10 Best B550 Motherboards For Hardcore Gamers in 2022

The B550 motherboard eases the transition between B450 and the expensive X570. If you are looking for better VRMs and Gen 4 PCIe support, then the B550 is the performance-centric and relatively cheaper alternative to B570.

In this post, we have listed some of the best B550 motherboards, their features, and how each one fairs on its own. Check out their pros and cons & find the best B550 motherboard for yourself.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Out Top Picks

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Best B550 Motherboard

1. MSI MAG Tomahawk

Best Overall MSI B550 Motherboard

The MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk is a decent B550 motherboard for your AMD processor. It has well-balanced features, a great overclocking mechanism, and is moderately priced. 

The motherboard supports 128GB Dual Channel DDR4-SDRAM and features a 13-Phase 60A Power Delivery. In terms of connectivity, you’ll get 2 x Ethernet LAN RJ-45 ports for connecting to the internet.

All in all the MSI MAG B550 can be used for gaming, video editing, and even live streaming. But if you are looking for a motherboard with wireless connectivity, this is not the motherboard for you.

Buy Options – Around $193 at Amazon | Roughly $150 at NewEgg | Around $180 at BHPhotovideo

2. ASUS ROG Strix B550-I 

Best B550 Mini ITX motherboard

If you are looking for a PCIe Gen 4 motherboard for your mini B550 ITX build, the  ASUS ROG Strix B550-I will do just fine.

This Asus B550 ITX motherboard features an innovative cooling mechanism & power distribution design to elevate your gaming experience. The best B550 ITX motherboard indeed.

It features 8+2 DrMOS power stages and advanced VRM and PCH heatsinks for effective heat exchange. The ASUS ROG Strix B550 has WiFi 6 capabilities and 2.5Gb LAN for wired connection.

Thanks to the inbuilt Bluetooth V5.1 you can also connect gaming or audio peripherals wirelessly without hogging on other ports.

The motherboard also features a SupremeFX S1220A audio codec with DTS Sound Unbound and Sonic Studio III for crystal clear audio. 

Buy Options – Around $218 at Amazon | Roughly $218 at NewEgg | Around $229 at B&HPhotovideo

3. Gigabyte AMD B550 Aorus Master

Elite AMD B550 Motherboard

Apart from its high-quality VRAMs and WiFi 6 capabilities, the Gigabyte AMD B550 Aorus is just another B550 motherboard with top-of-the-line heatsinks. Also, it’s quite expensive for a B550.

Yes, the motherboard does support 128GB DDR4-SDRAM and boasts of a 16-Phase 70A power supply. This B550 motherboard also has 3 M.2 slots which can be used as boot drives or for installing executables.

If you are looking for a future-proof B550 motherboard and don’t mind shelling a few hundred dollars, the Gigabyte AMD B550 Aorus will fit in just right.

Buy Options – Around $332 at Amazon | Roughly $365 at NewEgg | Around $387 at Walmart

4. ASRock B550 Phantom

Robust but Cheap B550 PCIe Gen 4 motherboard

The ASRock B550 Phantom is a budget gaming motherboard for the masses. This WiFi-enabled motherboard has ample PCIe lanes for connecting your gaming hardware components. Not the best B550 motherboard, but definitely value for money.

This motherboard supports 3rd Gen AMD AM4 Ryzen and above. It has an 8 Power Phase Design with a built-in Intel AC 3168 WiFi card. It also features addressable RGB headers that will take the aesthetics of your rig to a whole new level. 

In the future, if you think of upgrading your gaming peripherals, the PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0 lanes will help you customize your gaming PC without replacing the motherboard.

Buy Options – Around $125 at Amazon | Roughly $90 at NewEgg | Around $90 at Walmart

5. NZXT N7 B550

Top of the line B550 WiFi Gaming Motherboard

The NZXT N7 B550 is a neatly packed motherboard. With WiFi 6 & Bluetooth connectivity and 10 USB ports, it has all the makings of a future-proof motherboard.

The motherboard has two M.2 connectors for storage devices and supports Multi-GPU AMD CrossFireX Technology. The M.2 storage can speed up your boot time and improve game rendering.

It also supports a 5.1 audio system to elevate your gaming experience to a whole new level. If you want you can add RGB lighting to the motherboard as well as the fan controller, there’s still room for it.

Buy Options – Around $405 at Amazon | Roughly $410 at NewEgg | Around $255 at BHPhotovideo

6. ASUS ROG Strix B550-F

Best B550 Motherboard

The ASUS ROG Strix B550-F is by far the best B550 motherboard which brings together great gaming capabilities and high-performance networking. This PCI Express 4.0 motherboard is the perfect coupling for your 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen & Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 CPUs.

The motherboard has two M.2 slots and 4 memory slots that support dual-channel DDR4 RAM. It even features a fanless VRM and a chipset heatsink for fast heat exchange.

From a connectivity standpoint, you can enjoy seamless wireless connectivity with the onboard WiFi 6 and fast wired connection using the 2.5 Gb Ethernet.

