There aren’t many $125 AM5 motherboards available on the market proper now, however there’s yet another than there was once. Gigabyte has ready the B650M Ok to rival ASRock’s B650M-HDV/M.2 on the identical value level. Whereas the motherboard formally launches on March 31, the Gigabyte B650M Ok is out there for preorder at Newegg at $124.99 (opens in new tab).
The B650M Ok and B650M-HDV/M.2 adhere to the micro-ATX kind issue and make the most of AMD’s B650 chipset. In contrast to the premium X670 or X670E chipset, the B650 chipset caters to mainstream shoppers. Nonetheless, B650 motherboards are as succesful as high-end AM5 motherboards in processor help. The 2 B650M Ok and B650M-HDV/M.2 might sport a modest 8+2+1-phase design for the ability supply subsystem. Nevertheless, they don’t have any downside housing Zen 4 chips, spanning from the Ryzen 5 7600X to the most recent Ryzen 9 7950X3D.
Though each motherboards promote for $125, their function set varies barely. For instance, the B650M Ok has 4 DDR5 reminiscence slots to help as much as 128GB of reminiscence, whereas the B650M-HDV/M.2 solely permits for 64GB. Because of this, they will make the most of the finest RAM as much as DDR5-6400 and past, nevertheless it’ll finally, the Ryzen 7000 processor’s IMC has the final say as as to if it is potential or not. DDR5-6000 is the candy spot for Zen 4, so reminiscence kits, similar to G.Ability’s Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 C30, will excel on the B650 platform.
One of many B650M-HDV/M.2’s promoting factors is PCIe 5.0 help on the M.2 slot, a function that is arduous to seek out on a funds motherboard. The B650M-HDV/M.2 supplies at the very least one PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot to leverage the finest SSDs. Conversely, Gigabyte opted to maintain each M.2 slots on the B650M Ok to PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds. The 2 motherboards supply 4 commonplace SATA III ports. RAID 0, 1, and 10 help is out there on M.2 and SATA III interfaces.
| Specs | Gigabyte B650M Ok | ASRock B650M-HDV/M.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM5 | AM5 |
| Chipset | B650 | B650 |
| Type Issue | Micro-ATX | Micro-ATX |
| Voltage Regulator | 8+2+1 | 8+2+1 |
| DIMM Slots | 4 x DDR5-6400+, 128GB | 2 x DDR5-6400+, 64GB |
| M.2 Slots | 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4, 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 (RAID 0/1/10) | 1 x PCIe 5.0 x4, 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 (RAID 0/1/10) |
| SATA Ports | 4 x SATA3 6 Gb/s (RAID 0/1/10) | 4 x SATA3 6 Gb/s (RAID 0/1/10) |
| Enlargement Slots | 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 3.0 x1 | 2 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16, x4), 1 x PCIe 4.0 x1 |
| Show Outputs | 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.1 | 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.1 |
| HD Audio Codec | Realtek ? | Realtek ALC897 |
| Ethernet Controller | Dragon RTL8125BG | Realtek 2.5GbE |
| USB Ports | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Kind-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Kind-A, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Kind-A, 4 x USB 2.0 | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Kind-C, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Kind-A, 4 x USB 2.0 |
| USB Headers | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Kind-C, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Kind-A, 2 x USB 2.0 | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Kind-C, 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Kind-A, 4 x USB 2.0 |
| BIOS | 1 x 256 Mbit flash | 1 x 256 Mbit flash |
The B650M-HDV/M.2 delivers extra and quicker growth choices. ASRock geared up the motherboard with two PCIe 4.0 x16 slots (one at x16 and the opposite at x4) and one PCIe 4.0 slot. Then again, Gigabyte went with a mixture of a single PCIe 4.0 x16 and PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. So the scales lean in ASRock’s favor for those who use extra growth playing cards.
For these shoppers who will not be constructing a gaming PC, the B650M Ok and B650M-HDV/M.2 provide one DisplayPort 1.4 output and one HDMI 2.1 port for connecting your shows. A Realtek audio codec is accountable for the audio on the 2 motherboards. The ASRock motherboard makes use of the Realtek ALC897 codec. Nonetheless, Gigabyte did not specify which Realtek codec is on the B650M Ok. Three commonplace 3.5 mm audio jacks can be found, however neither motherboard has a S/PDIF out port.
The B650M Ok and B650M-HDV/M.2 each embrace a 2.5G Ethernet connection. ASRock picked the Dragon RTL8125BG controller, a rebrand of the Realtek controller of the identical identify however with the Dragon software program. Gigabyte additionally used a 2.5GbE controller from Realtek. The producer did not specify the mannequin, however we suspect it is seemingly the identical RTL8125BG controller. Sadly, you will not discover wi-fi connectivity at this value level. Nevertheless, the B650M-HDV/M.2 does provide an M.2 Key E socket and the corresponding antenna holes on the rear panel for shoppers so as to add an M.2 2230 WiFi/BT module. The rival motherboards supply an analogous variety of USB ports. Nevertheless, the B650M Ok comes with barely quicker USB ports.
Through the Ryzen 7000 announcement, AMD stated shoppers may count on AM5 motherboards beginning at $125. So far, solely Gigabyte and ASRock have made good on AMD’s promise. We hope different motherboard distributors comply with go well with. With so many premium AM5 motherboards, the market can use some good $125 options.