July 15th, 2025 – Los Angeles, USA

Allnodes, a leading platform for blockchain infrastructure, is among the first in the world to offer pre-orders for hosting on new AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9000 Series processors as part of its bare-metal server lineup.

The newest hardware upgrade enables Allnodes to deliver even more powerful and efficient infrastructure to its users, meeting the highest performance demands of any blockchain.

“At Allnodes, we work hard to bring our users the latest and most powerful infrastructure available,” said Konstantin Boyko-Romanovsky, Founder and CEO at Allnodes. “The launch of the 9000 Series provides a natural next step, offering significantly improved architecture efficiency, critical for handling the increasing computational standards across today’s blockchain networks.”

The new AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9000 Series processors, available through Allnodes’ bare-metal hosting solutions, include the 9965WX and 9975WX models, featuring up to 32 cores, 64 threads, 5.4 GHz Max Boost, and up to 1024GB of memory.

With up to 22% higher multi-core performance compared to the previous generation of Threadripper series, it is an ideal upgrade for customers who prioritize maximum single-core performance with more than 256GB of memory.

About Allnodes

Allnodes delivers high-performance bare metal servers tailored for Web3 infrastructure, along with secure, non-custodial solutions for node hosting and staking. With over $3.1 billion in hosted node value, support for 119 blockchains, and more than 30,000 active nodes, Allnodes is trusted by individuals and institutions worldwide. The platform also provides reliable RPC endpoints for developers and teams building in the decentralized ecosystem.

https://www.allnodes.com/hosting

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Something to look forward to: AMD is preparing to expand its mid-range CPU lineup with the Ryzen 5 9600X3D, a chip that would bring 3D V-Cache tech to a broader audience of gamers and PC builders. The existence of this new chip wasn’t revealed through a formal announcement, but rather via a support list for AMD’s recently launched Radeon AI R9700 graphics card, where the processor appeared alongside other unreleased models.

This leak has fueled speculation that AMD is looking to strengthen its position in the competitive mid-range segment, where it faces stiff competition from Intel’s Core i5-14600K and Core Ultra 5 245K. Just earlier this week, we reported that Intel’s Core Ultra 7 265KF had hit a record-low price of $229, or about 40% off its launch price less than a year ago.

The Ryzen 5 9600X3D is expected to feature 6 cores and 12 threads, built on AMD’s Zen 5 microarchitecture and “Granite Ridge” silicon. The standout feature is the inclusion of second-gen 3D V-Cache in a mainstream CPU, stacking an additional 64 MB of cache on top of the standard 32 MB on-die cache, resulting in a total of 96 MB of L3 cache.

Clock speeds for the new processor are anticipated to closely match those of the standard Ryzen 5 9600X, with boost frequencies likely reaching up to 5.4 GHz. The chip is expected to maintain a 65-watt TDP, striking a balance between performance and energy efficiency that should appeal to users seeking a capable yet cost-effective upgrade. The 9600X3D will also support DDR5-5600 memory and fit into AMD’s AM5 socket, ensuring compatibility with the latest motherboards and platforms.

With its six-core configuration, the Ryzen 5 9600X3D is positioned as a more affordable alternative to higher-end X3D models, such as the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which offer more cores but come at a significantly higher price.

This strategy mirrors AMD’s previous approach with the limited-release Ryzen 5 7600X3D. However, the growing trend of modern games recommending or requiring 8-core CPUs raises questions about the long-term viability of 6-core chips for future gaming titles.

Still, AMD’s V-Cache technology provides a unique advantage in cache-sensitive scenarios, potentially offsetting the lower core count in many current games.

Industry observers expect the Ryzen 5 9600X3D to debut first in pre-built systems from major integrators, with retail availability for DIY builders anticipated later in the year, possibly during the holiday season.

Pricing details remain unconfirmed, but the chip is widely expected to undercut the cost of higher-tier X3D models, making it an attractive entry point for those seeking next-generation gaming performance on a budget.

Intel (INTC 2.16%) launched its Arrow Lake family of desktop central processing units (CPUs), officially the Core Ultra 200 series, in late 2024. The company outsourced most of the manufacturing to TSMC, moved to a chiplet-based architecture, and managed to improve energy efficiency substantially, compared to its previous-generation chips. For productivity tasks, Arrow Lake performed well.

However, there were two problems. First, Arrow Lake’s gaming performance fell flat, losing to Intel’s last-gen chips. Some software fixes have improved the situation, but for those looking to squeeze every last frame per second out of their gaming PC, Arrow Lake isn’t the answer.

Second, pricing was on the high side. Not only were Arrow Lake CPUs expensive on their own, but they also required a new motherboard, making all upgrade paths pricier.

