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B550 vs B450 Differences Explained: Are B550 Motherboards Even Worth It? (FAQ)

Overview of the B550 Chipset & What PCIe Gen4 Support Means in Practical Terms

Just because something is the latest and greatest model, doesn't necessarily mean it's worth buying over the previous generation/model. If you're planning a new AMD computer, you shouldn't automatically assume that you need to spend the extra money on a new B550. If you're looking for maximize your return on investment, a good B450 motherboard is still a very viable option, even if you're eyeing off an upgrade to Ryzen 5000 CPUs thanks to AMD recently backtracking and confirming that B450 motherboards will support Zen 3.

Put another way, just because B550 is out, doesn't mean B450 is completely obsolete and worthless. Quality B450 boards like the B450 Tomahawk Max aren't going anywhere; the B550 Tomahawk is priced at over $50 more but doesn't justify the extra cost for most builders (especially if simply running a stock Ryzen 5 3600 or 3700X for instance). Throw in the higher than expected launch prices of the B550 range (see below), and B550 really doesn't seem all that compelling of a purchase for budget or mid-range systems where seeking bang for buck is the name of the game.

See Also: The Best B450 Motherboards

B550 vs B450 Launch Price Increases

B550 prices have raised a few eyebrows around the community, but not in a good way. Back when B450 first launched, models were priced between $70 - $130. Many people were expecting B550 to be priced roughly on-par with B450 or thereabouts, but that hasn't happened and almost every single B550 motherboard has released for significantly higher than their B450 predecessors, and sometimes much higher, with certain B550 models priced deep into X570 territory. 

To leave it at that wouldn't be telling the whole story though, as B550 boards do bring a bunch of new features when compared to their same (or similar) named B450 predecessors, with premium B550 models boasting rich feature sets that resemble X570 rather than B450. But despite the fact that B550 motherboards aren't just an improved chipset, and do come with various improvements over B450, that doesn't necessarily mean their higher cost is automatically worth it compared to settling for a tried and true B450 with less fancy features (most of which you might have no use for, even over your system's entire lifespan, but more on that in a bit).

To get a gist of the price differences between B550 and B450, here's just a handful of some (likely to be) popular B550 motherboards and their launch price:

B550 vs B450 Chipset Differences

Put simply, excluding certain model-specific improvements, these are the main overall differences between the B550 and B450 chipsets:

• B550 Has a PCIe 4.0 M.2 Slot: All B550 motherboards have a PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot to accommodate PCIe 4.0 SSDs, with the one exception being the Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master which has 2 PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots. B450 boards only have PCIe 3.0 M.2 slots (PCIe 4.0 SSDs can still work on them they only at PCIe 3.0 speeds).

• B550 Has a PCIe 4.0 GPU Slot: B550 motherboards also have a full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot to take full advantage of PCIe 4.0 compatible graphics cards like the Radeon RX 5700 XT (but keep in mind PCIe 4.0 doesn't matter for GPUs). B450 boards only have PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, meaning that PCIe 4.0 GPUs will run at PCIe 3.0.

• B550 Has Official Dual GPU Support: Another moot point for the far majority of people, as multi-GPU systems aren't anywhere near as popular (or effective) as they used to be. But for certain niche enthusiasts, B550s can now officially support multi-GPU technologies (SLI or NVLink for NVidia cards and/or CrossFire for AMD cards). Technically, on a B450 that has 2 full-length PCIe x16 slots, you can run dual GPUs, but the second GPU will be limited in bandwidth to something like PCIe 2.0 x4.


• B550 Has Gen3 PCIe Lanes: While B550 offers PCIe 4.0 slots to connect super high-speed SSDs and GPUs, the general PCIe lanes (as in, connections) between the motherboard chipset and devices plugged into the board use PCIe 3.0 instead. This is an upgrade over B450 though, which only has PCIe 2.0 general purpose lanes. In simple terms, this simply means the B550 chipset is more flexible (and faster) behind the scenes, but not as flexible/fast as X570 which has PCIe 4.0 general purpose lanes.


• B550 Can Support WiFi 6: WiFi 6 (also referred to as 802.11 ax) is the latest wireless standard which is included on certain B550 models that have built-in WiFi capability out of the box. WiFI 6 hasn't caught onto the mainstream just yet (like PCIe 4.0, that could take a while), therefore the fact that wireless-ready B450 models only support WiFi 5 isn't a deal-breaker for most (unless you invested, or plan to invest in one of the best gaming routers with WiFi 6).

