Gigabyte AMD B550 AORUS Pro Motherboard Review

Features

• Supports 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors
• Dual Channel ECC/ Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
• True 12+2 Phases Digital VRM Solution with 50A DrMOS
• Advanced Thermal Design with Fins-Array Heatsink and Direct Touch Heatpipe
• Ultra Durable™ PCIe 4.0 Ready x16 Slot
• Dual Ultra-Fast NVMe PCIe 4.0/3.0 x4 M.2 with Thermal Guards
• AMP-UP Audio with ALC1220-VB and WIMA Capacitors for Rear 120dB SNR
• Blazing Fast 2.5GbE LAN with Bandwidth Management
• USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C™ & HDMI Support
• RGB FUSION 2.0 Supports Addressable LED & RGB LED Strips
• Smart Fan 5 Features Multiple Temperature Sensors , Hybrid Fan Headers with FAN STOP
• Q-Flash Plus Update BIOS without Installing the CPU, Memory and Graphics Card
• Pre-installed IO Shield for Easy and Quick Installation

Ready for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors and Beyond*

AMD’s B550 chipset enables PCIe® 4.0 compatibility for NVMe storage and graphics on mainstream motherboards, giving you confidence that your system won’t go obsolete before its time.

All motherboards with AMD’s 500 Series chipsets are built to support today’s advanced 3rd Gen Ryzen processors based on the ‘Zen 2’ architecture, but that’s not all. You’re also covered with planned support for future Ryzen processors based on the ‘Zen 3’ architecture¹, so your system can keep you on the cutting edge with future upgrades.

*Note: AMD B550 chipset is not compatible with AMD Ryzen™ 5 3400G & AMD Ryzen™ 3 3200G processors.

Specifications

CPU

• AMD Socket AM4, support for: 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen™ processors/ New Generation AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Graphics processors

(Please refer “CPU Support List” for more information.)

Chipset

• AMD B550

Memory

• 4 x DDR4 DIMM sockets supporting up to 128 GB (32 GB single DIMM capacity) of system memory
• 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors: Support for DDR4 5200(O.C.) / 5000(O.C.) / 4866(O.C.) / 4600(O.C.) / 4400(O.C.) / 4000(O.C.) / 3600(O.C.) / 3333(O.C.) /3200/2933/2667/2400/2133 MHz memory modules
• New Generation AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Graphics processors: Support for DDR4 5400(O.C.) / 5200(O.C.) / 5000(O.C.) / 4866(O.C.) / 4600(O.C.) / 4400(O.C.) / 4000(O.C.) / 3600(O.C.) / 3333(O.C.) /3200/2933/2667/2400/2133 MHz memory modules
• Dual channel memory architecture
• Support for ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8 memory modules
• Support for non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx16 memory modules
• Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules

Onboard Graphics

• Integrated in the New Generation AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Graphics processors:
  • 1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096×2160@60 Hz
  • Support for HDMI 2.1 version, HDCP 2.3, and HDR.
  • Maximum shared memory of 16 GB

Audio

• Realtek^® ALC1220-VB codec
• The back panel line out jack supports DSD audio.
• High Definition Audio
• 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
• Support for S/PDIF Out

LAN

• Realtek^® 2.5GbE LAN chip (2.5 Gbit/1 Gbit/100 Mbit)

Expansion Slots

• 1‎ x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX16), integrated in the CPU:
  • 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen™ processors support PCIe 4.0 x16 mode
  • New Generation AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Graphics processors support PCIe 3.0 x16 mode
  • For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.
• 1 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX4), integrated in the Chipset:
  • Supporting PCIe 3.0 x4 mode
  • The M2B_SB connector shares bandwidth with the PCIEX4 slot. The PCIEX4 slot will become unavailable when an SSD is installed in the M2B_SB connectors.
• 1 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX2), integrated in the Chipset:
  • Supporting PCIe 3.0 x2 mode
  • The PCIEX2 slot shares bandwidth with the SATA3 4, 5 connectors. The PCIEX2 slot will become unavailable when a device is installed in the SATA3 4 or SATA3 5 connector.
• 2 x PCI Express x1 slots

