Top 5 best 2021 B550 motherboards

The best B550 motherboard for the next AMD version may not be the B550 board. AMD's B550 chipset comes in anticipation of PCIe 4.0 support at a low price point, due to the high cost of most X570 boards and the attractively low price tag of many previous generation B450 motherboards.

Here is a list of the best B550 motherboards on the market today.

1. Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi

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Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi offers premium features including SupremeFX audio, Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, stable power delivery and more. It's a good option in the $ 200 range, although if you don't need the Wi-Fi capabilities, the non-Wi-Fi version of the same board costs less than $ 30 with the same specs, making it easy to deal with. if you plan to use Ethernet or have your own wireless card.

2. NZXT N7 B550

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NZXT's first foray into AMD motherboards was a success. Being late in the game allows the company to deploy feedback from its Intel boards, adding more USB ports to the rear I / O. The additional time also allows the NZXT to deploy advanced 6E Wi-Fi, along with 2.5GbE. Outside of that, the design has changed dramatically from previous corporate boards, with a fabric cover on the surface and no onboard RGB lighting.

With an MSRP of $ 229, the NZXT N7 B550 offers a newer Wi-Fi chip, more and faster USB ports, and stable performance in a package that visually differentiates it from all other B550 competitors. If you can spend that much and don't need the extra PCI 4.0 bandwidth that comes with similarly priced old X570 motherboards, the NZXT N7 B550 is well worth a look.

3. Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master

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There are plenty of options based on the B550 that are cheaper than the Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master, but if you were looking at the top key components, you probably already know that you're set up with a single GPU and a PCIe 4.0 M module. 2. While it's possible to add more modules, you'll be limited to PCIe 3.0 (which is still fast enough for many people) with those additional drives. If you're still a heavy SATA-based memory user and six of those ports aren't enough, check out ASRock B550 Taichi. But if you need three M.2 slots and loads of USB, the Aorus Master will offer.

The B550 Aorus Master is a board with a lot of capabilities, packed with premium features like high-quality Wi-Fi 6 and VRM. This is one of the better appointed B550 motherboards, though that also means it's expensive. If a $ 250 B550 motherboard is what you're looking for, then the B550 Aorus Master will be in your shopping cart.

4. MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk

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The MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk offers a well-balanced feature set at a competitive price point. Performance is increased thanks to more expensive boards, and the VRM retains their own performance even when overclocked. For $ 180 you'll have to live without Wi-Fi and some of the potential downsides are six total USB six on the rear I / O as well as less audio codecs than many other boards. Assuming these are not PC deal breakers, the MSI B550 MAG Tomahawk deserves a look if the budget is around $ 180.

5. Asus ROG Strix B550-I Gaming

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If you love the B550 board in the compact Mini ITX form, you only have a handful of options, go buy Asus's ROG Strix B550-I Gaming. At $ 230, it's quite expensive, but $ 100 less than the Gigabyte B550I Aorus Pro AX, while still offering two M.2 slots (one on the back), Wi-Fi 6 and 2.5Gb Ethernet. And active VRM cooling means you won't have to deal with the heat issues like on the Asus Prime B550M-A and 3900X Wi-Fi.

You'll get six USB ports on the rear I / O, but that's on par with of course with these small B550 boards. Just be aware that one of the six ports is a USB 2.0 Type C port designed for audio. If you're planning on building an APU, you'll have a trio of video ports and analog audio jacks lit up. However, that's the range of the onboard RGB. If you want more lighting, you will have to provide additional components and accessories.

You'll also have to deal with some inconveniently placed headers, such as the front-facing audio jack inserted between the main M.2 heatsink and the two RAM slots. But again, this is to be expected when a lot of premium features get stuck on such a small board. For around $ 30 lower, you can buy MSI's MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi. That board is similar in many ways, but swapped a few video ports for one PS / 2 port and more audio jacks. It also has fewer USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, although it has more Type A ports than Asus' ITX boards.