[Kaufberatung] B550 board for micron rev E

[WinWiz]

Sorry about my English language. I can't speak/write German, but this forum is better than any other forum I know.

So it's time to upgrade!!

I will keep my 3700x (waiting for zen3)
I have ordered 2x16GB Micron Rev E memory (Ballistix Game 3000Mhz cl 15)
So I need a motherboard with really good memory overclock (with my 2x16GB dual rank revE) -And strong VRM (about 200Watt for a future water-cooled 12-16 core zen3)
I dislike small fans so x570 is out (also to expensive)
I want pcie4 so B550 it is. But I can't decide what brand/model...
I don't care if it's itx, matx or ATX.
I need a board that supports low DDR termination voltage.
I want a board that doesn't limit my overclock because of bios limitations.
My current board is a cheap asrock b350(itx). It have served me well, but the bios is a mess -with same settings in 3 different locations. (WTF!) So I'm looking forward to a bios with a nice intuitive layout.
I don't need many USB ports (but two USB 3.2gen2 would be nice)
I don't want Intel 2.5Gbit lan. (Realtek or Intel 1Gbit is fine)
I want 4 sata ports.
I want 2x m.2 @ pcie4x4 and pcie3x4 (it seems most asrock boards only have 4x4 and 3x2 M.2?)
I don't care how it looks.
I don't need postcode (post lights would be nice)
Wifi would also be nice -but not important.
Decent audio (I don't have golden ears so anything that doesn't scratch when I scroll my mouse would probably be fine...)
I want bios flashback.
Edit:
HDMI and displayport @4K 60Hz Would be nice (Zen3 Apu might be interesting)
Only need 2 fan headers, but advanced fan control would be really nice (I power all my fans from the PSU and only use fan headers for the pwm control signal)


My budget is 200€ max - would prefer less.
I have been looking at the Gigabyte Aorus pro ac -mainly because the advertised ram speed is high (and I generally like gigabytes products) Price seems fair compared to the features it offers.

MSI's "Try it" bios feature seems nice, but I don't know how well it actually works?
The Tomahawk is very popular and has a cool running vrm but 1Gbit & 2.5Gbit seems a bit silly (and makes me wonder what corners MSI cut to keep the costs down)

MSI b550-A Pro is tempting due to its low price. But I don't know how well it overclocks rev E?
It seems like a less known model and that makes me worry MSI might allocate less resources supporting this board.

Asus has a reputation of strong memory overclocking, but I don't know if that's also on their lower end boards like the strix b550-f ?

Asus Tuf offer a decent vrm for a reasonable price -But I don't know how well it overclocks memory and I fear the bios is missing some features?

Please let me know if I'm missing something.

 

[2k5lexi]

Dude, check limitations of B550.
Some of your criteria are nonsense - at least if you limit yourself to B550.

I'd go with MSI or Gigabyte and not with the budget versions due to your VRM desires. MSI B550-A Pro is a fine board, but not for the biggest CPUs.

Not looking at ITX Board here is what remains.

Produktvergleich MSI MAG B550M Mortar, GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Pro AC, GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Elite, MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk, GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Pro, MSI MPG B550 Gaming Carbon WIFI, MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WIFI, MSI MAG B550M Mortar WIFI Geizhals Deutschla

Produktvergleich für MSI MAG B550M Mortar (7C94-006R), GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Pro AC, GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Elite, MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk (7C91-001R), GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Pro, MSI MPG B550 Gaming Carbon WIFI (7C91-002R), MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WIFI (7C91-008R), MSI MAG B550M Mortar WIFI (7C94-001R)

geizhals.de

Gigabyte lacks USB Type-C front headers, so if you got a Type-C case, Gigabyte might be a No-No.

I would go for the MSI tomahawk i think.

 

[WinWiz]

I don't care about USB type C.
I know the vrm on MSI B550 A Pro isn't top notch, but the reviews I have seen say it's ok for a overclocked 3900x @ 1.4V, so that's more than I need.
Think I know the limitations of b550, mainly pcie x4 between cpu and chipset but I think I can live with that.
I'm probably going to get lynched for this but in my pov b550 is superior to x570: Less power/heat/noise + Optimized memory traces (on some boards) + less features I don't need.
Do you mind explaining why my cryteria are nonsense with b550?
I'm curious to know why you would choose tomahawk over Aorus pro?
When you recommend to avoid budget boards these would include Aorus Elite and MSI mortar right?

 

[2k5lexi]

Do you mind explaining why my cryteria are nonsense with b550?

Some of the features you requested are not available with B550 - on none of the Boards. Here you need to take a decision. Is USB 3.2 mandatory? If yes -> No B550.

When you recommend to avoid budget boards these would include Aorus Elite and MSI mortar right?

