X570 vs. X670 Motherboards: What Are the Major Differences?

After AMD’s explosive launch of the AM5 socket, we are finally seeing new 600 series motherboards hit the market. These motherboards replace the outgoing 500 series motherboards, but are they really all that different? 

To find out all the changes AMD has made in its new motherboards, I will compare the most premium motherboard AMD currently has to offer, the X670, and its former counterpart, the X570. 

This article will contain a detailed head-to-head comparison of both of these motherboards on key aspects like CPU support, Memory Support, Overclocking, PCIe Lanes, VRM, Connectivity, and I/O, etc. 

At the end of the article, I will provide specific use cases for each of these motherboards so you can make a more informed decision. 

So, are you ready to find out which motherboard takes the crown in the X570 and X670 comparison? Stick around to find out.

The X670 is AMD’s most premium chipset for the AM5 socket currently. It contains all the bells and whistles that AMD has to offer and showcases the capability of the AM5 platform. 

The X670 was released with the AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors. Compared to the previous generation X570, there is a massive change in the architecture of the X670. 

X670 ditches the Pin Grid Array (PGA) socket design in favor of the Land Grid Array (LGA). A PGA socket has pins on the CPU, while the LGA socket has pins on the motherboard. 

All these changes also mean that the X670 is considerably more expensive than its previous generation counterpart. Keeping that in mind, I will base the comparison on whether X670 has enough changes and differences compared to X570 to justify the price tag. 

The X570 is the top-of-the-line motherboard for AMD’s previous generation AM4 chipset. This motherboard chipset was released with the AMD 3000 series processors. 

At the time of its release, the X570 chipset offered many new features and technical specs. However, this comparison will emphasize if this motherboard can still keep up with its newer X670 counterpart. 

Also, I will highlight the key areas where this motherboard differs from the X670 and the use cases of this motherboard. It’s a long list of comparisons, so let’s get down to it.

The comparison of X570 and X670 will be based on all key aspects, such as CPU support, memory support, PCIe Lanes, overclocking, etc. I will highlight all the key differences between these two motherboards in the aforementioned respective aspects. 

1. Specs Overview 

While it is important to check the specs of the motherboard you are buying, always remember that specs never tell the whole story. Relying only on specs is like relying on the horsepower of the car for lower track times while ignoring key aspects like handling, suspension geometry, brakes, gear, etc. 

Based on the specs, we can see some key differences between the X570 and the X670 motherboard. Primarily, the CPU support of both of these motherboards is entirely different due to the difference in their socket. X570 uses the AM4 socket, while the X670 uses the AM5 socket. 

Another key difference comes in memory support and PCIe. The X670 supports the upgraded technology of RAM and PCIe, while the X570 does not. There are many other key differences as well. To understand all the differences, we need to take a detailed look at each aspect of these two motherboards. 

2. Socket Type & CPU Support 

When it comes to CPU support, the more the merrier rule applies. A motherboard that can support as many CPUs as possible is a blessing because it eliminates the need to replace the motherboard when upgrading to a new CPU. 

The CPU support of the X570 and the X670 motherboards is entirely different. The X570 motherboard is based on the AM4 socket, which uses Pin Grid Array (PGA) architecture, while the X670 is based on the AM5 socket, which uses the Land Grid Array (LGA) architecture. The change in architecture greatly affects the CPU support. 

At the time of this writing, the X670 motherboard only supports the newly released Ryzen 7000 series desktop processors. AMD has promised to keep X670 compatible with newer processors until 2025. So, the upcoming Ryzen 8000 and 9000 series processors should also work on the X670 motherboard whenever they are released. 

The main drawback of the X570 is that it does not offer any backward compatibility with other Ryzen 3000 or 5000 series processors. So, users on older platforms will need to revamp their entire computer. 

On the contrary, the X570 motherboard supports Ryzen 5000, Ryzen 3000, and Ryzen 2000 series processors. The X570 motherboard is not compatible with the Ryzen 7000 series or any Ryzen processor released after it. 

To put it into perspective, if you are building a PC using the Ryzen 5000, 3000, or 2000 series, you should get the X570. However, if your PC build revolves around something new like a Ryzen 5 7600X, and you want continued CPU support for the long run, get yourself an X670. 

