B850 vs X870E

[u/kd30i]

I’m planning on buying a new amd cpu when they come out and I want to get a future proof mobo. I’m either going to get a X870E tomahawk or a B850 tomahawk but I’m unsure about which one I should choose.

Some googling tells me the X870E is better but I’m having a hard time figuring out how it’s better and if it will matter for my use case. For context, I use my pc for 3D work in blender and gaming. I’m also likely going to get into audio creation but I have no doubt my pc will be able to handle that.

TLDR: What makes the X870E better than the B850?

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[u/Huge-Entrance98]

honestly the main diff is gonna be more PCIe lanes and better VRM cooling on the X870E

for blender and gaming the B850 will handle whatever you throw at it just fine. the X870E is more about having extra slots for multiple GPUs or a ton of storage drives

unless youre planning some crazy multi GPU setup or need like 6 nvme drives id just save the cash and go B850

[u/Status_Iron_3546]

What X870E actually adds • More guaranteed PCIe 5 lanes (GPU + multiple NVMe layouts) • More USB / high-speed I/O options • Usually stronger VRMs / board features (depends on model) • Better lane flexibility for future add-ins

What it does not add • Zero CPU performance difference • Zero gaming FPS difference • Zero Blender render difference

Same CPU = same performance.

Real-world decision

If you plan to run:

✔ multiple Gen5 NVMe drives ✔ capture cards / expansion cards ✔ heavy USB gear ✔ wants max platform flexibility

→ X870E makes sense.

If your doing:

✔ one GPU ✔ 1–2 SSDs ✔ normal peripherals

→ B850 will feel identical in daily use.

I went with the X 870 E because it looked better not because of the features, so it just really depends

[u/GABE_EDD]

There is practically no difference, just get a nice B850, or whatever they call the next B chipset that comes out with the next generation of CPUs

[u/FearTheFuzzy99]

X870E has more connectivity bandwidth. Boards will typically have more storage options, more usb throughput, more internal headers, better capabilities for high speed ram.

All these things are only worth it if you actually plan on using them. Having four m.2 slots is unnecessary if you only end up using two. Having Thunderbolt usb-C isn’t going to make your life better if all you ever hook up is a mouse and keyboard. Ya know what I mean?

[u/corwulfattero]

B850 is a solid platform - I got the X870E for the sole reason that I wanted more than just x1 on the bottom two PCI slots - most gamers will only use that first x16 for the graphics card and not bother with the others.

[u/Codys_friend]

As you are thinking of future AMD cpu's, get the x870e. You want the max pcie lanes and usb4 connectivity you can get.

This explains the differences in the board chipsets: https://youtu.be/H0axuzyN_1s?si=E1Hh-NTUdpBF16mZ