Arrow Lake CPUs have been selling below Intel’s original suggested retail pricing for a while, but the company is now officially slashing prices on one of its chips. The 265K, a mid-range part that was originally priced at $399, now has a suggested retail price of $299. Suggested retail prices for the higher end 285K and the lower end 245K are staying put, although actual retail prices vary.

While Intel’s price cutting is limited, the 265K is in the sweet spot for many potential customers, with most of the performance of the 285K for much less money. Featuring eight performance cores and 12 efficiency cores, the 265K is a solid all-arounder that falls a bit short in gaming and makes a lot more sense at $299 than it did at $399.

Image source: Getty Images.

A sign of things to come?

Intel replaced its CEO in March with Lip-Bu Tan, a veteran of the semiconductor industry and a critic of Intel’s sluggish pace and bureaucratic nature. Tan’s strategy revolves around cutting a bloated cost structure, putting out better products faster, and listening to customers. More aggressive pricing could be part of the equation as Intel looks to make Arrow Lake more competitive.

AMD‘s latest Ryzen 9000 series CPUs didn’t get great reviews, and retail pricing quickly dropped to reflect muted demand. But the Ryzen 9000 series looks a lot better relative to Arrow Lake, especially with Arrow Lake’s sky-high initial pricing.

AMD’s gaming-centric X3D variants, which feature ultra-fast cache memory capable of boosting gaming performance, are the undisputed kings of gaming CPUs. AMD noted in its first-quarter report that there was strong demand for its newest Ryzen chips, likely at the expense of Intel.

Intel also cut the prices of its Granite Rapids server CPUs in January, although there was no official announcement. The Granite Rapids family is the best set of server CPUs that Intel has put out in years, and it largely caught up to AMD in terms of core counts, performance, and efficiency. But like Arrow Lake, pricing skewed high.

There was a time not long ago, before AMD’s comeback, when Intel faced no real competition in either the PC or server CPU markets. The company’s dominance afforded it the ability to price its products high and generate impressive profit margins. With AMD now highly competitive and stealing market share, that era is over. With price cuts for Granite Rapids and Arrow Lake, Intel appears to finally recognize that it needs to compete on price to win back market share.

Intel has a long road ahead as it attempts to turn itself around. If recent price cuts are any indication, more aggressive pricing will likely be part of Tan’s strategy as he looks to stop the bleeding and regain some lost market share from AMD.

When selecting a motherboard for your newly purchased Ryzen CPU, you will encounter many options: X870, X670, B650, A620, and the newest additions, B850 and B840. But what do these names mean? How do X870E, X670E and B650E boards differ from their non-E counterparts? Which should you choose for your system? This guide will provide all the answers and more.

The biggest difference between motherboard types is the chipset – the chip (or two chips) that connects the CPU to other components in the system. In the past, the chipset consisted of a northbridge chip, which connected the CPU to the RAM and graphics card, and a southbridge chip, which connected the northbridge to the rest of the components. Nowadays, however, the functionality formerly attributed to the northbridge is integrated into the CPU, which connects directly to many components.

Ryzen 7000 and 9000 processors connect to high-bandwidth components through 28 PCIe lanes and support PCIe 5.0 speeds. Of these lanes, 16 are reserved for a graphics card (or two, with each utilizing eight lanes), and four are designated for an M.2 drive. Another four lanes are used to connect to the chipset. The remaining four lanes can be employed for elements such as another M.2 slot or a USB4 adapter that also connects to the CPU’s integrated graphics to enable DisplayPort tunneling.

Ryzen 8000G processors only have eight PCIe lanes for a graphics card (20 in total), and support PCIe 4.0 speeds. Additionally, Ryzen CPUs support four USB 3.1 (or “3.2 Gen 2”) ports and a single USB 2.0 connector.

Take a shortcut to your next Ryzen build…

The current chipsets on the AM5 platform support either PCIe 4.0 speeds, which limits the total bandwidth of the devices connected to them at approximately 7GB/s, or PCIe 3.0 speeds, which sets the bandwidth at about 3.5GB/s. These devices may comprise storage drives utilizing either the NVMe or SATA interface, USB devices, network cards, and other internal components such as soundcards.

Some motherboards feature more connectors than their CPU and chipset support, either to allow you to choose between some of them or because they employ splitters to share their bandwidth. With the basics covered, let’s move on to the chipsets themselves…

Old Is New Again: B840

AMD B840 motherboards use the same Promontory 19 chip that was previously used on B550 motherboards with AM4 processors. Unlike the Promontory 21 used in other AM5 motherboards, it only supports PCIe 3.0 speeds, but it adds 10 PCIe lanes, and supports four SATA, two USB 3.1, two USB 3.0 (or “3.2 Gen 1”), and six USB 2.0 ports.

