Indeed overpriced. I like how the others have caught up with asus and give a great option value for less. Ill invest the difference in other hardware. Asus-Overrated overpriced
The manufacturer that actually tells whether you're buying defective goods or not, would presumably gain favour with the tech-savy. Despite this being anandtech, I suspect we will not be informed about whether which SKU to buy in order to get non-defective WiFi.
I would be overjoyed if I was lease prove me wrong.
I know this piece here ia about Asus boards, but please let me relieve some disappointment with B550 mATX boards in general...
Unless i overlooked something, none of the currently available B550 mATX boards from any fits my needs/wants. None! And my wants/needs are far from exotic, i believe. So, what am i looking for:
- 4 DIMM sockets - A PCIe x16 slot in PCIe slot position 1 - A PCIe x1 slot in PCIe slot position 4. - Two M.2 slots each with 4 PCIe lanes. - 3..4 SATA sockets - LED disco disable via BIOS or hardware switch/jumper - No squirrel cage fan (i included this point just for those souls who want to yell "X570" at me) - Other stuff that is not really matter anymore, because...
Whatever vendor or model, there is no B550 mATX board that would not force me to compromise on any of the points a listed above. I can either have a usable PCIe slot in position 4 but no second M.2 slot with 4 PCIe lanes. I can have both of those, but not a PCIe x16 slot in position 1. Or i can have PCIe x16 slot in position, but at best only a second M.2 with 2 PCIe lanes.
(Positions of usable PCIe slots when two M.2 slots are used is important to me. I have a gfx card that is two slots high plus a second PCIe card. And there should be at least a one-slote wide gap between them to allow the gfx card to ventilate.)
For some boards, like Asrock, for example, it is also currently entirely unclear to me whether the disco lights can be permanently disabled without having to boot-up into Windows and running some vendor piece of crap software just to turn the damn lights off. (Even MSI finally managed to add a simple and easy lights off switch to their B550 boards, so good on them, which wasn't yet the case for their B450 boards.)
Looking at those board prices, i expect better. If the B550 mATX landscape doesn't improve within the next months in this regard, i am afraid i will look and hope that Intel's next CPU generation will be better (because, aside from PCIe 4.0, at least the current crop of Intel-based mATX boards don't seem to force me to compromise like that when considering boards in a similar price range as the B550 boards).
Maybe, maybe there are plenty of B550 mATX boards matching my wants/needs, and i am just too stupid to see them. You tell me...
I'm in a similar boat but with different requirements.
- 6-8 SATA ports (for a homebrew NAS build) - 2.5G minimum ethernet - DVI-I and DisplayPort mandatory. HDMI optional. - No stupid "armour" that just adds cost (well, if it's cheap enough I can ignore it) - Silent (no chipset fan)
As it stands I probably need to pick a mobo that meets some of these requirements and add some PCIe cards to do the rest.
These boards all look great but the chips that go in them is the problem for me. They just don’t offer enough of an upgrade over my now 6 year old overclocked 4790K. I’m talking about games, I have no idea about other workloads and don’t really care either.
Could we get a comparidon table please? And also a graphic of the bus bandwidths and allocations possible on this platforn? And compare it to the offerings of Asus? To see where the added value is....
got to be honest the B550s in general are a bit of a flop AMD are going to lose out on this platform they have great CPUs that are hobbled by overpriced boards, its not AMDs fault but the various brands who are just trying to extract the wee wee out of consumers like they have with Intel boards for years now that AMD has a better CPU offer ( I dont care about the 10 or less FPS in some games) and ASUS in particular will never get any of my Money ever again because they are just plain rubbish, have had a Mobo that was erratic that was an Asus that would crash at random and a Graphics card that would get so hot it sounded like a jet in my well ventilated and fanned case so no thanks. Maybe the boards will come into play when the Ryzen 4 launches later this Year but am happy with my 570 from Gigabyte
Um... if the manual does not mention Thunderbolt, not even once, why would you think the board would have a TB header? If it is not in the manual and the board specs on the Asus web site do not list it, well, um... does it mean it is a super duper secret easter egg...?
Because this article says it does. That's why I'm asking. This is a sponsored article by Asus, presumably they wrote it, and they are listing Thunderbolt in the spec list for that board, which is the first I've heard of it anywhere.
Oops, okay. It says that there in a text graphic image. Please stop with this tomfoolery. How the effing eff is one supposed to Ctrl+F into an image displaying text...?
Totally agree. It confused me because I searched for a ITX solution with TB, but couldn't find one with the B550. If this has it, I'm in (the online manual on Asus' site was pulled down btw). If not, no reason to get this over the ASRock option.
