The A520, B550, and X570 are three different types of chipsets from the AMD falling in the different budget range. All of these chipsets support the 3rd and 5th generation Ryzen CPUs. Apart from supporting Ryzen 3000 and 5000 Series CPUs, there are tons of other features that these chipsets bring to the table. So in this guide, we will compare each of these chipsets to find out which one is right for you to go with.
Comparing A520 vs B550 vs X570 AMD Motherboards
To give you a better idea we’ve created a table below showing the specification of each chipset:
| Chipsets | A520 | B550 | X570 |
| Generation PCIe | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 4.0 |
| PCIe Lanes | 6 | 10 | 16 |
| SATA Ports | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 480Mbps USB Ports | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 5Gbps USB Ports | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 10Gbps USB Ports | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Overclocking | NO | YES | YES |
Common Things in All These Motherboards
Overall, there is one thing common in these chipsets, and that is the support for Ryzen 3000 and 5000 Series processors. Also, these motherboards offer dedicated SATA support, USB ports, and PCIe Lanes.
AMD A520 VS B550
The 520 is more of an entry-level chipset that comes at a fairly low price as compared to B550 and X570. It’s more of an improved version of the AMD A320 chipset with 10Gpbs USB support. Moreover, the A520 supports the PCIe 3.0 generation for faster communication between the CPU and other peripherals.
If we compare the A520 with the B550 then there isn’t much of a difference other than B550 having supports for more PCIe lanes. The A520 supports only x6 PCIe lanes whereas the B550 scales them up to 10 PCIe lanes. Also, the B550 has 2 additional SATA ports and 1 more 10Gbps USB port than the A520.
The most highlighting feature that differentiates A520 from B550 is the ability to overclock. You can easily overclock your Ryzen 3000 or 5000 CPU on a B550. The A520 motherboard does not support overclocking at all.
AMD B550 VS X570 – Real Difference
If you look at the table above, you can clearly see that B550 supports the PCIe 3.0 whereas the X570 holds the latest PCIe 4.0 version. Also, the B550 only shows support for 10 PCIe lanes whereas the X570 motherboard holds 16 of these lanes for faster data transfer.
Moreover, the X570 holds up to 8 USB 10Gbps ports as compared to B550 that only has two of them. In almost every department, the X570 beats the B550. But when it comes to lower price and power consumption, the B550 wins. The lack of support for PCIe 4.0, fewer lanes, and ports reduces the overall energy consumption of the B550 chipset.
However, for the X570 motherboard, you will need a good power supply unit and a cooling solution. Well, more connections and lanes mean more energy and heat, so you will need a reliable AIO solution to take care of the X570 mobo.
Both the B550 and X570 support overclocking and share almost the same features at a different price level.
Conclusion – Which one you need
As we’ve revealed the main difference between an A520, B550, and X570 chipset, it is up to you to find out which one of these meets your budget and needs. Here’s what we think:
A520 Chipset
This motherboard is truly meant for someone who is low on budget and needs to install Ryzen 3000 or 5000 processor in their PC. Especially, if you really don’t care about overclocking and the benefits of the PCIe 4.0 interface, then A520 is the right choice for you.
B550 Chipset
The B550 motherboard is the most favorable chipset in terms of price and performance. It has enough PCIe lanes, SATA ports, and is power-efficient as compared to an X570 chipset. Moreover, you can overclock your Ryzen 3000 or 5000 CPUs on this chipset to get the most out of it. Also, if you need higher performance and functionality while staying under an affordable budget range, the B550 is for you.
X570 Chipset
If you really want to squeeze more juice out of your PCIe 4.0 lanes, then X570 is definitely the only option to go with. The X570 is meant for extreme performance, and it shows up as an ideal choice for PC gamers. Also, this is the motherboard that can let you overclock your CPU at an extreme level.
You can add up to 3 video cards on X570 based motherboards for high-end gaming performance. If you are planning to go with this chipset, then you should learn a bit about heat management as well. The support for more lanes and ports will results in more heat, so you need to have a high-end cooling solution for your PC if you choose X570 for extreme performance.
