The Asus TUF Gaming B450M-Plus II motherboard is aimed at users seeking a reliable and durable solution for their gaming system. The TUF (The Ultimate Force) series by Asus is specifically designed to meet the demands of gamers and provide reliable performance and durability.
It supports AMD Ryzen 5000 and 3000 series processors and features an AM4 socket. It offers DDR4 memory slots, PCIe 3.0 slots for graphics cards and other expansions, as well as multiple USB ports and Gigabit Ethernet for connecting external devices.
Additionally, the Asus TUF Gaming B450M-Plus II offers advanced technologies such as TUF Protection for increased durability and protection, Aura Sync technology for customizing RGB lighting, and support for the TUF Gaming Alliance, a collaboration between Asus and other manufacturers that ensures compatibility and consistency in gaming systems.
It is ideal for gamers looking for a reliable, durable, and affordable motherboard for building a gaming computer.
Cooling
The TUF GAMING B450M-PLUS II features comprehensive fan controls that can be configured via the Fan Xpert 2+ utility or the award-winning ASUS UEFI BIOS.
Each header can be configured to monitor and react to two user-configurable thermal sensors for workload-based cooling, and all settings can be easily managed by Fan Xpert 2+ or via the UEFI.
All onboard chassis fan headers support PWM/DC fans.
A dedicated integrated circuit protects each fan header from overheating and overcurrent.
Storage
The M.2 slot supports up to 22110 and data transfer speeds of up to 32 Gbps through x4 PCI Express 3.0 bandwidth, enabling faster boot and application load times with operating system or application drives.
USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A
Numerous USB ports support gaming rigs loaded with peripherals, including a USB Type-A slot with fast USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity for compatible cases.
TUF Gaming Alliance
The TUF Gaming Alliance is a collaboration between ASUS and trusted PC component brands to ensure compatibility with a wide range of parts, such as PC cases, power supplies, CPU coolers, memory kits, and more. With more partnerships and components being added regularly, the TUF Gaming Alliance will continue to grow even further.
SafeSlot
SafeSlot is the PCIe slot reinvented by ASUS and designed to provide superior retention and shearing resistance. Manufactured through a new insert molding process, SafeSlot integrates reinforcing metal for an inherently stronger slot, which is then firmly anchored to the PCB board through additional solder points.
BIOS FlashBack
BIOS FlashBack is the simplest and safest method of updating the BIOS (UEFI). Simply place the (UEFI) BIOS file on a FAT32-formatted USB stick, connect it to the USB BIOS FlashBack port, and press the button. Updates can be performed even without memory or a CPU installed.
Armoury Crate
Armoury Crate is a new software utility designed to give you centralized control of supported gaming products. From a single intuitive interface, Armoury Crate allows you to easily customize the lighting and RGB effects for every compatible device in your arsenal and synchronize them with Aura Sync for unique system lighting effects.
Turbo LAN
Turbo LAN is a network optimization software for customizable packet prioritization. With cFosSpeed traffic shaping technology, it allows you to adjust application priority through an intuitive interface and reduces network latency.
Aura Sync RGB Lighting
A well-tuned system deserves a corresponding aesthetic. ASUS Aura offers full control of RGB lighting with a variety of functional presets for the built-in RGB LED lights as well as for the strips connected to the built-in RGB headers. And all of this can be synchronized with an ever-growing portfolio of Aura-capable hardware.
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Usually I upload photos from the box and then when they are installed, but this time I was very excited and didn't take any photos because I immediately installed everything.
As a motherboard, it is more than enough for the average user.
Let's start with the three negatives first, as there are no others.
- The VRM system that Asus has used for the motherboard is okay, but it is not suitable for serious overclocking as it does not have many phases for proper power configuration since it is 4+2. If someone gets a Ryzen 9 to put on this motherboard, it will limit their capabilities as they will not be able to maintain proper and high frequencies. For Ryzen 7 without the "X" and below, the motherboard is very good, but don't expect serious overclocking.
- If someone wants to install Windows 7, the motherboard only supports Ryzen 1st and 2nd generation, Zen and Zen+.
- The motherboard only has 3 fan headers, one for the processor and two for the other fans. If someone has more than two fans in their case, they will need either a splitter cable up to +2 (with +3 or +4 fans, the headers may burn) or a fan hub. It also does not have a pump header for AIO coolers or pumps for their management.
Now for the positives.
- If someone installs an M.2 NVMe, they don't have to worry about it taking away from the PCIe slots. It simply disables SATA 5&6.
- It has the ability for BIOS flash back. If someone upgrades the BIOS or makes any changes and the PC doesn't start afterwards, they can put a BIOS on a USB stick and use the USB BIOS port at the back. This can also work for changing processors, for example, if someone has a Ryzen 1800 and wants to switch to Ryzen 3800 but forgets to upgrade the BIOS before changing the processor.
- With the Ryzen 5 3600, the PC is very stable. It doesn't freeze or hang. If left stock, it runs at the advertised frequency. The motherboard allows for automatic OC, which in my case with the Wraith cooler went from 65W to 72W with the difference being that it now maintains the boost for longer and the temperature has increased from around 42 to around 65. With a more serious cooler, like one from Noctua, and the motherboard doing its magic, you can achieve better performance with lower temperatures and longer processor lifespan.