There seem to be other X570 boards around that $160 price point, too. As we've done before, our focus will be testing VRM thermal performance with the goal of finding the best B550 boards that can comfortably support the Ryzen 9 3900X and 3950X, as those processors will make for nice second-hand upgrade options down the track. Not only do these B550 … The ASUS ROG Strix B550-I Gaming Motherboard is a small packet with big punch, a mini ITX motherboard that offers feature-sets usually found in the higher-end X570 motherboards. The X570-A Pro ran hotter, but avoided throttling in this test. This is pretty important stuff and should be listed. Do note that X570 boards were tested some time ago using earlier AGESA versions, so there might be some small discrepancies there. Offering robust power delivery and effective cooling, ROG Strix B550-A Gaming is well-equipped to handle 3 rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ CPUs. kenjiwing - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link Fortunately, this component is a unique motherboard among B550 and well worth reading up on [add link]. While you can add more modules, you’ll be limited to PCIe 3.0 (still plenty fast enough for many) with those extra drives. Performance is up there with the more expensive boards, and the VRMs held their own even when overclocked. For about $30 less, you can pick up MSI’s MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi. Guidance requested regarding upgraded configuration of computer, Ad-free TechSpot experience while supporting our work. Just note that one of the six ports is a USB 2.0 Type-C port designed for audio. So B550 motherboards may not have as broad appeal as cheaper B450 options -- especially as most of those last-gen boards are still on the market. If you’re still a heavy SATA-based storage user and six of those ports isn’t enough, look to the the ASRock B550 Taichi. TECHSPOT : Tech Enthusiasts, Power Users, Gamers, TechSpot is a registered trademark. So if you have an older Ryzen 2000 CPU or Ryzen 3000 APU, be sure to double check the board’s product page to see if it’s compatible with your processor. Asus’ ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi delivers premium features including SupremeFX Audio, Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, solid power delivery and more. The Z490 Tomahawk costs $180, the X299 Tomahawk is around $250, and the X570 Tomahawk is meant to be $200. It steals 8 lanes from the primary x16 slot and splits them between the bottom 2 m.2. Whatever the use case, there’s a B550 motherboard to suit. What’s incredible to note here is just how cool these B550 boards run, even the Mortar which was comparable to the X570 Aorus Pro WiFi under these test conditions and that board costs almost $100 more. For recording temperatures we're using a digital thermometer with K-Type thermocouples and we’ll be reporting the peak rear PCB temperature. That board is similar in many ways, but trades a couple video ports for a PS/2 port and more audio jacks. You’ll have to live with just six USB ports on the rear IO, but that’s par for the course with these small B550 boards. Now, we're not trying to defend any price hikes, we’re always pushing for better pricing, but we like to do so while being realistic in our demands. You don’t want to do lots of research to choose the best B550 motherboard, only to find out after you buy it that it won’t boot with your existing CPU. Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. That means the closest ATX model to the B450 Tomahawk would be the B550-A Pro, it costs $140, or ~20% more, but again you’re getting more motherboard. While the AM4 socket remains the same, ROM size limitations make it impossible for board makers to include support for all current, future, and past Ryzen processors with a single firmware package. However, through further testing we’ve found that the results in a poorly ventilated case are actually worse, so we guess this isn’t an absolute worst case scenario, no pun intended. For example, the entry-level Asus TUF Gaming X570 Plus which launched at $190 dropped a few months later to $165, and has remained there despite rave reviews. Looking at overclocked results with the Ryzen 9 3900X running all cores at 4.3 GHz using 1.4v. 25 votes, 12 comments. Also included is dual-GPU support (though that’s a feature with far less appeal in recent years), along with a doubling of the bandwidth of the motherboard’s general-purpose PCIe lanes from the chipset, from 2.0 to 3.0. Then in terms of features, you’re getting an additional M.2 slot which supports PCIe 4.0 SSDs, and of course, the primary PCIe x16 slot supports PCIe 4.0 as well. Here are our baseline results with essentially out of the box Ryzen 9 3900X performance with PBO enabled. If you bought a Ryzen 5 3600 a year ago, there's a real possibility that you might want to buy a Zen 3 part with more cores, but we guess that’s a story for later in the year. It’s a good option around the $200 mark, though if you don’t need Wi-Fi capability, the non-Wi-Fi version of the same board costs $30 less with the same specifications, making it easy to recommend if you plan on using Ethernet or have your own wireless card. The B550M Mortar which we have on hand costs $160, the Gaming Plus $150, the A Pro $140 and the Bazooka $130. Also consider that upcoming A520 motherboards look to be far more affordable, though you’ll likely be foregoing PCIe 4.0 with these lower-priced boards, which is a key selling point of AMD’s latest platforms. The only difference here