Asus has written to HEXUS with some details of a new lineup of ROG Strix, TUF Gaming, and Prime AMD B450 chipset motherboards which will be available from "late October," in the UK. In brief, the new boards will sport upgraded power delivery and cooling (on select models), a high capacity BIOS ROM chip for future proofing (with Flashback), and more.
According to the press release sent out, new Asus B450 motherboards will "provide PC builders with more flexibility when configuring their next AMD Ryzen build, with the option to opt for a faster processor, a boosted graphics card, a bigger, future-proof power supply, or quieter, more robust CPU cooling". The PCs and components maker says that the boards will be a great choice for the latest Ryzen 3000-series processors, as well as the first- and second-generation Ryzen processors in the AM4 socket. It is hoped the revamped range will become 'bang for buck' leaders.
As mentioned in the intro the boards will be updated in a number of important ways. Every refreshed board will feature the handy BIOS FlashBack feature for easy firmware upgrades without a CPU, and Asus uses high-capacity firmware chips across the lineup for the broadest possible Ryzen CPU support. Moreover, most of the refreshed boards have been fitted with upgraded power delivery and cooling, extra M.2 slots, and an improved selection of 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, USB-C connectors, and USB 3.2 Gen 1 front-panel headers.
Interestingly Asus has made some audio tweaks to the Strix and TUF Gaming range to make them better suited to streamers and video conferencing. These boards utilise the Asus AI noise-cancelling microphone utility for clear and crisp voice comms during video calls, streaming, and recording.
Asus hasn't just improved important technical features, RGB aficionados will benefit from more twinkles too with extra RGB LED headers on select models, including Gen 2 addressable connectors.
While writing I have noticed that Asus has uploaded an extensive EdgeUp blog post sharing features and specs of all the new B450 boards in the refresh. If you are particularly interested in the changes coming to individual Asus B450 products it is well worth a look. It shares features / specs of the; ROG Strix B450-F Gaming II (ATX), TUF Gaming B450-Plus II (ATX), TUF Gaming B450M-Pro II (mATX), TUF Gaming B450M-Plus II (mATX), Prime B450M-A II (mATX), and Prime B450M-K II (mATX). Hardware release dates and prices aren't shared at this time.
It is interesting to see Asus continue to invest in B450 as a value proposition, instead of investing in more B550 and A520 choices. We shall see if other vendors follow suit. Remember that only "select Beta BIOS" B450 boards will get support for Zen 3 CPUs but surely these new refresh motherboards will be 'selected' and marketed as being a flexible affordable platform for the Ryzen 5000 series of CPUs.
Companies like MSI have already confirmed that existing AMD B450 and X470 boards will get support for future AM4 processors based upon the Zen 3 architecture. That news came in the wake of AMD deciding to "change course" with Zen 3 B450/X470 support
AMD Ryzen 5000 series (Vermeer) CPUs
AMD is holding a special Zen 3 event next Thursday, 8th October. In related news, German tech site Computerbase says it has been tipped off that four new AMD Ryzen 5000 Vermeer CPUs will launch on 20th or 27th October. Four CPUs are expected to debut to spearhead the Ryzen 5000 series, the Ryzen 5 5600X, Ryzen 7 5800X, Ryzen 9 5900X, and Ryzen 9 5950X. If the hard launch / availability is staggered then expect the high-end parts to arrive first, says Computerbase.
