The AMD B550 Motherboard Overview: ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, ASRock, and Others
by Dr. Ian Cutress & Gavin Bonshor on June 16, 2020 11:00 AM ESTGIGABYTE B550M Aorus Elite
Opting for a simplistic design and functional set of features is the GIGABYTE B550M Aorus Elite which is reminiscent of its larger ATX sized counterpart, the B550 Aorus Elite. Slotting in behind the Pro models in its product stack, GIGABYTE has equipped it with two M.2 slots, four SATA ports, support for DDR4-4733 and a Realtek Gigabit Ethernet controller.
Set upon a black and grey patterned PCB, the GIGABYTE B550M Aorus Elite includes two full-length slots which operate at PCIe 4.0 x16 and PCIe 3.0 x4, with an additional PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. For storage, GIGABYTE has included two M.2 slots with one with support for PCIe 4.0 x4 drives, while the other slot runs at PCIe 3.0 x4. For SATA devices, there are four SATA ports with support for RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays. Users can install up to 128 GB of DDR4-4733 memory across four memory slots. Compared to GIGABYTE's premium models, the B550M Aorus Elite has a more modest 5+3 phase power delivery, which draws power from a sing
The rear panel includes four USB 3.2 G1 and four USB 2.0 ports, and a PS/2 keyboard and mouse combination port. Featured is a pair of video outputs including a DVI-D and HDMI port, with three 3.5 mm audio jacks powered by a budget Realtek ALC887 audio codec, and a single RJ45 port driven by a Realtek based Gigabit Ethernet controller.
The GIGABYTE B550M Aorus Elite has no USB 3.2 G2 connectivity, nor does it feature any Type-C ports, but it is one of the cheaper B550 models with an MSRP of $109. With a Realtek Gigabit and ALC887 HD audio codec pairing, it represents an entry-level model of current times with budget the main focus, while still benefiting from PCIe 4.0 through the top full-length slot and CPU driven PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot.
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Makaveli - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
Replace AMD in your sentence with motherboard makers AMD it not setting the price for them. Looking at list of boards here is seems most of them added features just to jack the prices up.WaltC - Wednesday, June 17, 2020 - link
Yep, price is all down to the mboard OEMs.sing_electric - Thursday, June 18, 2020 - link
On one hand, you're right, on the other, AMD provides the chipset and specifications, and the fact that NO OEMs seem to be able to make cheap boards suggests that there's challenges with meeting the spec at a certain budget._cracken - Wednesday, October 28, 2020 - link
No you are wrong on both hands. AMD does not deliver chipsets for B550, it is made by asmedia.Irata - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
Well, the cheapest board starts at $95, there are still plenty cheap B450 boards around and there will be B520 soon.As for OEM, I am sure they will have boards built based on their requirements.
I am curious to see what will happen to mainboard prices in a few months and if there will be additional / improved entry level options like for X570.
Chaitanya - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
B550 has better connectivity than X470 with excellent VRM to boot._espo - Wednesday, July 1, 2020 - link
U have to understand amd didnt fuck up.motherboard companys didnt too because theres thing like covid and mb are made in china soIts more expensive to them now.And they have less stock and they still have to make money
Desierz - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
Article refers to AMD's SMT as hyperthreading. I think hyperthreading is an Intel specific term.WaltC - Wednesday, June 17, 2020 - link
Intel has no objection to AMD using the phrase...;)MB-Guru - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
I would like to purchase this MB. Which Reputable Vendor is selling this Gigabyte B550 vision D right now? Does anyone know? Thanks !