AMD took its time with the B550 mainboards. The 500 series was only available with the more expensive and, at that time, often actively cooled X570 boards for a long time. As an alternative, many B450/X470 mainboards and even some B350/X370 boards can be equipped with the Ryzen 3000 Zen2 processors, but these do not support PCIe 4.0.
Ryzen 5000 doesn’t work with 300-series chips, but it does work with many 400-series boards that are already equipped with suitable UEFI updates. Even more, B3x0 boards have been made fit for Zen3 by AMD. This article will introduce the best motherboards for AMD Ryzen with B550 and X570 chipset; stay tuned.
B550 vs X570 – which board is right for me?
Not that different: the advantages of the boards with X570 are primarily the amount of available fourth-generation PCIe lanes – mostly, you get one M.2 slot with 4x PCIe Gen4 more than with B550. The drawback of early X570 boards, which was that a small fan had to cool the chipset, is no longer one: new boards (and all those with X570S in the name) use only the usual passive cooling.
The B550 and X570 have also converged in terms of price. However, on a certain price level: entry-level boards tend to use B550 and high-end boards X570. Those who want to buy a well-equipped motherboard given the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D coming out in April won’t go wrong with X570(S). After all, one can never have enough memory and upgrade options.
PCIe 4.0 for the midrange with restrictions
B550 – almost the same equipment as X570: For a lower price, B550 does offer a bit fewer features, but it delivers an excellent overall package not only for the mid-range. The price is also part of it, and it is pleasantly low with prices below 100 Euros. However, the X570 only offers full features.
The drawback of B550: the biggest restriction compared to X570 is the lower number of supported PCIe 4.0 lanes. B550 itself does not offer additional PCIe 4.0 connections, but it forwards the ones present in the Zen CPUs to a graphics card and an M.2 slot.
What about the future? Intel has already started the DDR5 era, and AMD has corresponding CPUs in preparation. Except for the Zen3 conclusion in the form of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D with a huge 96 MB cache, which is still released for AM4, AM4 will be over later in the year.
Also Read:
- 2022 CPU Buying Guide: AMD vs Intel Comparison
- 2022 Xiaomi Mobile Ranking: Best Options From $200 to $500
Best AMD Ryzen Motherboards for Gamers
Now that you have a better understanding of the chipsets and know some pros and cons of them, in the following we are going to introduce the best AMD Ryzen mainboards for gamers; stay tuned.
Entry-level: Gigabyte B550 DS3H
- Price: approx. $95
Narrow circuit mainboard for little money: The Gigabyte B550 DS3H’s Micro-ATX format is well suited for smaller computers with space-saving cases yet still offers good equipment at a low price. PCIe 4.0 has not been available for less than 100 Euros, X570 cards are more expensive, and Intel does not yet support the fast standard.
Lots of memory slots: Despite the price, B550 DS3H offers four RAM slots (the only 10 euro cheaper B550 S2H has only two of them) and two M.2 slots (B550 S2H: 1x M.2) for up to 128 gigabytes of DDR4. For the additional memory slots alone, we would invest the surcharge. M.2 is connected with PCIe 4.0, just like the upper 16x PCIe slot. 2.5 Gigabit LAN is not available, though. For the time being, gigabit LAN still prevails in this price range.
Pros
- low price
- solid bread-and-butter board
- good for smaller cases (mATX)
Cons
- only Gigabit LAN
- no WLAN
- low connectivity
Price-performance tip: Gigabyte B550 Gaming X
- Price: approx. $120
It has everything a motherboard needs: Although Gigabyte does without some features of the higher motherboard class, such as 2.5 GBit LAN or WiFi6, it otherwise offers a high-quality motherboard. The top PCIe port supports PCIe 4.0 with 16 lanes, the lower PCIe 3.0 with 4 slots is B550 standard. Also standard is the connection of the upper M.2 slot with 4x PCIe 4.0 for fast NVMe SSDs, and the second M.2 interface speaks either SATA or NVMe with PCIe 3.0.
The Gigabyte B550 Gaming X offers a power supply with 10+2 phases and a good cooling of the voltage converters for the price range. This allows the use of the large Ryzen 9 CPUs without any problems and even with OC. However, the onboard sound based on Realtek ALC887 only belongs to the mid-range.
