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What are the AM5 Motherboards with USB4 ports capable of 40 GB/s speeds?

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c627627

c(n*199780) Senior Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2002
So far I can only find one,
Asus ProArt X670E-CREATOR WIFI at $499

 
It's going to be that class and higher for the most part. Maybe the B650E Aero/Creator does? They tend to have features for Creative pros (Thunderholt 4/USB4 for video, etc). I haven't looked into those boards, but where I would check after x670/e. Being the lesser chipset it would be there or flagships.

Anyway, the ASRock Taichi and Asus Hero do. I'd imagine the flagships (Godlike, and both Extremes) do as well. The MSI Ace doesn't nor the Gigabyte Aorus Master.

Time to upgrade our Type-C portables, eh?! :)
 
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Not a single ASRock AM5 motherboard lists USB4, nor does any other Asus AM5 board.


So is Asus ProArt X670E-CREATOR WIFI the only board on the market that can do 40 Gbps?


40Gbps.png


By the way USB4 Version 2.0 was just announced.
Specification of USB4 Version 2.0 defines delivering up to 80 Gbps over USB Type-C.

Apparently the contest was to come up with a name that would be confusing to the max.
USB4 Version 2.0 won.

But if there is only one mobo on the market that can do 40 Gbps today, I am guessing it will be another two years at least before 80 Gbps actually comes out.


Beware there are USB4 labels out there that mean 20 Gbps.
Just as there are USB 3.2 labels that mean either 5 Gbps or 10 Gbps or 20 Gbps.

Asus specifically says their USB4 means 40 Gbps per this screen shot from the official Asus page.
 
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Not a single ASRock AM5 motherboard lists USB4, nor does any other Asus AM5 board.
Well, to be fair, they list USB4, just not 40 Gbps in the specs. :p

The Crosshair Extreme (and Taihi), in the Features section, lists USB4 UP TO 40 Gbps. If it was limited to 20 Gbps, I'd imagine (hope!) they wouldn't put that in the features....we'll see.

Worth noting, the X670E chipset has dedicated PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth for USB off the processor (additional bandwidth for other ports off the chipset for USB)... and where USB4 is typically hung off of.

To complicate things, the ASMedia ASM4242 controller can't run TWO USB4 devices at the 40 Gbps speeds (it's PCIe 4.0 x4 and 64 Gbps). The other, JHL8540 is a TB4 controller that runs on PCIe 3.0 x4 (32 Gbps).

Just as there are USB 3.2 labels that mean either 5 Gbps or 10 Gbps or 20 Gbps.
Typically, board partners list Gen1/2/2x2 (or list 5/10/20 Gbps) to clear that up (see any motherboard specs). I wish USB4 would have stuck to that as well... lol. I can't say much about peripherals and wires and how they are labeled (you're right), but we're talking motherboards here so keeping within the lanes.

FYI, PCIe 6.0 was announced 1/2022.......don't hold your breath there either. USB4 was announced nearly three years ago (spec confirmed 9/2022), so I wouldn't expect to see that for 2-3 years either, with saturation further down the line.



Anyhoo, I've sent emails out to the board partners to confirm what USB4 means, exactly, on their boards/specs sheets. I'll update the thread when I get some answers. :)
 
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Wow. Thank you for that email initiative.
Yes, 2-3 years for USB 4 v2 @ 80 Gbps, around which time WiFi 7 will be out too! Although they say the earliest might be around 2024.

Until then, thank you also for pointing out that other boards in Asus lineup do have USB4, their web site is flashy but difficult to navigate.
Asus does list up to 40 Gbps for their USB 4 boards.


But just to be clear, only Asus is confirmed to offer USB 4 ? No other brands that we know of?

Asus specifically says:
Dual USB4 connectivity
Get immersed in your creations with two USB4 ports connect to all your content creation gadgets and enable up to 40 Gbps bi-directional data transfers.
To further push your creative work with one 8K or two 4K color-accurate monitors, you can connect your discrete graphics card to the onboard DisplayPort-in port at the back I/O and direct the video output via the USB4 port.



