Windows 11 is also testing support for 80Gbps USB4 connections
AMD Hawk Point CPUs are expected to launch officially on January 31, and a series of leaks over the past few months has revealed some of their specifications. The latest reports claim these parts will offer USB4 on a select group of AM5 motherboards.
Benchlife writes that some AM5 motherboards designed for Ryzen 8000 "Hawk Point" processors may support USB4. Gigabyte is reportedly looking to bring the new feature to several of its AM5 boards, such as the AORUS B650E series, which would make them the first AMD motherboards with USB4 support.
It's worth noting that while AMD is expected to roll out USB4 support with its upcoming CPU lineup, Intel introduced the feature years ago with its 11th-generation Core processors. Some current AMD boards can support USB4 functions through add-in cards from companies such as MSI, but this is the first time the Red Team is building in native support for the feature.
Separately, Microsoft is finally testing support for the USB4 Version 2.0 standard on Windows 11. Last week, the company released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23615 to Developers with support for the new USB standard, which allows speeds of up to 80Gbps. It is the first major upgrade to USB4 and doubles the performance of the previous generation, which supported data transfers of up to 40Gbps.
As Microsoft explains, 80Gbps USB support will initially be available only on a select group of PCs equipped with Intel's latest 14th-generation Core HX-series mobile processors, which were announced at CES 2024 last week. The new Razer Blade 18, unveiled ahead of CES earlier this month, will be one of the first devices to get these ultra-fast transfer speeds.
