There is something about the B550 gaming motherboards. They come with intense power, features, and specifications. At times, many of us tend to confuse them with the X570 model. While that is understandable, you may want to know that the top-end B550 units can work stunningly well on your AMD Ryzen 5000 CPUs.
A notable feature of most of the B550 motherboards is that they come with a low price point. You can notice that it has been more than 2 years since the 500-series AMD Ryzen models were launched.
Though most units are low quoted, some models can be priced slightly higher. You would be surprised to know that some motherboards are priced more than the X570 models. That is quite amazing because X570 units get cheaper within a year after being released into the market.
The performance of the B550 is gaining immense popularity over the X570 models. Today, we are going to discuss two outstanding B550 gaming motherboards. They are the Asus Rog Strix B550-A vs Asus Rog Strix B550-E gaming motherboards.
The Asus Rog Strix B550-A is the latest variant of the Asus Rog Strix B550-FF as it comes with the same features found on this model. The model comes with 2.5 Gbps LAN, OptiMem II technology, support for CrossFireX, and a dual M.2 slot with heatsink.
Its aesthetics is good enough as it comes with white and not the black color. You will note dissipation blocks, VRM, and the EMI shield are similar. However, the pricing is almost the same on the variant as they are the same in most specifications.
The unit is suitable for PC designers who want a motherboard that comes with top-notch performance and appealing design. It has a 12+2 power stage that is perfect for the premium Ryzen chipset model.
It also comes with an 8+4-pin ProCool auxiliary power connector. You can also find solid pins and stable power delivery. The Intel I255-V 2.5 Gbps ethernet offers extremely quick networking; the SupremeFX S1220A audio codec provides supreme audio quality.
The B550-A gaming motherboard is infused with the Rog logo, recessed cybertext patterning, and pre-mounted I/O shield. It comes embedded using RGB LED strip headers and aura sync support to customize a stand-out appearance in design.
On the other hand, we also have the Asus Rog Strix B550-E gaming motherboard that comes with excellent features. However, can the pricing of $290 be justified? When you feel that it is something that you do not need to know, then hold on as it is not actually altogether crazy.
The B550-E model is a second-tier variant of AMD’s 500-series motherboards. You do not miss out on the larger X570 unit. Our tester did notice that when it is fixed with PCH chipset to the CPU socket, through the PCI Express Gen 3 interface, this one is a Gen 4 interface.
It means that you need to use double the bandwidth. The consequences for this B550 model have the single M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD with a full speed that X570 chipset supports two motherboards, which also come in other bandwidth sensitive areas like the USB connectivity.
Let us read on to find out more about the gaming motherboards and find out the winner.
 |  |
|---|---|
| Asus Rog Strix B550-A | Asus Rog Strix B550-E |
| PROS | PROS |
| The design of the motherboard is opulent. The gaming connectivity is sublime. It comes with a smart networking solution. It has a spectacular power system. The product is a DIY-friendly model. | The features on the motherboard are stunning. The build quality of the model is exceptional. It is a feature-rich product. It has top-notch networking specifications. The unit comes with sublime overclocking. |
| CONS | CONS |
| It comes with no RGB heatsink. | The model performance can be improved. |
FEATURES & LAYOUT
The features & layout of the Asus gaming motherboards are always phenomenal. You can easily make out from the manner in which they have been done. Manufacturers like Gigabyte, MSI, and Asus have always stood out when it comes to packaging.
We take a look at the packing. The model has packaging done that is quite similar to Prime models. You can instantly notice the chrome-finish badging, which makes it appear like the ROG unit. You can also note the rear-end specifications from the box.
We like the manner in which the box is packed and done. You can see the plate that is present inside, along with the protective plastic bag. There is also a cardboard mold to help keep the motherboard safely inside it.
You can find the floor for keeping the accessories of the chrome-finished plate. You can find the motherboard, 4x SATA 6Gbps cables, and ROG strix sticker card. The key chain, cable ties, 1 extension cable for ARGB strips, 2 screws for M.2 SSD installation, and 2 rubber caps for M.2 SSD placement.
