AMD's AM4 socket has completely changed motherboard and CPU compatibility. Enduring for a decade, it put to rest the idea that you needed a new socket for every new generation of CPU. Although the socket has seen new CPUs in the past few years, the last generation for AM4 was released in 2020, and it's high time to upgrade.

5 PCIe 5.0 devices and storage

The fastest SSDs are on newer boards

SSDs are getting faster, and AM4 motherboards can't keep up. You can get up to PCIe 4.0 speeds on an AM4 motherboard, while both AM5 and LGA1861 options come with PCIe 5.0 support. The exact support depends on the chipset. For instance, Intel's budget-focused H810 chipset is capped at PCIe 4.0, while the B860 chipset supports PCIe 5.0 on both graphics and storage. Similarly, AMD's B650 chip supports PCIe 5.0 optionally for the SSD, while with X870 boards, PCIe 5.0 is required for both graphics and storage.

You don't need to worry about graphics bandwidth currently, but that could change in the future -- cards like AMD's RX 6500 XT from a few years back are a testament to that. The real reason for upgrading is storage. PCIe 5.0 represents a massive upgrade in SSD speed, and drives like the recent Samsung 990 Evo Plus are helping push prices down to more reasonable levels.

4 AMD's second-gen 3D V-Cache

The Ryzen 7 5800X3D was a great start, but AMD has moved on

Although we've seen a handful of CPUs since, AMD capped off the legacy of AM4 with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. It was the best gaming CPU you could buy at the time, and it holds up shockingly well today. But AMD has continued to improve 3D V-Cache over the last few years, and newer CPUs like the Ryzen 7 9800X3D showcase how Team Red has pushed the tech forward.

Not only do you have access to 16-core 3D V-Cache chips like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, you also have access to second-gen 3D V-Cache. AMD introduced the second generation of its cache tech with Zen 5 CPUs, which places the additional cache under the CPU cores instead of on top of them. That gives you the ability to overclock a 3D V-Cache chip, and that isn't possible on AM4 3D V-Cache CPUs like the Ryzen 7 5700X3D.

3 DDR5 memory

DDR5 was expensive a couple of years ago, but that's changed

The biggest change between AM4 and new sockets from AMD and Intel is DDR5 support. LGA1700, LGA1851, and AM5 boards all support DDR5 -- though some older LGA1700 boards are restricted to DDR4. There are a bunch of advantages to DDR5, from better efficiency to higher capacities to on-board data checks. But the main reason for upgrading is that DDR5 is faster. You'll only see a slight bump in games -- some CPUs, such as the Core Ultra 9 285K, scale better with faster DDR5 -- but there are some significant performance advantages when it comes to compression and rendering tasks. DDR5 on its own won't revolutionize your PC's performance short of a few specific applications, but it certainly contributes to the performance bump you'll see with a new CPU.

DDR5 isn't nearly as expensive as it used to be, either. When DDR5 first hit the market alongside AMD's Zen 4 chips, you could easily spend $200 or more on a decent 2x16GB kit. Prices are significantly lower now. Even DIMMs strapped with RGB lights from Corsair and G.Skill clock in at around $90 for a 2x16GB kit with speeds of 6,000MT/s. And if you're trying to save as much money as possible, you can find some basic, slower kits of DDR5 for around $60.

2 Faster and more plentiful USB connections

USB-C for all, plus faster speeds

USB standards have seen a ton of updates since AM4 boards were released. Although you can get quite a few USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports on X570 boards, older chipsets are limited to just a few ports, if they support them at all. Meanwhile, AM5 boards come with 12 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports on X-series boards and six on B-series boards, along with at least one USB 3.2 Gen2x2 port. Some boards even come with USB 4 support, even with the 600-series chipsets. The latest X870 chipset even mandates USB 4.

In addition, you'll find USB-C much more common on newer motherboards. There are a handful of AM4 boards with a front panel USB-C header, and some even come with a USB-C port. On the vast majority of newer motherboards -- basically anything from the last two generations of AMD and Intel chipsets -- you'll find a front panel USB-C header and at least one USB-C port. You'll want to check the individual motherboard you're interested in, of course, but you can still expect faster USB speeds for anything beyond an AM4 board.

1 Next-gen Wi-Fi 7

Assuming you have a compatible router

I'd forgive you for thinking there isn't a huge difference between Wi-Fi 6, 6E, and 7, but there have been some massive jumps between them. Wi-Fi 6 and 6E are the same speed, but 6E comes with access to a 6GHz band, opening up the possibility of using a tri-band router. Wi-Fi 7 offers a massive jump in speed, though -- 9.6 Gbps up to a maximum of 46 Gbps. Wi-Fi 7 routers are still expensive, and there are a lot of areas in the U.S. and around the world where internet speeds aren't even fast enough to show a benefit with Wi-Fi 7. But it's wireless tech that AM4 boards don't have access to. Most AM4 boards don't even support Wi-Fi 6E, and some of them are stuck on the aging Wi-Fi 5.

The Wi-Fi standard depends on your individual motherboard -- there even some cheap AM5 boards with Wi-Fi 5 -- but you'll find Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 much more common on newer motherboards. Wi-Fi 7 may be impractical for everyone except those on the cutting-edge of wireless tech, but a new motherboard at least sets you up for the future.

AM4 has an enduring legacy

It's been remarkable what AMD has been able to squeeze out of AM4 over the past decade. Starting with the first generation of Ryzen processors and going up through the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the socket has lived alongside a dozen chipsets and more than 100 CPUs. Although the switch to AM5 was expensive when Zen 4 CPUs rolled out, prices have come down significantly, all while premium features have made their way to mainstream boards.