24.9.2018

I recently sold my old Intel based 4790k system with the intention of upgrading to something a little more future proof, and importantly, faster. After doing a lot of research I decided to be daring and make a move over to the red team! This was for a few reasons. AMD at the moment just represents far better value for money, power for pound. The AM4 platform has also matured to a level where it is robust and reliable, so no longer an unknown quantity as was the case when it first launched. AMD are also promising that the AM4 platform will be around until at least 2020, whereas Intel are rumoured to be dropping socket 1151 after the 9th gen CPU’s are launched in the near future.Red team decided,I quickly opted for a Ryzen 5 2600 processor. With Amazon’s pricing at the time of purchase it was amazing value for money. The question though, which motherboard to slot it into!Again I donned my research cap and settled on the Asus ROG Strix B450-F gaming motherboard, and with good reason. The B450 platform offers almost all the advantages you would get from the new X470 platform, but with a significant cost saving. You lose some functionality such as less USB ports and SLI compatibility, but get access to precision overboost overdrive and Store MI. That’s not to mention guaranteed support for second gen Ryzen CPU’s. If you have the cash I would recommend getting an X470 board, but if you want value for money, or a good system on a budget, then B450 is the obvious choice.The board was a pleasure to work with when building a new system. I have been self-building systems for 22 years and off the top of my head I cannot think of a board I’ve worked with that was more intuitive. Observations include:Fan headers are just ‘in the right place’. There’s a selection close to the CPU, but also close to where rear mounted fans would go. Additional headers can be found at the top (perfect for AIO solutions), and also at the bottom which works well for both bottom and front mounted cooling solutions. Also, whilst I can’t speak for others, the RBG headers were perfectly located for my needs (top and bottom of the board).All 6 SATA ports are mounted perpendicular to the motherboard, which places less stress on the SATA connections and is also better for good cable management.The IO shield is already connected as part of the motherboard; this is a small but useful feature. You’re less likely to misplace it (it happens), and less likely to cut your fingers on the sharp edges (it happens).Port selection is very good. There are more than enough connections on the motherboard, with a sufficient amount of headers for additional connectivity.Two M.2 slots. On a board of this level and price I would expect to see a single M.2 slot, but to have two is a real treat. However note that when populating the second M.2 it drops the speed of the PCI-E lane for your GPU from 16x to 8x. This translates to a performance loss of under 1% (Source – Gamers Nexus), so it’s not really anything to worry about.The Aura RGB looks absolutely lovely. The on-board RGB close to the IO shield can be set to light up all the time, or just when the system is on, which is a nice touch. My CoolerMaster AIO cooler also has RGB and synced to the motherboard automatically with no set-up required. The Asus Aura software is excellent too; it even lets me Sync with my Philips Hue lights!Overall this board ticks all the boxes. It’s relatively cheap, I’d say it hits the premium budget category, but it’s still a step up from an Asus Prime motherboard. It’s comprehensively kitted out and features a chipset that won’t leave you regretting the purchase. Overclocking is impressive too. When running 3DMark the motherboard automatically boosted by CPU to 4.2GHz, which is the level most overclockers see with their 2600’s running more expensive X470 chipsets. One thing of note, for dual channel memory use slots 2 and 4, not 1 and 3.The motherboard and CPU should see me all the way to 2020 without incident. Then unlike Intel I will be able to swap the CPU for the best one around in 2020 and continue to benefit for a few additional years.TL;DR - This is a great board, buy with confidence.

