The B550 chipset represents the current sweet spot for PC builders looking to maximise the Ryzen 5 5600X and 7 5800X CPUs. It offers a full-featured and cost-effective basis for a high-performance PC for gaming or general use.
We’ve rounded up a selection of some of the best B550 motherboards on offer, going into 2022. We’re going to take a look at them to find out their features, any weak points or flaws, and use this information to make recommendations to you as to the best options for your Ryzen-based PC build. We’ll break our recommendations out into a separate article, so this one isn’t too cluttered with too much information.
At the lower end, we’re testing the MSI Pro VDH WiFi and the Gigabyte Aorus Elite. These are both mATX boards at or close to the $100 price point.
In the mid-range selection of B550 motherboards, we’ve got the Asus TUF Gaming B550M-Plus WiFi and the MSI B550M Mortar Wifi.
And to look at the higher end we’ve got the Asus ROG STRIX B550-F Wifi and the ASRock B550 PG Velocita. These boards are a little more expensive and take different approaches to offer you value, so we were interested in finding out what they offer over more budget-friendly B550 options.
We’ll take a look at performance overall, then dive into each B550 motherboard to investigates its strengths and weaknesses.
B550 Motherboard Performance Testing:
We’ve conducted our testing with a Ryzen 7 5800X in the knowledge that if these boards handle that CPU well, there will be no problems with the less demanding 5600X. The Test system consisted of a 650W Gold-rated PSU, RTX 3060 Ti (not relevant to testing), and G.Skill 3600Mhz CL16 RAM set to XMP and 1:1 Infinity Fabric and Memory clock ratio. A 240mm AIO was used to maximise CPU performance without thermal throttling.
B550 Motherboard Benchmark Comparisons
1. Cinebench R20 and R23
In this test we ran both single and multi-core workloads, to ensure that the Motherboard allowed the CPU to boost correctly and also didn’t limit the CPU with power draw. You can see that the boards behaved almost identically.
2. 3D Mark Testing: Fire Strike & Time Spy
We also ran Time Spy and Firestrike CPU tests. These show a little more variance in results but looking at CPU metrics we couldn’t identify any substantial change in CPU performance; This is likely down to variables such as cooler fitment or even ambient temperatures of the test and we don’t consider it anything of concern.
The long story short here is that we could not find any discernible difference in performance between any of these B550 motherboards. In single and multi-core tests they all performed remarkably closely, within a margin of error. In fact, if we normalise the scores and average them for each board we find a total variance of less than 0.2% – That’s well within the margin of error. They all held up well to longer duration testing, with no drop in performance after a 30-minute work loop.
RAM Compatibility
We also checked RAM Compatibility, although it’s not possible to really test this exhaustively. All the boards worked flawlessly with our 3600Mhz Cl16 G.Skill RAM kit, as you’d expect. They were also all capable of running ‘known good’ overclock settings of 4000MHz CL 16-16-16-32 at 1:1 infinity fabric and memory clock on our Samsung B-die test kit, which represents the upper end of Zen 3 RAM speed optimisation. All of these boards have identical RAM overclocking and CPU overclocking settings available in BIOS, and whilst we wouldn’t choose them for dedicated overclockers, they all run RAM stably at acceptably fast speeds.
So, the good news on performance is that across the range of B550 motherboards we’ve tested we’re confident that you’ll be able to extract the maximum potential from a Ryzen 5600X or 5800X as well as reasonably fast RAM, to optimise your system’s performance.
The ‘Best’ B550 Motherboards, Reviewed
So, with performance covered let’s look into each board. We won’t list specs as they’re actually very similar across all of these motherboards, and you can look them up yourselves. Instead, I’ll point out the most important features or omissions, the things we think you’d most want to know before buying any of these B550 motherboards.
1. MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi – Entry Level Board
The MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi is a full-featured and good value B550 motherboard currently retailing at about $110.
Pros:
- Great value
- Understated looks with RGB switch.
- Inbuilt Wi-Fi
- Simple BIOS Flashback
- Internal USB C (USB 3.2 Gen 2) header
- 6 USB rear outputs
- 5 fan headers in total – 3 system, one CPU fan, one AIO pump header.
Cons:
- Only One full length PCIe slot for a GPU. No 4X slots.
