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Motherboards are one of the most critical components of a PC. It acts as a foundation for the system, enabling different hardware, such as CPU, GPU, RAM, storage devices, and more, to connect and communicate. Hence, when building a gaming PC, choosing the proper motherboard that can handle the CPU and other components in the system is extremely crucial. When it comes to gaming on a budget, AMD users are generally presented with two choices for motherboards - A620 and A520. Both entry-level chipsets enable users to harness the power of low-end AMD CPUs.
The A620 is the most recent offering, supporting the Ryzen 7000 line of CPUs. A520, on the other hand, is built around the AM4 socket, meaning it can support Ryzen 3000, 4000, and 5000 series CPUs. Keeping this in mind, this article will take a closer look at AMD's A620 and A520 chipset motherboards and will provide readers with insights on their viability for gaming on a budget.
Everything that users should know about the AMD A620 and A520 motherboards
AMD's A620 chipset motherboards bring performance computing on a budget. These motherboards can handle Zen 4 CPUs starting with Ryzen 7000 series and, as AMD calls it, "plus whatever comes next." While on paper, these motherboards can support even the most high-performance such as the Ryzen 9 7950X; the performance would not be optimal.
Hence, if users plan on getting their hands on an A620 motherboard, they should stick to low-end SKUs as AMD themselves recommend CPUs with a 65 Watt TDP.
A520 was launched back in 2020, and it supports the Zen 2 and Zen 4 CPUs. Like A620, they are budget motherboards, and although they can support higher-end CPUs, a lot of performance will be left on the table. But that is precisely what makes it so appealing.
Most users who purchase an A520/A620 motherboard want a decent system on a budget. Only a few will spend money on a high-end CPU in such scenarios. But before moving forward with the viability of A620 motherboards, here's how it compares to the A520:
Since they are budget options, they often come with compromises. For instance, A520 motherboards only support PCIe 3.0. Similarly, unlike other 600 series AMD motherboards, the A620 only supports PCIe 4.0, not PCIe 5.0. While they do allow for memory (RAM) overclocking, they do not allow CPU overclocks.
As a result, they might be limiting users who want the best possible performance.
Conclusion - Is the A620 worth it?
Viability is all about the performance and features users get for the price. The A620 targets mainstream users who want to build PCs for day-to-day tasks and casual gaming. Compared to the A520, the latest chipset outperforms, considering it supports PCIe 4.0 and future Ryzen CPUs.
They start around $80, which is highly affordable considering the price of B-series AM5 motherboards.
A520, on the other hand, is old at this point and doesn't support the latest 7000 series CPUs or PCIe 4.0. Moreover, there is no upgrade path here as they only support up to Ryzen 5000 series CPUs.
Hence, users who want to build a new AMD system on a budget cannot go wrong with the A620 motherboards, provided their use-case scenario involves light gaming and day-to-day tasks. If they want higher performance, they should skip the A-series motherboards entirely and start with the B-series motherboards.