The ASUS ROG Strix B550-F also features an AI noise-cancellation microphone that kills ambient noise while interacting with your clan during your multiplayer gaming sessions. 

Buy Options – Around $195 at Amazon | Roughly $180 at NewEgg | Around $180 at BHPhotovideo

7. ASRock B550 Taichi

Premium B550 Motherboard

The ASRock B550 Taichi blurs the gap between X570 and B550 motherboard. This is one of the best-looking B550 motherboards and features ample PCIe lanes and dual M.2 memory slots.

The motherboard has a steampunk aesthetic and can be powered by a 3rd Gen AMD AM4 Ryzen processor. It has two M.2 slots and an 8x SATA port that supports speed up to 6Gbps.

It also has 3 PCIe 4.0/3.0×16 and 2 PCIe 3.0 x1 lanes to connect other hardware components to the motherboard.

In terms of connectivity, you will have WiFi 6 at your disposal, along with Bluetooth 5.1. You can also connect your PC using the 2.5Gb Ethernet port. 

Buy Options – Around $260 at Amazon | Roughly $220 at NewEgg | Around $330 at Walmart

8. ASUS ProArt B550-Creator

Best B550 Motherboard for Content Creators

The ASUS ProArt B550-Creator is tailor-made for creative professionals and content creators. You can configure an AMD Ryzen 5000 processor in the AM4 socket to get all the processing power your editor demands. 

The motherboard is powered by 12+2 Power Stages and is PCIe 4.0 ready. It also features dual Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports that let you charge your other gadgets quickly.

The ASUS ProArt B550-Creator also has Dual 2.5Gb Ethernet and a two-Way AI Noise Cancelling microphone to keep ambient noise to the minimum.

Buy Options – Around $295 at Amazon | Roughly $300 at NewEgg | Around $430 at BHPhotovideo

9. GIGABYTE B550I AORUS PRO

Affordable B550 ITX Motherboard

This Gigabyte B550 ITX motherboard features PCLe 4 lanes, WiFi 6, and 2.5Gb Ethernet connectivity. It supports direct 8 Phases 90A Smart Power Stage. The motherboard has a Multi-Layered design with an extended heatsink.

You can achieve fast boot and read-write capabilities from the Dual NVMe PCIe and 4 M. 2 slots. The M.2 comes with a thermal guard to enhance performance.

Such advanced heat sinking capabilities will keep your system cool during round-the-clock gaming. 

The motherboard also features AMP-UP Audio with Nichicon Audio Capacitors to improve your gameplay experience. The best part is, you can have all this without spending a fortune.

Buy Options – Around $209 at Amazon | Roughly $200 at NewEgg | Around $203 at BHPhotovideo

10. ASUS Prime B550M A

Best B550 Micro ATX motherboard

The ASUS Prime B550M  is an excellent micro ATX motherboard with WiFi 6 connectivity. Its HDMI 2.1 port supports 4K rendering at 60Hz and has enough heat sinks and cooling options for extensive gaming.

The motherboard is compatible with 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen & Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 CPUs. It has dual M.2 slots for NVMe SSD and PCIe 4.0 x4 connectivity. 

The VRM & chipset heatsink with hybrid fan headers will help you keep your rig cool so that you can enjoy long break-free gaming sessions. 

Buy Options – Around $130 at Amazon | Roughly $137 at NewEgg | Around $130 at BHPhotovideo

B550 vs X570 motherboard

Between X570 and B550, both motherboards have their similarities and dissimilarities. The below table will help you straighten things out.

Both B550 and X570 provide PCIe Gen 4 graphics and storage support. They both have dual graphics and overclocking support. However, the X570 gains an edge over the B550 in terms of general-purpose lanes and chipset uplink.

While the B550 comes with Gen 3 PCIe lanes, the X570 can feature a robust Gen 4 PCIe. That’s not all, the X570 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Gen Ryzen Processors, while the B550 motherboards have to stick with 3rd Gen processors alone.

X570 also triumphs in terms of VRMs. X570 motherboards have more VRMs compared to B550, thus allowing the X570 to have better control over the power delivered to the CPU.

So between B550 vs X570, the X570 has better overclocking ability than its Intel counterpart. 

To Conclude

After looking at some of the best B550 motherboards, it all boiled down to this.

• Overall the ASUS ROG Strix B550-F has the best features to offer. With WiFi 6, 2.5Gb ethernet connectivity, and customizable VRMs, you will be able to squeeze every ounce of performance without straining the processor.
  
• If you are looking for an affordable B550 motherboard, then the ASRock B550 Phantom will do just fine. Sure, it’s not much of pomp and show but from a performance standpoint, it is a steal for roughly $100.
  
• The ASRock B550 Taichi will definitely steal the show with its glitz and glamour. But then again with a price tag of over $200, you are already within X570 territory.
  
• The ASUS ProArt B550-Creator is aimed towards designers, editors, and content creators.
  
• While the ASUS ROG Strix B550-I is the best B550 ITX motherboard.
  
• WiFi 6 and 2.5Gb Ethernet are great features to look forward to in your B550 motherboard. However, it might shoot up the price a bit.

FYI