The AMD B550 Motherboard Overview: ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, ASRock, and Others
by Dr. Ian Cutress & Gavin Bonshor on June 16, 2020 11:00 AM ESTASRock B550 Pro4
The B550 Pro4 is a more cost-down version of the Extreme4, where we replace features like the 2.5 gigabit Ethernet with single gigabit Ethernet, as well as reduce the number of power phases and such. Because Pro4 is a different line to Extreme4, there’s also a major overhaul in the styling.
In this instance the power delivery is all situated on the left hand side, with a single heatsink and a shortened rear panel cover that doesn’t cover all the rear panel segments. The socket area is a little busy, with ASRock going for a mix of angles here, so it’s hard to make out but there are three 4-pin headers around the socket, while the CPU is powered by an 8-pin and a 4-pin.
The DRAM slots are still single sided latch designs, and on the right hand side of the board we get an RGB header, the 24-pin ATX connector, a USB 3.0 header, and six SATA ports. Underneath the SATA ports are some built in RGB LEDs.
Unlike some of the other ASRock boards, because Pro4 is a more cost down model, the chipset heatsink is smaller than most. There is an M.2 heatsink, but it’s not attached to the chipset heatsink and sits on its own, but covers the PCIe 4.0 x4 slot from the CPU. There is another M.2 slot below the chipset heatsink, and this is a PCIe 3.0 x2 slot from the chipset. For the PCIe slots, the top slot is a reinforced PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, while the second full-length slot is a PCIe 3.0 x4 from the chipset.
For the rear panel, we get a combination PS/2 port, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, an analog D-Sub port, a HDMI port, space for Wi-Fi antenna, a Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, a Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, gigabit Ethernet via a Realtek RTL8111H controller, and audio jacks from a Realtek ALC1200 design.
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Ghan - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
Right now, it seems more like B for Backordered. They may be priced a bit high, but the demand still seems to be there.yannigr2 - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
This is a great article but it needs a follow up with a table for every motherboard explaining how they use the PCIe lanes in conjunction with M2 and SATA slots. It seems that motherboard makers are totally f up(sorry for the expression) the more reasonably priced models in that area.romrunning - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
Does anyone know if the boards that have the Intel i225-V are shipping with the fixed hardware (v2)?R3MF - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
+1mooninite - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
Wow, another broken Intel NIC? I wish motherboards would stop using Intel NICs.mooninite - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
After Googling it looks like v2 is not fixed either... a v3 is coming out. Time to buy Realtek.romrunning - Wednesday, June 17, 2020 - link
Which is hilarious - I remember when Realtek was the worst when it came to NICs, and Intel/3Com was the standard. :)WaltC - Wednesday, June 17, 2020 - link
Yes, indeed...;) My x570 Master has an Intel gigabit & a realtek 2.5gb. It's amusing because my interface is an EWAN that tops out at 1Gb, but I thought I'd try the realtek just to see and then I forgot about it...;)...Seems every bit as stable as the Intel--still on it, lol...;) Six of one, half-dozen of another.eastcoast_pete - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
Thanks Ian and Gavin! One question, related to a likely use case for B550 mini ITX or mATX Boards: is it true that AMD will, at least initially, limit Ryzen 4000 APUs to OEMs? If that is so, I am definitely not interested in a B550 board in those form factors, and I don't think I am alone here. An answer is appreciated - thanks!mrvco - Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - link
I'm just here for the Next mini-ITX boards. I'm liking the Aorus Pro AX quite a bit.