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X870 vs X870E: what the E actually buys you
Updated Oct 25, 2026. Prices come from our catalogue and may have changed.
X870E adds a second chipset chip. It gives the board more PCIe lanes and roughly twice the fast USB and SATA ports of X870. Everything else is the same, with the same CPUs, the same DDR5 memory support with AMD EXPO overclocking, and USB4 plus PCIe 5.0 for the graphics card and the main drive on both. In our catalogue the median X870E board runs $341 against $250 for X870, a gap of about $91. Choose X870E if you run many drives, a capture card or several add-in cards. A gaming PC with a single graphics card does not need it.
Key differences
| Criterion | X870 | X870E |
|---|---|---|
| Median price in our catalogue | $250 | $341 |
| Chipset design | One AMD Promontory 21 chip | Two Promontory 21 chips working together, per AMD and independent testing |
| Total usable PCIe lanes | Up to 36, including 24 PCIe 5.0 lanes | Up to 44, with the same 24 PCIe 5.0 lanes |
| Fast USB ports | Up to 6 USB 10Gbps ports, 1 USB 20Gbps port and 1 USB 5Gbps port | Up to 12 USB 10Gbps ports, 2 USB 20Gbps ports and 2 USB 5Gbps ports |
| SATA ports | Up to 4, some may be traded for extra PCIe 3.0 lanes | Up to 8, with the same trade-off available |
| Graphics card and main drive slot | PCIe 5.0 graphics in 1x16 or 2x8, plus a PCIe 5.0 NVMe slot | Identical to X870 |
| USB4 and memory overclocking | USB4 built in, plus AMD EXPO support | Identical to X870 |
Prices in our catalogue today
| Price | X870 | X870E |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest | $184 | $189 |
| Median | $250 | $341 |
Choose X870 if…
- You are building a gaming PC with one graphics card and one or two NVMe drives
- You still get PCIe 5.0 on the graphics card and the main NVMe slot, without paying for lanes you will not use
- You would rather put the extra money into the graphics card or the CPU
Choose X870E if…
- You plan to run several NVMe drives, a capture card or other add-in cards at the same time
- You want the most USB and SATA ports the AM5 platform offers from the chipset
- You are building a workstation or a content creation PC where storage and connectivity matter more than gaming frame rates
Best value X870
- Asus ROG Strix X870-A Gaming$300 at Newegg
WiFi 7 and a PCIe 5.0 NVMe slot, which is all a gaming PC with one graphics card needs.
- MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk Gaming$257 at Newegg
Four M.2 slots and four SATA ports, more storage room than most gaming builds will ever use.
Best value X870E
- MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk$270 at Newegg
An entry-level X870E board, reviewed by Tom's Hardware, which highlighted its PCIe 5.0 support and USB4.
- GIGABYTE X870E AORUS Elite$275 at Newegg
Three PCIe x16 slots, useful once you start adding capture cards or extra drives.
- ASRock X870E Taichi LiteNo longer available
Six SATA ports, more than any X870 board offers, but it is an E-ATX board, so check that your case supports that size.
Cheapest X870 parts
- GIGABYTE X870 EAGLE WIFI7$184 at Newegg
- ASRock X870 Challenger WiFi$204 at Newegg
- ASRock X870 Pro RS WiFi$208 at Newegg
Cheapest X870E parts
- MSI MAG X870E Gaming Max WiFi$189 at Newegg
- MSI X870E Gaming Plus WiFi$190 at Newegg
- MSI PRO X870E-S EVO WIFI$219 at Newegg
Frequently asked questions
Do I need X870E instead of X870 for gaming?
No. Both give the graphics card and the main NVMe drive the same PCIe 5.0 bandwidth. X870E's extra lanes and ports only matter once you add several more drives or cards, which a typical gaming build does not need.
Can I use the same CPU and RAM on X870 and X870E?
Yes. Both chipsets support the same Ryzen CPUs, the same DDR5 memory and AMD EXPO overclocking. The chipset you pick does not change which processor or memory kit fits.
Does X870E really have two chips on the board?
Yes. X870E connects two AMD Promontory 21 chips to the CPU, while X870 uses one. The second chip is what provides the extra PCIe lanes, USB ports and SATA ports.
Is USB4 only available on X870E?
No. AMD requires USB4 on every X870 and X870E board, along with PCIe 5.0 support for the graphics card and the main NVMe slot, so this is not a reason to pick one chipset over the other.
Who actually needs the extra SATA and USB ports on X870E?
Builders running many storage drives, a capture card, several external USB devices or other add-in cards at once. A gaming PC with one graphics card and one or two NVMe drives will not run out of lanes on X870.
Sources
- AMD, AM5 chipset comparison
- Puget Systems, AMD X870E vs X870 vs X670E vs X670 vs B650E vs B650
- TechSpot, Guide to AMD Ryzen X870, B850, B840, X670, B650 and A620 motherboards
- Tom's Hardware, MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk Wifi motherboard review, Dual PCIe 5.0 and USB4
- TechPowerUp, AMD readies X870E chipset to launch alongside first Ryzen 9000 Granite Ridge CPUs
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