There aren’t many $125 AM5 motherboards on the market right now, but there are one more than there used to be. Gigabyte has prepared the B650M K to rival ASRock’s B650M-HDV/M.2 in the same price range. The motherboard officially launches on March 31st, but the Gigabyte B650M K is available for pre-order on Newegg. $124.99 (opens in new tab).
The B650M K and B650M-HDV/M.2 are compliant with the micro-ATX form factor and utilize AMD’s B650 chipset. Unlike the premium X670 or X670E chipsets, the B650 chipset is aimed at mainstream consumers. Nevertheless, B650 motherboards are as capable as high-end AM5 motherboards in terms of processor support. The two B650M K and B650M-HDV/M.2 may have a conservative 8+2+1 phase design for the power delivery subsystem. However, it can accommodate Zen 4 chips from the Ryzen 5 7600X to the latest Ryzen 9 7950X3D just fine.
Both motherboards retail for $125, but have slightly different feature sets. For example, the B650M K has 4 DDR5 memory slots and supports up to 128 GB of memory, while the B650M-HDV/M.2 only has 64 GB available. As a result, you can take advantage of the best RAM up to DDR5-6400 and above, but ultimately his IMC on Ryzen 7000 processors will have the final say on whether or not it’s possible. Since DDR5-6000 is the Zen 4’s sweet spot, memory kits such as the Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 C30 from G.Skill excel on the B650 platform.
One of the selling points of B650M-HDV/M.2 is PCIe 5.0 support on M.2 slot. This is a feature that is hard to find on budget motherboards. B650M-HDV/M.2 provides at least one PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot to utilize the best SSD. Conversely, Gigabyte chose to keep both M.2 slots on the B650M K at PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds. Two motherboards provide four standard SATA III ports. RAID 0, 1, and 10 support is available on M.2 and SATA III interfaces.
| specification | Gigabyte B650M K | ASRock B650M-HDV/M.2 |
|---|---|---|
| socket | AM5 | AM5 |
| chipset | B650 | B650 |
| form factor | MicroATX | MicroATX |
| voltage regulator | 8+2+1 | 8+2+1 |
| DIMM slots | 4x DDR5-6400+, 128GB | 2x DDR5-6400+, 64GB |
| M.2 slot | 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4, 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 (RAID 0/1/10) | 1 x PCIe 5.0 x4, 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 (RAID 0/1/10) |
| SATA port | 4 x SATA3 6Gb/s (RAID 0/1/10) | 4 x SATA3 6Gb/s (RAID 0/1/10) |
| expansion slot | PCIe 4.0 x16 x 1, PCIe 3.0 x1 x 1 | 2 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16, x4), 1 x PCIe 4.0 x1 |
| display output | DisplayPort 1.4 x 1, HDMI 2.1 x 1 | DisplayPort 1.4 x 1, HDMI 2.1 x 1 |
| HD audio codec | real tech? | Realtek ALC897 |
| ethernet controller | Dragon RTL8125BG | Realtek 2.5GbE |
| USB port | USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C x 1, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A x 1, USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A x 2, USB 2.0 x 4 | USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C x 1, USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A x 2, USB 2.0 x 4 |
| USB header | USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C x 1, USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A x 2, USB 2.0 x 2 | USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C x 1, USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A x 4, USB 2.0 x 4 |
| BIOS | 1 x 256 Mbit Flash | 1 x 256 Mbit Flash |
B650M-HDV/M.2 offers more and faster expansion options. ASRock has equipped the motherboard with two PCIe 4.0 x16 slots (one at x16 and one at x4) and one PCIe 4.0 slot. Gigabyte, on the other hand, used a combination of a single PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and a PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. So with more expansion cards, the scale favors ASRock.
For consumers not building gaming PCs, the B650M K and B650M-HDV/M.2 offer one DisplayPort 1.4 output and one HDMI 2.1 port for connecting displays. Realtek audio codecs are responsible for the audio of the two motherboards. ASRock motherboards use Realtek ALC897 codec. Still, Gigabyte has not identified the Realtek codec featured on the B650M K. There are three standard 3.5mm audio jacks, but neither motherboard has an S/PDIF out port.
Both B650M K and B650M-HDV/M.2 adopt 2.5G Ethernet connectivity. ASRock has opted for the Dragon RTL8125BG controller, a rebranded Realtek controller of the same name, but powered by Dragon software. Gigabyte also used his 2.5GbE controller from Realtek. The manufacturer doesn’t specify the model, but it’s likely the same RTL8125BG controller. Unfortunately, you won’t find wireless connectivity in this price range. However, the B650M-HDV/M.2 provides an M.2 Key E socket and a corresponding antenna hole on the rear panel for the consumer to add his M.2 2230 WiFi/BT module. Rival motherboards offer a similar number of USB ports. However, the B650M K comes with a slightly faster USB port.
During the Ryzen 7000 announcement, AMD said that consumers can expect AM5 motherboards starting at $125. So far, only Gigabyte and his ASRock have lived up to AMD’s promise. Hopefully other motherboard vendors will follow suit. With so many premium AM5 motherboards out there, the market has a great $125 alternative.
