In this guide, I will round up the best B550 motherboards for ATX, M-ATX, and Mini-ITX PC builds. They all come with PCIe 4.0 support among other advanced functionalities to future-proof your build.
Best B550 Motherboards in 2022
How to Choose the Best B550 Motherboard – Buyer’s Guide
The AMD B550 chipset brings PCIe 4.0 support for M.2 SSD and GPU at affordable prices. It offers a great price-to-performance ratio. This has allowed it to become the sweet spot between the affordable B450 and the high-end X570. With B550, you also get dual-GPU support and double the bandwidth of the board’s general-purpose PCIe lanes from 2.0 to 3.0. However, it’s worth noting that, for gamers, dual-GPU support has gained less appeal in recent years.
Things to Consider When Buying a B550 Motherboard
Regardless of the B550 motherboard you choose, you will get PCIe 4.0 support for a single M.2 SSD and GPU.
Form Factor
Most likely, you will be building an ATX rig, and therefore, you should get an ATX B550 motherboard. But don’t forget that there are some great Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX B550 boards for compact builds. The main benefit of getting a larger, ATX, motherboard is the extra features that come with it. Remember, even the most affordable B550 ATX boards include useful features like more USB ports, more PCIe slots, and larger heatsinks.
Power Delivery
Power delivery comes into play for gamers who want to overclock their PC for the best gaming experience. To enjoy stability and reliability while overclocking, you should get a board with a good power delivery system.
Advanced Features
The B550 motherboards come with an AM4 socket that fits AMD Ryzen CPUs. As such, this won’t be a deciding factor when choosing the board. That said, some B550 motherboards come with extra, advanced features that are worth considering.Such features include WiFi 6, Bluetooth, and onboard 2.5Gb LAN for ultra-fast connectivity. And with the premium B550 motherboards, you will also get more ports and headers, some actually rival some X570 motherboards.
Price
Price is an important aspect of any PC component, especially now that the prices of such parts are highly skyrocketing. Luckily, you can easily get some reasonably priced B550 motherboards that still afford to pack great features for the best performance.If you are on a budget, you should consider the low-end B550 boards. But with these, you will have to trade some extra features like WiFi and ports. Yet, the high-end motherboards will include other advanced features like Thunderbolt 4.
MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WiFi – Best Overall
The MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WiFi is an impressively powerful gaming motherboard with the latest Gen 4 PCI-E and M.2 support. It’s made of extremely premium materials to assure you of reliability and performance.
Form Factor: ATX Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD B550 Chipset Memory Support: 4 x DDR4, Max. 128GB Expansion Slots: 1x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 2x PCIe 3.0 x1 Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 & Bluetooth 5.2 M.2: 2x M.2
The board features active cooling for the chipset and M.2 socket. And you also get the MSI exclusive Core Boost Technology. If you are looking for an ATX home for your Ryzen 5000 processor, this board makes the best fit.My favorite feature is the PCIe Steel Armor that protects your GPU against bending and EMI. The design offers better performance, stability, and strength.With the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WiFi, you get plenty of connectivity options on top of the onboard WiFi and Bluetooth. They include an HDMI port, S/PDIF output, 5-plug analog, and 13 USB ports.
ASUS ROG Strix B550-E Gaming – Best Alternative
The Asus ROG Strix B550-E Gaming comes with a great set of features that allows it to compete with the high-end X570 motherboards. It’s a premium board with a solid build quality that has been designed to offer you an unmatched gaming performance.
Form Factor: ATX Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD B550 Chipset Memory Support: 4 x DDR4, Max. 128GB Expansion Slots: 2x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 2x PCIe 3.0 x1 Wireless: WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.1 M.2: 2x M.2
It features the 14+2 DrMOS power phase design which provides for stable power delivery to the build. The power design assures you of stability even when you push your rig’s CPU and components beyond the speeds advertised.My favorite feature is its excellent BIOS interface. It has been fine-tuned to a user-friendly design to suit both entry-level and experienced gaming enthusiasts. And for the best gaming experience, you also get Intel Wi-Fi 6, 2.5Gb LAN, and Bluetooth v5.1!
Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi – Best Value
The Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi is a much affordable variant of the Asus ROG Strix B550-E Gaming. Yet it still comes with WiFi 6, 2.5Gb LAN, and the same SupremeFX Audio.
Form Factor: ATX Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD B550 Chipset Memory Support: 4 x DDR4, Max. 128GB Expansion Slots: 1x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 3x PCIe 3.0 x1 Wireless: WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.1 M.2: 2x M.2
So, why the huge price difference, you might wonder! Well, unlike B550-E, the PCIe configuration of the B550-F is a simple PCIe 4.0 x16 rather than a bifurcated design. It also uses 12+2 power phases for the CPU rather than 14+2. Still, you’ll also lose a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port on the rear panel when you get the B550-F. That explains why it’s much cheaper than the B550-E, which is a high-end variant.
MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK – Best Budget
The MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK is an excellent board for gamers who want complete control over their build. Yet, despite its budget price tag, it is designed for stable performance, sturdiness, and durability.
Form Factor: ATX Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD B550 Chipset Memory Support: 4 x DDR4, Max. 128GB Expansion Slots: 1x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 2x PCIe 3.0 x1 Wireless: No WiFi M.2: 2x M.2
Like all the MAG series motherboards, the MAG B550 TOMAHAWK is focused on offering the best user experience. It delivers this with its friendly user interface that makes it a perfect choice for entry-level gamers. It also packs some of the premium features you would get with the top-end MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WiFi. These features include Core Boost Technology, M.2 Shield Frozr, PCIe Steel Armor, and MSI extended heatsink.
