Socket AM4

Socket AM4 is a PGA microprocessor socket used by AMD's central processing units (CPUs) built on the Zen (including Zen+, Zen 2 and Zen 3) and Excavator microarchitectures.[1][2]

Socket AM4
Release dateSeptember 2016 (2016-09)
Designed byAMD
Manufactured byLotes
TypeμOPGA-ZIF
Chip form factorsFlip-chip
Contacts1331
FSB protocolInfinity Fabric, PCI Express
Voltage range1.3V
Processor dimensions40mm × 40mm
1,600mm2
ProcessorsRyzen:
Athlon:
  • Raven Ridge
  • Picasso
A-Series, Athlon X4:
PredecessorAM3+, FM2+, AM1
SuccessorAM5
Memory supportDDR4
This article is part of the CPU socket series

AM4 was launched in September 2016 and was designed to replace the sockets AM3+, FM2+ and FS1b as a single platform. It has 1331 pin slots and is the first from AMD to support DDR4 memory as well as achieve unified compatibility between high-end CPUs (previously using Socket AM3+) and AMD's lower-end APUs (on various other sockets).[3][4] In 2017, AMD made a commitment to using the AM4 platform with socket 1331 until 2020.[5][6][7] AM5 succeeded the AM4 platform in late 2022 with the introduction of the Ryzen 7000 series.

Features
The X370 chipset supports multiple graphics cards. But the number of available PCIe lanes depends on the CPU/APU.

Heatsink

The AM4 socket specifies the 4 holes for fastening the heatsink to the motherboard to be placed in the corners of a rectangle with a lateral length of 54×90 mm. Previous sockets have 48×96 mm.

Some heat sinks for older sockets are not compatible.[10][11] Some cooler manufacturers, however, are reported to be offering brackets allowing previously manufactured coolers to work with AM4,[12] while other coolers will be redesigned.[13][14] Alternatively, some motherboard makers are including both AM3 and AM4 cooler mounting holes, allowing previous generation coolers to be used.[15] AM4 coolers that use a two-pronged bracket approach (such as the AMD Wraith Prism) to mount the cooler will work with AM4 and all the way back to Socket 754/939.

Chipsets
Main article: List of AMD chipsets § AM4 chipsets

Socket AM4 is currently a base for 8 chipset models. While the processors for this socket have been designed as systems in a package (SiP), with the traditional northbridge and southbridge on board the processor, the motherboard chipset will increase the number of PCI Express lanes and other connectivity options. These connectivity options include: NVMe, SATA, and USB 3.2 Gen 2.[2][14][16] There also exists chipset-less variations of A320 and X370, called A300 and X300 respectively, that rely solely on the I/O die integrated into the CPU; these platforms are designed solely for small form factor (SFF) systems where there is a possibility that there is not enough space on the board to fit an actual chipset; these 'chipsets' are also solely available for OEM use only and are not available for purchase with SFF boards.[2][14][17]

Model Release date PCIe support[lower-alpha 1] Multi-GPU USB support[lower-alpha 2] Storage features Processor
overclocking		 TDP CPU support Architecture
CrossFire SLI SATA ports RAID AMD StoreMI Excavator Zen Zen+ Zen 2 Zen 3
A300 Feb 2017 None[lower-alpha 3] Untested None[lower-alpha 3] None[lower-alpha 3] Yes[18] No[19] No ~0 W[lower-alpha 4] Un­known Yes[20][21] Knoll Express[22]
X300 Yes Yes[23]
Pro 500 Jan 2020[24] Un­known No Un­known
A320 Feb 2017[25][26] PCIe 2.0 ×4 No No 1, 2, 6 4 0,
1,
10		 No Limited[lower-alpha 5] ~5.8 W[27] Yes Yes Yes Varies[lower-alpha 6] Promontory
B350 PCIe 2.0 ×6 Yes 2, 2, 6 Yes
X370 PCIe 2.0 ×8 Yes 2, 6, 6 8
B450 Mar 2018[28] PCIe 2.0 ×6 No 2, 2, 6 4 Yes Yes,
with PBO		 Varies[lower-alpha 7] Yes Varies[lower-alpha 7][29]
X470 PCIe 2.0 ×8 Yes 2, 6, 6 8
A520 Aug 2020[30] PCIe 3.0 ×6 No 1, 2, 6 4 No[lower-alpha 8] Varies
B550[lower-alpha 9] Jun 2020[31][32] PCIe 3.0 ×10 Yes Varies 2, 2, 6 6 Yes,
with PBO		  ?
X570 Jul 2019[33][34] PCIe 4.0 ×16 Yes 8, 0, 4 12 ~15 W[35][36][lower-alpha 10] No[lower-alpha 11] Yes Yes Bixby
  1. PCIe lanes provided by the chipset. The CPU provides other PCIe 3.0 or 4.0 lanes. Chipset uplink to CPU is PCIe 3.0 ×4 (X570: PCIe 4.0 ×4)
  2. USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 2.0
  3. AMD Knoll chipsets are for startup and feature enablement, and contain no I/O of their own.
  4. Knoll chipsets consume "insignificant power ...after [boot] in sleep mode"
  5. Only pre-Zen CPUs can be overclocked. Unsupported third-party motherboard firmware that allow overclocking for all CPUs exist.
  6. BIOS update needed. Availability may depend on manufacturer.
  7. Beta BIOS updates may be made available by motherboard manufacturers.
  8. Unsupported third-party motherboard firmware that allow overclocking exist.
  9. OEM-only B550A is a rebranded B450
  10. 7W on passive cooling (termed X570s).
  11. Uplink incompatible with Excavator.