Pros
- Reasonable mid-range equipment
- 2x M.2, 1x of which with PCIe 4.0
- Good power supply
Cons
- Only Gigabit LAN
- No integrated WLAN
- Sound chip only solid mid-range
With WiFi: MSI MAG B550M Mortar WiFi
- Price: approx. $160
Cordless and high-speed LAN: AMD offers more features for the money, but our Intel tip for LGA1200 with WiFi onboard has to do without 2.5 GBit LAN. MSI offers the fast network standard and WiFi6, previously IEEE802.ax, on the board simultaneously. Therefore, due to its compact dimensions, the micro-ATX board is well suited for multimedia mini-computers.
Excellent voltage converter cooling and features: thanks to a well-thought-out cooling solution for the VRMs as well as 8+2+1 phases, Mortar WiFi (as well as its cheaper offshoot Mortar without WiFi) is suitable for the larger Ryzen processors and overclocking attempts. The memory is clockable up to 4800 MHz via OC profile fits into four RAM slots. The x16 slot and an M.2 with PCIe 4.0 are B550 standard, but Realtek’s ALC1200 sound chip belongs to the upper class.
WiFi only slightly more expensive: The difference in price between the Mortar and Mortar WiFi is sometimes only 5 Euros (depending on the retailer and the offer situation). At this minimal surcharge, we recommend picking up the WiFi version, especially if you don’t need the wireless features for the time being.
Pros
- Integrated AX-WLAN and Bluetooth
- 5 Gigabit LAN
- High-quality voltage converter
- Good onboard sound
Cons
- Connection variety only average
- Mortar without WLAN doesn’t offer a price advantage
Round equipment: Asus TUF Gaming B550-Plus
- Price: approx. $165
All-rounder with good equipment: Asus’ TUF series is priced below the boards of the ROG Strix label. Although you will have to make some minor compromises in terms of equipment, these should hardly be noticed by most users. Asus enables the DDR4 memory for up to 4800 MHz (via OC) in the TUF Gaming B550-Plus, while the ROG Strix B550 Gaming offers up to 5100 MHz and more.
The PCIe lane distribution for the x16 slots is also different, which complies with the B550 standard in the TUF Gaming B550-Plus: the upper slot is connected with PCIe 4.0 16x, and the lower slot with PCIe 3.0 4x. Probably only rarely a problem in times of dwindling importance of multi-GPU systems.
Fast network: the Realtek LAN chip can transfer 2.5 Gigabit per second, provided a corresponding switch and suitable remote stations. Part of the onboard upper class is the ALC1200 sound chip. Rare in AMD’s lineup: the TUF Gaming B550-Plus has a header for a Thunderbolt output.
If you want to use a Ryzen 9, you will find the right support with the DR.MOS voltage converters in 8+2 phase design and good cooling. Even with overclocking, the voltage supply won’t throttle you.
Pros
- good connectivity
- nevertheless comparatively cheap
- High-quality voltage converters and cooling
- 5 GBit LAN
Cons
- No WLAN
B550 upper class: ASRock B550 Extreme 4
- Price: approx. $210
No weaknesses: ASRock proves a good hand with the equipment of the B550 Extreme 4 and treats the Extreme 4 to a lot of luxury without taking off in price. ASRock’s top model, B550 Taichi, has an even better power supply, but the price is considerably higher in return.
Still, we cannot complain; although the Taichi uses the higher quality components, even the Extreme 4 offers a 14-phase design and large heatsinks for the voltage converters, so you don’t have to worry about the proper power supply for your CPU or RAM. ASRock releases the DDR4 RAM for up to 4,733 MHz, a good value for fans of fast memory modules.
A good configuration: PCIe 4.0 for the upper PCIe 16x slot and an M.2 drive, 2.5 GBit LAN and the ALC1200 sound chip from Realtek are also present. 2x USB 3.2 Type-C are also present, one of which is 10 Gigabit/sec.
Pros
- Above-average power supply
- 5 gigabyte LAN
- High-quality onboard sound
Cons
- not quite cheap
Luxury board despite B550: Asus ROG Strix B550-E Gaming
- Price: approx. $230
Alternative to X570: Asus’ ROG Strix B550-E Gaming is the most expensive and best-equipped Asus mainboard for AMD’s new mid-range chipset – Crosshair range is reserved for X570 and other chips awarded as high-end. The variety of interfaces is appropriate for the price range; two USB 3.2 Gen2 with 10 GBit/s and two USB 3.2 Gen1 with 5 GBit/s are available.