These triple-state stages have an operating frequency of 1.5 MHz with input at 19V and output at 3.3V and 5V. For optical performance and high overclocking capacity, we will have a DIGI + EPU model ASP 1106GGQW.
This supplies the power control by digital PWM signal to the converters, not using duplicators or anything like this in this case, so they are real phases. Finally, the signal smoothing stage is made up of metallic chokes and solid capacitors.
These will be able to work with extreme temperatures and offer a performance of 110% compared to the standard; what does Asus understand by standard? In any case, during testing, the VRM has shown excellent solvency and capacity with an entire Ryzen 9 5900X.
The packaging for the Asus Rog Strix B550-E gaming motherboard is simply impressive on this one. It provides you with an enthusiastic heat sink. You can find 1 for each M.2 slot, LED lighting. You have 3 full-length PCI Express slots, and two of them come in a Gen 4 trim.
These slots can easily support dual-GPU graphics. You can note each in the 8 lane PCIe 4.0 configuration. It shows you the indication of the requirements of the motherboard. Likewise, you also have 8 pin, but a 4 pin that is an additional CPU power supply connector.
This figure, too, indicates a motherboard that is produced for intense performance. You can notice it comes with large heat sinks for the VRMs. Please note that it comes with no fan installed as the incredible 5W power sucks the X570 10W rate.
It also comes with a dedicated power header for the AIO water cooler pump and several PWM fan headers. You will be delighted to know that the motherboard comes with a 6 layer PCB design providing you with a 14+2 power stage.
You can note that it has a 2 digit debug display. Besides, it also has 7.1 audio, which offers shielding for decreasing the interface and enhancing audio quality. You can also find the Intel I225-V 2.5Gb ethernet controller for incredible quick networking.
The motherboard also comes with an Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 wireless connectivity along with 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) support. You can also make use of the LED lighting present. Gamers can utilize it with the awesome capability of the Asus hardware.
SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE
A notable feature of the Asus Rog Strix B550-A model is that it comes DIY friendly. This is something that our tester was pleasantly surprised by. Usually, Asus gaming motherboards are quite lovely in design and layout.
You can easily design the device yourself with the chipset. It comes with a pre-mounted I/O shield that comes sleek matte black. A fantastic color, we may say. Besides, you can also notice that it has a pre-mounted feature where you can install the motherboard.
There are also Q-LEDs for enabling you to know if the model is having any issues with the powers and functions. This is a valuable feature, we can say. As soon as there are issues with the CPU, power status, graphics card, and memory, you can make use of it for quick checking.
There is also a SafeSlot offering you with a sturdy PCIe device retention. It also helps you enabling better shearing resistance. The distinct feature in the unit is the BIOS FlashBack offering you with a safe (UEFI) BIOS update.
You can drop the BIOS (UEFI) file into the FAT32 formatted USB stick. Then you can plug it inside the USB BIOS FlashBack port. After that, you got to press the button. You can easily make use of the updates without having the CPU and the memory installed in there.
The software & firmware in the Asus Rog Strix B550-E is equally good enough. Gamers can notice that the Digi+ ASP2006 PWM controller controls the 14+2 phase design. You may want to know that it is a new controller and we do not have much information to work on.
You can find the MPS MP86992 co-packaged MOSFET power stages use the same power stages. Additionally, the 2 SoC phases also use similar power stages. It comes with close to 7 fan headers.
The unit comes with 2 addressable gen 2 headers and 2 4-pin RGB strip headers. You might want to use the 1 USB 3.1 gen 1 internal front header, 1 USB 2.0 internal header, and the front audio heard.
OVERCLOCKING
The gaming motherboard comes with optimal aesthetics that can compete with top-end units. While aesthetics has always been the main strength for Asus motherboards, you can also decide on designing the white setup.
You may not be able to find several plates of the same quality in the color that it comes in. You would be delighted to know that the premium models are outstanding in the design. Though there is no lighting, the overclocking for the price range was quite good.
There is no lighting either that was a huge exception in an Asus model. The features for the gaming and other uses were exceptional and spectacular, to say. It is a little below the TUF Gaming Plus because it has no Wi-Fi connectivity and a slot to install it on your own.
