ASUS TUF B550M-PLUS(Wi-Fi) Gaming Motherboard Review
Today we are reviewing an ASUS TUF family motherboard based on AMD B550 chipset, the ASUS TUF B550M-PLUS (Wi-Fi) Gaming Motherboard. ASUS TUF series motherboards are the most reliable products of Asus's offerings. Rather than trading features for a lower price, ASUS forgo features for guaranteed reliability in the TUF series. Like in the TUF B550M features power regulation circuitry that won't enable the best overclocking, but are super reliable offering stable performance for long.
Adding “GAMING" in the ASUS TUF B550M-PLUS (Wi-Fi) Gaming Motherboard means that now ASUS is offering the same TUF reliability to gamers for stable and smooth long gaming experience.
Now let's see what ASUS TUF B550M-PLUS (Wi-Fi) board have for us.
Features
AMD B550 (Ryzen AM4) micro ATX gaming motherboard with PCIe 4.0, dual M.2, 10 DrMOS power stages, Intel® WiFi 6, 2.5 Gb Ethernet, HDMI, DisplayPort, SATA 6 Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-C, and Aura Sync RGB lighting support
- AMD AM4 socket: Ready for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors
- Enhanced power solution: 8+2 DrMOS power stages, ProCool connector, military-grade TUF components, and Digi+ VRM for maximum durability
- Comprehensive cooling: VRM heatsinks, PCH fanless heatsink, M.2 heatsink, hybrid fan headers and Fan Xpert 2+ utility
- Next-gen connectivity: PCIe 4.0 M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-C support
- Made for online gaming: Intel® WiFi 6, 2.5 Gb Ethernet, TUF LANGuard and TurboLAN technology
- AI noise-cancelling microphone: Provides crystal-clear in-game voice communication
Specifications
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CPU
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Build in AMD AM4 Socket
3rd Gen AMD Ryzenâ„¢ Processors *
* Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list
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Chipset
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AMD B550
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Memory
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3rd Gen AMD Ryzenâ„¢
Processors
4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR4
4400(O.C)/4000(O.C.)/3866(O.C.)/3600(O.C.)/3466(O.C.)/3200/3000/2800/2666/2400/2133
MHz Un-buffered Memory *
ECC Memory (ECC mode) support varies by CPU.
* Refer to www.asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified
Vendors Lists).
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Graphic
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1 x DisplayPort 1.2
1 x HDMI 2.1(4K@60HZ)
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Multi-GPU Support
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Supports AMD 2-Way
CrossFireX Technology
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Expansion Slots
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3rd Gen AMD Ryzenâ„¢
Processors
1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16 mode)
AMD B550 Chipset
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode)
1 x PCIe 3.0 x1
* Support PCIe bifurcation for RAID on CPU function.
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Storage
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Total supports 2 x M.2
slots and 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
3rd Gen AMD Ryzenâ„¢ Processors :
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, Type 2242/2260/2280 (PCIE 4.0 x4 and SATA
modes) storage devices support
AMD B550 Chipset :
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, Type 2242/2260/2280/22110(PCIE 3.0 x4 and SATA
modes) storage devices support
4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s),
Support Raid 0, 1, 10
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LAN/Wi-Fi
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Realtek RTL8125B 2.5Gb
Ethernet
TUF LANGuard
Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX200
2x2 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) support 1024QAM/OFDMA/MU-MIMO
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Audio
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Realtek ALC S1200A 7.1
Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC
- Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking, up
to 24-Bit/192kHz playback
Audio Feature :
- Exclusive DTS Custom for GAMING Headsets.
- Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
- Audio cover
- Audio Shielding
- Dedicated audio PCB layers
- Premium Japanese audio capacitors
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USB Ports
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Rear USB Port ( Total
8 )
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port(s)(1 x Type-A +1 x USB Type-C®)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)(4 x Type-A)
2 x USB 2.0 port(s)(2 x Type-A)
Front USB Port ( Total 6 )
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)(2 x Type-A)
4 x USB 2.0 port(s)(4 x Type-A)
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Software Features
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ASUS Exclusive Software
Armoury Crate
- Aura Creator
- Aura Sync
- AI Noise Cancelling Microphone
AI Suite 3
- Performance And Power Saving Utility
TurboV EVO
EPU
Digi+ VRM
Fan Xpert 2+
- EZ update
TUF GAMING CPU-Z
AI Charger
ASUS Turbo LAN
DAEMON Tools
DTS Custom for GAMING Headsets
Norton Anti-virus software (Free Trial for 60 days)
WinRAR
UEFI BIOS
ASUS EZ DIY
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
- ASUS EZ Flash 3
- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode
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ASUS Special Features
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ASUS TUF PROTECTION
- ASUS DIGI+ VRM (Digital power design with Dr. MOS)
- ASUS Enhanced DRAM Overcurrent Protection
- ASUS ESD Guards
- TUF LANGuard
- ASUS Overvoltage Protection
- ASUS SafeSlot
- ASUS Stainless-Steel Back I/O
ASUS Q-Design
- ASUS Q-DIMM
- ASUS Q-LED (CPU [red], DRAM [yellow], VGA [white], Boot Device [yellow
green])
- ASUS Q-Slot
ASUS Thermal Solution
- Aluminum M.2 heatsink
ASUS EZ DIY
- BIOS FlashBackâ„¢ button
- BIOS FlashBackâ„¢ LED
- Procool
AURA Sync
- Standard RGB headers
- Addressable Gen 2 RGB header
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Back I/O Ports
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1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse
combo port(s)
1 x DisplayPort
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN (2.5G) port(s)
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (teal blue) (1 x Type-A+1 x USB Type-C®)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (blue) Type-A
2 x USB 2.0
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
5 x Audio jack(s)
1 x BIOS FlashBackâ„¢ Button(s)
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Internal I/O Ports
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1 x CPU Fan connector(s)
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s)
2 x Chassis Fan connector(s)
2 x Aura RGB Strip Headers
1 x Addressable Gen 2 header(s)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1(up to 5Gbps) connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.2
Gen 1 port(s)
2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support
(SATA & PCIE 4.0 x 4 mode)
1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices
support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)
1 x SPI TPM header
4 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin EATX 12V Power connectors
1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s)
1 x System panel connector
1 x COM port header
1 x Speaker connector
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Accessories
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User's manual
I/O Shield
2 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
1 x Supporting DVD
1 x TUF Gaming Sticker
1 x TUF Certification card(s)
1 x M.2 SSD screw package(s)
1 x M.2 Rubber Package(s)
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BIOS
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256 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI
BIOS
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Manageability
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WOL by PXE
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Operating System
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Windows® 10 64-bit
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Form Factor
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mATX Form Factor
9.6 inch x 9.6 inch ( 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm )
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Package
Board comes in a nice Grey/Yellow coloured cardboard box with model number, image of the board and details about supporting technology and features.
Inside the box
ASUS TUF B550M-PLUS GAMING comes with very basic set of accessories :
Looks
Board made with a black PCB of size mATX Form Factor (24.4 cm x 24.4 cm) featuring a small RGB elimination near SATA port side of motherboard PCB giving board a strange and aggressive looks
Layout
Detailed layout of board.
Removing Heat-sinks
Heatsinks are made up of dense aluminum with thermal pad installed.
Component Layout
Let's now see what all components ASUS have planned for this board.
Digital 8 +2 phase Power VRM Section controlled with ASP1106 controller IC with Vishay Siliconix Sic639 50 A VRPower Integrated Power Stage with 50A of current handling, 60A Ferrite Chokes, and 10K Black Metallic Capacitors.
A separate DRAM Power section
AMD B550 Chipset.
Testing
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 |
| Board | ASUS TUF B550M-PLUS |
| RAM | 2 X 8GB Corsair DDR4 2800Mhz |
| SSD | Corsair Force 240GB SSD |
| Cooler | ANTEC |
| GFX | MSI GTX 1070Ti |
| PSU | Corsair RX650 |
| Display | Acer S220HQL |
| OS | Windows 10 |
BIOS
Bundled Software
Benchmarks
Power Consumption
Wattage reading as per displayed by APC Pro 1000VA (Model no. BR1000G-IN) UPS.
Pros
- Intel Wi-Fi 6
- 2.5Gb Ethernet
- USB 3.2 Gen 1
- Great looks
- Superb Build quality
- 64Gb/s M.2 support PCIe 4.0
- 2 x AURA RGB headers
Cons
Conclusion
With ASUS TUF B550M-PLUS (Wi-Fi) Gaming Motherboard, ASUS have provided best features and best product reliability for gamers. The board is using New AMD B550 chipset, so we have support to all the latest features AMD has to offer.
Finally with offering like Intel Wi-Fi 6, 2.5Gb Ethernet, USB 3.2 Gen 1, PCIe Gen4 support and more the ASUS B550M-PLUS (Wi-Fi) Gaming Motherboard is one of the best AMD B550 chipset based mATX form factor motherboard and is worthy of our PC TeK Reviews CHOICE Award.
Manufacturers Info
Site Link
Thanks.