Storage Interface

• 1‎ x M.2 connector (M2A_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 SSDs:
  • 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen™ processors support SATA and PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs
  • New Generation AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Graphics processors support SATA and PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 SSDs
• 1 x M.2 connector (M2B_SB), integrated in the Chipset, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 SSDs:
  • Support PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 SSDs
• 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors, integrated in the Chipset:
  • Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10

USB

• CPU:
  • 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports on the back panel
  • 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port (red) on the back panel
• Chipset:
  • 1 x USB Type-C™ port on the back panel, with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support
  • 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port (red) on the back panel
  • 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports available through the internal USB header
  • 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports on the back panel
• Chipset+2 USB 2.0 Hubs:8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers)

Internal I/O Connectors

• 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
• 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
• 2 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors
• 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
• 1 x CPU fan header
• 1 x water cooling CPU fan header
• 4 x system fan headers
• 2 x system fan/water cooling pump headers
• 1 x CPU cooler LED strip/RGB LED strip header
• 2 x addressable LED strip headers
• 2 x RGB LED strip headers
• 1 x front panel header
• 1 x front panel audio header
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
• 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header (2×6 pin, for the GC-TPM2.0_S module only)
• 2 x temperature sensor headers
• 1 x Clear CMOS jumper

Back Panel Connectors

• 1 x HDMI port
• 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
• 1 x USB Type-C™ port, with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support
• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red)
• 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• 1 x Q-Flash Plus button
• 1 x RJ-45 port
• 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
• 5 x audio jacks

I/O Connectors

• iTE^® I/O Controller Chip

Back Panel Connectors

• 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port
• 1 x DisplayPort
• 1 x HDMI port
• 1 x USB Type-C™ port, with USB 3.1 Gen 2 support
• 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port (red)
• 3 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• 1 x RJ-45 port
• 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
• 5 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out, Rear Speaker Out, Line In, Line Out, Mic In)

I/O Controller

• iTE® I/O Controller Chip

H/W Monitoring

• Voltage detection
• Temperature detection
• Fan speed detection
• Water cooling flow rate detection
• Overheating warning
• Fan fail warning
• Fan speed control
  * Whether the fan (pump) speed control function is supported will depend on the fan (pump) you install.

BIOS

• 1 x 256 Mbit flash
• Use of licensed AMI UEFI BIOS
• PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0

Unique Features

• Support for APP Center – Available applications in APP Center may vary by motherboard model. Supported functions of each application may also vary depending on motherboard specifications.
• @BIOS
• EasyTune
• Fast Boot
• Game Boost
• ON/OFF Charge
• RGB Fusion
• Smart Backup
• System Information Viewer
• Support for Q-Flash Plus
• Support for Q-Flash
• Support for Xpress Install

Bundle Software

• Norton^® Internet Security (OEM version)
• XSplit Gamecaster + Broadcaster (12 months license)
• Realtek^® 8125 Gaming LAN Bandwidth Control Utility

Operating System

• Support for Windows 10 64-bit

Form Factor

• ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm

Remark

1. Due to different Linux support condition provided by chipset vendors, please download Linux driver from chipset vendors’ website or 3rd party website.
2. Most hardware/software vendors may no longer offer drivers to support Win9X/ME/2000/XP. If drivers are available from the vendors, we will update them on the GIGABYTE website.

* The entire materials provided herein are for reference only. GIGABYTE reserves the right to modify or revise the content at anytime without prior notice.
* Advertised performance is based on maximum theoretical interface values from respective Chipset vendors or organization who defined the interface specification. Actual performance may vary by system configuration.
* All trademarks and logos are the properties of their respective holders.
* Due to standard PC architecture, a certain amount of memory is reserved for system usage and therefore the actual memory size is less than the stated amount.

Now lets move on to the next page and take a closer look at the Gigabyte AMD B550 AORUS Pro!