Designed for those who want to make the most of their computer, the ROG Strix B550 Gaming series motherboards offer a set of features usually found in higher-end series, including PCIe 4.0 connectivity. Offering strong power delivery and effective cooling, the ROG Strix B550-A Gaming is well-equipped to handle 3rd generation AMD Ryzen processors.
As an added advantage, the excellent performance is complemented by a stunning silver-white finish and a cyberpunk-inspired aesthetic that presents a distinctive look.
It features characteristics such as ROG SupremeFX, which offers high-quality audio, as well as Aura Sync RGB Lighting for impressive lighting.
The Asus ROG Strix B550-A Gaming is also designed for easy installation and maintenance, while featuring reliable performance and stability characteristics, making it an ideal choice for demanding users seeking high performance and quality for their computer.
The ROG Strix B550-A Gaming is ready for PCIe 4.0 and provides the latest connectivity options for ultra-smooth networking and incredibly fast file transfers. Audio enhancements give you a huge advantage, allowing you to receive the most subtle cues for a completely immersive gaming experience.
Capacity
The ROG Strix B550-A Gaming features two M.2 slots, one of which supports the latest PCIe 4.0 standard to provide maximum storage flexibility and the fastest data speeds available through the 3rd generation AMD Ryzen platform. Both M.2 slots support up to type 22110 size and NVM Express RAID for enhanced performance.
Intel 2.5 Gb Ethernet
The integrated 2.5 Gb Ethernet boosts your wired connection, with speeds that are 2.5 times faster than standard Ethernet connections for quick file transfers, lag-free gaming, and high-definition video streaming.
Sound
SupremeFX
The built-in ROG SupremeFX audio technology ensures pristine sound for the ROG Strix B550-A Gaming. Along with ensuring a flat frequency response for a neutral, detailed sound signature, it offers two front panel outputs driven by operational amplifiers that provide high-quality sound to gaming headsets.
AI Noise Cancellation
This utility leverages a vast deep learning database to reduce background noise from the microphone and incoming sound while preserving vocals. Distracting keyboard typing, mouse clicks, and other environmental noises are intelligently neutralized, allowing you to hear and be heard with crystal-clear clarity during gaming or calls.
Sonic Studio III
Sonic Studio supports virtual surround based on HRTF (head-related transfer function) for VR headsets, creating an immersive soundscape that draws you deeper into the action. The intuitive Sonic Studio interface also offers a range of EQ options and one-click presets, allowing you to customize the audio according to personal preferences or the characteristics of your headset.
Performance
The ROG Strix B550-A Gaming provides robust power delivery to fuel Ryzen cores, comprehensive cooling, and support for faster memory, so it has everything you need to load your computer with high-performance components to play in the big leagues.
Power Design
Digital power control and an array of power stages ensure that the ROG Strix B550-A Gaming has the muscle to control the latest AMD CPUs.
The ProCool socket is built to exacting specifications to ensure flush contact with the PSU power lines, allowing for lower resistance and better heat dissipation.
ASUS DIGI+ Power Control is an innovative set of controllers for digital VRM and DRAM voltage. These controllers offer ultra-precise memory and voltage tuning for optimal performance, stability, and system efficiency.
12+2 power stages combine high-side and low-side MOSFET and drivers into a single package, delivering the power and efficiency that AMD CPUs demand.
Superior chokes and durable capacitors are engineered to withstand extreme temperatures and provide up to 110% better performance than industry standards.
The 6-layer PCB quickly dissipates heat around the VRM to improve overall system stability and give the CPU more headroom for overclocking.
Cooling
The ROG Strix B550 series features the most comprehensive cooling options ever, configurable via Fan Xpert 4 or the UEFI BIOS.
Processor
Processor heatsink fan, an exclusive pair of PWM/DC fan headers for CPU heatsinks
Processor water cooling, an exclusive PWM/DC header for standalone water cooling settings
M.2
Keeps M.2 SSDs at optimal operating temperature for consistent performance and reliability.
Case
All integrated sockets support automatic detection of PWM or DC fans.
VRM
VRM Heatsink, the MOS heatsink provides a large contact area for MOSFETs and chokes.
Thermal Pad, the high-quality thermal pad helps transfer heat from the inductor and phase array to the heatsink.
Rog gives more
ROG's exclusive software utilities offer intuitive audio tuning and gaming enhancements that allow you to configure your game build the way you want.