- Basic Audio – ALC 892 and 3 rear audio outputs.
- No rear USB C – make sure your case has usb C if you require it, to make use of the internal header.
- MATX so it might not look great in an ATX case.
Conclusions:
Overall we were really impressed with this B550 motherboard. Whilst it has a ‘no-frills approach, MSI has made sensible decisions over what to include. Performance is great, on a par with motherboards that cost twice as much. We’d really just advise that you ensure you won’t need more than that single PCIe x16 slot as the 2 single length slots could limit your ability to add expansion cards down the line. The USB specification also isn’t the best, so make sure you’ll have adequate connectivity between the rear I/O of this board and any case you choose. Overall though for an understated and great value option, we heartily recommend the MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi.
2. Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite – Entry Level Board
The Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite is the most affordable AORUS motherboard in Gigabyte’s B550 lineup and is available at just $105.
Pros:
- Good Value and a good looking board with Aorus branded heatsinking.
- Equivalent performance to the more expensive boards on test.
- BIOS Q-Flash.
- Inbuilt I/O shield helps with installation.
- Lower First PCIe slot position – can fit large air coolers.
- 8 USB ports on the rear.
Cons:
- Second full length PCIe slot is blocked by any GPU larger than 2 slots.
- No Internal USB 3.2 gen 2 header and no USB C on the rear IO.
- No Diagnostic LEDs – can frustrate when troubleshooting boot issues.
- Only 3 fan headers in total – 1 CPU and 2 System. You will likely need fan splitters.
- No M.2 Heat sinking – not vitally important but helps with a consistent look.
- No RGB on board.
- Awkward SATA socket location: Using 90 degree cables blocks other SATA ports, large GPUs may block SATA ports. Flush mount SATA ports would have solved this issue.
Conclusions:
Overall this is a good value B550 motherboard that gets the job done for the Ryzen Zen 3 builds. However, in terms of value, it loses out to the MSI B550M Pro-VDH which includes USB 3.2 gen 2 and WiFi for just $5 more. The price-cutting on this motherboard with limited fan headers, awkward SATA ports, lack of any boot diagnostic LEDs and slightly awkward PCIe slot placement all means that in all but the most basic PC builds this board is likely to frustrate. In particular, if you want WiFi or any additional add-in PCIe card you need to ensure that your GPU is no more than 2 slots thick – and many are nowadays with most designs intruding on the third PCIe slot beneath them. If your GPU is long you may have issues connecting SATA cables to some or all of the ports.
At the right price, the B550M Aorus Elite is still a good motherboard, but we’d consider that price to be around $90 to compensate for the shortcomings here. We recommend the MSI B550 Pro VDH Wifi over this for the additional features and fewer compromises of that board.
3. Asus TUF Gaming B550M-Plus WiFi – Mid-Range Board
Moving into the mid-range selections, we have the ASUS TUF Gaming B550M Plus WiFi. The TUF lineup offers some really good products and this B550 board is no exception, but at the moment it’s retailing at $160 which is pretty steep for a B550 motherboard.
Pros:
- Great looking with hefty heatsinking and nice RGB highlights.
- Inbuilt WiFi 6
- Asus BIOS Flashback functionality
- USB C on the rear and 7 USB A ports of various speeds.
- Higher quality Audio CODEC – Realtec S1200A
- Strong VRM – easily capable of running a 5900X.
Cons:
- Expensive
- Slightly awkward SATA socket positioning. Not as bad as the Aorus Elite, but still annoying.
- Limited Fan headers – 2 System, 1 CPU fan, 1 AIO pump optional header.
- No internal USB 3.2 Gen 2 header.
- Second PCIe slot blocked by a larger GPU in the first, but the 1x slot is mounted high to keep it accessible.
- RGB may be obscured by a GPU
Conclusions:
Overall we like this B550 motherboard but not the price. At $130-$140, it’s a good buy but it has enough compromises to make us look elsewhere at $150-$160. Little things like the number of fan headers and lack of an internal USB 3.2 header are the sort of detail you’d expect a board like this to get right. However, it performs well and looks great, so if you find it at the right price there’s no reason not to buy it. Just make sure the compromises this board makes won’t interfere with your planned build.
