If the CPU is the brain of the PC, then the motherboard is like the nervous system, connecting all the other components together, such as the GRAPHICS CARD, memory and drives, enabling them to communicate with one another.
Just like with any component you need to make sure that you choose a motherboard that is compatible with your CPU. In this guide, we will be focussing our attention on motherboards for AMD PROCESSORS.
There are three main factors to consider when choosing a new motherboard, the socket, the chipset and the size. You can see each of these three characteristics listed on the motherboard homepage on the Scan website and this guide will explain what you need to look out for.
The first thing to look out for is the socket, which is where the CPU physically connects to the motherboard. CPUs are available in all sorts of shapes and sizes, each with their own socket, so it’s critically important to make sure that the socket of the CPU and motherboard is the same. While AMD does change the socket design from time to time when designing new CPUs, most current AMD CPUs fall into three main sockets, Socket AM5, AM4 and TR5 all of which support different processors.
After checking the socket type you also need to consider the chipset. The chipset determines a lot of the capabilities of the motherboard, such as the number of add-in cards, the number of memory slots and USB ports. Some CPUs are only served by one chipset while other times you have a choice of chipsets, so you can strike the right balance between features and budget.
The last thing you need to consider when choosing a new motherboard is the size. Size is important because you need to make sure that the motherboard you buy can fit in your CASE Larger motherboards are beneficial because they support more add-in cards and memory, but you can still build very capable and high performance systems with smaller motherboards. The computer industry uses codenames to refer to the size of the motherboard, but the good news is that those same codenames are used for the size of cases too. This diagram illustrates the dimensions of the most common motherboard sizes.
The diagram below illustrates the various sizes of AMD motherboards, ranging from the compact Mini-ITX to the larger E-ATX SSI-EEB. Understanding these sizes is crucial for ensuring compatibility with your PC case and for planning the expansion capabilities of your system.
| Mini-ITX | Micro-ATX | ATX | E-ATX SSI-EEB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions (mm) | 170 x 170 mm | 244 x 244 mm | 305 x 244 mm | 305 x 330 mm |
| PCIe slots | 1 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
Socket AM5 motherboards support AMD Ryzen 9000-series CPUs based on the Zen 5 architecture plus older Ryzen 7000-series CPUs based on the Zen 4 architecture.
| LATEST SUPPORTED CPU ARCHITECTURE | ZEN 5 MOTHERBOARD CHIPSETS |
|---|---|
| Ryzen 9000-series, Zen 5 | X870E, X670E, X870, X670, B650E, B850, B650, B840 |
The most common socket type is Socket AM4, and is compatible with a huge range of modern AMD DESKTOP CPUs. This includes three different AMD CPU families, entry-level Athlon APUs and Ryzen processsors. Some but not all AMD CPUs include integrated graphics, so you intend on using these instead of buying a graphics card make sure you choose a motherboard that has graphics outputs as not all models have them. Rest assured though that most Socket AM4 motherboards will support any Socket AM4 CPU, the only exception to this are older A320 motherboards which lack support for the latest Ryzen 5000-series processors.
| LATEST SUPPORTED CPU ARCHITECTURE |
|---|
| Ryzen 5000-series, Zen 3 & Athlon 3000-series, Zen |
The third main type of CPU socket is TR5, which is used by the Ryzen 7000 Threadripper PRO and Threadripper 7000 CPUs. These are ultra-powerful CPUs with lots of cores, ECC RAM and PCIe lanes, making them the ultimate choice for a workstation or content creation PC.
| LATEST SUPPORTED CPU ARCHITECTURE |
|---|
| Ryzen Threadripper PRO & Ryzen Threadripper 7000-series, Zen 4 |