UEFI BIOS
The renowned ROG UEFI (BIOS) provides everything you need to configure, modify, and tune your rig. It offers intelligently simplified options for new PC DIY users, as well as comprehensive features for seasoned veterans.
GameFirst VI
The ROG GameFirst VI utility is designed to help all users, beginners, experts, and anyone in between, optimize network settings to ensure smooth online gaming. New in this generation, GameFirst VI features recognition and boosting technology with enhanced artificial intelligence to ensure faster and smarter network optimization.
Armoury Crate
Armoury Crate is a new software utility designed to give you centralized control of supported gaming products, making it easy to set up the look and feel of your system.
From a single intuitive interface, Armory Crate allows you to easily customize the lighting and RGB effects for compatible devices and sync them with Aura Sync to create a unified lighting scheme in your system. You can also use Armory Crate to download the user manual, drivers, and software.
RAMCache lll
RAMCache III software turns milliseconds into microseconds to boost game load times. Fully compatible with the latest NVM Express storage options, its uniquely intelligent technology effectively caches an entire storage device, so your favorite games and applications launch at breakneck speeds.
Specifications are collected from official manufacturer websites. Please verify the specifications before proceeding with your final purchase. If you notice any problem you can
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Adventure with this motherboard
On the road. I set it up on a new system
It is a quality construction.
3 positions for SSD/HDD and 2 for NVMe, plenty of storage space
When I needed to flash the BIOS with the USB stick in the special position behind the case, it froze during the process.
After hours of searching, some users in the comments under the ASUS video on how to perform the process wrote that the stick must be formatted in a specific way so that it can be read by the BIOS.
I provide you with the link to the video, and it is the first comment
ASUS mentioned the format the stick should have, but not the process, as some sticks were ready from the factory while others, like mine, were not. I had to format the stick with some commands in the CMD (command prompt) environment to complete the process. I lost 3 days close to it and almost bought new RAM thinking they were the issue.
The important lesson I learned was that the installation of Windows should come first, and then I should do the BIOS updates after watching the how-to part.
Now the BIOS is understandable and user-friendly, and if you want a high-end system, it offers some modifications to utilize.
You also need to modify the memory settings from default to the corresponding upgraded ones to benefit from memory that supports overclocking.
The board has 4 indicator lights on the top right for checking the startup of the main components for any CPU-memory-VGA issues and another one that escapes me.
It has a boot manager priority, but you cannot remove a storage device if it is problematic, e.g., an HDD that won't let you enter Windows, or if it has bad clusters, it will slow down the system and cause it to freeze; instead, you will need to disconnect it.
In software, I have only installed Armoury Crate, where through it you check for new versions of all peripherals connected to the motherboard, as well as the LED lighting control program, to buy games through ASUS and see the CPU VGA status.
A comprehensive control console. As for resource usage, it is high, of course.
You can also download animated backgrounds, i.e., moving background images for your desktop.
It is also important that I tried both versions of WIN11, namely 23H2 and 24H2, and the 24H2 version has settled better, meaning fewer issues in the event viewer (Windows log system) and no critical errors.
In conclusion, every assembly is different, and the positive aspect is the experience I gained, where I learned my system, and now it runs smoothly.
I would have avoided all this if I had done a deeper research.
Check out online presentations for its features and judge.
I would like to add the important note that the motherboard in the processor area has 2 plastic "bricks" with a hook on each that looks vertically at the board; these plastic pieces are indirectly screwed into the board on a metal tray under the motherboard. So it is like a sandwich as follows. Plastic block - Motherboard - Table. If we remove the table, the plastic block cannot be screwed anywhere. Why am I writing this? Because some fans screw directly onto the metal table while others need the plastic block. Now, if you want to change the fan regardless of which one you have installed, you remove the fan and the table falls below the motherboard, and you have no access to the screw sockets for the other fan to sit. I learned the hard way. So you have to disassemble the whole motherboard to screw the fan onto the motherboard and then everything else. The solution is to get ONLY a fan that hooks onto the plastic block that comes factory-installed with the motherboard and is already screwed in. I have copied a link for you to see the plastic blocks with the hooks so that you can buy the appropriate fan.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DyUvEgEOk5w
This specific motherboard has not caused me any problems, even with an old processor (the 5600x) no update was needed. Even if it needs one, it can be done easily via a USB. The lights on the motherboard help a lot in understanding the status of the PC, something that not all motherboards have. The ports are more than sufficient. The one negative I found was the malfunction of the front jack on the front of the computer (front header jack), the only sound you hear is an electric noise as if a cable has been cut.
