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What Are the Differences Between B450 vs X470

One of the most important component of a computer is the motherboard. Hence, it is important to be updated about it. We understand how difficult it is to choose one that would best suit your needs and preference which is why we are featuring in this article, motherboard chipsets B450 and X470. Furthermore, in this article, we shall provide useful information which you could use in order to be able to decide which one is the best and what would best suit you.

What is a B450/X470?

B450 and X470 are motherboard chipsets that are part of the AM4 socket family. They are used for gaming purposes and they are for those who are on a budget. Though there are newer models, B450 and X470 are still in demand in the market as not only it is cheaper and affordable, they work well as well. If you are not using or planning to use PCIe Gen 4.0, B450 and X470 are sufficient.

Comparison between B450 and X470

We are sure the reason why you are reading this article is because you would want to know which chipset would be the best for your 3000 series CPU? Do not worry as we shall compare B450 and X470 to learn the differences and to learn which one would suit you better.

Specifications

Chipset	X470	B450
Processor Support	Zen 2 (Including BIOS updates for Zen 3	Zen 2 (Including BIOS updates for Zen 3)
Usable PCIe Gen4	0	0
Chipset PCIe Lanes	PCIe 3.0 x 4	PCIe 3.0 x 4
Usable PCIe Gen 3	0	0
SATA III (6 Gbps)	4	2
Usable PCIe Gen 2	8	6
SATA Express	2x (or 4x SATA) or x4 NVMe Gen 3)	2x (or 4x SATA) (or x4 NVMe Gen 3)
USB 10Gbps	2	2
USB 5Gbps	6	2
USB 480Mbps	6	6

If you will notice, both chipsets are similar in terms of design and processor support. Same goes with chipset PCIe lane support and SATA Express access. There are only a few differences which slightly could affect performance.

PCIe Lanes

PCIe lanes are connections which connects or links expansion devices such as GPUs, SSDs, HDDs and soundcards to your motherboard. In each lane, you will find two pairs of wires – one for transmitting data and the other one for receiving.

X470 chipset is more advantageous for PCIe Gen 2.0 lanes compared to B450. This means, we recommend X470 due it it having more available expansion slots.

SLI/Crossfire Support

SLI is better known as Scalable Link Interface. Examples of Crossfire on the other hand are Nvidia and AMD’s multi-GPU technology. These features allow two or more GPUs to link together one time. It could act as one and it makes the GPU more powerful compared to the individual parts. In fact, X470 is better in this category as it is SLI/Crossfire compatibility.

SATA III

SATA III is available and in this category, X470 wins again. X470 has four which means it has more support for SATA interfaces. Hence, if you are using SATA SSDs, HDDs or optical drives, X470 is better.

Price

Price is another important factor in choosing the best motherboard chipset and you have guessed the right answer. X470 comes with a higher price compared to B450. The reason behind this is because it comes with PCIe lanes, more SATA III options and many more.

B450 vs X470 – Which Should You Buy?

We, ourselves, find this question difficult to answer. However, this all depends which factor is more important to you. For example, if you are building your PC and you are planning to do a mid-range PC that would cost about $1000, you will have to consider your budget at the same time you will also have to consider the features that are more important to you. However, as mentioned, if you are on a budget, then, we recommend B450.

Is B450 good for gaming?

Yes, B450 motherboard is good and sufficient for gaming. Though it is not a high-end motherboard, it is still a great and amazing option especially if you are looking for one that is compatible with AMD components.