Comparison ASRock B650 Pro RS vs ASRock B650 PG Lightning

Electrical (logical) interfaces implemented through physical M.2 connectors on the motherboard.

For more details about such connectors, see above. Here, we note that they can work with two types of interfaces:

• SATA — a standard originally created for hard drives. Usually, the most recent version supported in M.2 is SATA 3; however, even it is significantly inferior to PCIe in terms of speed (600 MB/s) and functionality (only storage devices);
• PCIe — the most widespread modern interface for connecting internal peripherals (also known as NVMe). It is suitable for various expansion cards (such as wireless adapters) as well as storage devices, with PCIe speeds allowing for the full potential of modern SSDs to be realized. The maximum data transfer speed depends on the version of this interface and the number of lanes. In modern M.2 connectors, you can find PCIe versions 3.0 and 4.0, with speeds of approximately 1 GB/s and 2 GB/s per lane, respectively; and the number of lanes can be 1, 2, or 4 (PCIe 1x, 2x, and 4x, respectively)

Specifically, the M.2 interface in motherboard specifications is indicated by the number of connectors themselves and the type of interfaces provided in each of them. For example, the entry "3xSATA/PCIe 4x" means three connectors capable of operating in both SATA and PCIe 4x formats; and the designation "1xSATA/PCIe 4x, 1xPCIe 2x" means two connectors, one of which works as SATA or PCI...e 4x, and the other only as PCIe 2x.

The number of PCIe (PCI Express) 1x slots installed on the motherboard. There are motherboards with 1 PCIe 1x slot, 2 PCIe 1x connectors, 3 PCIe 1x ports, and even more.

The PCI Express bus is used to connect various expansion cards—network and sound cards, video adapters, TV tuners, and even SSDs. The number in the name indicates the number of PCIe lanes (data transmission channels) supported by this slot; the more lanes, the higher the bandwidth. Accordingly, PCIe 1x is the basic, slowest variety of this interface. The data transfer rate for such slots depends on the PCIe version (see "PCI Express Support"): specifically, it's just under 1 GB/s for version 3.0 and just under 2 GB/s for version 4.0.

It is worth noting that the general rule for PCIe is this: the card should be connected to a slot with the same or greater number of lanes. Thus, only single-lane cards will be guaranteed to be compatible with PCIe 1x.

Operating modes of PCIe 16x slots supported by the motherboard.

For more details about this interface, see above, and data on the modes is provided in case there are multiple PCIe 16x slots on the board. This data specifies the speed at which these slots can operate when expansion cards are simultaneously connected to them and how many lanes each can use. The fact is that the total number of PCI Express lanes on any motherboard is limited, and there are usually not enough for all 16-channel slots to operate at full capacity simultaneously. Accordingly, the speed inevitably has to be limited during simultaneous operation. For example, a 16x/4x/4x configuration means that the motherboard has three 16-channel slots, but if you connect three graphics cards to them simultaneously, the second and third slots can only provide speeds at the PCIe4x level. Accordingly, for a different number of slots, the quantity of digits will match. Some boards offer multiple mode variants, such as 16x/0x/4 and 8x/8x/4x (0x means the slot becomes unusable).

This parameter mainly needs attention when installing multiple graphics cards simultaneously: in some cases, (for example, when using SLI technology), for the adapters to work correctly, they must be connected to slots with the same speed.

Motherboard support for AMD's Crossfire technology.

This technology allows you to connect several separate AMD graphics cards to a PC at once and combine their computing power, respectively increasing the system's graphics performance in specific tasks. Accordingly, this feature means that the "motherboard" is equipped with at least two slots for video cards — PCIe 16x; in general, Crossfire allows up to 4 separate adapters to be connected.

Such functionality is especially important for demanding games and "heavy" tasks like 3D rendering. However, note that in order to use several video cards, this possibility must also be provided in the application running on the computer. So in some cases, one powerful video adapter is more preferable than several relatively simple ones with the same total amount of VRAM.

A similar technology from NVIDIA is called SLI (see below). Crossfire differs from it mainly in three points: the ability to combine video adapters with different models of graphics processors (the main thing is that they are built on the same architecture), no need for additional cables or bridges (video cards interact directly via the PCIe bus) and somewhat lower cost (allowing the use of this technology even in low-cost "motherboards"). Thanks to the latter, almost all motherboards with SLI also support Crossfire, but not vice versa.

5-pin connector that allows you to connect an expansion card. It, in turn, provides high-speed data exchange (up to 40 Gbps), the ability to connect external monitors, high-speed charging of compatible devices, etc.

 

The version of the DisplayPort interface (see above) installed on the motherboard.

— v.1.2. The oldest version in use today (2010). It was in it that 3D support first appeared, the ability to work with the miniDisplayPort connector, as well as the option of connecting several screens in series to one port (daisy chain). The maximum resolution fully supported by v.1.2 is 5K at 30 fps, with some limitations, 8K video is also supported. And the v.1.2a update, introduced in 2013, added compatibility with the FreeSync technology used in AMD graphics cards.

— v.1.3. An update to the DisplayPort standard released in 2014. Thanks to the increase in bandwidth, it was possible to provide full support for 8K video (at 30 fps), and in 4K and 5K standards, increase the maximum frame rate to 120 and 60 fps, respectively. Another key update was the Dual-mode function, which provides compatibility with HDMI and DVI interfaces through the simplest passive adapters.

— v.1.4. The most recent version of the widely used. The bandwidth has been further increased (almost doubled compared to v.1.2, which allowed, albeit with some limitations, to transmit 4K and 5K video at up to 240 fps and 8K at up to 144 fps. In addition, Support for a number of special features has been added, including HDR10, and the maximum number of simultaneously transmitted audio channels has increased to 32.

The number of USB-A 2.0 ports installed on the rear panel of the motherboard.

Let us remind you, USB is the most popular modern connector for connecting various external peripherals — from keyboards and mice to specialized equipment. And USB-A 2.0 is the oldest of the currently relevant versions of this interface; it is significantly inferior to the newer USB-A 5Gbps in terms of speed (up to 480 Mbps), as well as power supply and additional functionality. On the other hand, even such characteristics are often sufficient for low-demand peripherals (like those same keyboards/mice); and devices of newer versions can be perfectly connected to ports of this standard — as long as there is enough power supply. So, this version of USB is still found in modern motherboards, though fewer new models with USB-A 2.0 ports are being produced.

Note that in addition to the ports on the back panel, USB connectivity may also be provided by connectors on the board itself (more precisely, the ports on the PC case connected to such connectors). For more details, see below.

The number of built-in USB-A 5Gbps ports provided on the rear panel of the motherboard. In this case, traditional full-sized USB-A ports are meant.

The USB-A 5Gbps version (previously known as USB 3.2 gen1 and USB 3.0) is the direct successor and further development of the USB-A 2.0 interface. The main differences are a 10-fold increase in maximum data transfer speed — 4.8 Gbps — and higher power supply capacity, which is important when connecting multiple devices to one port through a hub. Such a connector can also connect peripherals of other versions.

The more connectors included in the design, the more peripheral devices can be connected to the motherboard without the use of additional hardware (USB hubs). On the market, you can find boards that have more than 4 USB-A 5Gbps ports on the rear panel. It should be noted that in addition to connectors on the rear panel, USB connection can also be provided by connectors on the board itself (more precisely, ports on the case connected to such connectors). For more details, see below.