying to mount a new cooler to your AM4 based CPU, just to have the backplate fall off and disappear seemingly into the abyss at the bottom of your PC case. However, with this new AM5 SAM attachment, the backplate will never budge an inch, making cooler installations easier than ever. 

Not only this but we observe a tweet from ExecutableFix suggesting that the socket will retain the 40x40mm dimensions, this we think is a pretty safe bet, given the fact that AMD has confirmed that thanks to an innovative IHS design on the Ryzen 7000 series CPUs AM5 will retain AM4 cooler compatibility.

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AM5 Coolers

Speaking of coolers, AMD confirmed during the company’s keynote at CES 2022 that the AM5 socket will be fully compatible with AM4-based coolers. This is all thanks to a similar backplate screw configuration and a nifty yet unorthodox IHS design on the 7000 series CPUs themselves. 

This is some of the biggest news to date. This avoids the whole Intel LGA 1151/1200 coolers needing a special backplate adapter to fit the LGA1700 socket, a problem we all wish didn’t exist. This is good news for AMD fans.  

Check out our “best AM5 cooler” page if you’re looking for a new AM5-compatible cooler.

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AM5 backplate

There’s a lot of excitement around the compatibility of AM4 coolers on the AM5 platform, but we think it’s important to discuss the backplate for a second because all isn’t what it seems.
The two pre-installed “clip” factory mounting kits that ship with AM4 motherboards will make a return on AM5. This kit can competently and securely fit cooling solutions weighing up to 500 grams before the weight becomes a problem, same as AM4.
Nothing here changes and you will be able to continue to use AM4 coolers in this configuration.

The problem with backward compatibility becomes apparent when you have to remove the default mounting solution to mount anything that either is not compatible with the standard mounting kit or, that weighs over 500 grams.
the new Socket AM5 requires a special backplate whose necessary cut-outs vastly differ from those of the older solutions. in addition to this, the Socket Actuation Mechanism (SAM) is screwed directly into the backplate.

These two points rule out the possibility of using AM4 coolers with their own backplates. In a scenario where an adapted backplate is needed for the AM4 cooler, the manufacturer would have to provide an adapted one, similar to the case with Intel’s LGA1151/LGA1200 to LGA1700 cooler compatibility.

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AM5 socket benefits

Besides lessening the likelihood of damage to the CPU during the installation process there are a few benefits to making the switch over to LGA with AM5 for both businesses and consumers. 

One of the consumer benefits of LGA is the improved signal integrity with better contact and this isn’t just marketing bloat. Another big benefit to LGA is the fact that LGA ‘lands’ take up less physical space with the corresponding motherboard pins tending to be smaller than those of the PGA configuration. This leaves much more room for more contacts within the same surface area. 

This is beneficial because as you know, the CPU is the brain of the PC that has to be perfectly intertwined with the rest of the system and its workings to operate in complete synergy. The more pins and points of contact you have on the CPU the more open to new features the CPU will be. 

It’s well known that not every single CPU pin and contact pad has a use, some are ground and some are not used at all and your PC wouldn’t miss a beat if the pin wasn’t present. They’re just there ready to be given use in future iterations of the technology. But these unassigned pins are finite and with LGA adding more pins because of the lower space demand of the LGA socket, there’s extended upgradability and capacity for additional features. 

There’s a manufacturer benefit to this switch too. 

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Manufacturer benefits from AM5

The simple and biggest driving force behind the switch is that LGA CPU types are cheaper and require less effort to manufacture. Thinking about it logically it would be far easier to line up 1,718 gold-plated copper lands than it would be to line up 1,718 tiny pins that are smaller than grains of rice.

One other reason is RMAs – with AMD making the switch it means motherboard manufacturers are now responsible for constructing the delicate sockets that contain the even more delicate, precious pins that are so vital to the CPU’s function. 

That means AMD is no longer responsible for fragile pins during the manufacturing or shipping process, reducing accidental damage during construction and damage in shipping invalidating CPUs during this component scarcity crisis. 

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AM5 chipsets 

This piece is purely speculative but AMD confirmed that the first motherboard to feature the new AM5 socket will be a 600 series motherboard. This confirms AMD is keeping up with the traditions of advancing the generations by one numerical value (500 series to 600 series) 

The release of the 500 series motherboards was staggered over three months. 

• B550 was released in June 2020. 
• X570 was released in July 2019
• A520 released in August 2020

The reason we mention this is we could see a similar story with the 600 series of motherboards. Again this is all speculation but could we see the x670 be the first AM5 motherboard on the market? 