Dual PCI-E 16x with PCIe 4.0: When two x16 cards are installed, then the board doesn’t only enable PCIe 4.0 on the top card, as often happens with B550 boards, but rather on both. Since even Asus can’t do witching, there are no more slots available than on other boards – therefore, the Asus only uses 8 PCIe lanes each. This doesn’t offer any speed advantages over PCIe 3.0 x16, but the possibility to use PCIe 4.0 in SLI or Crossfire, which B550 supports. If only one graphics card is installed, the top slot runs as usual with PCIe 4.0 x16.
Voltage converter focus: Asus equips the ROG Strix B550-E Gaming with a high-quality power supply with DRMOS voltage converters and a 14+2 phase design. Your Ryzen 9 will therefore feel just as comfortable as smaller CPUs. Connectivity is also top-notch with WiFi6 and 2.5 Gbit LAN.
Pros
- Excellent power supply
- 5 Gigabit LAN and WLAN
- Good connectivity
- High-quality onboard sound
Cons
- Expensive
- maximum memory clock only average
Upscale equipment with X570: Gigabyte X570S Aorus Pro AX
- Price: approx. $300
The all-around happy board: Thanks to the X570 chipset, Aorus Pro AX offers enough PCIe Gen4 lanes to connect two M.2 slots. Additionally, there is a third that uses PCIe Gen3. S in the name stands for silent – this chipset does not need a fan, which is common for old X570 boards.
WiFi6 included: A module for WLAN reception according to WiFI6 (802.11ax) is also integrated on the board with high data rates and integrated Bluetooth. Even if you prefer to use the (2.5 GBit) LAN for latency reasons: Integrated Bluetooth is already practical for wireless controllers.
Give the Ryzen 7 5800X3D a leg up, too: with good equipment and high-quality and well-cooled voltage converters, this board is also fit for AMD’s latest blow against Intel with an AM4 processor. AMD’s 5800X3D relies on a stacked cache on the processor to overtake Intel’s Core i9-12900K (AMD shows self-confidence).
Pros
WiFi6, Bluetooth and 2.5 GBit LAN
3x M.2, 2x of which with PCIe 4.0
Good power supply
Cons
- Price
X570S upper class: MSI MEG X570S Ace Max
- Price: approx. $500
Maximal storage: Although the price of the MSI board turns out to be very high, the manufacturer delivers features as a counter value. For example, MSI installs four M.2 slots with PCIe Gen4 connection in the Ace Max. A PCIe adapter card for another 2x M.2 with PCIe Gen4 is also included in the package. Not all comparably priced boards for Intel’s Alder Lake offer such a configuration.
Fast RAM speeds are possible: The UEFI of the motherboard supports A-XMP profiles with up to 5,300 MHz DDR4 clock, which means that fans of fast memory bars will get their money’s worth. Thanks to good voltage converters and suitable cooling, nothing stands in the way of OCing the CPU.
Good audio solution: a Realtek ALC4082 is used together with the ESS Sabre DAC for the onboard sound. Sound-wise on a high level and also well suited for connecting headphones. The old onboard sound legends of noisy sound and too quiet headphones no longer apply here.
Pros
- 4x M.2 PCIe Gen4
- 2x M.2 PCIe Gen4 as an expansion card
- Good power supply
- high-quality onboard sound
Cons
- Price
Fit for Ryzen 5000, limited budget
Easy upgrade: The Ryzen 5000 has been on the market for a while and meets a suitable partner with B550 mainboards. Many boards are sufficiently equipped with voltage converters, even for Ryzen 9 with 12 or 16 cores, and even if you want to overclock. If the prices of the current Zen CPUs are still too high for you, then a Ryzen from the 3000 series will also work in the motherboards.
No picture without at least Ryzen 3000: B550 can only be equipped with Zen2 and subsequent CPUs. Popular CPUs like the Ryzen 5 2600 or a Ryzen 7 1800 fit into the socket but are often not supported by the UEFI. The reason for this, says AMD, might be the limited memory space in the UEFI, which cannot hold the support of so many different CPUs.
Finally, quite fresh on the market are (finally) APUs with Zen3 internals and Vega GPU. The Ryzen 5 5600G or Ryzen 7 5700G can be used for a bit of gaming without a currently overpriced dedicated graphics card – but don’t expect any graphics miracles.
3D V-RAM: For the upcoming Ryzen 7, 5800X3D with 96 megabytes of L3 cache, B550 boards are suitable. The big cache memory will make Zen3 competitive to Intel’s new Alder Lake CPUs once again; rumors are about a performance at least partially equal to the Core i9-12900K. However, the AM5 platform with DDR5 and presumably even faster CPUs will be available only a few months later, so you should carefully consider whether you should wait a bit longer.