Overall, a good motherboard in terms of build quality, but I have two that burned out the Ethernet port (in different houses), within 1 year for one and 1.5 years for the second.
Fully satisfied that I returned the useless MSI B550 GAMING for this one since I couldn't update the BIOS no matter what, which not only looks nice but welcomed the Ryzen 5800x with open arms and I updated the BIOS from version 3000 something to the latest.
I want to inform those who want to buy it that if you intend to use the F4-3200C16D-32GIS memory, it accepted them without any problem while I am running them optionally at 2800MHz. The Gskill RAM configurator is usually quite reliable.
I have also installed the PATRIOT P310P240GM28 P310 240GB, which is NOT on the motherboard's compatibility list, but logic says that as long as it meets the specifications, it should work without surprises, as it did for me.
The only downside that I might not have found yet, but I doubt it, is that there is no specific button for selecting the boot disk without going into the BIOS, but only with F2/del I choose override, but it's a minor issue.
Tip for the uninitiated, when you set up Win 10/11, no tricks are needed to set the disk as GPT, it just needs to be without partitions, by clicking "next" after selecting it, the installation will handle it correctly.
Pay attention to the processor you will install on top... it needs a processor that supports PCI Express 4... otherwise you may have lag issues on M.2 drives with PCI Express 4
Very good and beautiful motherboard, it doesn't have RGB but it was exactly what I needed for my white build!!!! I installed a Ryzen 7 5800X without any issues and together with an RX 6600, it performs flawlessly in everything!!!!!
Very good motherboard. I believe it's worth its money. I combined it with a Ryzen 7 5700x. It has many ports, which is very good if you want to connect many cables. Definitely 5 stars.
The motherboard is great for its price, I installed the 5700x and it worked immediately, without any issues! The box says it's ready for 5000 series Ryzen! The BIOS flashback is a great convenience, I updated the BIOS with just a USB and a button!
Regarding the quality and design, Asus has done a very good job. But... There are many "buts". One year later: Problems started with some updates and then the SATA and bottleneck issues and finally... the big black screen!!! Here, the big problem of all ASUS motherboards became apparent, the unreliable hardware, as well as another... called BIOS!!! There is similar research in many media about the poor construction quality, which strangely has occurred in the company. I believed it was the graphics card and the software in general. In the end, it was neither a burnt component nor a faulty update, but the chaotic BIOS. And then the ASUS support, international and domestic, a big mess, I won't waste time with adjectives. To cut it short, PCIe-4 dead, running support, almost destroyed the system with the constant hair-pulling, even the new case. New graphics card, new operating system, and SSD, it cost me a lot. It would have been better to get a new motherboard, which I can get with a little effort. It's a shame, I liked the ROG brand from the beginning. Search on the internet, there is clearly a problem with Asus in general. Unfortunately, everything is black for me. Thank you.
Translated from Greek ·
Temperature
Number of ports
Number of BIOS functions
Reliability
Value for money
Moderate difficulty connecting components to the motherboard
Very good motherboard, paired with Ryzen 7 5800X. The bios is very user-friendly even for people with limited knowledge. Reliable and affordable solution from Asus for those who want something affordable and beautiful.
oti pio VFM exo parei se mitriki paidia...to mono arnitiko einai oti prepei stin arxi na syndetheis asyrmata se internet dioti den anagnorizei ap'eytheias apo ethernet syndesi.
After 18 months of use, I can express my opinion. First of all, it is indeed impressive that Asus continues to release new BIOS almost 3 years after its launch. The positives have already been mentioned by previous reviewers. I have not had any problems at all, not even a blue screen. I would have liked a few more USB ports, but for most users, it is sufficient. Operating system is Windows 11 with updates from Windows Insider. It was also combined with Ryzen 9 5900x, G.Skill Ripjaws V 32gb DDR4 3600.
The motherboard has on it a 5800x3d Firecuda530 RTX3080. It does its job quite well and with dignity. The only thing it doesn't have is RGB, which personally I like.
I combined it with a Ryzen 5 5600x and Crucial Ballistix 16gb Ram. I chose it as I was building a white build. The build quality is very good (6 layers).
I can only find two negatives:
1- ARGB Header (1 compared to most B550s that have 2)
2- It does not have an internal USB Type C Header.
Also, the motherboard does not have RGB on the Heatsink (Attention!!)