Best B550 Motherboard For Gaming

Best B550 Motherboard For Gaming

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The finest B550 motherboards provide excellent performance and affordability without sacrificing features for your AMD setup. Some people would assume that B550s are a significant step down from the top X570 motherboards, yet they are still relatively robust AMD motherboards.

The most excellent thing about B550 boards is that they can easily handle AMD’s most potent CPUs, such as the Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 9 5950X. Even PCIe 4.0 capability is available, which was previously only available on the top-tier X570 chipset.

1. Asus ROG Strix B550-E Gaming

 

Asus ROG Strix B550-E Gaming
The best B550 motherboard
AMD B550 Ryzen AM4 Gaming ATX motherboard with PCIe® 4.0, teamed power stages, Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet, WiFi 6 (802.11ax), dual M.2 with heatsinks, SATA 6 Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Aura Sync RGB lighting
  • AMD AM4 socket: Ready for Ryzen™ 5000 Series/ 4000 G-Series/ 3000 Series Desktop Processors
  • Best gaming connectivity: PCIe® 4.0-ready, dual M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C® plus HDMI™ 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.2 output
  • Smooth networking: Onboard WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard
  • Robust power solution: Teamed power stages with ProCool power connector, high-quality alloy chokes and durable capacitors
  • Renowned software: Intuitive dashboards for UEFI BIOS and ASUS AI Networking make it easy to configure gaming builds
  • DIY-friendly design: Includes pre-mounted I/O shield, BIOS FlashBack™, Q-Code and FlexKey
  • Unmatched personalization: ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting, including Aura RGB header and addressable Gen 2 RGB header
  • Industry-leading Gaming Audio: Audio USB Type-C®, AI Noise-Canceling Microphone, SupremeFX S1220A codec, DTS® Sound Unbound™ and Sonic Studio III for immersive audio
REASONS TO BUY
+ Extensive feature set
+ Build quality
+Top-end networking

REASONS TO AVOID

– Stock-clocked performance is unremarkable.
– Limited bandwidth for peripherals

The most costly of Asus’ new array of AMD B550 boards, the Asus ROG Strix B550-E Gaming, is here for your consideration. A motherboard built on a cheap processor costs close to $300. Really? Hold on if you feel the need for something like that. Actually, it isn’t entirely insane.

The B550 is, in fact, the second-tier model of AMD’s newest 500-series chipsets. However, compared to its larger X570 sibling, it doesn’t lose out much. There is, in essence, just one very big degradation from which various specific modifications emerge.

AMD connected the PCH chip, which is at the core of the chipset, to the CPU socket via a quad-lane PCI Express Gen 3 interface for the B550. Furthermore, the X570 receives quad-lane PCI Express with a Gen 4 interface. That translates into having double the bandwidth. Specifically, the X570 chipset supports two M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, but the B550 chipset only allows one to work at maximum speed.

2. ASRock B550 Taichi Razer Edition

ASRock B550 Taichi Razer Edition
The best premium B550 motherboard

SPECIFICATIONS

Form factor: ATX
Memory support: 4x DIMM, up to 128GB, up to DDR4-4733 (OC)
Expansion slots: 3x PCIe 4.0 x16, 2x PCIe 3.0 x1
Storage: 2x M.2; 8x SATA
Networking: Killer 1650x 802.11ax Wi-Fi; Killer E3100X 2.5G LAN
USB: Up to 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 8x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 6x USB 2.0
REASONS TO BUY
+ Razer Chroma support
+ Strong VRM
+ Good I/O and connectivity features
REASONS TO AVOID
– Many X570 boards can be had for less

I’ve been a fan of ASRock’s Taichi brand since it first debuted because of its excellent balance of cost, performance, and features. Many people like the fact that it is one of the few sub-brands that avoids a blatantly “gaming” tone. I am sure I do. But with Razer’s influence, things have slightly altered. The B550 Taichi Razer Edition has been devoid of the conventional yin/yang and cog machinery look.