is that the B550 AORUS PRO requires a slightly higher Vcore of 1.4V for our Ryzen 3 3300X to clear an hour-long Realbench stress test without any signs of instability, while the MEG X570 GODLIKE requires a lower Vcore of 1.38V to clear the same stress test. The Best B550 motherboard for you might not be a B550 board at all. If you’re after a B550 board in the compact Mini ITX form factor, you only have a handful of choices, but Asus’ ROG Strix B550-I Gaming stands out. Now that we’re months out from the B550 launch, we know that AMD’s more mainstream AM4 platform delivers on at least one of those two promises--PCIe 4.0. B550 motherboard use a 10+3 phases pure digital PWM + Low RDS(on) MOSFETs design to support the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ CPUs by offering incredible precision in delivering power to the motherboard's most power-hungry and energy-sensitive components as well as delivering enhanced system performance and ultimate hardware scalability. On the surface those prices are quite shocking, but when you start to dig into what these boards offer, you may realize the price increases aren’t nearly as extreme as they first appear. Whether that experiment pays off, we'll know eventually. Denn falls ihr einfach irgendein B550 Mainboard kauft kann es sehr gut sein, dass ihr zu viel Geld für zu wenig Features ausgebt (zumal viele B550 Mainboards zu nahe am Preis von X570ern sind). New York, The B550 Tomahawk, for example, is slightly cheaper than the Z490 Tomahawk, but you get PCIe 4.0. Socket: AM4 | Chipset: AMD B550 | Form Factor: Mini ITX | Voltage Regulator: 10 phases | PCIe x16: (1) v4.0 | USB Ports: (4) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (1 Type-C), (2) USB 2.0 (1 Type-C) | Warranty: 3 years. That same VRM can be found on the $130 B550M Bazooka. We're also not reporting Delta T over Ambient, instead we maintain a room temperature of 21 degrees as this is by far the most accurate way to conduct this testing. AMD’s B550 chipset brought high hopes of PCIe 4.0 support at low prices, … Superman/Witcher star Henry Cavill upgrades to an Nvidia RTX 3090, Cyberpunk 2077 v1.05 fixes a laundry list of issues, Freebie week: Ubisoft is handing out free games and DLC every day this week. You’ll also have to deal with some inconveniently placed headers, like the front-panel audio pins which are wedged between the primary M.2 heatsink and the two RAM slots. Equipped with a PCI-e 4.0 slot as w This test typically involves a 30 minute Prime95 run at the maximum overclock the motherboard can maintain, again with no airflow over the VRM. Although it was one of the best B450 boards in terms of VRM quality, the Tomahawk was still a basic board, featuring a 4-phase vcore with doubled up On Semiconductor discrete mosfets. Designed for those seeking to get the most out of their build, ROG Strix B550 Gaming series motherboards offer a feature-set usually found in the higher-end ROG Strix X570 Gaming series, including the latest PCIe ® 4.0 connectivity. Powered by AMD Ryzen AM4 processors, the MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS offers perfect balance between appearance and performance with Wi-Fi, Extended Heatsink Design, Core boost, Pre-installed I/O Shielding and Mystic Light. More than $200 still seems expensive for B550, Only six USB ports, one of which is for audio. This makes the B550 platform delay all the more frustrating for those who purchased a Ryzen 5 3600 with a new motherboard. Unfortunately for now we don’t have any of the more entry-level B550 boards, but those will come eventually. Supports AMD AM4 Socket Ryzen™ 3000, 4000 G-Series and 5000 Series Desktop Processors; 14 Power Phase Design, Digi Power, Dr. MOS; Supports DDR4 4733+ (OC); 1 PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1, 1 M.2 Key E for WiFi; Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort; AMD CrossFireX™; 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec), Nahimic Audio; 6 SATA3, 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe … If you want more lighting, you’ll have to provide that with other components and accessories. Despite these extreme test conditions, the B550M Mortar passed with relative ease, peaking at just 80C, putting slightly more expensive Asrock and Gigabyte models like the Steel Legend, Pro4 and Gaming X to shame. Monitoring the ambient temperature is a thermocouple positioned next to the test system. And depending on features on given board models, that may not be possible to do without also having a different CPU that works with the board out of the box. What we may be witnessing here is increased demand for Ryzen products and board makers want to get in on the action. B550 brings PCIe 4.0 at lower price points, but higher-end models still stray into X570 price territory. Those who like their PCs to run silently will appreciate that the B550 chipset doesn’t require support for active cooling. Below are our tested picks for the best B550 motherboards, at various price points and form factors. There are a number of AMD X570 boards that have fallen in price since release, though admittedly pricing and availability is very messy at the moment due to the pandemic. MSI’s likely doing this to fill the void until B550 pricing filters down, which usually happens over time with motherboard platforms. AMD’s B550 chipset enables PCIe® 4.0 compatibility for NVMe storage and graphics on mainstream motherboards, giving you confidence that your system won’t go obsolete before its time. While there’s less bandwidth for multiple next-generation