4. MSI MAG B550M Mortar WiFi – Mid-Range Board
The MSI B550M Mortar Wifi is the B550 motherboard we’re most familiar with in this test, we’ve actually been using it for about nine months on our test bench. It’s a good mid-range option but let’s see how it stacks up against the competition.
Pros:
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 internal header plus USB C on the rear I/O panel.
- Plenty of fan headers: 3 system fan headers, 1 CPU, one AIO.
- Full length PCIe slots are 3 slots apart – you can fit 2 GPUs into this motherboard without conflict.
- BIOS flashback
- Inbuilt IO shield
- Inbuilt WiFi 6: A non WiFi option available with a darker colour scheme.
- 6 SATA slots (most mATX have 4)
Cons:
- Expensive at the moment – $170
- Only 5 USB A sockets on the rear.
- mATX form factor may look strange in ATX builds.
Conclusions:
This mid-range B550 motherboard does a lot of things right. The layout is good and it has a good range of internal connectors. The main weakness is the slight lack of USB A options on the rear IO. Subjectively, the silver aesthetic of this WiFi version matches white or silver themed builds nicely, and also somewhat subjectively we find the MSI bios one of the more intuitive to navigate and tweak. There’s a non WiFi version also available at about $155. Overall, this is a great board and we can heartily recommend it, but just be cautious on pricing.
5. ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F Gaming WiFi – High-End Board
Now we move up to the higher end of B550 motherboards with the Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi. This full ATX board adds some more PCIe slots and USB connectivity to the mix, as well as some higher-end components like a strong VRM configuration and a good quality Audio Codec.
Pros:
- Full ATX with plenty of well-spaced PCIe slots.
- Great looking board with RGB and solid heatsinking, including both M.2 slots.
- Lots of Fan headers, with AIO pump, CPU, CPU Optional and 3 chassis fan headers for 6 total.
- High end S1220A Codec for audio.
- BIOS Flashback
- Six SATA slots.
- Strong VRM
Cons:
- Still only 2 M.2 slots
- No internal USB 3.2 gen 2 header.
- Hard to see the value at near $200
Conclusions:
Moving up to the higher end and a full ATX B550 motherboard, we come to the Asus B550-F ROG Strix Gaming. There’s a lot to like about this motherboard, not least the looks. However, we think it’s hard to find the value on offer here when you compare the specification to, for example, the MSI B550M Mortar you don’t really gain much. Multiple X1 PCIe slots are of limited value on a board that has WiFi inbuilt anyway. There’s still just 2 M.2 slots, and no internal USB 3.2 Gen 2. On the plus side, you get loads of Fan and RGB control options, heavy heatsinking, a great VRM – but remember you’re not buying any more performance with this board, every board here performs the same with a 5600X or 5800X. Overall, if you like the looks and features, and don’t mind the ROG Strix tax or slight compromises in the specification, this is a solid option and we’d recommend it for a showy 5600X or 5800X gaming build.
6. ASRock B550 PG Velocita – High-End Board
The ASRock B550 PG Velocita is a B550 chipset motherboard with a lot of features aimed at overclockers, but one glaring omission, so let’s take a closer look.
Pros:
- Full ATX format with good PCIe slot layout.
- Seven Fan/Pump headers, giving extensive cooling options
- Really nice LED highlights.
- Very strong VRM with 14 phase set up. You can maximise any Zen 3 CPU on this without concern.
- Excellent heatsinking with a heat pipe to spread heat load.
- Internal USB 3.2 gen 2 header.
- Good USB connectivity on rear I/O
- Wifi compatible M.2 slot and pre cut I/O plate antenna holes – you can add Wifi without using a PCIe or M.2 storage slot.
Mixed:
- Power and reset buttons – we found them helpful on our test bench, but how much are you really going to use them in a built PC?
- Fault code display could be a nice touch, but the code index is so generic and unhelpful that it’s really no more use than simple LED lights.
- Love it or hate it styling with red and grey accents.
Cons:
- No BIOS Flashback! An unforgivable sin, and this is the only board that required us to swap to a compatible CPU to update the BIOS and get it working with Ryzen 5000 CPUs.
- Only two storage M.2 slots.
