In today’s comparison review, we are going to read about the budget motherboards. They are often not given due attention, and we thought that our readers might benefit from that. At times, through our research, we come across motherboards from notable brands that come with intense features.
We will be looking at the Gigabyte B550M DS3H vs Gigabyte B550 Gaming X motherboards in today’s review. Gamers and users would be stunned to know that these budget models can get the job completed without much hassle.
As found in most Asus variants, the need to upgrade to more expensive versions is not really there if you are ready to compromise on some components and specifications a bit. You will be glad to know that the new B500 series does not come with the PCIe 4.0, but it has the PCIe 3.0.
The budget units come with several PCIe 4.0 add-in drives and other decent features. You would be delighted to know that demand for these motherboards has only risen. They are able to gel well Ryzen series of processors.
The Gigabyte B550M DS3H gaming motherboard comes with the proven B550 chipset. The unit is good for gamers, PC designers, and movie buffs. You will be glad to know that the motherboard is suitable with all 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen processors.
Besides, it can work splendidly on most of the new generation motherboards. A B550 chipset is an attractive option for many because it adequately supports the PCI-E 4.0 specifications. Additionally, it also comes with several overclocking options.
We found it to be quite remarkable in demanding situations not requiring fan cooling. Likewise, Gigabyte B550 Gaming X is a budget model. However, it comes with a decent performance. We were quite stunned by its limited components but high abilities.
It comes with all the features like the PCI 4.0 connectivity for the NVMe SSD and graphics card. There is an M.2 slot, support to 4400 MHz DRAM, and 1 USB 3.2 Gen2 port. You can see exciting specifications from a low-cost unit.
Without wasting any time, let us get started reading.
 |  |
|---|---|
| GIGABYTE B550M DS3H | GIGABYTE B550 GAMING X |
| PROS | PROS |
| The board lightweight in design and pleasant aesthetics. The motherboard is ideal for first-timers. It works sublimely with the Ryzen 3,5, and 7 3700X. It offers you that BIOS is easy to navigate. The product is exceptionally cheap. | The design of the unit is extensive. The firmware and overclocking are excellent. It has plenty of USB ports. The chances of upgrading to a new CPU are good. The unit is priced quite affordable. |
| CONS | CONS |
| Sadly, the unit has only 2 fan headers. | The software needs to be improved. |
Gigabyte B550M DS3H vs Gigabyte B550 Gaming X: Features & Layout
For budget models, these units did quite well in the features & layout segment. Besides coming with most of the features embedded in them, they also came with great looks. Though they both were not as creative or aggressive as the Asus models, they were exceptional.
The Gigabyte B550M DS3H comes with a sober grey and black tone look. It appears slightly larger than the B550 Gaming X model. However, this a feature-rich unit. It comes with the needed components like support for the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen processors, 4 DIMMs, dual-channel non-ECC unbuffered DDR4.
It also comes with a 5+3 Phases Pure Digital VRM Solution with Low RDS (on) MOSFETs. It also works with the help of the Ultra Durable PCIe 4. 0 Ready x16 Slot, and the high-quality audio capacitors.
You will be delighted to know that it comes with an audio noise guard for ultimate audio quality. There is also the GIGABYTE exclusive 8118 Gaming GbE LAN with bandwidth management feature.
On the other hand, the B550 Gaming X board comes with adequate support for AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen/ 2nd Gen Ryzen/ 2nd Gen Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics/ Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics Processors.
You already have an abundance of chipsets to choose from to design your phenomenal CPU. There is also a Dual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs and an advanced thermal design enlarged surface thermal heatsinks.
We may want to mention here that the cooling technology embedded in here was one of the best in the market for the price point. There is also the dual NVMe PCIe 4. 0/3. 0 x4 M. 2. It is an ATX sized model coming with 2 full-length PCIe slots.
We liked the fact that it comes with the Realtek ALC887 HD audio codec powers. It enables you to use 3 3.5 mm audio jacks. There is also the Realtek 8111 Gigabit Ethernet controller to use on a single RJ45 port.
You can use the Q-Flash Plus button at the rear to let users update the firmware effortlessly. It is suitable for beginners in gaming who want to use the powers in designing Ryzen processors.
Gigabyte B550M DS3H vs Gigabyte B550 Gaming X: Software and Firmware
The software and firmware of the Gigabyte B550M DS3H are pretty good for a budget motherboard. You can find the software mentioned on the main page of the BIOS; there is the access mode.
This lets you view the CPU and memory status. When you visit the advanced pages, you can adjust the settings. Besides, you can change the onboard devices and check on the motherboard health too.
Our tester suggested that you make use of the support list for memory and SSD compatibility. We found out that the B550M DS3H board is not compatible with Ryzen 3 3200G (Picasso) and Ryzen 5 3400G processors.
We feel that this can be a setback for users deciding to opt for this unit. Additionally, it also does not come with M.2 heat spreaders. There are also small heatsinks, which may worry hardcore gamers.
We felt that they could have included larger heat spreaders. Without the I/O hood, the unit can work well, but it does give it the looks. Lastly, we felt that the DVI-out connector is an obsolete feature. We are not sure if PC designers utilize them even today. Instead, they could have made use of a DisplayPort as it is a much better option.
All in all, the B550M DS3H unit is a good model for gamers, coders, and graphic designers. It can get the job done. However, these small additions to it could have made it into an even powerful motherboard.
