How long does AMD support the AM4 socket introduced in 2017? There are currently discussions about the limited compatibility of the new Zen 3 processors.
What is the exact reason for the discussions? AMD announced in an official blog post that the Ryzen 4000 processors with Zen 3 architecture only on AM4 mainboards from the 500 generation
The upcoming CPUs are compatible with the AM4 socket, but only on the fairly new and expensive X570 mainboards and on the B550 boards that will only appear in June 2020.
Most current AMD systems, however, rely on the 300 or 400 chipset. Anyone who hoped to be able to switch to Ryzen 4000 will be disappointed, as the following picture shows for chipset compatibility:
This hope has also come about because AMD has repeatedly brought 2020 into play as a time frame to support the AM4 socket, while Zen 3 is expected at the end of this year.
This is usually done with reservations and can also be understood in the sense of "until 2020 is reached" (instead of "including 2020"). As several posts in the reddit forum on AMD show, there is, however, some disappointment about the severely limited AM4 compatibility of the Zen 3 processors.
Is the criticism of AMD justified?
On the one hand, it is fundamentally to be welcomed that AMD strives for the longest possible socket compatibility. On the other hand, we find it understandable that it can only be guaranteed for a limited time due to technical innovations.
However, we suspect that AMD has only recently realized that Zen 3 processors will not run without problems on all AM4 boards. The Ryzen 3000 models are only supported without restrictions from the 400 series.
If this assumption is correct, it would certainly have been better if AMD had communicated the restrictions for the socket compatibility of Zen 3 as early as possible.
Despite the current discussions, one thing is undisputed: AMD's main competitor Intel can cut a slice of AMD in terms of socket support. The upcoming Core-i-10000 models also require new motherboards (socket 1200).
