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Despite Intel achieving massive success with the Alder Lake CPU lineup and the Z690 chipset, Ryzen processors are still a pretty good choice for gamers and professionals alike. And the best chipset to pair the said Ryzen processors with is the mid-range B550. The B550 packs a lot of features, and it doesn’t have any jarring shortcomings compared to the high-end X570 chipset. You can also find the current mid-range Ryzen chipset on a massive number of motherboards, many of which sell at highly competitive prices. And if you want to find out more about motherboards and chipsets powering them, check out our motherboard section.
Below you’ll find the ultimate list that includes the best B550 motherboards you can buy right now. Considering that the B550 is a mid-range, mainstream choice, most models included in this list can be yours for less than what the cheapest X570 boards are selling for. With that said, we have included a couple of pricier options for people who want more out of their motherboard and for those thinking of assembling an SFF machine.
While you’re here, you should check out our ATX vs micro ATX vs Mini ITX motherboards comparison article. It’s a great source of info regarding mobo form factors. We also have a great piece discussing whether the motherboard matters for gaming. Now, let’s kick-start the list with the ultra-budget choice, perfect for HTPC and office builds.
Gigabyte B550M DS3H: Best cheap budget B550 motherboard
If you’re on a highly limited budget and want a decently capable motherboard, the Gigabyte B550M DS3H is one of the best choices on the market. This model nails the basics while being one of the cheapest B550 motherboards around.
The VRM has just five phases, so we wouldn’t advise coupling this board with CPUs such as the 5800X or better. On the other hand, this board is more than satisfactory for an APU such as the 5600G or a gaming CPU such as the 5600X. Memory support goes up to DDR4 4733 if you’re running Ryzen 5000 CPU or APU. Storage support is excellent for such an affordable model with four SATA III and two M.2 slots, one of which supports PCIe 4.0.
You also get two PCIe x16 slots. The first one works at full PCIe 4.0 x16 speed, while the second only supports PCIe 3.0 x4 mode. There’s also one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. The audio quality is nothing to write home about since the board’s equipped with an entry-level Realtek ALC 887 codec. On the rear I/O, you can find eight USB ports (4xUSB 3.2 5Gbps, 4xUSB 2.0), a gigabit LAN port, an antique PS/2 port, an equally ancient DVI-D port, one HDMI port, and three audio jacks.
When it comes to extra features, the Gigabyte B550M DS3H comes with a BIOS flash button. This is great to see in such a cheap motherboard. Do remember to look for the BIOS flash button on the lower right corner of the PCB and not on the rear I/O. The Gigabyte B550M DS3H offers a lot while being dirt cheap; it’s hands down the best ultra-budget B550 motherboard.
Many A520 motherboards are even more affordable and better suited for basic office builds, but if you need stuff like multiple M.2 slots and PCIe 4.0 support, the B550 is the way to go. If you don’t need advanced features to visit our list of the best A520 motherboards for a bunch of quality, budget-oriented mobo options.
MSI B550-A Pro: Best budget B550 motherboard
If you want a motherboard with capable VRM that can handle any Ryzen CPU you throw at it while still being one of the best budget B550 motherboards around, look no further than the MSI B550-A Pro. This is the best budget B550 motherboard at the moment, thanks to its surprisingly beefy, 10-phase VRM – you can pair it with the Ryzen 9 5950X without issues – combined with an excellent suite of features and highly competitive price. The sleek gray and black design with obsidian-like heatsinks doesn’t hurt the board either.
The board supports DDR4 memory up to 4800 MT/s, includes six SATA III ports and two M.2 slots, one of which is PCIe 4.0. The primary PCIe x16 slot is PCIe 4.0 compatible, while the secondary slot works at PCIe 3.0 x4 mode. You also get two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. MSI used Realtek ALC892/ALC897 codec for audio, a slight bump compared to the codec found on the Gigabyte B550M DS3H. Connectivity-wise, the B550-A Pro comes with a Gigabit LAN.