Compatibility

In 2020, AMD faced some criticism when it was announced on May 7 that its Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 microprocessors would only be compatible with newer 500-series chipset AM4 motherboards.[37][38][39] This was explained as motherboard BIOS's sizes not being large enough to support the full range of AM4 socket processors.[37][39] This had upset some of the user base as, described by AnandTech, they "...had assumed that this meant any AM4 platform based motherboard would be able to accept all processor made from 2016 to 2020, including the new Zen 3...".[39] After the announcement some motherboard manufacturers announced they were planning to add in support for Zen 3 processors via BIOS updates.[37][40]

On 19 May 2020, however, AMD changed its position and stated that Zen 3 would be coming to selected older X470 and B450 motherboards via a BIOS update.[41] This would be achieved by disabling support for some older AM4 processors in the BIOS ROM in order to allocate space to support the newer processors.[41][42][39]

On 12 November 2021, according to TechPowerUp, ASUS and Gigabyte were the few vendors that allowed Ryzen 5000 on A320 motherboard, and according to Tom's Hardware, it was done by removing support for AMD's 7th Generation A-series and Athlon X4 series (Bristol Ridge) processors.[43][44]

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Socket AM4.

References
  1. Tyson, Mark (September 5, 2016). "7th Generation AMD A-Series desktop PC systems start to ship". Hexus. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  2. Ung, Gordon (September 5, 2016). "AMD's new Bristol Ridge processor is faster and more power efficient". PCWorld. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  3. Smith, Ryan (May 6, 2015). "AMD's 2016-2017 x86 Roadmap: Zen Is In, Skybridge Is Out". AnandTech. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  4. Mujtaba, Hassan (May 7, 2015). "AMD Confirms x86 Zen Based Enthusiast FX CPUs and 7th Generation APUs in 2016 - Compatible With AM4 Socket". Wccftech. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  5. Bright, Peter (March 2, 2017). "AMD's moment of Zen: Finally, an architecture that can compete". Ars Technica. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  6. Leather, Antony (March 9, 2018). "More AMD CPU Leaks Revealed: Ryzen 2nd Gen Details Plus AM4 And TR4 Socket Life Confirmed?". Forbes. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  7. Campbell, Mark (April 21, 2018). "AMD reaffirms commitment to AM4 socket until 2020". Overclock3D. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  8. Moammer, Khalid (September 16, 2016). "AMD Zen CPU & AM4 Socket Pictured – PGA Design With 1331 Pins Confirmed". Wccftech. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  9. Maiorino, Erin (May 26, 2019). "The Industry Leading AMD AM4 X570 Chipset". AMD. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  10. Peak, Sebastian (September 19, 2016). "AMD's Upcoming Socket AM4 Pictured with 1331 Pins". PC Perspective. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  11. Peak, Sebastian (May 25, 2016). "Report: AMD Socket AM4 Compatible with Existing AM2/AM3 Coolers". PC Perspective. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  12. Killian, Zak (January 25, 2017). "CPU heatsink makers ready up Socket AM4 mounting kits". Tech Report. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  13. Chacos, Brad (January 4, 2016). "AMD reveals an army of Ryzen PCs and AM4 motherboards". PCWorld. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  14. Walrath, Josh (January 7, 2016). "AMD Details AM4 Chipsets and Upcoming Motherboards". PC Perspective. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  15. Cutress, Ian (March 2, 2017). "The AMD Zen and Ryzen 7 Review". AnandTech. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  16. Cutress, Ian (December 13, 2016). "AMD Gives More Zen Details". AnandTech. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  17. "Socket AM4 Chipset". AMD. Archived from the original on 2023-01-07. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  18. "DeskMini A300 Series". ASRock. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  19. T S, Ganesh. "The ASRock DeskMini A300 Review: An Affordable DIY AMD Ryzen mini-PC". AnandTech. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  20. "LIVA One A300 CPU Support". ECS ELITEGROUP. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  21. Mileschin, Stefan. "ECS LIVA One A300 Barebone Review". Madshrimps.
