Wave goodbye to budget B650 motherboards as AMD's rumored to have finally canned the chipset

AMD B650 (AM5) motherboards are on their way out, with the chipset no longer being produced according to fresh chatter from the grapevine.

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This is from Channel Gate (in China), so add a fair sprinkle of seasoning, but to be fair, the move was expected - and indeed was rumored earlier this year.

Wccftech spotted the report which claims that AMD has told motherboard makers that it's no longer making B650 chipsets and that they should switch over to using newer tech (namely B850).

However, that doesn't mean B650 motherboards are about to dry up. As ever in these situations, chip production may have stopped - assuming this rumor is correct, of course - but there'll still be a fair amount of product being distributed (or waiting in warehouses).

All that will have to be used up before motherboard makers stop producing B650 boards, and then those will have to ship - and sell out in shops. The upshot is that B650 motherboards will likely be available for a while yet, although they're theoretically on borrowed time.

The report notes:

"AMD has officially ceased production and supply of the B650 chipset, and motherboard manufacturers are currently working through their inventory. While motherboard manufacturers' inventory clearance plans are expected to conclude before October, channel market inventory levels may be further delayed."

These mobos could be hanging around until the end of the year, then. However, you may be better served by buying an 800 series motherboard at this point anyway, as it offers full PCIe 5.0 support (which may not be the case with B650 boards - the spec varies).

Looking at pricing on Newegg currently (for new products, not refurbs or returns), there's only around a $15 saving to be made with the cheapest B650 mobo versus the B850, a difference of just over 10% - so not huge.

Still, every cent may count in a budget PC build, and it may not be that long before these B650 options disappear off the table.