This updated ASRock Taichi board combines Razer Chroma RGB support and has a clean, obviously premium design. It certainly has a gorgeous appearance, and if you’re a fan of the Razer ecosystem, you should give it serious consideration for a Ryzen 5000 series build.

The board’s compatibility for the Razer Chroma RGB ecosystem is, as the name implies, its greatest marketing selling feature. Razer goes beyond a normal implementation to incorporate a larger spectrum of effects while enabling substantial customization with the Chroma Studio software. On the surface, it appears to be just another flavor of RGB. Additionally, there is support for several other apps, gaming integration, and Amazon Alexa connection. So, if you want to RGB your RGB, Chroma probably has the ability to accomplish so.

Unquestionably, the ASRock B550 Taichi Razer Edition is at the top of the B550 food chain. Depending on how important RGB is to you and how many M.2 drives you want to use, you may decide that a B550 board costing as much as the Taichi Razer Edition is the correct choice. Many X570 boards with three M.2 slots and more PCIe 4.0 general-purpose lanes are offered at this pricing. There is a $100 more expensive ASRock X570 Taichi Razer Edition available. Does it merit paying more? Unless your demands are really precise, we’d say probably not.

3. MSI MAG B550M Mortar

MSI MAG B550M Mortar
The best B550 motherboard for pure gaming performance

SPECIFICATIONS

Form factor: Micro-ATX
Memory support: 4x DIMM, up to 128GB, up to DDR4-4400
Expansion slots: 1x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x4
Storage: 2x M.2, 6x SATA 6Gbps
Networking: Realtek 2.5Gb ethernet
Rear USB: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 2.0
REASONS TO BUY
+ Great stock-clock performance and efficiency
+ Slick BIOS
+ Competitive pricing

REASONS TO AVOID

– Poor overclocking
– Stingy back-panel port count
– Short on luxuries and frills
The MSI MAG B550M Mortarboard, tested here in the basic configuration without integrated wireless networking, is designed for entry-level gaming. The only Micro-ATX choice among MSI’s early B550 options is a small board. the notion? All the functionality you truly need at an affordable price, with less flashy frills that are useless for gaming.
The omissions that are inherent to the AMD B550 chipset are listed first in the left-it-out ledger. Accordingly, the PCH processor will have half the bandwidth of the X570, an AMD full-fat 500 Series chipset. That’s important, especially for accessories like USB connection and extra SSDs. You still get four Gen 4 lanes for the main SSD and 16 Gen 4 PCI Express lanes for graphics, all of which connect directly to the CPU socket.
Those 16 PCIe 4.0 graphics lanes are inevitably limited to the primary PEG-16 slot considering the reasonably low price. Another full-length slot is located underneath. However, it can only support four PCI Express Gen 3 lanes because it is fed by the PCH chip. In other words, give up on gaming with two GPUs. In actuality, the market has mostly done that; forget about multi-GPU… at least for the time being. Therefore, such absence is acceptable to us and enables this board to be less expensive without compromising your gaming or computer experience in general.
Even if everything seems fantastic, there is always a catch. Overclocking is the Achilles’ heel of the MSI MAG B550M Mortar. With our AMD Ryzen 3100 quad-core test chip, the two Asus boards comfortably reached 4.2GHz on all cores, while the B550M Mortar only managed 4GHz, a meager 100MHz faster than the 3100’s 3.9GHz all-core Turbo rating.

4. ASRock B550 Taichi

 

ASRock B550 Taichi
The best-looking B550 motherboard

SPECIFICATIONS

  • Supports AMD AM4 Socket Ryzen™ 3000, 3000 G-Series, 4000 G-Series, 5000 and 5000 G-Series Desktop Processors*
  • 16 Power Phase Design, Digi Power, Dr. MOS
  • Supports DDR4 5200+ (OC)
  • 3 PCIe 4.0/3.0×16, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1
  • Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort
  • AMD 3-Way CrossFireX™
  • 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec), Nahimic Audio
  • 8 SATA3, 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4), 1 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
  • 3 USB 3.2 Gen2 (Rear Type A+C, Front Type-C), 8 USB 3.2 Gen1 (4 Front, 4 Rear)
  • Intel® 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax (2.4Gbps) + BT 5.2