3. Memory Support 

DDR5 memory is starting to become mainstream, and we are at a stage where memory configuration and speed can have a great impact on performance. Therefore, for the most optimal performance and working of the PC, a motherboard should support fast DDR5 memory. 

X570 is an older generation motherboard that does not support DDR5 RAM. So, with the X570, you are only limited to DDR4 RAM, which affects the performance and longevity of this motherboard. On the contrary, the X670 motherboard supports DDR5 RAM. 

However, unlike Intel, AMD has not included backward compatibility with DDR4 RAM in its flagship X670 motherboard. This makes transitioning to the X670 a little more inconvenient because if you already have DDR4 RAM, it will not work on the X670, and you will need to buy DDR5 RAM. 

That being said, we cannot ignore the advantages of using DDR5 RAM. It is 5% faster than DDR4 RAM in gaming and 10-15% faster in memory-bound applications such as Blender, Adobe Premiere Pro, etc. 

So, due to support for DDR5 RAM and higher memory performance, the X670 will perform better than an X570 motherboard.

4. PCIe Lanes

PCIe lanes are the pathways that interlink the different components of the motherboard. A motherboard’s unique aspect is that it controls all the different facets of a computer and oversees how different PC hardware works. 

To carry out this function, a motherboard needs PCIe lanes to get the necessary information and data from the different components. So, it goes without saying that having a motherboard with more PCIe Lanes will benefit from better efficiency and performance. 

The amount of data that is carried within a given second is determined by the configuration of PCIe lanes in a motherboard. PCIe 5.0 lanes carry the highest bandwidth, followed by PCI 4.0, PCIe 3.0, PCIe 2.0, and PCIe 1.0, respectively. 

Comparing the X570 and the X670, the X670 motherboard comes with PCIe 5.0 while the X570 comes with PCIe 4.0. Therefore, the X670 motherboard has an edge when it comes to motherboard performance because it has PCIe 5.0. 

To put it into perspective, on the X670, the main graphics card slot runs on PCIe 5.0. Currently, GPUs don’t take advantage of the higher bandwidth offered by PCIe 5.0. However, that won’t be the case for long: as technology improves and new GPUs come out, the use of PCIe 5.0 will become widespread.  

When that happens, users of the X570 motherboard will get lower performance from their GPU because the graphic card slot of the X570 motherboard uses PCIe 4.0.

Similarly, the X670 motherboard offers PCIe 5.0 on the M.2 NVMe slot, while the X570’s M.2 NVMe slot is only limited to PCIe 4.0. So, a Gen 5 M.2 drive will run at slower speeds on the X570 compared to the X670. 

5. VRM

The Voltage Regulator Module (VRM) is the key component of the motherboard, bearing the important role of regulating a consistent voltage to each component of the motherboard and the PC parts connected to the motherboard. 

Regulating a consistent voltage is very important because the motherboard and PC parts are susceptible to damage under irregular voltage. Therefore, for optimal working, a motherboard needs a good VRM. 

The quality of the VRM is measured through power phases. The more power phrases a motherboard has, the better its VRM. 

Comparing these two, the X670 motherboard has the better VRM. Although, the X570 motherboard is not too far behind. 

For demonstration, let’s use the same motherboard model, the Asus Crosshair Hero. The Asus Crosshair X670 Hero has 18 + 2 power phases, while the Asus Crosshair X570 Hero contains 14 + 2 power phases.

Since the Asus Crosshair X670 Hero has more power phases than the Asus Crosshair X570 Hero, it proves the point that X670 motherboards have better VRM. 

Practically speaking, both these motherboards have plenty capable VRMs. Even if you install high-end like the AMD Ryzen 9 and the Nvidia RTX 4090, neither of these motherboards will drop a single point of voltage. 

So, unless you are building a server or a computer for specialized tasks like automation, rendering, and more, both these motherboards should be fine.

However, if you want to push a computer to its limit and use it for professional tasks, then you should consider the X670 motherboard because of its better VRM. 

6. Overclocking 

Overclocking means increasing the speed of PC hardware to extract more performance. There are two main types of overclocking: CPU overclocking and memory overclocking. 

Both the X570 and the X670 support CPU overclocking; however, their overclocking ability is quite different. A motherboard’s VRM is the main determinant of the CPU overclocking capability of a motherboard.