Losing one of the last digital audio ports for a Type-C headphone jack (on the back of the device no less) is absolutely hilarious. Type-C analog audio is a gimmick for smartphones and ASUS' inclusion shows a lack of understanding of their userbase. No one is going to attach/detach their USB-C, pocketable headphones to the back of their desktop. They'll need an extension cable, which might as well be a converter cable as well at that point.
I just bought an ASUS Tuf x570 from Newegg for $165 a couple of weeks ago. That was CHEAPER than the B550. Why would anybody buy a B550 when you could get the corresponding x570 for the same price?
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32 Comments
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ballsystemlord - Friday, June 26, 2020 - link
Since this is a sponsored post, I'll take the liberty of reminding ASUS that the TUF brand needs its original, longer, 5 year warranty.hetzbh - Friday, June 26, 2020 - link
AMEN!Oxford Guy - Saturday, June 27, 2020 - link
I'll take the opportunity of providing my opinion about the current crop of B550 boards:OVERPRICED
rocketman122 - Saturday, June 27, 2020 - link
Indeed overpriced. I like how the others have caught up with asus and give a great option value for less. Ill invest the difference in other hardware. Asus-Overrated overpricedOxford Guy - Monday, June 29, 2020 - link
No. The B550 release has been noted for prices being too high across the board.rocketman122 - Saturday, June 27, 2020 - link
That tuf labeling means nothing vs what it once was.Im done with asus. Never again. So many excellent offerings from others for much less
mooninite - Friday, June 26, 2020 - link
What version are the Intel I225-V NICs? v1 and v2 are riddled with bugs. If it's a v3 then that might have the fix.Slash3 - Friday, June 26, 2020 - link
v3 variants should start making their way onto boards beginning at the end of this month, so they're all going to currently be v1 and v2.shadowjk - Sunday, June 28, 2020 - link
The manufacturer that actually tells whether you're buying defective goods or not, would presumably gain favour with the tech-savy.Despite this being anandtech, I suspect we will not be informed about whether which SKU to buy in order to get non-defective WiFi.
I would be overjoyed if I was lease prove me wrong.
yannigr2 - Friday, June 26, 2020 - link
NOT buying a motherboard that connects a gazillion of PCIe and M.2 slots on a chipset with only 6 lanes. Who do they try to deceive?Lucky Stripes 99 - Friday, June 26, 2020 - link
Would love to see a B550 version of the Asus PRIME H310T, but with updated USB, HDMI, and Ethernet. It would make a great HTPC or box for the office.MrVibrato - Saturday, June 27, 2020 - link
I know this piece here ia about Asus boards, but please let me relieve some disappointment with B550 mATX boards in general...Unless i overlooked something, none of the currently available B550 mATX boards from any fits my needs/wants. None! And my wants/needs are far from exotic, i believe. So, what am i looking for:
- 4 DIMM sockets
- A PCIe x16 slot in PCIe slot position 1
- A PCIe x1 slot in PCIe slot position 4.
- Two M.2 slots each with 4 PCIe lanes.
- 3..4 SATA sockets
- LED disco disable via BIOS or hardware switch/jumper
- No squirrel cage fan (i included this point just for those souls who want to yell "X570" at me)
- Other stuff that is not really matter anymore, because...
Whatever vendor or model, there is no B550 mATX board that would not force me to compromise on any of the points a listed above. I can either have a usable PCIe slot in position 4 but no second M.2 slot with 4 PCIe lanes. I can have both of those, but not a PCIe x16 slot in position 1. Or i can have PCIe x16 slot in position, but at best only a second M.2 with 2 PCIe lanes.
(Positions of usable PCIe slots when two M.2 slots are used is important to me. I have a gfx card that is two slots high plus a second PCIe card. And there should be at least a one-slote wide gap between them to allow the gfx card to ventilate.)
For some boards, like Asrock, for example, it is also currently entirely unclear to me whether the disco lights can be permanently disabled without having to boot-up into Windows and running some vendor piece of crap software just to turn the damn lights off. (Even MSI finally managed to add a simple and easy lights off switch to their B550 boards, so good on them, which wasn't yet the case for their B450 boards.)
Looking at those board prices, i expect better. If the B550 mATX landscape doesn't improve within the next months in this regard, i am afraid i will look and hope that Intel's next CPU generation will be better (because, aside from PCIe 4.0, at least the current crop of Intel-based mATX boards don't seem to force me to compromise like that when considering boards in a similar price range as the B550 boards).
Maybe, maybe there are plenty of B550 mATX boards matching my wants/needs, and i am just too stupid to see them. You tell me...
Oxford Guy - Saturday, June 27, 2020 - link
"No squirrel cage fan (i included this point just for those souls who want to yell "X570" at me)"Does the overpriced Gigabyte X570 that lacks the fan meet your list of requirements?
