AMD recently announced its 9800X3D processor, which is fully compatible with the entire line of 600 and 800 series motherboards For the 800 series, AMD has only released the X870 series boards , which are high quality and may not be to everyone’s taste. The good news is that even the best gaming CPUs like the 9800X3D are supported even on the entry-level A620 boards, but with AMD now unlocking overclocking capabilities, the mid-series may B650 and B850 range is a better choice.
Similarly, Intel launched the Core Ultra 200K series with five models, all of which are 125W TDP models aimed at flagship systems. Only Z890 motherboards have been released, and they are the only option until Intel releases the more affordable B860 boards later. Based on previous launches, the new series will likely have some limitations, such as the lack of CPU overclocking (called IA/BCLK OC). However, these boards will support memory overclocking via Intel XMP. As with other B-series boards, there are additional limitations including fewer PCIe lanes, lower DDR5 memory overclocking profiles, a limited number of M.2 slots, and less powerful VRMs. For the non-K Core Ultra 200 series, which is expected to launch in early 2025, they may be suitable.
ASUS has published a list of four TUF and ROG motherboards with the AMD B850 chipset. They include both ATX and Micro-ATX designs, three of which feature built-in WiFi.
- ROG STRIX B850-E Gaming WIFI
- TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WI-FI
- TUF GAMING B850M-PLUS WI-FI
- TUF GAMING B850M-PLUS
ASUS is not hiding the fact that their 800 series motherboards will be released. They list names on the official websites of AMD and Intel “landing” boards for this generation. ASUS releases the B860 and H810 series, but the H870 is notably missing from this list.
The MSI leaks go a little further, revealing that Intel and AMD boards are coming to the market. It’s also the first company to list its B840 motherboards, the only board in the 800 series that won’t support overclocking and won’t have PCIe 5.0 support.
- MPG B860I EDGE WIFI
- MAG B860 TOMAHAWK WI-FI
- MAG B860M MORTAR WIFI
- B860 GAMING PLUS WI-FI
- B860M GAMING PLUS WI-FI
- PRO B860M-A WI-FI
- WI-FI PRO B860-P
- PRO B860-P
- B850 GAMING PLUS WI-FI
- WI-FI PRO B850-P
- B840 GAMING PLUS WI-FI
- WI-FI PRO B840-P
ASRock announces an early list of motherboards expected to be released next year. Currently, there appear to be five B860 boards in active development, while only three B850 models are in production (and yes, that’s a bit confusing when said in one sentence).
- B860 LiveMixer WiFi
- B860 flashing WiFi
- Steel Legend B860 WiFi
- B860M Lightning Wi-Fi
- Steel Legend B860M WiFi
- B850I Lightning Wi-Fi
- B850M-X B850M-X WiFi
If you put off buying a new processor and motherboard now, it might be worth waiting until next year. The new Intel line will likely lower the prices of the current series. Likewise, AMD 800 series motherboards may not be as important as the 600 series fully supports current and future processors. Additionally, AMD’s Ryzen 9000 series is already seeing price reductions of 13-30%.
