For a limited time, MSI is now bundling select B550 motherboards and AMD’s third-generation Ryzen processors together with up to $60 in Steam Wallet credit. The promotion starts on June 16 and ends on August 31, 2020, or while stocks last.
AMD introduced its alongside the Ryzen 3 3300X and Ryzen 3 3100 desktop chips in May, but the actual physical availability won’t happen until June 16. The big news here is that AMD’s B550 chipset brings PCI Express 4.0 to the masses, which was only available on pricier motherboards based on the X570 chipset.
Here are the B550 chipset benefits provided by AMD:
- 20 usable PCI Express 4.0 lanes with a 3rd Gen Ryzen CPU
- Up to four usable PCI Express 3.0 lanes
- Up to eight usable PCI Express 2.0 lanes
- Up to two native USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (10Gbps)
- Up to six native USB 3.1 ports (5Gbps)
- Up to six native USB 2.0 ports )480Mbps)
- Up to eight STA ports
- Overclocking support
AMD’s new B550 chipset is not compatible with Ryzen 2000 processors or older. However, it will be compatible with the upcoming CPUs based on AMD’s Zen 3 design.
MSI’s new promotion only covers four "MPG" and four "MAG" motherboards. To get the maximum $60 credit, you’ll need to bundle one of the four MPG boards with a Ryzen 9 3950X, Ryzen 9 3900X, Ryzen 7 3800X, or Ryzen 7 3700X processor. The promotion also covers two Ryzen 5 and two Ryzen 3 chips.
AMD’s B550 won’t be the only chipset to support fourth-generation Zen 3 CPUs. AMD confirmed in May that the X470 and B450 chipsets will support the unannounced Ryzen 4000 processors as well. And, as promised years ago, the AM4 socket will support Zen 3 chips.