• B550 Can Have 2.5G Ethernet: The more expensive B550 motherboards also have next-gen wired networking in the form of a 2.5 Gigabit LAN port, whereas B450 motherboards "only" have 1G (1 Gigabit) LAN ports. I say "only" because like WiFi 6, 2.5G is not a big deal as most people's routers (let alone internet plan) don't get close to maxing out a 1G Ethernet port.

• B550 Has USB 3.2 Gen2 Ports: B550 slightly beefs up I/O speeds compared to B450. Most B450 boards had USB 3.1 ports (though more recent "refreshed" B450 models like MSI's "Max" range do have USB 3.2), whereas with B550 you now have USB 3.2 Gen2 ports as standard (like X570 does). 


• B550 is Guaranteed for Ryzen 4000: Most (if not all) B450 motherboards will support Ryzen 4000, but only by using a beta BIOS that may have certain features missing. AMD says that B550 (or X570) is recommended for a guaranteed optimal experience with upcoming Ryzen 4000 processors. That's true, but doesn't mean B450 isn't still worth considering to use with Ryzen 4000.

• B550 Does Not Support Ryzen 2000/1000 CPUs: B550 motherboards aren't compatible with Ryzen 1000 or 2000 (only Ryzen 3000 and 4000), whereas B450 supports all Ryzen series. Just remember, if you plan to update a B450 BIOS for Ryzen 4000 (when the times comes), your B450 likely won't support earlier Ryzen CPUs (as in, there's no going back once you've done the BIOS update).

• B550 Does Not Support Ryzen 3000 APUs: Not to be confused with standard Ryzen 3000 CPUs, the Ryzen 3000 APUs (Accelerated Processing Units, AMD's term for their CPUs that have integrated graphics) include the Ryzen 3 3200G and Ryzen 5 3400G.

On paper, the improvements of B550 over B450 sound great. But which new CPU, GPU, chipset, or [insert new release] doesn't? Throw in just a little FOMO-generating marketing that signifies something as having must-have, next generation features like PCIe 4.0, and less tech-savvy users will typically assume that not buying it is a mistake. Yeah, B550 boards are nice, but based on current pricing, their advancements aren't important enough to automatically make them a no-brainer buy. Let's go deeper on why that is, including where spending more on a B550 does make sense.

Premium models like the Asus ROG Strix B550-E have fancy features like 2.5G LAN, WiFi 6, & Type-C USB Audio

Is B550 Worth It? Does PCIe Gen4 Matter?

The new functionality that B550 now brings to the mainstream (that X570 first brought to enthusiasts last year), most notably PCIe 4.0 support that allows for PCIe 4.0 SSDs and GPUs to run at their intended maximum speed, isn't likely to be important to you as a gamer or creator. To be more blunt, PCIe 4.0 is essentially completely irrelevant for the majority of people. My opinion on this applies even if you're assembling a relatively powerful, high-performance gaming and/or work PC, and even if you desire your system to be "future proof" for years to come.

Don't get me wrong; barring human-destroying AI, tech advancements should be celebrated as always (let's hope Elon and Co. navigate those waters with seriously next-gen shrewdness and tact). But not all advancements are created equal, no matter what the marketing or a popular YouTuber might say. The crux of the B450 vs B550 matter, at least right now, is as follows in my humble opinion:

The current prices of B550 motherboards makes them tough to recommend over B450 if you're seeking maximum return on investment for a budget or mid-range gaming PC.

You might say a $30-$60 difference over B450 (give or take a bit depending on the models you're comparing) is hardly much of a difference, and you'd be right if you have a semi-loose budget and can afford "nice to have" features. But for the majority who aren't looking to be haphazard with spending, that cash could be put to much more practical use to get a more tangible return on investment.

Alternatively, the price saved from buying a B450 could mean getting 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB, which is IMHO a much better spec in a modern system than having a B550 and/or PCIe 4.0. Furthermore, you could get a slightly better graphics card, such as moving up from a RX 570 4GB to a RX 580 8GB, from a GTX 1660 to a GTX 1660 Super, or perhaps from a 1660 Super to a RTX 2060, all of which would lead to improved gaming performance that can improve your experience (and could mean the difference between building a VR-ready PC or not).

Consider these things compared to spending the extra coin on the new B550 chipset, that boasts features you will may not even use, and may not even use over your system's entire lifespan. For example, you might not ever buy a high-end PCIe 4.0 SSD to utilize the PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot on a B550. If you're not a serious video editor or other professional creator/artist, where you often transfer large data and want the absolute fastest transfer speeds humanly possible, spending on an expensive Gen4 SSD isn't really practical for most people building a gaming PC, as once again that money could go to something more important like the CPU or graphics card.