Now here they talk about monitors - but the entire point of course is EXTERNAL SSD DRIVE DATA TRANSFER.
I mean at 40 Gbps, that's a feature that actually means something.
You take an external SSD that fits in the palm of your hand, plug it in, and in 30 seconds, you've transferred a terabyte of data!
The future is now if that were true.
 
I mentioned the X670E Taichi earlier. Like Asus, it says in the features using similar verbiage (up to 40 Gbps). If you took exception to the wording there for some reason, we'll see what they say. ;)


Now here they talk about monitors - but the entire point of course is EXTERNAL SSD DRIVE DATA TRANSFER.
lol, for some, yes. USB4 is a more flexible protocol and free (unlike TB4, which is not free).

Gigabyte doesn't have any on Z790 or X670. If the Master or Extreme's don't have it, the only other possibility would be the AM5 Aero boards as they are made for creators (Z790 doesn't for sure, I have the board to review and just looked on the box, lol - look up the AM5 version and check specs and overview if you're antsy).

The future is now if that were true.
Thunderbolt 4 is "up to 40 Gbps" and has been around for a couple of generations of consumer boards. Generally Creator boards and flagships (like my z690 Extreme with 40 Gbps ports), but they've been here.
 
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When you said it, it sounded like an (Asus) model name.
It is a model name but what you meant is ASRock Taichi.

ASRock specifically lists USB4 Type-C Ports (40 Gb/s). So yes! This is another one:



When you say Aero, you mean Gigabyte?
Gigabyte says things like Dual USB-C 20Gbps and Upcoming GIGABYTE USB4 AIC Support.
Upcoming?



This feature is a huge deal because *every time* you transfer something you save time. Every time.
Over lifetime, this adds up to priceless saved amount of time.
 
LOL, sorry about that! In my first post, ASRock was in front of it. I figured it would catch on from there, and simply listing the model later would suffice. ;)

Yes, Gigabyte Aero.

So, right now, it's only Asus and ASRock with integrated 40 Gbps solutions. AIC = Add-in-card... maybe it's not ready/they don't want to release it yet as there is little market for it and few devices that can take advantage of it right now outside of external M.2s (looked up a 40 Gbps Type-C enclosure... $170, lol - not sure if there are less expensive, but holy crap!)... no idea.

As was discussed in the AMD PSU thread a couple of months back when you originally brought up the 80 Gbps v2.0 announcement, there's always the option to buy an AIC for it (USB4 40 Gbps) down the road or get a TB4 AIC now if it's that beneficial for your uses. ;)

It may even be beneficial for you to wait for an AIC.. some may be PCIe 5.0 and you can use that in a PCIe 5.0 slot (several boards have two 5.0 slots). So the primary graphics slot goes down to 5.0 x8 (= 4.0 x16) and you can use 5.0 x8 (256 Gbps) bandwidth for multiple Type-C USB4 slots. But again, until there are more devices out at a reasonable price that actually take advantage of the available bandwidth, you may be waiting for a while for something like that (and pay through the nose).
 
Thanks.
So it sounds like a few Asus boards and one ASRock board offer 40 GB/s USB data transfer speeds. This is very important for me. I am genuinely surprised that more/most people don't value it like me, for backup/transfer purposes.

So we have Asus and ASRock that plain up offer 40GB/s.
We have Gigabyte that offer (an expensive) Add in Card for it.

Can you clarify how spending that much $ on AIC is more beneficial than simply buying Asus or that one ASRock board, which already offer 40 GB/s out of the box?
 
I guess "priceless" actually has a price! :p

Beneficial by speed as the next sentence explained! If you're buying now, you'll get 40 Gbps, but then 80 Gbps comes out when there's a lot of life left in the system. You can keep the system and just drop in an AIC at the time. If you want to save money. Wait it out.. run 20 Gbps for another couple of years with a ~$300 motherboard (less expensive is the point) and drop an 80 Gbps AIC in later. Or, pay $500 now for 40 Gbps, and then in 3 years, pay for an AIC for 80 Gbps (as you know you'll wanna).

I think they'll come out with PCIe 5.0-based USB4 40 Gbps cards. They'll be the only thing that can get the throughput on TWO devices like that as the PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) isn't enough.