- Expensive
- You’re not buying any extra performance
Conclusions:
This ASRock B550 PG Velocita is the B550 motherboard in this review that sparks the most mixed feelings for us. We really WANT to love it, but the overall impression is of a board that hasn’t been designed with actual use in mind. The most glaring issue is the lack of any means to perform a BIOS flash without an existing CPU. We bought this board at the start of summer 2021 and it wasn’t Ryzen 5000 ready – forcing us to use our Ryzen 3600 to update the BIOS. For a board aimed at enthusiasts, and when it’s available on boards at literally half the price, it’s just not acceptable not to include this feature.
The other ‘overclocking’ features really feel like they’ve been added for marketing, not with functionality in mind. The Power and reset buttons were nice whilst we tested this board, but useless if you intend on actually building a PC in a traditional case. Likewise the Numeric LED Fault code display COULD be really useful, but the codes are so cryptic and poorly explained in the manual or online that actually, they’re no more helpful than simple diagnostic LED’s pointing at a problem with the CPU or RAM for example. On the plus side, it’s got great water cooling and system fan flexibility, a good range of connectors, and a hugely capable VRM. That said, you’re not getting extra performance from an overkill VRM, and short of exotic cooling methods you won’t need the VRM on offer here even for a 5950X – the overclocking headroom just doesn’t exist. It’s also, in our opinion, a great looking board with some really nice RGB highlights around the IO panel heatsink. If you’re aware of the shortcomings, have a plan to get around the BIOS flash issue, and find this board at the right price (say under $200) then it makes a solid basis for a high-end B550 based PC build. Otherwise, we’d recommend the Asus B550-F ROG Strix Gaming WiFi which has more features at a lower price and doesn’t feel as quirky as the ASRock PG Velocita.
Closing Thoughts:
I hope you’ve found this article useful and that it has helped you decide which board is right for you. The nice thing with B550 Motherboards is that there are very few products to avoid – so long as you’re not shopping at the bargain basement they offer the same basic features and functionality as well as equivalent performance. When you’re looking to buy just ensure that the board has BIOS flashback functionality, and adequate slots and I/O for your needs. Also ensure that between the case and the motherboard, you’ve got the USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity that matches up, so you’re not left with dead USB-C slots on your case. Consider these points and you’ll have the foundation of a great system using the Ryzen 5600X or 5800X CPUs.
The B550 chipset represents the current sweet spot for PC builders looking to maximise the Ryzen 5 5600X and 7 5800X CPUs. It offers a full-featured and cost-effective basis for a high-performance PC for gaming or general use.
We’ve rounded up a selection of some of the best B550 motherboards on offer, going into 2022. We’re going to take a look at them to find out their features, any weak points or flaws, and use this information to make recommendations to you as to the best options for your Ryzen-based PC build. We’ll break our recommendations out into a separate article, so this one isn’t too cluttered with too much information.
At the lower end, we’re testing the MSI Pro VDH WiFi and the Gigabyte Aorus Elite. These are both mATX boards at or close to the $100 price point.
In the mid-range selection of B550 motherboards, we’ve got the Asus TUF Gaming B550M-Plus WiFi and the MSI B550M Mortar Wifi.
And to look at the higher end we’ve got the Asus ROG STRIX B550-F Wifi and the ASRock B550 PG Velocita. These boards are a little more expensive and take different approaches to offer you value, so we were interested in finding out what they offer over more budget-friendly B550 options.
We’ll take a look at performance overall, then dive into each B550 motherboard to investigates its strengths and weaknesses.
B550 Motherboard Performance Testing:
We’ve conducted our testing with a Ryzen 7 5800X in the knowledge that if these boards handle that CPU well, there will be no problems with the less demanding 5600X. The Test system consisted of a 650W Gold-rated PSU, RTX 3060 Ti (not relevant to testing), and G.Skill 3600Mhz CL16 RAM set to XMP and 1:1 Infinity Fabric and Memory clock ratio. A 240mm AIO was used to maximise CPU performance without thermal throttling.
B550 Motherboard Benchmark Comparisons
1. Cinebench R20 and R23
In this test we ran both single and multi-core workloads, to ensure that the Motherboard allowed the CPU to boost correctly and also didn’t limit the CPU with power draw. You can see that the boards behaved almost identically.
2. 3D Mark Testing: Fire Strike & Time Spy
We also ran Time Spy and Firestrike CPU tests. These show a little more variance in results but looking at CPU metrics we couldn’t identify any substantial change in CPU performance; This is likely down to variables such as cooler fitment or even ambient temperatures of the test and we don’t consider it anything of concern.