REASONS TO BUY

+ Seriously robust
+ Great performance
+ Strong feature set

REASONS TO AVOID

– B550 chipset a little short on bandwidth
– Overclocking can be laborious
– Not for budget builds

This premium Taichi motherboard from ASRock has the finest appearance of all the B550 boards we’ve looked at, but it also costs the most due to its premium nature. It is indeed more expensive than the ASRock X570 Taichi, making my recommendation challenging until the nearly definite price reduction that will undoubtedly occur over time.

The B550 chipset actually doesn’t lose out all that much in terms of raw specs when compared to AMD’s top-end X570 chipset, as we’ve previously highlighted. The interface between the CPU and PCH chip at the center of the silicon is where the biggest difference lies. This is provided for the B550 by a quartet of Gen 3 PCI Express lanes.

The situation is a little more difficult when it comes to overclocking. This B550 is perhaps the most overclockable one we’ve seen in the extreme. The manual CPU core frequency settings are connected to the core voltage settings in ASRock’s BIOS, though. As a result, you must manually adjust the voltages if you wish to overclock the CPU manually.

It is also among the strongest B550 motherboards because of its metal frame and superb construction. However, it’s difficult to think that spending your Ryzen money on a subpar chipset is a good idea after seeing that pricing.

5. ASRock B550M-HDV

ASRock B550M-HDV
The best budget B550 motherboard

SPECIFICATIONS

  • Supports AMD AM4 Socket Ryzen™ 3000, 3000 G-Series, 4000 G-Series, 5000, and 5000 G-Series Desktop Processors*
  • 6 Power Phase Design
  • Supports DDR4 4733+ (OC)
  • 1 PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 PCIe 3.0 x1
  • Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DVI-D, D-Sub
  • 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC887 Audio Codec)
  • 4 SATA3, 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4 & SATA3)
  • 6 USB 3.2 Gen1 (2 Front, 4 Rear)
  • Gigabit LAN
    *Not compatible with AMD Athlon™ Processors.

REASONS TO BUY

+ Affordable price
+ Good all-round performance
+ Has the really critical features you need

REASONS TO AVOID

– Limited expansion
– No USB Type-C ports
– Four-phase power
Our initial examination of AMD’s B550, the second-tier chipset in its new 500 Series of chipsets, featured some very expensive boards. The Asrock B550 Taichi, a $300 B550 motherboard beast, appeared. It was all becoming a little absurd, I suppose. Now that Asrock is back, they are offering the B550 option, which is much more than we first anticipated.
Therefore, give it up in favor of the Asrock B550M-HDV. It more closely aligns with the market positioning of the value-oriented B550 at roughly $80. The B550 is not a poor chipset, mind you. By most measures, it is really quite close to its larger X570 sibling. The connection between the CPU and PCH chip, which now houses the majority of the former chipset functions, serves as the fundamental distinction between the two. As a result, the PCH chip effectively serves as the motherboard chipset. That connectivity for the B550 is made up of four Gen 3 PCI Express lanes. The X570? It has four lanes as well, but Gen 4 specification doubles bandwidth.
Storage is the most immediate and evident effect. The B550 chipset still provides Gen 4 connections that connect directly to the CPU. A quad-lane PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD can be supported since there are four more storage lanes in addition to the 16 available graphics. The additional M.2 connection in the B550, however, is limited to PCIe Gen 3 speeds, in contrast to the X570, which adds support for a second Gen 4 M.2 drive connected to the PCH chip.
Overall, features are the root of our major objection. In 2020, it would be excellent to have a second M.2 slot and at least one USB-C port. You could add any of those, but not both, with a PCIe x1 board, albeit the M.2 slot would only be capable of x1 PCIe 3.0 speeds. And it’s additional cash. If you think such exclusions are important, it makes sense to look about and locate a board that includes them by default.

 

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