We proceed to carry out a 12-hour test with Prime95 to test this board’s 12 + 2 power phases with the 12-core CPU and the cooling system. While the VRM cooling technology system in the B550-E does not disappoint us, the range does.
However, the overclocking was good, and so was the voltage setting. That lets you to work opulently on the motherboard. Our tester was able to get close to 4.7 GHz @ 1.4 V from the 5900X.
The stability of the plate has been perfect, so in this aspect, we must be satisfied. What about the overclocking performance of the B550-E? Sadly, the model comes with the default board settings, and you may find the going difficult.
Though the B550-E is much expensive than other units like even the MSI MAG B550M Mortar, it is much slower in games. Our tester was taken aback because, on paper, it looks quite powerful and approachable.
The AMD approach to overclock gets rid of any CPU that is given. You can make use of the proper simple core ratio tweaks. Users can become familiar with the BIOS interface, allowing you to use the core ratio and the overclock.
You can enhance on the core ratio and allow the motherboard to work up. Besides, you can also make use of the timing and voltage. You can let the motherboard to perform the performance on the tested AMD Ryzen 3 3100 CPU.
We were not surprised with the quad-core chip of 4.2GHz on all cores. Using it, we were able to get a 300MHz to overclock for a 3.9GHz boost clock. On the whole, the overclocking was quite excellent, and you could enjoy whatever VRM enhancements you want to do.
PRICE
The Asus Rog Strix B550-A gaming motherboard is priced under $179. Our tester felt that the motherboard is stunningly featured with decent specifications and the right kind of elements. The Asus Rog Strix B550-E gaming motherboard is priced under $290.
Both the models are evenly matched. For example, the B550-A model was released in July 2020, and the B550-E was released a month later. The capabilities and the VRM components are similarly designed and built.
We do not have a clear picture of the massive price difference of more than $100 that can sway users from the B550-E model to the B550-A model. Based on the testing and performances, we did not find much difference in both models.
Asus Rog Strix B550-A vs Asus Rog Strix B550-E: Verdict
This is it. We have concluded the review between Asus Rog Strix B550-A vs Asus Rog Strix B550-E gaming motherboards. Comparing two gaming motherboards of the same brand can be quite challenging in many ways.
Though the features in both of them come a lot similar based on our research and testing, the pricing may change things in the end. It comes with stunning aesthetics that are found on most of premium models.
You can make use of them on top-end CPUs, and it is definitely an excellent choice. There are some new features that other models do not come with. Sadly, we did not find several plates that went on the board for quality and capacity.
Likewise, we have the Asus Rog Strix B550-E being termed as the budget model is quite weird. The model is priced close to $300 that is not cheap in any way. We did not find too many differences apart from the price range.
The B550-A is much cheaper than Asus Rog Strix B550-E, supports DDR4 4600MHz RAM type, and has 1 Slot PCI-E x1. On the other hand, the Asus Rog Strix B550-E gaming motherboard could be a better choice because it supports NVIDIA SLI, supports AMD CrossFire, and wireless LAN integrated.
The gaming motherboard also comes with 1 slot PCI-E x16 and onboard USB 3.2 Gen 2. Our winner in this review between Asus Rog Strix B550-A vs Asus Rog Strix B550-E motherboards would be the Rog Strix B550-A unit.
Our tester did not find too many differences between the B500-A and the B550-E models. The pricing aspect played a significant role in the decision. When you are a professional designer or gamer, you will do with a top-end motherboard.
However, when you require a simple yet powerful motherboard, then the B550-A should do. At the end of the day, your requirements matter a lot than other things. When you find that the B550-E model is affordable by your standards, then go for it.
James Smith has always been intrigued by electronic products since his childhood. After his post graduation in electronics from a popular university, he decided to pursue a career in the electronics sector. But his calling for writing about these marvellous pieces of work got the better of him. That is how UBG was started. With a writing career spanning more than 12 years, James has worked on several hundred product reviews. During his free time, he like to spend time with his pet dog and relax in the swimming pool.