Since the X670 has a better VRM, it is better for CPU overclocking. Therefore, on the X670, you can push higher CPU clock speeds than the X570 motherboard.  

In terms of memory overclocking, both the X570 and the X670 motherboards are on equal footing, and one is not necessarily better than the other.

7. Future Proofing

Motherboards are becoming increasingly expensive, and having to replace the motherboard every so often can put a strain on your pocket. Therefore, the future-proofing ability of a motherboard is very important. 

The future-proofing ability of the motherboard depends on two aspects: future-proofing based on CPU support and future-proofing based on the capability of the motherboard, which includes things like PCIe, VRM, connectivity, etc.  

In respect to CPU support, the X670 fares much better than the X570 because the X570 is on an obsolete platform. AMD has transitioned to a Land Grid Array (LGA) socket with the X670. So, the X570 uses the obsolete Pin Grid Array (PGA) socket.  

Since it uses the PGA socket, you are stuck with the X570 motherboard not supporting newer Ryzen processors. So, with the X570, you are limited to Ryzen 2000, 3000, and 5000 series processors. 

On the contrary, the X670 will support all Ryzen processors up to 2025 and beyond. So, with this motherboard, you will not have to worry about replacing the motherboard. You can simply go out, get the new Ryzen processor, and stick it in your existing X670 motherboard. Unfortunately, the X570 motherboard does not offer this flexibility. 

The X670 is also better for future-proofing on the basis of its capability. It supports DDR5 RAM support and PCIe 5.0, which the X570 does not. So, if you want a motherboard for the long term, get the X670 motherboard. 

8. USB Ports

Portability is a pain point for many PC users, and this issue has been addressed lately by using external SSDs and other USB peripherals. 

These external peripherals greatly benefit from high-speed USB ports. So, every motherboard should have a healthy amount of high-speed USB ports. 

Comparing these two motherboards, the X670 comes with more high-speed USB ports compared to the X570. 

X670 includes 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) ports, 12x USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 (10 Gbps) ports, and 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1×1 (5 Gbps) ports. 

On the contrary, X570 comes with 12x USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 (10 Gbps) ports. There are no USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps and USB 3.2 Gen 1×1 (5 Gbps) ports on the X570 motherboard. 

Therefore, it is quite apparent that the X570 motherboard has limited high-speed connectivity. Hence, limiting you to the number of external SSDs and other high-speed peripherals you can connect. 

Meanwhile, the X670 motherboard places no such restrictions on the number of external SSDs you can connect. It has ample high-speed USB ports, more than you will ever need. 

9. Cost 

In terms of cost, the X570 and the X670 occupy a very different spectrum of the market. The X670 motherboard, due to being newer than the X570, is priced higher.

To put it into perspective, the pricing for X670 starts at $230 for an entry-level model, and a mid-range motherboard with a good feature set costs around $250-300. On the contrary, a similarly equipped X570 motherboard costs $180-200. 

To demonstrate this, I would like to take the example of the Asus TUF Plus line of motherboards, which comes in both X570 and X670. 

The Asus TUF X570 Plus costs $200, while the Asus TUF X670 Plus costs $250. Both motherboards contain almost the same feature set, making it an apples-to-apples comparison. To conclude, you save about $50 by buying an X570 over an X670.

Based on the specs and features of the X570, this motherboard should be your choice if,

• You are using a Ryzen 2000 or 3000 series processor and want a motherboard that can support your existing processor and give you the flexibility to upgrade to the Ryzen 5000 series. 
• You do not use nor have the plan to use PCIe 5.0 equipment.
• You are on a budget.

• You want a motherboard that can support the latest Ryzen processors till 2025
• You want a motherboard that can provide the best performance for your PC hardware. 
• You want a future-proof motherboard with PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 RAM support. 
• You want a motherboard with a better feature set and higher connectivity. 

If you ask me, I would only get the X570 if I was getting a good deal on one or if I have an AM4 Ryzen processor that I don’t plan on upgrading. However, besides those two factors, there is nothing else that can convince me not to buy the X670. It is based on newer technology, supports the latest Ryzen processors, and has PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 RAM support – what more could I want from a flagship AMD motherboard.

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• B550 vs. X570 Motherboards
• Z690 vs. B660 Motherboards
• Z790 vs. Z690 Motherboards
• X670 vs. X670E Motherboards
• B650 vs. X670 Motherboards

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