NZXT N7 B550 – Best Design
The NZXT N7 B550 is probably the best B550 motherboard when it comes to design sleekness and build quality. It comes with impressive features like Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, 2.5 Gb LAN, 6 x SATA III, and 2 x M.2 SSDs.
Form Factor: ATX Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD B550 Chipset Memory Support: 4 x DDR4, Max. 128GB Expansion Slots: 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E & Bluetooth 5.2 M.2: 2x M.2
You also get 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode), and 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. Yet, my favorite feature is its 12+2(+2) DrMOS power design. It’s such an excellent power design, especially when overclocking power-hungry processors. What’s more, it also packs plenty of RGB and fan headers, which make it ideal for building powerful future-proofed gaming rigs. And you can mod or paint its metal shroud to your linking.
Gigabyte B550M DS3H (M-ATX) – Best Under $100
The Gigabyte B550M DS3H is a super affordable Micro-ATX motherboard, which makes it ideal for smaller tower cases. It offers decent performance and a great set of features making it the best M-ATX B550 board for a budget build.
Form Factor: Micro ATX Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD B550 Chipset Memory Support: 4 x DDR4, Max. 128GB Expansion Slots: 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode), 1 x PCIe 3.0 x1 Wireless: No WiFi M.2: 2x M.2
You get two M.2 slots, four SATA III, and four DDR4 slots that support up to 128GB of dual-channel RAM. Its other features include Realtek Gigabit Ethernet, Gigabyte Q-Flash Plus, and support for Realtek 7.1-channel audio and RGB Fusion 2.0.With the Gigabyte Q-Flash Plus, updating the BIOS is made easy! You don’t need to install the PC components like CPU, RAM, or GPU. All you need is to download and save the new BIOS file in a USB flash drive, then press the Q-Flash Plus button.
ASRock B550 Taichi – Best Stylish/Premium-Feel
It would be unjust to do a B550 chipset roundup without featuring the ASRock B550 Taichi motherboard. For starters, it comes in a stylish black and gold design that would appeal to enthusiasts who want to build a rig around this theme.
Form Factor: ATX Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD B550 Chipset Memory Support: 4 x DDR4, Max. 128GB Expansion Slots: 3 PCIe 4.0/3.0×16, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1 Wireless: WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.2 M.2: 2x M.2
Yet, this board isn’t just all about style! My favorite feature is the 14+2 DrMOS power phase design that delivers stable power to the CPU and other PC components. That’s especially when overclocking for the best gaming experience.Its other integrated features include Wi-Fi 6, 2.5Gb LAN, and RGB connectivity. You also get to enjoy the solid ASRock BIOS experience.
ASUS ProArt B550-Creator – Best for Content
Most of the above boards will appeal to gamers and for general-use PC builds. But the ASUS ProArt B550-Creator was designed with content creators in mind! It offers robust power delivery and unmatched cooling to handle the latest AMD Ryzen™ processors.
Form Factor: ATX Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD B550 Chipset Memory Support: 4 x DDR4, Max. 128GB Expansion Slots: 2 x PCIe 4.0/3.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 Wireless: No WiFi M.2: 2x M.2
Among its notable features include dual M.2 connectors, dual 2.5 GbE, and eight USB ports on the rear including two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C. If you would make use of fast ethernet and Thunderbolt 4 either for ultra-fast transfer or enhanced video output, then you should get this board.
Gigabyte B550M AORUS PRO-P – Best Micro ATX
The Gigabyte B550M DS3H might be affordably priced, but the Gigabyte B550M AORUS PRO-P is probably the best Micro-ATX B550 board at the moment. It packs all the great features of larger B550 boards in a smaller M-ATX form factor.
Form Factor: M-ATX Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD B550 Chipset Memory Support: 4 x DDR4, Max. 128GB Expansion Slots: 1x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x1 Wireless: No WiFi M.2: 2x M.2
This board was designed with gaming PC builds in mind! Some of its notable features include two M.2 PCIe connectors, four SATA III ports, and four dual-channel DDR4 RAM (up to 128GB). You also get two PCIe x16 slots with 4.0 and 3.0 protocols, and one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot.Despite its M-ATX form factor, this board doesn’t fall short on networking. It supports a 2.5 GbE LAN adapter that allows you to get enhanced network speeds. And it’s such a wonderful feature especially for live streaming and competitive online gaming.
Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX – Best Mini-ITX
Last on the list is yet another B550 motherboard by Gigabyte! This board will appeal to users who want to build a compact Mini-ITX PC. Its main limitation may be the less capable 6+2 power design.
Form Factor: Mini-ITX Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD B550 Chipset Memory Support: 2x DDR4, Max. 64GB Expansion Slots: 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Wireless: WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.0 M.2: 2x M.2
The Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX is the ITX board I would consider for an AMD Ryzen 3000 or 5000 processor. It comes in a smaller design but still doesn’t fall short on the crucial B550 chipset features!You get one PCIe 4.0 x16 slot where your best GPU goes and Dual PCIe 4.0/3.0 M.2 with Thermal Guard. Some of its other notable features include 2.5GbE LAN, RGB Fusion 2.0, and Q-Flash Plus for an easy BIOS update.