The long story short here is that we could not find any discernible difference in performance between any of these B550 motherboards. In single and multi-core tests they all performed remarkably closely, within a margin of error. In fact, if we normalise the scores and average them for each board we find a total variance of less than 0.2% – That’s well within the margin of error. They all held up well to longer duration testing, with no drop in performance after a 30-minute work loop.
RAM Compatibility
We also checked RAM Compatibility, although it’s not possible to really test this exhaustively. All the boards worked flawlessly with our 3600Mhz Cl16 G.Skill RAM kit, as you’d expect. They were also all capable of running ‘known good’ overclock settings of 4000MHz CL 16-16-16-32 at 1:1 infinity fabric and memory clock on our Samsung B-die test kit, which represents the upper end of Zen 3 RAM speed optimisation. All of these boards have identical RAM overclocking and CPU overclocking settings available in BIOS, and whilst we wouldn’t choose them for dedicated overclockers, they all run RAM stably at acceptably fast speeds.
So, the good news on performance is that across the range of B550 motherboards we’ve tested we’re confident that you’ll be able to extract the maximum potential from a Ryzen 5600X or 5800X as well as reasonably fast RAM, to optimise your system’s performance.
The ‘Best’ B550 Motherboards, Reviewed
So, with performance covered let’s look into each board. We won’t list specs as they’re actually very similar across all of these motherboards, and you can look them up yourselves. Instead, I’ll point out the most important features or omissions, the things we think you’d most want to know before buying any of these B550 motherboards.
1. MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi – Entry Level Board
The MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi is a full-featured and good value B550 motherboard currently retailing at about $110.
Pros:
- Great value
- Understated looks with RGB switch.
- Inbuilt Wi-Fi
- Simple BIOS Flashback
- Internal USB C (USB 3.2 Gen 2) header
- 6 USB rear outputs
- 5 fan headers in total – 3 system, one CPU fan, one AIO pump header.
Cons:
- Only One full length PCIe slot for a GPU. No 4X slots.
- Basic Audio – ALC 892 and 3 rear audio outputs.
- No rear USB C – make sure your case has usb C if you require it, to make use of the internal header.
- MATX so it might not look great in an ATX case.
Conclusions:
Overall we were really impressed with this B550 motherboard. Whilst it has a ‘no-frills approach, MSI has made sensible decisions over what to include. Performance is great, on a par with motherboards that cost twice as much. We’d really just advise that you ensure you won’t need more than that single PCIe x16 slot as the 2 single length slots could limit your ability to add expansion cards down the line. The USB specification also isn’t the best, so make sure you’ll have adequate connectivity between the rear I/O of this board and any case you choose. Overall though for an understated and great value option, we heartily recommend the MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi.
2. Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite – Entry Level Board
The Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite is the most affordable AORUS motherboard in Gigabyte’s B550 lineup and is available at just $105.
Pros:
- Good Value and a good looking board with Aorus branded heatsinking.
- Equivalent performance to the more expensive boards on test.
- BIOS Q-Flash.
- Inbuilt I/O shield helps with installation.
- Lower First PCIe slot position – can fit large air coolers.
- 8 USB ports on the rear.
Cons:
- Second full length PCIe slot is blocked by any GPU larger than 2 slots.
- No Internal USB 3.2 gen 2 header and no USB C on the rear IO.
- No Diagnostic LEDs – can frustrate when troubleshooting boot issues.
- Only 3 fan headers in total – 1 CPU and 2 System. You will likely need fan splitters.
- No M.2 Heat sinking – not vitally important but helps with a consistent look.
- No RGB on board.
- Awkward SATA socket location: Using 90 degree cables blocks other SATA ports, large GPUs may block SATA ports. Flush mount SATA ports would have solved this issue.
Conclusions:
Overall this is a good value B550 motherboard that gets the job done for the Ryzen Zen 3 builds. However, in terms of value, it loses out to the MSI B550M Pro-VDH which includes USB 3.2 gen 2 and WiFi for just $5 more. The price-cutting on this motherboard with limited fan headers, awkward SATA ports, lack of any boot diagnostic LEDs and slightly awkward PCIe slot placement all means that in all but the most basic PC builds this board is likely to frustrate. In particular, if you want WiFi or any additional add-in PCIe card you need to ensure that your GPU is no more than 2 slots thick – and many are nowadays with most designs intruding on the third PCIe slot beneath them. If your GPU is long you may have issues connecting SATA cables to some or all of the ports.
