MSI launches first AMD B650E-based motherboard – four years since the chipset’s launch

MSI has launched the B650E Gaming WIFI, its first motherboard based on the AMD B650E chipset. This chipset will be launched in 2022. What makes it different from the regular B650 is the guaranteed PCIe 5.0 interface support for graphics cards and SSDs. MSI didn’t show off the new product with much fanfare, but just added the motherboard model to the product catalog on its official website.

Image source: MSI

AMD launched the B650E chipset and Ryzen 7000 processor at the end of August 2022. The first motherboards based on the B650E and B650 chipsets were launched in October of the same year. Almost four years later, MSI has finally decided to release its first motherboard based on the B650E chipset, although the manufacturer has been offering models based on the new-generation B850 chipset for years.

MSI B650E Gaming WIFI Board is designed for Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000 and Ryzen 9000 processors. The main PCIe x16 slot of Ryzen 7000 and Ryzen 9000 processors supports PCIe 5.0 interface. For Ryzen 8000 series APUs, PCIe lane specifications may be reduced based on specific processor models. This motherboard is equipped with three M.2 slots for NVMe drives. The main M.2 slot operates in PCIe 5.0 x4 mode, the other slot operates in PCIe 4.0 x4 mode, and the third slot operates in PCIe 4.0 x2 mode. MSI B650E Gaming WIFI also provides four SATA III (6 Gbps) ports.

MSI B650E Gaming WIFI uses a 15-phase (12+2+1) VRM power subsystem. Power to the processor is provided by the 8-pin and 4-pin EPS connectors. The board is assembled on a six-layer PCB. Four DIMM slots support up to 256 GB of DDR5 RAM. MSI claims to support memory up to DDR5-8000+ via overclocking of compatible Ryzen 9000 processors. MSI B650E Gaming WIFI also claims to support AMD EXPO overclocking profile and CUDIMM with integrated clock generator.

Compared with the existing MSI B650 Gaming Plus WIFI model, the new model replaces the PCIe 4.0 of the main PCIe x16 slot with PCIe 5.0 support and adds 1 PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot, increasing the total number of M.2 slots from 2 to 3. However, the older B650 Gaming Plus WIFI model comes with a faster 20Gbps rear USB-C connector, while the B650E model offers USB-C speeds of up to 10Gbps.

MSI has not yet announced the price of the B650E Gaming WIFI motherboard. It is unclear whether the new product has been launched.