The rear I/O includes eight USB ports (1xUSB-C 10Gbps, 1xUSB 3.2 10Gbps, 2xUSB 3.2 5Gbps, 4xUSB 2.0), including one 10Gbps USB-C port, which is always great to see on such an affordable board. On top of that, you also get six audio jacks, an RJ-45 (LAN) port, an HDMI+DisplayPort combo, as well as a PS/2 port. The good news is that MSI put the BIOS flash button on the rear I/O. Aside from the BIOS flashback button, the B550-A Pro also comes with an internal USB-C front-panel connector and four debug LEDs. Overall, a fantastic package considering the price.
Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite: Best low mid-range B550 motherboard
The next entry on our list is just a bit pricier than the MSI B550-A Pro. The B550 Aorus Elite is the best low mid-range B550 motherboard you can find. Upgrades over the B550-A Pro include higher quality audio codec (ALC 1220 instead of the ALC892/ALC897), 2.5Gbps LAN connectivity, and 12-phase VRM. On the flip side, you’re losing debug LEDs as well as the front panel USB-C header.
The B550 Aorus Elite supports DDR4 memory up to 4733 MT/s; it has four SATA III ports and two M.2 slots (one is PCIe 4.0). Expansion slots include the main PCIe 4.0 x16 slot alongside two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots working at x2 and x1. The board also contains one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. The aforementioned 2.5Gbps LAN port is responsible for connectivity.
On the back, you can find eight USB ports (2xUSB 3.2 10Gbps, 4xUSB 3.2 5Gbps, 2xUSB 2.0), HDMI+DisplayPort combo, five audio jacks and a S/PDIF out, an RJ-45 port, and the BIOS flashback button. If you don’t care about the sound quality, aren’t interested in overclocking, and have regular internet speeds, we recommend getting the B550-A Pro over the B550 Aorus Elite.
MSI B550 Tomahawk: Best mid-range B550 motherboard
With a price around 20-30 percent higher than the B550 Aorus Elite is selling for, the B550 Tomahawk from MSI is the best mid-range B550 board. The B550 Tomahawk is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a capable and well-made B550 motherboard.
The board has superb build quality, is one of the most popular and highest-rated B550 models, and comes with an excellent selection of features. Upgrades over the previous two picks include RGB implementation, dual LAN (2.5Gb+1Gb), and higher build quality. The 10-phase 60A VRM is as good as the 12-phase 50A VRM found on the B550 Aorus Elite.
The board supports DDR5 memory up to 5100 MT/s. Storage options include six SATA III ports and two M.2 slots (one PCIe 4.0 and one PCIe 3.0). The B550 Tomahawk comes with three PCIe slots – one PCIe 4.0 x16, one PCIe 3.0 x16 working at x4, and one PCIe 3.0 x1. The rear I/O houses only six USB ports (1xUSB-C 3.2 10Gbps, 1xUSB 3.2 10Gbps, 2xUSB 3.2 5Gbps, 2xUSB 2.0), which is the biggest downside of this board. At least you get four high-speed USB ports.
Other ports you can find on the rear I/O include two RJ-45 ports, HDMI+DisplayPort combo, a PS/2 port, five audio jacks, a S/PDIF out, and a BIOS flashback button. The audio codec MSI decided to put on the B550 Tomahawk is the Realtek ALC 1220P. Other features worth mentioning include four debug LEDs, a front panel USB-C port, and six fan connectors. At the end of the day, the B550 Tomahawk is the best mid-range B550 motherboard. The only thing going against it is MSI’s illogical decision to equip it with just six USB ports.
ASUS ProArt B550-Creator: Best high-end B550 motherboard
Now, you don’t have any reason to get anything pricier than the B550 Tomahawk. If you need multiple PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, get an affordable X570 motherboard instead. However, if you’re okay with having only one PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot and need Thunderbolt connectivity, the ASUS ProArt B550-Creator is the best B550 motherboard for you.
Thunderbolt 4 connectivity alone makes it the best high-end B550 motherboard. On top of that, you also get a superb design, high-end audio and VRM (twelve 50A power stages), lots of extra features, and support for ECC memory.
The board supports unbuffered ECC DDR4 memory up to 4866 MT/s; it comes with four SATA III ports and two M.2 slots (1xPCIe 4.0, 1xPCIe 3.0). There are three PCIe x16 slots in total. Two of those are PCIe 4.0 x16 that work at PCIe 4.0 x8 mode if both are populated (nice to have if you’re using a high-def capture card). The third x16 slot works at PCIe 3.0 x4 mode. The board also houses two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots.