Another interesting speculation to make is built around the A420 chipset.

AMD released an A320 chipset back in February 2017 and they also released an A520 chipset in August 2020, but there’s no A420 chipset to be seen. 

This suggests that AMD may be skipping a generation. We may not see an A620 chipset in AMD’s motherboard lineup. The decision to skip the A420 chipset created confusion, but if AMD happens to order motherboard manufacturers to skip the A620 chipset this time around, it would make a little more sense with all the material shortages occurring right now. 

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AMD AM5 platform block diagram

The PCH names are not fully confirmed however but we assume follow the historical trend. Features of AM5 motherboards are expected to expand as the AM5 platform matures, as we saw with AM4. the AM4 platform saw mass amounts of updates throughout its life cycle such as PCIe Gen 4, Smart access memory, advanced PBO configurations, and much more. The same can be expected for AM5 although it’s already off to a flying start with DDR5 and PCIe Gen 5 support.

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AM5 RAMP technology (Now renamed to AMD EXPO)

It looks like the upgrade to LGA isn’t the only significant technological advancement around AM5. DDR5 memory is said to get a significant boost on the AM5 platform thanks to the all-new AMD RAMP technology.

RAMP stands for (Ryzen Accelerated Memory Profile) and is the response to Intel’s XMP 3.0 profile and is set to be the successor to A-XMP for DDR4. 

The existence of RAMP was first suggested in patch notes around the HWINFO beta release of version 7.17 where one of the notes stated, “added preliminary support of AMD RAMP, although this note has since been redacted. 

It has recently been indicated that RAMP tech may be something different entirely. It may be a dual profile replacement for the current D.O.C.P tech, the new name is reported by many as AMD EXPO. We do have an article on the matter if you’d like to delve further.

In addition to DDR5 support, the new AM5 socket motherboards will feature support for the PCIe Gen5 GPUs/storage options but as of yet no devices that support PCIe Gen5 exist, while DDR5 is currently pretty scarce thanks to a major shortage of PMICs (power management integrated circuits). As a result of this, we have seen prices skyrocket.

Hopefully by the end of 2022, post AM5 launch, we will see stock become more available and prices lowered, but we wouldn’t bank on it, unfortunately. 

AMD RAMP tech has now been re-named to AMD EXPO

Truth be told, it’s a little more than a simple re-naming. AMD EXPO stands for Extended Profiles for Overclocking and is said to offer multiple profiles for memory overclocking, allowing for seamless switching on the fly. So not only will we see all new memory speeds on the Ryzen 7000 series and AM5 platform, we’ll see multiple memory profiles for the first time.

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AM5 socket / AM5 motherboard FAQ’s

How much will AM5 cost?

B650 Chipsets might start at $130 and top out at $500, with A620 chipsets not expecting to exceed $100. But are going to be fairly limited in capability as a result

When is AM5 releasing?

The Am5 socket is expected to release on the 27th September 2022.

Is AM5 confirmed?

Yes. AM5 was confirmed by AMD CEO DR. Lisa Su at Computex 2022 during AMD’s keynote earlier this year.

Is AMD switching to AM5?

AMD is making the switch from AM4 to AM5, meaning you’re going to have to upgrade your motherboard if you want a new Zen 4 CPU.

Can AM4 fit in AM5?

AM4 coolers will be compatible with the AM5 socket, thanks to AMD’s standardized backplate. But an AM4 processor will NOT fit into an AM5 motherboard.

Will AM5 be DDR5 only?

Leaks suggest that AM5 will only launch with support for DDR5 memory, as there was no mention in leaked AM5 documentation of DDR4, only DDR5 was mentioned. Whether motherboards will be released later down the line with compatibility with DDR4, we don’t know.

Will AM5 last as long as AM4?

The AM4 socket lasted around 6 years, Am5 is said to last at least 4 years. AMD prides itself on creating a one-stop platform that supports all your needs. We do however, think that AMD will upgrade AM5 before they fall too far behind intel. AM4’s only flaw is that it should have been upgraded sooner.

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AM5 news and leaks

News

We will add news surrounding AM5 here as it comes, check back later for more news.

Leaks

(All leaks are marked as speculation and if confirmed will move into the news section) 

We will add leaks surrounding AM5 here as they come, check back later for more leaks.

Are you excited by all the AM5 leaks? Will you be upgrading? Let us know in the comments.