  22. "A300AM4-TI5(1.1) Specification". ECS ELITEGROUP. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  23. "ASRock DeskMini X300 Series CPU Support List". ASRock. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  24. Solca, Bogdan. "AMD extends mini PC support with new AM4 Pro 500-series chipset for budget builds". NotebookCheck. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  25. Khalid Moammer (2017-02-13). "AMD Ryzen X370 & B350 ASUS Motherboards Leaked – Launching February 24th". WCCF Tech. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  26. Paul Lilly (2017-01-05). "AMD Announces X300 And X370 AM4 Motherboards For Ryzen Processors, All Chips Unlocked". HotHardware. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  27. Ian Cutress (2016-09-23). "The Two Main Chipsets: B350 and A320". AnandTech. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  28. Jacob Ridley (2018-01-05). "AMD's 12nm Ryzen 2 expected to launch in March alongside X470 and B450 chipsets". PCGamesN. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  29. "AMD Reverses Course, Will Enable Zen 3 and Ryzen 4000 Support on B450 and X470 Motherboards". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  30. "ASRock Follows ASUS, Registers 12 AMD A520 Motherboards for Ryzen 4000 Chips". Hardwaretimes. 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  31. "AMD Expands 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Desktop Processor Family, Unleashing Powerful "Zen 2" Core For The Mainstream". AMD. 2020-04-21. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  32. "AMD Chipset Comparison: B550 Specs vs. X570, B450, X370, & Zen 3 Support (2020)". GamersNexus. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  33. CrimsonRayne (2018-12-01). "AMD X570 Launches at Computex & Supports PCIE 4.0 | Ryzen 3000 Series Launch Date Leaked?". redgamingtech. Retrieved 2019-07-10. the X570 platform is targeting a release of Computex 2019, which takes place between May 28th and June 1st.
  34. Hassan Mujtaba (2019-05-27). "AMD X570 Motherboard Roundup – Featuring X570 AORUS Xtreme, ASRock X570 Taichi, MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE, ASUS Crosshair VIII HERO & More". wccftech. Retrieved 2019-07-10. slide
  35. Gavin Bonshor (2019-05-26). "AMD Reveals the X570 Chipset: PCIe 4.0 is Here". AnandTech. Retrieved 2020-08-19. One of the caveats to a more powerful chipset is that it draws around 11 W of power.
  36. "AMD X570 Unofficial Platform Diagram Revealed, Chipset Puts out PCIe Gen 4". TechPowerUp. 2019-05-20. Retrieved 2020-08-19. The source also mentions the TDP of the AMD X570 chipset to be at least 15 Watts, a 3-fold increase over the X470 with its 5W TDP.
  37. Mujtaba, Hassan (May 7, 2020). "AMD Ryzen 4000 'Zen 3' CPUs Compatible With X570 & B550 Chipset". Wccftech. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  38. Hallock, Robert (May 7, 2020). "The Exciting Future of AMD Socket AM4 | Community". AMD. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  39. Cutress, Ian (May 19, 2020). "AMD to Support Zen 3 and Ryzen 4000 CPUs on B450 and X470 Motherboards". AnandTech. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  40. Mujtaba, Hassan (April 16, 2020). "AMD Zen 3 Ryzen 4000 'Vermeer' Desktop CPUs Will Be Compatible With Existing AM4 Boards". Wccftech. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  41. u/AMDOfficial (May 19, 2020). "The "Zen 3" Architecture is Coming to AMD X470 and B450". Reddit. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  42. Tyson, Mark (May 19, 2020). "AMD "decided to change course" with Zen 3 B450/X470 support". Hexus. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
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