Connectivity options are superb, as long as you don’t need Wi-Fi. The board has dual gigabit LAN by Intel (2.5Gbps + 2.5Gbps). Great for users with NAS or home servers. The lack of Wi-Fi support is unfortunate but not a dealbreaker. The audio section is based on the Realtek S1220A codec augmented by an internal audio amp.
The rear I/O houses the two aforementioned Thunderbolt 4 ports as well as two USB 3.2 10Gbps, four USB 3.2 10Gbps, and two USB 2.0 ports. You also get a PS/2 port, two RJ-45 ports, HDMI+DisplayPort combo, Wi-Fi antennas, and a selection of audio ports alongside a S/PDIF out. Do note that the DisplayPort only supports input. Other notable features include debug LEDs, a BIOS flash button (on the rear I/O), and a front panel USB-C header.
ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus: Best micro-ATX B550 motherboard
The ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus is probably the best B550 motherboard for most users. It’s definitely the best micro ATX B550 motherboard. Don’t let the micro ATX form factor fool you; this motherboard is packed with features. The only downside is the lack of the front panel USB-C header. Other than that, you get a well-rounded product that doesn’t cost too much. The VRM has eight CPU phases by DrMOS and is good enough for any Ryzen CPU, even the 5950X.
The board can run DDR4 memory up to 4800 MT/s. Storage support includes four SATA III ports and two M.2 slots (1xPCIe 4.0; 1xPCIe 3.0). Aside from the main PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, the TUF Gaming B550M-Plus also packs a PCIe x16 slot working at x4 mode and a PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. The main connectivity option is 2.5Gbps LAN, but you can also get the AC version of the board with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.
The Realtek ALC S1200A codec is responsible for audio quality. On the rear, you can find eight USB ports (1xUSB-C 3.2 10Gbps; 1xUSB 3.2 10Gbps, 4xUSB 3.2 5Gbps; 2xUSB 2.0), an RJ-45 port, HDMI+DisplayPort combo, a PS/2 port, Wi-Fi antennas, five audio jacks + S/PDIF out, and the BIOS flashback button. Finally, the board comes with four debug LEDs. An almost complete package that costs noticeably less than the B550 Tomahawk. We can recommend this one even to users who aren’t looking for an mATX B550 motherboard.
ASUS ROG Strix B550-I Gaming: Best Mini-ITX B550 motherboard
Last but not least, we’ve come to the best Mini-ITX B550 motherboard. And the winner is the ASUS ROG Strix B550-I Gaming. This board has it all while commanding a slightly higher price than its direct competitors. And the higher price is worth paying for since this model includes features not found on the said competitors – a BIOS flashback button, which you don’t get on the ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ax. And a USB-C front header, not present on the Gigabyte B550I Aorus Pro AX. The ROG Strix B550-I Gaming also packs four debug LEDs, a unique feature for Mini-ITX B550 motherboards.
The VRM features eight 50A CPU phases that can easily run an overclocked 5950X. Next, DDR4 support goes up to 5000 MT/s. The ROG Strix B550-I Gaming houses four SATA III ports and two M.2 slots (1xPCIe 4.0; 1xPCIe 3.0), a common thing to see on higher-end ITX boards. Another standard for the ITX form factor is only one PCIe x16 slot, which supports PCIe 4.0 protocol. Connectivity-wise, you get a 2.5Gbps LAN and Wi-Fi 6 chip that also offers Bluetooth 5.1. The audio section is well made, with dual OP amps and Realtek S1220A codec.
Moving on to the rear I/O, we can see six USB ports, five of which support data transfer (1xUSB-C 3.2 10Gbps, 3xUSB 3.2 10Gbps, 1xUSB 2.0). The sixth USB port is a USB-C one used for audio. Next, we also see an RJ-45 port, three audio jacks, an HDMI+DisplayPort combo, Wi-Fi antennas, and a BIOS flashback button. Overall, the ASUS ROG Strix B550-I Gaming is chock-full of features; it’s definitely the best B550 ITX board. And it also has a price that’s easy to digest.
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