At the right price, the B550M Aorus Elite is still a good motherboard, but we’d consider that price to be around $90 to compensate for the shortcomings here. We recommend the MSI B550 Pro VDH Wifi over this for the additional features and fewer compromises of that board.
3. Asus TUF Gaming B550M-Plus WiFi – Mid-Range Board
Moving into the mid-range selections, we have the ASUS TUF Gaming B550M Plus WiFi. The TUF lineup offers some really good products and this B550 board is no exception, but at the moment it’s retailing at $160 which is pretty steep for a B550 motherboard.
Pros:
- Great looking with hefty heatsinking and nice RGB highlights.
- Inbuilt WiFi 6
- Asus BIOS Flashback functionality
- USB C on the rear and 7 USB A ports of various speeds.
- Higher quality Audio CODEC – Realtec S1200A
- Strong VRM – easily capable of running a 5900X.
Cons:
- Expensive
- Slightly awkward SATA socket positioning. Not as bad as the Aorus Elite, but still annoying.
- Limited Fan headers – 2 System, 1 CPU fan, 1 AIO pump optional header.
- No internal USB 3.2 Gen 2 header.
- Second PCIe slot blocked by a larger GPU in the first, but the 1x slot is mounted high to keep it accessible.
- RGB may be obscured by a GPU
Conclusions:
Overall we like this B550 motherboard but not the price. At $130-$140, it’s a good buy but it has enough compromises to make us look elsewhere at $150-$160. Little things like the number of fan headers and lack of an internal USB 3.2 header are the sort of detail you’d expect a board like this to get right. However, it performs well and looks great, so if you find it at the right price there’s no reason not to buy it. Just make sure the compromises this board makes won’t interfere with your planned build.
4. MSI MAG B550M Mortar WiFi – Mid-Range Board
The MSI B550M Mortar Wifi is the B550 motherboard we’re most familiar with in this test, we’ve actually been using it for about nine months on our test bench. It’s a good mid-range option but let’s see how it stacks up against the competition.
Pros:
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 internal header plus USB C on the rear I/O panel.
- Plenty of fan headers: 3 system fan headers, 1 CPU, one AIO.
- Full length PCIe slots are 3 slots apart – you can fit 2 GPUs into this motherboard without conflict.
- BIOS flashback
- Inbuilt IO shield
- Inbuilt WiFi 6: A non WiFi option available with a darker colour scheme.
- 6 SATA slots (most mATX have 4)
Cons:
- Expensive at the moment – $170
- Only 5 USB A sockets on the rear.
- mATX form factor may look strange in ATX builds.
Conclusions:
This mid-range B550 motherboard does a lot of things right. The layout is good and it has a good range of internal connectors. The main weakness is the slight lack of USB A options on the rear IO. Subjectively, the silver aesthetic of this WiFi version matches white or silver themed builds nicely, and also somewhat subjectively we find the MSI bios one of the more intuitive to navigate and tweak. There’s a non WiFi version also available at about $155. Overall, this is a great board and we can heartily recommend it, but just be cautious on pricing.
5. ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F Gaming WiFi – High-End Board
Now we move up to the higher end of B550 motherboards with the Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi. This full ATX board adds some more PCIe slots and USB connectivity to the mix, as well as some higher-end components like a strong VRM configuration and a good quality Audio Codec.
Pros:
- Full ATX with plenty of well-spaced PCIe slots.
- Great looking board with RGB and solid heatsinking, including both M.2 slots.
- Lots of Fan headers, with AIO pump, CPU, CPU Optional and 3 chassis fan headers for 6 total.
- High end S1220A Codec for audio.
- BIOS Flashback
- Six SATA slots.
- Strong VRM
Cons:
- Still only 2 M.2 slots
- No internal USB 3.2 gen 2 header.