MrVibrato - Saturday, June 27, 2020 - link
If i would cut it down to mATX size with a hacksaw, then - price not withstanding - yes, it would my list of requirements ;-PMrVibrato - Saturday, June 27, 2020 - link
*meet* my list of requirements...Gigaplex - Sunday, June 28, 2020 - link
I'm in a similar boat but with different requirements.- 6-8 SATA ports (for a homebrew NAS build)
- 2.5G minimum ethernet
- DVI-I and DisplayPort mandatory. HDMI optional.
- No stupid "armour" that just adds cost (well, if it's cheap enough I can ignore it)
- Silent (no chipset fan)
As it stands I probably need to pick a mobo that meets some of these requirements and add some PCIe cards to do the rest.
shabby - Saturday, June 27, 2020 - link
The asus b550 tuf gaming wifi is selling for only $10 less than the x570 tuf gaming wifi i got last year lololololScubasausage - Saturday, June 27, 2020 - link
These boards all look great but the chips that go in them is the problem for me. They just don’t offer enough of an upgrade over my now 6 year old overclocked 4790K. I’m talking about games, I have no idea about other workloads and don’t really care either.shadowjk - Sunday, June 28, 2020 - link
Could we get a comparidon table please?And also a graphic of the bus bandwidths and allocations possible on this platforn?
And compare it to the offerings of Asus? To see where the added value is....
alufan - Monday, June 29, 2020 - link
got to be honest the B550s in general are a bit of a flop AMD are going to lose out on this platform they have great CPUs that are hobbled by overpriced boards, its not AMDs fault but the various brands who are just trying to extract the wee wee out of consumers like they have with Intel boards for years now that AMD has a better CPU offer ( I dont care about the 10 or less FPS in some games) and ASUS in particular will never get any of my Money ever again because they are just plain rubbish, have had a Mobo that was erratic that was an Asus that would crash at random and a Graphics card that would get so hot it sounded like a jet in my well ventilated and fanned case so no thanks.Maybe the boards will come into play when the Ryzen 4 launches later this Year but am happy with my 570 from Gigabyte
Samus - Thursday, July 2, 2020 - link
Asus rubbish? Other than Gigabyte and SuperMicro, who else is there? MSI? Asrock (essentially budget Asus?) Biostar!?jor5 - Monday, June 29, 2020 - link
So is this the slow death of this site? These sponsored posts are not worth whatever you're getting paid for them.senttoschool - Monday, June 29, 2020 - link
What?Just don't open them then.
I don't mind them. Anandtech authors need to eat too, you know?
Reflex - Monday, June 29, 2020 - link
Hey, anyone know if the ROG Strix B550-I Gaming actually has a Thunderbolt header? I ask because I can't find it listed in the online manual here: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/SocketAM4/RO...If it has it, it's probably worth the $30 premium over the ASRock alternative, but without it the ASRock is probably the best option.
Can anyone find more info out?
MrVibrato - Monday, June 29, 2020 - link
Um... if the manual does not mention Thunderbolt, not even once, why would you think the board would have a TB header? If it is not in the manual and the board specs on the Asus web site do not list it, well, um... does it mean it is a super duper secret easter egg...?Reflex - Tuesday, June 30, 2020 - link
Because this article says it does. That's why I'm asking. This is a sponsored article by Asus, presumably they wrote it, and they are listing Thunderbolt in the spec list for that board, which is the first I've heard of it anywhere.MrVibrato - Wednesday, July 1, 2020 - link
I don't know whether the article has been edited in the meantime or not, but it does not say that the ROG Strix B550-I Gaming has a TB header.MrVibrato - Wednesday, July 1, 2020 - link
Oops, okay. It says that there in a text graphic image. Please stop with this tomfoolery. How the effing eff is one supposed to Ctrl+F into an image displaying text...?Reflex - Wednesday, July 1, 2020 - link
Totally agree. It confused me because I searched for a ITX solution with TB, but couldn't find one with the B550. If this has it, I'm in (the online manual on Asus' site was pulled down btw). If not, no reason to get this over the ASRock option.Samus - Monday, June 29, 2020 - link
The irony is my anecdotal experience is Prime products have been better to me than Tuf products.lmcd - Monday, June 29, 2020 - link
Losing one of the last digital audio ports for a Type-C headphone jack (on the back of the device no less) is absolutely hilarious. Type-C analog audio is a gimmick for smartphones and ASUS' inclusion shows a lack of understanding of their userbase. No one is going to attach/detach their USB-C, pocketable headphones to the back of their desktop. They'll need an extension cable, which might as well be a converter cable as well at that point.AlanRC - Monday, July 6, 2020 - link
I just bought an ASUS Tuf x570 from Newegg for $165 a couple of weeks ago. That was CHEAPER than the B550. Why would anybody buy a B550 when you could get the corresponding x570 for the same price?