high-speed storage and graphics card setups, B550 motherboards do deliver PCIe 4.0 support for the typical setup of a single speedy drive and graphics card. Before we get into testing, let's briefly discuss why B550 motherboards are more expensive than what most were expecting. Join thousands of tech enthusiasts and participate. If you need Wi-Fi, buy a motherboard with Wi-Fi at the time. Audio Testing. For Razer Chroma ecosystem support The ASUS B550 series motherboards are PCIe® 4.0-ready and features a robust power design, cooling controls, and AI Noise-canceling Microphone software. Plus, CPU support and overall board quality was almost always worse, making them an easy pass. Please refresh the page and try again. The option to add M.2 KEY Wi-Fi later could be handy if your needs change and this is cheaper than buying a discrete Wi-Fi PCIe card so there is still value in the “Wi-Fi upgrade” option ASRock incorporated int the B550 Extreme4. As we saw with the latter, you often stood to save a mere $10 while losing CPU and memory overclocking in the process. It’s also worth noting that the B450 Tomahawk and its Max variant aren’t going away overnight either. Then we have the B550 Aorus Master matching the X570 Aorus Xtreme with a peak temperature of 55C. The motherboards are left to determine the appropriate voltages on their own, so it’s a very basic overclock that anyone can do with the help of AMD’s Ryzen Master software. The VRM heatsinks are also larger and you get a better quality PCB with 2 ounce thickened copper. Needs to be edited. But many B550 motherboards --  particularly the high-end models -- approach and even surpass the price of many X570 options. Unfortunately, reaching the top of the mountain translates to the ROG Strix B550-E’s steep pricing brought upon by the “ROG Tax” and the B550 chipset itself. Test Setup and Notes. Prime B550-Plus caters to daily users and all builders looking for well-rounded specs and a range of options for performance tuning via intuitive software and firmware. © 2020 TechSpot, Inc. All Rights Reserved. From the looks of it, for a little over $100 you’ll be able to buy a motherboard that supports PCIe 4.0 along with high-end AM4 CPUs. The MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk comes up trumps with 4.4 GHz across all of … Popular components in PC builds with the Asus TUF GAMING B550-PLUS Motherboard. This motherboard has a formidable cooling diagram onboard including an aluminum duvet, M.2 Defend Frozr technology, and total fan alter. To test the on-board audio on the MSI B550 Gaming Carbon WIFI motherboard, I use the Rightmark Audio Analyzer benchmark. MSI’s MAG B550 Tomahawk delivers a well-balanced feature set at a competitive price. To test the onboard audio of any motherboard, I follow the guide on RMAA’s site that talks about … Is there some b550 vrm tier list so I can compare them with b450 and x570 motherboards. The Best B550 motherboard for you might not be a B550 board at all. In short, these new B550 motherboards are certainly a significant upgrade from the now two-year-old B450 platform. NY 10036. Assuming these are not deal breakers for your build, the MSI B550 MAG Tomahawk deserves consideration if your budget is around the $180 mark. And overall, B550 prices are  lower than their X570 counterparts. AMD’s B550 chipset brought high hopes of PCIe 4.0 support at low prices, given the high cost of most X570 boards and the appealing low price of many previous-generation B450 motherboards. “B550 is a very important product line for AMD and the motherboard vendors. In the meantime, the new AMD B550 chipset can be viewed as another nail in Intel 10th-gen Core series coffin. AMD B550 ATX motherboard features dual M.2, PCIe 4.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-C, 1 Gb Ethernet. And active VRM cooling means you shouldn’t have to deal with the heat issues we saw with the Asus Prime B550M-A Wi-Fi and our 3900X. There’s really no comparing the two generations as they’re in completely different tiers, and pricing reflects that. If a $250+ B550-based motherboard is what you’re looking for, the B550 Aorus Master should be on your short list. Features: One of the features that provide the B550 chipset with an edge over the B450 chipset is its support for the new PCIe 4.0 slots. You might wonder how does a $280 B550 board manage to match a $700 X570 board from the same company? Best B550 Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi, Best B550 Motherboard (if Price Is No Object): Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master, Best Mid-Range B550 Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk, Best Mini ITX B550 Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B550-I Gaming, We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices, AMD has confirmed the chipset will support future Zen 3 processors, Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi review, Cyberpunk 2077 Hotfix 1.05 Launches with Major Bug Fixes, Microsoft Reportedly Moving Its Servers to Custom Chips, Best Holiday Tech and PC Hardware Deals 2020: CPUs, SSDs and More. So you’ll still be able to purchase B450 boards for some time after the B550 release. Thank you for signing up to Tom's Hardware. Read: Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master review, Socket: AM4 | Chipset: AMD B550 | Form Factor: ATX | Voltage Regulator: 13 phases | PCIe x16: (1) v4.0 PCIe x16; (1) v3.0 (x4) | USB Ports: (2) USB 3.2 Gen 2, Type-A and Type-C (10 Gbps), (2) USB 3.2 Gen 1, Type-A (5 Gbps), (2) USB 2.0, Type-A | Warranty: 3 years.