CPUs

AMD Ryzen 9000 “Zen 5” and Zen 6 CPUs will Support Existing B650/X670 Motherboards

Intel’s LGA1700-based 600/700 series motherboards are on track to landfills in 2024. The 15th Gen Arrow Lake processors will launch with the LGA1851 boards in the second half of next year. That implies two (and perhaps a half) generations of support for users who bought a 600 series motherboard. AMD has affirmed support for the AM5 platform for at least another couple of releases till Zen 6 in 2026.

According to RedGamingTech, the existing AM5 boards will support two more generations, including Zen 5 in late 2024 and Zen 6 in 2026. That’s the same as Intel if you count the 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh as a full-fledged upgrade. However, in terms of actual performance, it’s a three versus two. Compared to the preceding AM4 platform, it’s still a step back.

Even the cheapest A320 motherboards released in 2017 support the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, one of the last AM4 processors. That adds up to five years of platform support, even for dirt-cheap $100 boards. If the Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 (2024) and the succeeding Zen 6 chips (2026) are the last to support the 600-series chipsets, it translates to three years of support, half as much as AM4.

A while back, AMD executives promised platform support through 2025, which doesn’t confirm compatibility with Zen 6. This was a cautionary remark to avoid any unrealistic expectations from the masses, similar to what happened with the Zen 3 launch. In a nutshell, don’t expect platform support of more than three generations in the coming years.

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