Plus, the PCIe 4.0 GPU support on B550, for cards like the RX 5700 XT (one of just a handful of current-gen cards that supports PCIe 4.0), is much closer to borderline useless for most people. The difference between PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 when it comes to graphics cards is completely irrelevant, and that is unlikely to change with next-gen GPUs (assuming they will support PCIe 4.0; current NVidia RTX cards do not). 

That said, the right B550 at the right price can make a lot of sense if you actually have a use for some of the new features, or if you're willing to forego maximum "bang for buck" and would rather just have the latest platform (despite it not really changing your experience).

At What Price Does B550 Make Sense?

As for new gaming PC builds over $1000 using a Ryzen 5 3600, Ryzen 3700X, or better - that's where I'd consider throwing in a B550 instead because it's not going to affect your other components choices as much. Specifically, I'd look at a good value B550 like the MSI B550-A Pro or Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite, both of which aren't too much more than the B450s (but have better features and VRMs, including PCIe 4.0 of course). The MSI B550 Tomahawk is also worth considering if you want something a little better and are willing to invest upwards of $180 or so in a board, especially if running a high-end Ryzen 9 or doing a lot of overclocking.

But also keep in mind the excellent value Asus X570-Plus TUF Gaming, as these days its priced very nicely around the same as excellent B550s like the B550 Tomahawk, so don't forget to factor that in your decision. But if spending beyond $200 for a motherboard, that's when you're well in X570 territory, but that's another discussion for another day.

See Also: Recommended B450 Motherboards

B550 vs B450 Upgrade Path (Ryzen 4000)

When it comes to flexibility for future upgrades, the B550 vs B450 debate is no whitewash win for the new chipset either. It's essentially a tie, as both will support the next generation of Ryzen (4000 series, AKA "Zen 3") except for one small caveat (that won't matter to most). AMD themselves (and some enthusiasts) recommend the new B550 boards for the best experience with Ryzen 5000 series CPUs, as using a B450 with the upcoming Ryzen 4000 CPUs will require you to use a stripped-down "beta" BIOS.

Don't be too alarmed though, as all that really means is you won't be able to revert back to older BIOS versions, and that your B450 also won't have support for older Ryzen CPUs (not that you'd need it at this point). The only issue I can see with that is that if something goes wrong with the BIOS update, your board is essentially screwed as the BIOS update can't be undone. Oh, and certain BIOS features may be unavailable.

But another reason some will say that B550 is best for Ryzen 4000 is that B550 boards do have upgraded VRMs and cooling compared to B450s, meaning they'll be better able to handle the next-gen chips. Though that really only matters if you'll be getting a high-end Ryzen 7 or 9 and/or you plan on overclocking a fair bit.

Mainstream CPUs like a Ryzen 5 4600 (or whatever it'll end up being called) aren't likely to be a problem whatsoever on a decently-cooled B450 model like the B450 Tomahawk Max or B450 Gaming Pro Carbon Max (both of which have solid VRMs proven to handle a Ryzen 9 3950X no problems).

So whether B450 or B550 is best for Ryzen 4000 (if that's your plan as an upgrade) will depend on your specific situation, but the point is that either is a suitable option, especially if you're not gunning for the next-gen Ryzen 9 or doing some extreme tinkering.

Beyond Ryzen 4000, neither the B450 or B550 platform is looking likely to still be in the game in terms of CPU support though. While it hasn't been officially confirmed, most signs point to the Ryzen 5000 series (or whatever it'll be called) requiring an entirely new CPU socket (AM5, or whatever AMD decides to name it, which may also use DDR5 memory for the first time). In other words, the last CPU series you'll likely be able to use with a B450 or B550 board is Ryzen 4000. After that, you'd need a new motherboard.

See Also: Will All B450 Motherboards Support Ryzen 4000?

The Lowdown (B550 Pros and Cons)

To summarize everything said, unless you're the small percentage who have a use for things like PCIe 4.0, 2.5G LAN, WiFi 6, etc, B550 (and X570 for that matter) is essentially a luxury "nice to have" (at least at their current prices). B450 can be the better bang for buck. Here's a simplification of the arguments for buying a B550 and for buying a B450:

FAQ

For a few more specific details and nuances on choosing between B450 and B550.

Your 2 Cents

Agree with my reasoning or have a different view? Found this article useful? Let me know in the comments below, and if you have any questions feel free to ask away and I'll do my best to help out. Otherwise, good luck with your system and hope this article helped in your research.

Read Next: PCIe 3.0 vs 4.0 for Gaming

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