You stated you want to upgrade your CPU to Ryzen 4000, 12-16 core with water cooling. Now - the nature of water cooling is that that the fans and radiators are not close to the VRM at all, less air will flow over the VRM and likely they will run more warm then with air cooling. Taking this into account i'd go with a board that has some more VRM so they don't as run hot if you cut their cooling due to installation of CPU watercooler. I think you could probably do it and be fine, but if budget allows i'd invest the extra 30-40€ with the one class higher board.
I don't know what exactly you want to run, but with little more/ better VRMs you have some buffer.

I'm curious to know why you would choose tomahawk over Aorus pro?

I like the current MSI UEFI. It's similar in the 400 and 500 Series boards and these boards are uncomplicated and run just fine. That said - i haven't seen recent Gigabyte UEFI. Internet rumors say these are also fine, so it's a matter of personal preference. RGB on Gigabyte is messy rumors say, but this wasn't a criteria for you anyways.

I run a MSI B550-A Pro myself, but i cool with air and i wouldn't go over 8 core Ryzen 4000. I don't need the extra CPU power.

Asus is a red flag for me, straight No-No. I've had too many bad experiences with their notebooks when it comes to drivers, firmware / BIOS / UEFI, generally speaking lifetime support. There is MSI and Gigabyte who do this particular lifetime support much better.

Decent audio (I don't have golden ears so anything that doesn't scratch when I scroll my mouse would probably be fine...)

If you are using HiFi over-ear headphones with 32Ohms or higher you probably want ALC1220 audio chip because this one has a built-in headphone amplifier, which ALC1200 and lower don't have.

 

[Hastemaster]

If you are using HiFi over-ear headphones with 32Ohms or higher you probably want ALC1220 audio chip because this one has a built-in headphone amplifier, which ALC1200 and lower don't have.

Or you simply don't care about onboard sound and go for a DAC or dedicated sound card instead. This would always my recommendation if you're using realy high end headphones.

Good budget DAC with clear sound (have this one on my DeskMini)

Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S | Preisvergleich Geizhals Deutschland

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geizhals.de

The only bad thing is, i've heard about some quality problems with this one from others. But if it's working it's a decent DAC for this price.

 

[WinWiz]

All the b550 I have seen have USB 3.2 gen2.

I have been water-cooling my PC's for 20 years. My case is modified so it's basically a small wind tunnel (at high load cpu or GPU) with a side mounted 200mm noctua blowing straight on the cpu/vrm area. So air flow is plenty.

I use cal2 headphones. Don't know how resistive they are, but I think they are fairly easy to drive.
Plays fine on my current ASRock fatality ab350 Gaming itx.

So you haven't experienced any serious bugs with the b550 A Pro?

 

[2k5lexi]

So you haven't experienced any serious bugs with the b550 A Pro?

Except from me being stupid and not noticing that some cells in UEFI can be filled in with custom values instead of drop down - nope.
I also had some crashes the last days, but that's likely due to unstable OC. Haven't spent much time tuning yet.

I have been water-cooling my PC's for 20 years. My case is modified so it's basically a small wind tunnel (at high load cpu or GPU) with a side mounted 200mm noctua blowing straight on the cpu/vrm area. So air flow is plenty.

That's not what i would call "standard"
In that case - no worries at all.

All the b550 I have seen have USB 3.2 gen2.

Produktvergleich MSI MAG B550M Mortar, GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Pro AC, GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Elite, MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk, GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Pro, MSI MPG B550 Gaming Carbon WIFI, MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WIFI, MSI MAG B550M Mortar WIFI Geizhals Deutschla

Produktvergleich für MSI MAG B550M Mortar (7C94-006R), GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Pro AC, GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Elite, MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk (7C91-001R), GIGABYTE B550 AORUS Pro, MSI MPG B550 Gaming Carbon WIFI (7C91-002R), MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WIFI (7C91-008R), MSI MAG B550M Mortar WIFI (7C94-001R)

geizhals.de

I don't see any USB 3.2 listed here...?
It's all USB 3.1, most Type A (rectangular), few Type c (rounded)

 

[WinWiz]

I believe the USB 3.2 g2 comes straight from the cpu, so might be missing on zen1 zen1+. But with Matisse USB 3.2g2 should be supported.

MSI list 1DPC 2R max speed 3866 MHZ with the A Pro.
I'm guessing zen3 infinity fabric will overclock to 2000Mhz. So I want a board capable of 4000Mhz ram for 1:1 operation with an overclocked zen3.
Do you happen to know how well the a pro handles 2x16GB dual rank sticks?

 

[Hastemaster]

I'm guessing zen3 infinity fabric will overclock to 2000Mhz. So I want a board capable of 4000Mhz ram for 1:1 operation with an overclocked zen3.
Do you happen to know how well the a pro handles 2x16GB dual rank sticks?

