Biostar has released the first AMD A620A motherboard, the A620MH Aurora, which is based on the B550 chipset.
AMD A620A Chipset Is A Disguised B550 Chipset With Only PCIe Gen3 Interface, Biostar Debuts It On Its A620MH Aurora Motherboard
The AMD A620 chipset is designed as an entry-level designs with motherboards priced below the sub-$100 US segment to make the AM5 platform more accessible to budget and office PC builders however, it looks like AMD and its partners are silently rolling out new motherboards based on a new A620A revision which isn't the same chipset.
Featured on the Biostar A620MH Aurora motherboard, the AMD A620A chipset is the same die as the B550 (Promontory 19 PCH) which made its debut on the last-gen AM4 platform. While the PCH is designed to make the A620 motherboards more affordable, it lacks PCIe Gen4 capabilities so you can also expect those when running a compliant AMD Ryzen 7000 / 8000 CPU. The PCH does offer 32 Gen3 lanes but its interconnect bandwidth to the CPU is lower than the standard A620 chipset as it uses a Gen3x4 link versus the Gen4x4 link on the A620 (non-A) chipset.
AMD A620A chipset
AMD A620A chipset provides a simple, stable platform and more than enough connectivity and bandwidth options to satisfy both demanding home users and media aficionados.
Besides that, the Biostar A620MH Aurora motherboard has all the bells and whistles of the AM5 platform such as support for up to 96 GB capacities with up to DDR5-5600 speeds, a single M.2 slot rated at Gen4x4 (CPU lanes), four SATA III ports and a single PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (CPU lanes). There's also a PCIe 3.0 x1 slot running off the PCH lanes. The motherboard offers a 6-phase power delivery and houses just two heatsinks, one on the VRMs and one on the PCH.
I/O on the motherboard includes 6 USB 3.2 Gen1, 6 USB 2.0 ports, a Realtek 7.1 channel audio jack, and a 2.5 GbE Realtek RTL8111H LAN controller. The full list of rear I/O includes:
- 1 x SMART BIOS update Button
- 1 x HDMI Port (HDMI1.4)
- 1 x VGA Port
- 4 x USB 3.2 (Gen1) Type-A Port
- 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A Port
- 1 x Gigabit LAN port
- 3 x Audio Jack
The motherboard comes with the Micro-ATX form factor and as for pricing, we can expect it to fall below the $100 US price tag. The reuse of the B550 chipsets might make sense if the pricing is very attractive, say around $60-$70, which should make it an ideal choice for gamers and builders on a constrained budget.