- Hard to see the value at near $200
Conclusions:
Moving up to the higher end and a full ATX B550 motherboard, we come to the Asus B550-F ROG Strix Gaming. There’s a lot to like about this motherboard, not least the looks. However, we think it’s hard to find the value on offer here when you compare the specification to, for example, the MSI B550M Mortar you don’t really gain much. Multiple X1 PCIe slots are of limited value on a board that has WiFi inbuilt anyway. There’s still just 2 M.2 slots, and no internal USB 3.2 Gen 2. On the plus side, you get loads of Fan and RGB control options, heavy heatsinking, a great VRM – but remember you’re not buying any more performance with this board, every board here performs the same with a 5600X or 5800X. Overall, if you like the looks and features, and don’t mind the ROG Strix tax or slight compromises in the specification, this is a solid option and we’d recommend it for a showy 5600X or 5800X gaming build.
6. ASRock B550 PG Velocita – High-End Board
The ASRock B550 PG Velocita is a B550 chipset motherboard with a lot of features aimed at overclockers, but one glaring omission, so let’s take a closer look.
Pros:
- Full ATX format with good PCIe slot layout.
- Seven Fan/Pump headers, giving extensive cooling options
- Really nice LED highlights.
- Very strong VRM with 14 phase set up. You can maximise any Zen 3 CPU on this without concern.
- Excellent heatsinking with a heat pipe to spread heat load.
- Internal USB 3.2 gen 2 header.
- Good USB connectivity on rear I/O
- Wifi compatible M.2 slot and pre cut I/O plate antenna holes – you can add Wifi without using a PCIe or M.2 storage slot.
Mixed:
- Power and reset buttons – we found them helpful on our test bench, but how much are you really going to use them in a built PC?
- Fault code display could be a nice touch, but the code index is so generic and unhelpful that it’s really no more use than simple LED lights.
- Love it or hate it styling with red and grey accents.
Cons:
- No BIOS Flashback! An unforgivable sin, and this is the only board that required us to swap to a compatible CPU to update the BIOS and get it working with Ryzen 5000 CPUs.
- Only two storage M.2 slots.
- Expensive
- You’re not buying any extra performance
Conclusions:
This ASRock B550 PG Velocita is the B550 motherboard in this review that sparks the most mixed feelings for us. We really WANT to love it, but the overall impression is of a board that hasn’t been designed with actual use in mind. The most glaring issue is the lack of any means to perform a BIOS flash without an existing CPU. We bought this board at the start of summer 2021 and it wasn’t Ryzen 5000 ready – forcing us to use our Ryzen 3600 to update the BIOS. For a board aimed at enthusiasts, and when it’s available on boards at literally half the price, it’s just not acceptable not to include this feature.
The other ‘overclocking’ features really feel like they’ve been added for marketing, not with functionality in mind. The Power and reset buttons were nice whilst we tested this board, but useless if you intend on actually building a PC in a traditional case. Likewise the Numeric LED Fault code display COULD be really useful, but the codes are so cryptic and poorly explained in the manual or online that actually, they’re no more helpful than simple diagnostic LED’s pointing at a problem with the CPU or RAM for example. On the plus side, it’s got great water cooling and system fan flexibility, a good range of connectors, and a hugely capable VRM. That said, you’re not getting extra performance from an overkill VRM, and short of exotic cooling methods you won’t need the VRM on offer here even for a 5950X – the overclocking headroom just doesn’t exist. It’s also, in our opinion, a great looking board with some really nice RGB highlights around the IO panel heatsink. If you’re aware of the shortcomings, have a plan to get around the BIOS flash issue, and find this board at the right price (say under $200) then it makes a solid basis for a high-end B550 based PC build. Otherwise, we’d recommend the Asus B550-F ROG Strix Gaming WiFi which has more features at a lower price and doesn’t feel as quirky as the ASRock PG Velocita.
Closing Thoughts:
I hope you’ve found this article useful and that it has helped you decide which board is right for you. The nice thing with B550 Motherboards is that there are very few products to avoid – so long as you’re not shopping at the bargain basement they offer the same basic features and functionality as well as equivalent performance. When you’re looking to buy just ensure that the board has BIOS flashback functionality, and adequate slots and I/O for your needs. Also ensure that between the case and the motherboard, you’ve got the USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity that matches up, so you’re not left with dead USB-C slots on your case. Consider these points and you’ll have the foundation of a great system using the Ryzen 5600X or 5800X CPUs.