The Gigabyte B550 Gaming X gaming motherboard to comes with solid software & firmware. Using the Smart Fan 5 you can see to that the system performs well and stays cool. You will be delighted to know that the feature enables you to interchange fan headers.
This is able to reflect different thermal sensors. Its hybrid fan headers can support both the PWM and Voltage mode fans for enabling more cooling efficiency. They include 6 temperature sensors, 5 fan pin headers, sensors, and an intuitive UI for fan control.
There is another software called as Fan Stop that stops when the temperature drops drastically. Users can adjust the different modes that they want depending on their preferences. For the pump, you can use the intuitive fan curve to trigger thresholds.
Besides, the RGB Fusion 2.0 provides gamers immersive gaming experience. You can set up the lighting effects on most of the supported devices. In conclusion, we can find that the software and firmware on both models are quite decent and functional.
Gigabyte B550M DS3H vs Gigabyte B550 Gaming X: Overclocking
Overclocking is one of the most critical factors for ensuring that the gaming motherboard can do its job well. The AMD B550 series units let you overclock using the processor and the memory.
You can adjust the CPU ratio in 100 MHz increments from the AMD’s Precision Boost Overdrive function. Please note that the motherboards are from the same brand and come with a similar price point.
Our expectations were not very high as far as the overclocking was concerned. The good news is that the Gigabyte B550 Gaming X gaming motherboard supports overclocking the RAM to a higher speed.
Our tester recommends that you do not increase the voltage. You need to beware of the fact that the voltage regulator cooler is relatively small. It can cause the unit to overheat very soon. The Gigabyte B550 Gaming X comes with decent overclocking. It probably has got to do with the EasyTune software that is provided by default.
This feature comes like direct access to the BIOS settings. Users do not have to go into the BIOS. But they can make the changes. However, you will need to restart the system after making the changes to your system.
Would you please do note that the motherboard comes with a sensor overview? That has temperature data for you to know the details about the hovering temperature in your unit. At times, it may appear in generic names such as HWInfo64.
It was quite beneficial and gave readings into the motherboard’s VRM MOS temperatures. In the open chassis, the idle temperature does not move above 32C. When you have used the board for one hour of loading, the temperate is 46degrees.
When the Ryzen 5 3600 is overclocked to 4.3 GHz, it can go almost to 50degrees. We do not blame the motherboards for struggling beyond a certain point of temperature. That is how they have been designed and will perform.
The pricing factor also needs to be considered as they are under $150 and can do only likewise.
Gigabyte B550M DS3H vs Gigabyte B550 Gaming X: Price
The pricing of gaming motherboards from the same brand can be challenging and tricky at times. We have seen several users being swayed by the pricing factor alone. That should not always be the case.
Just because a unit is priced slightly higher than the other, you may want to look at the features and performance of it, as in this case. That is because you never know what you were going to miss out on.
The Gigabyte B550M DS4H is priced under $110. Our tester felt that the budget model motherboard is ideally priced for decent performance that it can provide you with a good amount of features.
The Gigabyte B550 Gaming X is priced under $150. We thought that the motherboard is exceptional in performance, splendid overclocking, and comes with sublime look aesthetics. Our tester was highly impressed with the overall performance of the unit.
Gigabyte B550M DS3H vs Gigabyte B550 Gaming X: Verdict
This is it. We have come to the end of our discussion on the comparison review on the Gigabyte B550M DS3H vs Gigabyte B550 Gaming X gaming motherboards. We hope that you have enjoyed reading the review and were able to make up your mind about the best board for your new PC.
Well, if you haven’t, then no worries, you can either reread the post or check out the winner in the last line. Though the Gigabyte B550M DS3H board does not look attractive, it does not mean that it cannot do anything.
The unit gives you decent performance, comes with an abundance of features, and the components are stunning. The motherboard comes with a decent amount of features including, PCI-E 4.0 support, HD audio, Gigabyte 8118 gigabit LAN, USB 3.2, and Gen1.
You can also find the 4 x SATA ports, 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 steel slot, 1 x PCI-E 3.0 slot, 1 x PCI-E 4.0 M.2 slot. It also comes with the 1 x PCI-E 3.0 M.2 slots for SSDs, and 4 x DIMM slots supporting memory.
This unit is suitable for gamers, PC designers, content creators, programmers, and home theatre enthusiasts. Please ensure that you are only working on it using the 3rd Gen Ryzen processors (Matisse or Renoir).
On the other hand, we have the Gigabyte B550 Gaming X unit that comes with sublime features as well. You will like the fact that it comes with many USB ports and can accommodate the internal drives effortlessly.
You can design a splendid CPU with it, and as it is a B500 series motherboard, you can bet that it can support the next-gen Ryzen processors as well. That only means you do not have to purchase a new motherboard or update the current unit you have for now.
The Gigabyte B550M DS3H gaming motherboard has several advantages over the B550 Gaming X board. It comes with 1 more USB 3.0 ports, 2 more USB 2.0 ports, and 61mm narrower. At the same time, Gigabyte B550 Gaming X gaming motherboard has benefits over the B550M DS3H.
The board comes with 2 more fan headers, 2 more USB 2.0 ports, 2 more PCIe x1 slots, and 1 more USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports. Based on the above comparison review, our winner is the Gigabyte B550 Gaming X gaming motherboard.
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.