Analyzing B450 for AMD Ryzen: A Quick Look at 25+ Motherboards
by Gavin Bonshor on July 31, 2018 8:00 AM ESTMSI B450M Pro-M2 and B450M Pro-VDH
Last up from MSI is a pair of microATX motherboards from the Pro series of motherboards, the B450M Pro-M2 and B450M Pro-VDH. Both models share the same black PCB with brownish traces and tracks, while the B450M Pro-VDH makes use of a heatsink on the CPU section of the power delivery, whereas the B450M Pro-M2 omits power delivery heatsinks completely. Both have a square black metallic chipset heatsink with a fin array.
MSI B450M Pro-VDH (left) and MSI B450M Pro-M2 (right)
Both models have a full-length PCIe 3.0 x16 slot with both featuring metal reinforcement; the B450M Pro-VDH having the most predominant looking of the two. Also included on both is a pair of PCIe 2.0 x1 slots for expansion cards. The Pro series microATX pairing have four RAM slots supporting up to DDR4-3466 memory and have the ability to support up to 64 GB. ECC and non-ECC modules are both supported, albeit with installed ECC memory operating in non-ECC mode.
Storage wise, both boards have a total of four SATA 6 Gbps ports with the ports on the B450M Pro-M2 all featuring straight angled connectors, and the B450M Pro-VDH having two right-angled and two straight angled connectors. Both models have a single M.2 slot capable of supporting both PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA M.2 2280 (22 x 80 mm) SSDs.
While both virtually identical in terms of overall specifications, the main difference comes on the rear panel. Both feature four USB 3.1 5 Gbps Type-A ports and two USB 2.0 ports; the B450M Pro-VDH has an additional two USB 2.0 ports giving it a total of four. Both boards have DVI-D and HDMI 1.4 video outputs, as well as a PS/2 keyboard and mouse combo port. The three 3.5 mm audio jacks on the B450M Pro-M2 is provided thanks to a Realtek ALC887 audio codec, whereas the B450M Pro-VDH utilizes a slightly more premium Realtek ALC892 codec. The LAN ports on both models are controlled by a Realtek 8111H Gigabit LAN controller.
Users looking to make the most of their new Ryzen 1st or 2nd generation processors, or even one of the Ryzen APUs with integrated Vega graphics cores without all the gaming-themed stylings and RGB could potentially save a bit of budget by opting for a Pro series board. While pricing hasn’t been unveiled as of yet, the B450M Pro-VDH is likely to cost a little bit more than the B450M Pro-M2 which is set to retail for $69.99 due to a slightly higher-grade audio codec and the M2 having no power delivery heatsinks supplied.
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tonecas1 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Asus Prime 450M-K has only 4 Sata ports, audio is Realtek’s ALC887 only, and memory support goes to 3466 (OC)tonecas1 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Asus Prime 450M-K has 2 PCIe 2.0x1 and 1 PCIe 3.0 x16 by CPU supporttonecas1 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
MSI B450M Pro-M2 only supports 2x DIMM slotstonecas1 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
ASRock B450M Pro4 is not a 6+3 power system but a 3+3. You have to remove the heat sink to see the MOSFET Hi and Lo combos and IC controlersQuarterPunder - Tuesday, March 5, 2019 - link
So if i buy this motherboard do i still need to buy a wifi card/Bluetooth receptor???msroadkill612 - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - link
"Strix B450-F Gaming ..... Also present is a duo of M.2 slots with both having support for PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 drives, while the top slot which supports both PCIe and SATA drives up to a size of M.2 2280 (22 x 80 mm), the bottom slot only supports PCIe 3.0 x4 drives with a sizing up to M.2 22110 (22 x 110 mm)."ALARMINGLY WRONG!
Newegg:
"AMD Ryzen 2nd Generation / Ryzen 1st Generation Processors: *
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x4 mode)**
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (PCIE 3.0 x4 mode)***"
msroadkill612 - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - link
edit - to remove any doubt - in full, the specs are:"AMD Ryzen 2nd Generation / Ryzen 1st Generation Processors: *
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x4 mode)**
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (PCIE 3.0 x4 mode)***
AMD Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics Processor: *
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x4 mode)**
* Support StoreMI and NVMe RAID.
** When the M.2_1 Socket 3 is operating in SATA or PCIE mode, SATA6G_5/6 ports will be disabled.
*** When the M.2_2 is occupied by M.2 device, PCIe x16_1 will run at x8 mode."
g0rnex - Sunday, June 23, 2019 - link
I run windows from external SSD so I need fast USB ports for it to run smooth. Can I replace the USB ports by 3.2 gen2 when needed?g0rnex - Sunday, June 23, 2019 - link
I run win10 from an external SSD. for that I need a fast USB connection for windows to run smooth.Would it be possible to change the USB ports in the future? OR even now already by a 3.2 gen2. Or wouldn't replacing the ports speed up my connection with the external SSD?
Also I would like a good bluetooth connection. Do I need to use an adapter?
looking into making this build:
https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/hXzKHx/entry-level-...
GayCock69 - Monday, August 19, 2019 - link
ryzen 3700x + aorus pro wifi b450 + radeon rx5700xt, will it work optimally?