AMD 'paper launched' its B550 chipset motherboards alongside the Ryzen 3 3300X and Ryzen 3 3100 processors a fortnight ago. Now the long-awaited mainstream chipset upgrade has been launched by the usual partners, with physical product releases scheduled for 16th June. As a reminder, B550 is the current gen replacement for B450 and brings a number of upgrades compared to that platform, such as; PCIe 4.0, USB 3.2 support via the chipset, and dual-graphics support.
Don't be surprised if the new ranges of motherboards from the AMD partners don't stray very far from the previous gen designs (besides the extras the chipset supports). And it must be remembered that now it looks like you won't need to upgrade from the AMD 400 series chipsets for Zen 3 CPU support, unless you really want to. That is a recent roadmap policy change AMD issued in the wake of the Ryzen 3 3300X and Ryzen 3 3100 processors reviews.
Asus
Asus has unveiled its range of B550 boards which are packed with attractive features. All include PCIe 4.0 M.2 and 16x slots, WiFi 6 (on ROG boards), 2.5Gbps Ethernet and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C. Furthermore, the devices and components maker asserts that it has beefed up VRMs throughout the range, and the boards feature ProCool solid-pin connectors and increased DRAM speed. BIOS Flashback is provided for all the boards too.
Asus also wants to draw your attention to its AiMic Noise Cancelling technology on its new ROG and TUF boards, which was previously only a feature of high-end ROG Theta 7.1 and ROG Strix GO 2.4 headsets. This is now built into motherboards to provide clear and noise-cancelled, Ai-trained, mic audio.
Asus has listed 11 new B550 boards in its email to HEXUS but they aren't listed on the official website at the time of writing. More helpfully though, if you head on over to the Asus Edge Up blog it does have a lengthy set of details for each board. Sizes range from Mini-ITX, through MicroATX to ATX.
The new Asus boards span three families. The ROG Strix boards fill out the top end with top-notch features like efficient and cool-running VRMs, enhanced audio, and Ethernet and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity by way of Intel controllers. Additional premium touches include carefully diffused RGB LEDs, pre-mounted I/O shields, and ProCool power connectors. TUF Gaming boards blend high-end features with a battle-tested, reliable, and attainable package. Finally, the Prime series rolls up all the features needed for all-around builds.
Gigabyte / Aorus
Gigabyte / Aorus B550 motherboards include the standard chipset goodies but adds special sauce by the way of up to Direct 16 phases of digital power design, with advanced thermal solutions, feature-rich I/O with a pre-installed I/O shield, the latest wireless connection, and Ultra Durable technology.
You can read more about the headlining introductions to the Gigabyte / Aorus B550 motherboards via the official news blog post and Gigabyte has already put up individual product pages for your perusal. I've linked the pages for the five new B550 motherboards in a bullet point list below.
MSI
MSI has rustled up 10 new AMD B550 chipset based motherboards. These add to the firm's existing MPG Gaming, MAG Tomahawk, MAG Mortar, MAG Bazooka, and Pro ranges. Again they deliver the key attractions of an AMD 500 series chipset to the mainstream - but this time with MSI tech sauce ladled on top.
Like the other motherboard makers MSI includes 'aggressive' VRM power designs (up to 21 + 2 + 1). Advanced thermal solutions using materials like copper, thermal chokes, aluminium fins and heatsinks, plus shielding is applied to the designs. MSI has implemented aRGB interfaces, USB Type-C front connectors, and easy BIOS management features to help make its offering stand out.
If you are interested in learning more about MSI's B550 offerings you will be glad to know that it has already listed most of its new boards. When I checked some of the pages seemed to be under construction though (using old product details for example).
Please watch out for upcoming HEXUS reviews and motherboard press releases.
