A lifespan that commands respect and is especially welcome in these times of skyrocketing inflation.
Introduced nearly ten years ago, the AM4 platform was designed by AMD to launch its new generation of processors, the famous Ryzen. Since then, these processors have undergone numerous upgrades, but the AM4 platform has held up well. So, it’s true that for the past few years, AMD has been focusing more on its successor, the AM5, but AM4 solutions are still being manufactured, they’re still selling very well, and the American company has made it a point of honor to offer new processors for this platform for many years to come. Today, while there’s no new processor on the horizon, the refresh of AM4 solutions proves that the platform is still very much alive.
At first glance, the B550 Aorus Elite WIFI 7 is a standard AM4 motherboard © TechPowerUp
In fact, this latest release comes from Gigabyte, a company that specializes in both graphics cards and motherboards. In this case, the brand has launched a new motherboard called the B550 Aorus Elite WIFI 7. Of course, there’s nothing particularly new about the chipset, as it’s AMD’s very standard B550—a mid-range product that has powered numerous motherboards for just as many years. No, the little surprise lies in the last part of the motherboard’s model number: “WIFI 7.” No, that’s not a mistake—and despite the fact that the B550 chipset doesn’t support this technology, it does indeed allow you to take advantage of the latest wireless standard.
The key detail is on the back, where you’ll find the antenna ports for Wi-Fi 7 © TechPowerUp
To achieve this, Gigabyte has opted for a product from Realtek, the RTL8922AE. This chip replaces the MediaTek RZ608 or Realtek RTL8852CE found on previous versions of the motherboard. WiFi 6E has thus been swapped out for WiFi 7, and Bluetooth 5.2 has also been phased out. We now get Bluetooth 5.4. Regarding the Wi-Fi 7 standard, however, it’s worth noting that only the basic specifications are supported: no 320 MHz channel, for example—you’ll have to make do with 160 MHz. Still, the motherboard update lets you stay up to date without breaking the bank on AM5 solutions and their essential—and expensive—DDR5 memory. According to TechPowerUp, which was the first to report this news, Gigabyte plans to offer a suggested retail price of around $160.