You have to figure out what you want. ;)
 
Oh, now I understand. The motherboards with USB4 cost $200 more. Would you kindly point out what major things come with $200 extra for these two example boards, one is $300 the other is $500:



What is your educated guess on the cost of a PCIe 5.0-based USB4 40 Gbps card?


I expect 80Gb/s will be here around 2024 at the earliest, which is like talking about WiFi 7 - yes it will be awesome, but not any time soon.
 
More robust power delivery...potentially another m.2 slot or two... potentially more and/or faster usb 3.2 ports...potentially more sata ports...potentially better audio codec/solution...2.5 GbE (maybe all x670 is 2.5gbe+?)...

...varies wildly by board and it's a mix and match for each. But those are the high level differences.

Power delivery isn't as relevant as it used to be as these chips are maxed out from the box and limited by your cooling first.

I'd think somewhere around the TB4 cards... I asked giga when their AIC (pcie 4.0) will be released and for how much. Even if it's 4.0 it may be worth it versus paying for the higher end board. I'd imagine 3rd party to be around where that is or cheaper. I'll post it here if they give up the info.
 
When I do a search it says TB4 cards are like $150.

So I guess if we are talking about discouraging the $500 mobo purchase, I suppose the "sell" would be to be happy with transfers of just 20 Gbps, which $300 boards offer.
Otherwise it appears that the cost of the AIC is prohibitively expensive vs. just getting a USB4 board.

If I only knew that 80 Gbps and WiFi 7 would be available beginning of 2024, but that's not how it works.
They release mobos in October/November - not January/February, right?

So educated guess would be that 80 Gbps and WiFi 7 would arrive two years from now.
Not +/- one year from now, since no way a new mobo comes out in just one year from now with either of those.
 
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When I do a search it says TB4 cards are like $150.

So I guess if we are talking about discouraging the $500 mobo purchase, I suppose the "sell" would be to be happy with transfers of just 20 Gbps, which $300 boards offer.
Otherwise it appears that the cost of the AIC is prohibitively expensive vs. just getting a USB4 board.
That summarizes what I just said accurately, yes.

Another option is to 'get by' with 20 Gbps until prices come down on the AICs. But again, how 'priceless' is it to YOU? Are you good with 20 Gbps for a while? Maybe even until 80 Gbps comes out? Or do you go 40 Gbps integrated now and 80 Gbps in 3 years? All shyte you need to decide.

If I only knew that 80 Gbps and WiFi 7 would be available beginning of 2024, but that's not how it works.
They release mobos in October/November - not January/February, right?

So educated guess would be that 80 Gbps and WiFi 7 would arrive two years from now.
Not +/- one year from now, since no way a new mobo comes out in just one year from now with either of those.
IMO.....these things shouldn't even be a consideration for someone building in the next two years, nonetheless sooner like you seem to be trending (but God knows when, lol). No matter what, you'll need AICs for this. I mean, you can wait two years, but what happens when they announce USB4 v3.0 that's 160 Gbps/Wi-Fi 8? You're in the same paralyzing 'but this is coming out....' loop.

As I've said in all of your threads that are about your new build, there comes a time when you just have to pull the trigger. There will always be something better around the corner. At least here, in two years you can add an AIC for 80 Gbps USB4 as well as a new Wi-fi adapter in the Key-E socket to get what you want. But don't forget the Wi-Fi 7 capable router and for devices you want to take advantage of the bandwidth (along with a bump in your ISP plan to Gig+), Wifi 7 adapters on those. I'd imagine you're horny for the new Wi-Fi to add more devices tho. My point here is, a motherboard and upgrading the Wi-Fi/USB4 80 is the least of your concerns...that's easy.



ASRock 40 Gbps boards....
Z790 PG-ITX/TB4
Z790 Taichi Carrara
Z790 Taichi
X670E Taichi
X670E Taichi Carrara
B650E Taichi
As I understand it, in order to say TB4/USB4, you need to have the licensing for it so perhaps that's why we aren't seeing it labeled as such in some places.

So from that list, the ASRock B650E Taichi is the least expensive ASRock 40 Gbps option at $450. If it has what you need hardware-wise, it seems like it's the best option with 40 Gbps and you can just add Wi-Fi 7 card and 80 Gbps down the line when it's out.
 
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