In addition to the slower chipset, B840 motherboards omit several enthusiast-oriented features. They don’t support PCIe 5.0 speeds, even for devices connected directly to the CPU. They don’t allow CPU overclocking, although with today’s CPUs it’s more of an enthusiast hobby than a recommended practice. They also only support a single graphics card, but the era of multi-GPU gaming has essentially come to an end so that’s not a big one.

Only a few B840 motherboards are available at the time of writing, and quite surprisingly, they aren’t cheap. Despite their limitations, they are quality boards with several heatsinks and many slots. That raises the question: whom are they meant for?

If you want to upgrade an old system with PCIe 3.0 devices, then B840 motherboards may offer a good value, as they are cheaper than otherwise comparable B850 boards. Otherwise, feel free to ignore them.

A Needless Compromise: A620

A620 motherboards use the same Promontory 21 chip used in B650, B850 and X870 motherboards, but with some of its connectors disabled or limited. Like the Promontory 19, it adds support for two USB 3.1, two USB 3.0 (or “3.2 Gen 1”), and six USB 2.0 ports. It also incorporates eight PCIe 3.0 lanes, of which two or four can be employed for SATA ports.

The real issue with A620 motherboards isn’t the chipset itself; rather, it’s that they are designed to be affordable boards with inexpensive voltage regulator modules (VRM) and like B840 boards, do not support PCIe 5.0 speeds. Worse, A620 boards not only disallow CPU overclocking, but they may also officially support CPUs with a TDP of up to only 120W, or even 65W.

On paper, A620 motherboards are a good fit for Ryzen 8000G processors, which are meant for compact systems with fewer components and lower power consumption. In practice, decent A620 boards cost about the same as B650 ones, so we can only recommend them when they are on sale.

The Best Value: X870 vs. B650E vs. B850 vs. B650

B650, B650E, B850 and X870 motherboards all use a single, fully enabled Promontory 21 chip. It adds eight PCIe 4.0 lanes, allowing an M.2 drive to fully utilize the chipset’s bandwidth on its own. Like in A620 boards, it also includes four PCIe 3.0 lanes that can be used for up to four SATA ports.

The chipset provides support for six USB 2.0 and four USB 3.1 ports, as well as bandwidth that can be allocated for an additional two USB 3.1 ports or a single USB 3.2 (“Gen 2 x 2”).

Read our review: Most Affordable AMD B650 Boards Tested

If you were wondering about the difference between B650 and B650E motherboards, the answer is that B650E boards (E = short for “Extreme”) support PCIe 5.0 for both the graphics card and at least one M.2 drive. X870 motherboards are basically the same as B650E, except they are required to use four PCIe lanes for USB4. However, because they are newer, the Wi-Fi cards they come with support Wi-Fi 7 rather than 6E.

While B850 motherboards are required to support PCIe 5.0 on at least one M.2 drive, regular B650 boards may still have a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot. Other than that, these boards don’t limit the CPU in any way and will support any Ryzen processor until 2027.

We recommend B650, B850, B650E and X870 motherboards for gamers and others who want to get everything that AM5 motherboards have to offer, but don’t need to connect many drives to their PC simultaneously. Another advantage of these boards is their ability to fit all connectors into a compact micro-ATX form factor, which is useful if you’re seeking a compact case to place on your desk.

More is More: X870E vs. X670E vs. X670

X670, X670E and X870E motherboards feature a Promontory 21 chip connected to another one through four PCIe 4.0 lanes, providing the second chip with the same bandwidth as the one connected to the CPU.

Combined, the chipset adds twelve PCIe 4.0 lanes, allowing each M.2 drive to saturate the chipset’s bandwidth individually, and eight PCIe 3.0 lanes for up to eight SATA ports. With SATA now becoming a legacy connector, it’s common for some of those lanes to be allocated to network cards, freeing up all PCIe 4.0 lanes for faster interfaces.

The chipset also offers support for twelve USB 2.0 ports and one of three options: twelve USB 3.1 ports; ten USB 3.1 ports and one USB 3.2 port, or eight USB 3.1 ports and two USB 3.2 ports.

Read our full reviews: The Best AMD X670E Motherboards: 22 Board Roundup & AMD X870/X870E Motherboard Roundup: 21 Motherboards Tested

Unlike B650, all X670 motherboards feature a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot, and of course, X670E boards support PCIe 5.0 graphics cards. If you purchase such a card when they become available, it probably won’t even require all 16 lanes. So, if your board has another 16-lane PCIe 5.0 slot, you’ll be able to use it for up to two M.2 drives with an adapter (some boards actually come with one). With X870E you can be sure you’ll get USB4 and Wi-Fi 7.

X670, X670E and X870E motherboards are the ideal choice for content creators who constantly feel the need to add another drive to their system. With numerous ways to utilize the dual chipset, particularly, you shouldn’t buy a motherboard based solely on its name; instead, make sure it has all the connectors you require.