Just to clarify that: You bought 3000 MHz RAM and you'll try to OC it to 4000 MHz? Could work, but depends a lot on the quality of your DIE's. It'll be pure luck if you manage to get this OC stable or not. On a B550 A-Pro i would say no. The Pro Series boards are build mostly for contend creators (and are capable to deliver good gaming performance too, at a nice price tag) but not for agressive OC.

 

[Schattenluxx]

I went for the MSI Tomahawk, very satisfied so far

 

[WinWiz]

I hope with high voltage and timings the Ballistix's will do 4Ghz. If they don't I will live with that -just don't want my board to set the limit. 3600-3800 will be fine for my early 3700x. Buildzoid overclocked 4x8GB ballistix 3000cl15 to 3733Mhz on a gigabyte x570 Aorus extreme.
So I have high hopes for my 2x16GB.

 

[2k5lexi]

I'm guessing zen3 infinity fabric will overclock to 2000Mhz.

I have more concerns about the fabric, not about the rams in general. In current Ryzen 3000 it seems the Fabric is the limit, not the Rams.
If your 3000 Mhz Rams won't do the 4000, get slightly better preselected to do the trick.

That aside i would wait till Ryzen 4000 is widely available and see what the usual suspects will achieve in terms of ram clock and infinity fabric clock.
If they get to 2000/4000 and more - go for the better boards. If they don't - go with MSI B550-A Pro

My Ryzen 5 3600 with 3600MHz crucial rams does 1900/3800 on MSI B550-A Pro

 

[WinWiz]

I don't really mind leaving 100mhz fabric on the table and saving some money. Just want the best board for mem OC in my price range...

Is that 1900mhz with 2x8GB single rank sticks or?
And did you try how fast you could push the ram when decoupling the fabric?

 

[WinWiz]

I guess an itx board could meet all my needs. And two memory slots should be optimal for my 2x16GB rev E.
Asus b550I holds the vr for ram frequency. But a little over my budget and have a weak vrm.
Gigabyte B550I Aorus pro lists max mem frequency @4000Mhz with 2 dual rank sticks. With airflow the vrm should handle a 3950x with PBO enabled.
Any reason not to get that?

 

[Hastemaster]

The GB B550i Aorus Pro is in fact the only ITX MB i would recommend among the B450/B550 chipsets.
But i thought you don't care about form factor? If there's no need for an ITX board you'll simply get more for your money if you stick with ATX or mATX.

 

[2k5lexi]

I literally just put the system together yesterday and klicked a little in the UEFI. Haven't tuned anything, also system isn't fully configured to my needs yet.

Is that 1900mhz with 2x8GB single rank sticks or?
And did you try how fast you could push the ram when decoupling the fabric?

I need to tune it a little more, but will not get it done before the weekend.
I will keep you updated here as soon as i have some update.

 

[WinWiz]

The GB B550i Aorus Pro is in fact the only ITX MB i would recommend among the B450/B550 chipsets.
But i thought you don't care about form factor? If there's no need for an ITX board you'll simply get more for your money if you stick with ATX or mATX.

I don't care about form factor. But I would prefer only 2 ram slots. Except for graphics cards I have never used any pcie cards, and can't imagine needing it. So if the vrm is ok and bios isn't crippled itx should cover my needs just fine. I guess sometimes less is more...

 

[2k5lexi]

I guess sometimes less is more...

One thing for sure - ITX is less of a board and more expensive

 

[Hastemaster]

So if the vrm is ok and bios isn't crippled itx should cover my needs just fine. I guess sometimes less is more...

Ok, if the B550i Aorus Pro has everything you need, it isn't a bad choice. VRM cooling and UEFI are quite good on this one and the price is ok for what this board offers in ITX.

 

[WinWiz]

In Denmark b550i Aorus pro have same price as b550 Aorus pro ac. The ATX have stronger vrm, but the itx have wifi 6 and should offer higher memory clocks. For me that's actually more value. Just need to confirm the b550i bios supports dram voltage termination below 0.6V.
Why doesn't motherboard manuals cover bios settings? In the old days the manuals used to mention the various settings. Guess I will have to seek forums for a friendly b550i Aorus pro owner...

 

[WinWiz]

I'm afraid my alphacool gpx Rx 580 hybrid cooler will collide with the m.2 slot on the b550i Aorus pro ax. So I will have to measure the clearance.

Beitrag automatisch zusammengeführt: 20.08.2020

I literally just put the system together yesterday and klicked a little in the UEFI. Haven't tuned anything, also system isn't fully configured to my needs yet.

I need to tune it a little more, but will not get it done before the weekend.
I will keep you updated here as soon as i have some update.

Are you running 2x8GB, 4x8, 2x16 or something else?
And can you confirm the A Pro is a 4 layer board?