amdAMD series naming
amdAMD series naming
@Master Disaster Your feedback is appreciated! I was explaining how the motherboard includes all DC/DC converters to provide various voltage levels like 3.3V and 5V, while others have it built in. I finally understood the reasoning behind the Ryzen series generation. Thanks for the clarification!
They mention those chokes are designed to lower the 3.3v rail to about 1.4v for the CPU. That involves ten chokes that dissipate heat and occupy board space, cutting the line in half. You say you have a custom board that handles 12v and outputs 5v and 3.3v? Sounds like it can’t be true without a transformer. Also, if your board only accepts 12v, where exactly is it drawing the -12v? I think someone might be exaggerating.
@Master Disaster, the initial DC power won't function with transformers since they only support AC supplies. Small voltages such as 5V, 3.3V, and 1.4V can be managed by a single PMIC, including generating -12V using zener and transistors. This isn't a major issue in modern electronics. I have the motherboard in hand and it's working. Why should I be concerned?
The board also displays a 24-pin connector as shown in the image. The part you're displaying is actually the auxiliary power connector.
They are powered by the high-side MOSFET using 12V from the rail, then the core voltage flows through the low-side MOSFET. We haven't used CPUs on the 3.3V rail for a while now. Since we began adding active cooling, I believe Ryzen 9 isn't the newest model even though it was released recently—it's from the third generation. The chipset(s) that came out first (oldest BIOS) are what define its age. A320, B350, and X370 were built for the first generation; B450 and X470 for the second. X570 is meant for the third gen. There are exceptions, like certain Asrock and MSI boards that arrived later than other compatible chipsets, or older models made late in the cycle that still have BIOS supporting newer CPUs—though this isn't assured. The generation number doesn't mean anything about the architecture; for example, the Athlon 3000G is built on Zen and acts like a first-gen part with two cores, while Ryzen 3 3200G and Ryzen 5 3400G are Zen+ and deliver four cores with an integrated GPU.