AMD A620 chipset detailed specifications
AMD released the A620 chipset over the weekend, and motherboard manufacturers have subsequently launched numerous A620 motherboards. However, previous reports have scarcely mentioned the specifications of the A620 chipset. The robust expansion capabilities on the AM5 platform are primarily due to the CPU’s IOD, while the motherboard chipset’s expansion abilities are relatively limited. The B650’s specifications are not particularly high, and now the A620 has been further cut down.
The AMD A620 chipset has a total of 12 PCIe lanes, with four PCIe x4 lanes permanently connected to the CPU. The remaining eight lanes are PCIe 3.0, meaning there are no available PCIe 4.0 lanes. Four of these lanes are shared with four SATA 6Gbps ports, and motherboard manufacturers will undoubtedly include all four SATA ports. Therefore, only four PCIe 3.0 lanes are effectively available, and at least one of them must be used for the LAN card connection. Consequently, the FCH chipset cannot provide a PCIe x4 M.2 port, while the remaining three PCIe lanes are typically used for connecting a Wi-Fi module and two PCIe x1 ports. In terms of USB ports, the A620 chipset can provide a maximum of six, with four being USB 2.0 ports, and the remaining two are either USB 10Gbps or 5Gbps ports.
Hence, the primary expansion of the A620 relies on the CPU’s IOD. However, PCIe 5.0 is not supported, nor is splitting x16 lanes, although this is of little consequence for motherboards of this tier. A620 motherboards can have up to two M.2 ports, provided by the CPU, which are generally PCIe 4.0 x4. However, AMD only mandates the provision of one port, so many A620 motherboards feature only one M.2 port. Additionally, the CPU can provide up to four USB 10Gbps ports and one USB 2.0 port, but most manufacturers opt to save costs by not providing all of these. Gigabyte and Biostar A620 motherboards currently offer only one USB 10Gbps port, while ASUS, ASRock, and MSI do not provide any.
Another noteworthy aspect is that A620 motherboards support memory overclocking and EXPO but not CPU overclocking. AMD states that these motherboards support 65W CPUs, and while higher TDP CPUs can run on them, their performance may be limited by the motherboard’s VRM power supply. This means that AMD allows motherboard manufacturers to save costs on the power supply section, only requiring support for 65W processors. Of course, the actual situation depends on the specific product.