15.3.2020

This is good for what it advertises itself to be. Fast and easy installation. I am using it with a Ryzen 7 2700X - installation was easier than the previous pentium, celeron, Core 2 Duo, Athlon, Core i5 CPUs I have used. Thermal paste included. Just place it in the right position, turn the lever and you're done.Nice back - no fiddling around with backplates as it is built in.There are quite a few USB ports, but I always feel I need more to attach external card readers, external hard drives x3, camera, phone, printer, scanner, guitar effects pedal (boss me-25, since you ask), usb microphone.The usb-c port is present and correct, but most usb-c hubs come with 15cm cables which are difficult to access if you can't get to the back of your PC very easily,

27.6.2020

After finally deciding to bite the bullet and upgrade my 8 yr old 3570k workhorse, I settled on AMD as it's a clear winner for performance per £, even against the new 10th gen Intel core CPUs. A bit of research made it clear that the B550 chipset was the way to go: enough future-proof features without breaking the bank. And with my old Intel system being rock-solid on an Asus board for all those years, there really wasn't another brand I'd trust.The Asus B550-F Wifi board stood out for a number of reasons- Passive cooling - no tiny active fans buzzing away on this board to keep the chipset cool.- Solid VRM - I must admit, the whole VRM thing really seems like it's a topic for elite gamers and high-end overclocking.

31.10.2019

ASUS RoG products are some of the best on the market (having installed and having experience with a multitude of other brands). This motherboard is no exception, although there are a few things to note. I purchased this thinking it would be exactly the same as the ROG Strix B450-E motherboard, but only missing the WiFi (I did not need this in the build). However, this model differs by having no included M.2 headsink, there is an RGB stripe missing on this compared to the B450-E model just below the ROG logo and it has fewer RGB headers overall. If any of these things are required by you, then I would opt for the B450-E model as it's more fully featured for the extra you pay. That said however,

20.11.2019

First of all, I want to say, this is the best looking and most feature full Motherboard for the price.I have had no problems updating the BIOS with their easy flash tool and overclocking my CPU was pretty easy too.That being said. There are two main issues I had with it that aren't major but for me make this a 4 and not a 5 star. RGB software. Sometimes the asus software triggers some games anti cheat and as a result you regularly get kicked from the lobby. Also if you have a Gigabyte GPU the RGB will not work. Ive tried loads of 'solutions' on the internet and none have worked.Function 5/5Looks 4/5Cant wait to buy my Strix 2070 Super for all that RGB goodness!

9.1.2019

(Revised Review) Awesome Board, the 2nd one worked straight out of the box, recognised all my old HDDs and overclocked wonderfully. Bought to replace a dead HTPC MB that finally gave up after nearly 10 years, I hope this one lasts just as long. The built in Vega Graphics have allowed my to install some lower end games which run without issues on lower settings, and it's as quick as I need. Very happy after the initial issues.1st Board Board was DoA. Failed to post, although the Aura RGB lights did turn on and looked pretty. Returned to Amazon, awaiting replacement. Might revise review when I receive a working version.

14.6.2019

this for me was an upgrade from the Prime b350, thought i was going to have all sort of s**t because window hates new Motherboards but i was surprised that when i transferred all my parts and kept the same boot sequence windows started up no troubles at all so impressed and happy its unreal.the delivery was on time via DPD so had a text when they were on there way, overall top stuff, as for the idiot moaning about not having an onboard speaker needs to learn how to build a speaker is not needed when it has lights

9.5.2020

The first time my mother board arrived, it was unfortunately broken, however, the customer service dealing with me was very kind, and was able to ship me a new one in a matter of days.Getting onto the product, the sleek design of the product allowed for me to neatly fit it inside my case with little resistance. It effortlessly runs a good heat, and has enough space on it for me to fight two gpu's on it, and the placement of the sata box allowed for me to plug in my ssd without having to pull out said gpu.

4.6.2020

I installed this motherboard with a Ryzen 5 3600 processor. Everything fit perfectly, all motherboard was well packed and the diagram easy to read.It's my first PC build, and I still managed to work with this motherboard pretty well. The RGB colours and the motherboard in general look good, and it runs smoothly with good performance for the money spent.I'm very happy with this, and I'll definitely buy from this brand in the future, when I feel like upgrading again :)Thank you!!

1.1.2020

This motherboard provides a lot of USB slots which is essential for gaming (keyboard, mouse, speakers, headphones...)Pre-installed I/O shield is wonderful and RGB lighting... Oh I love it!Installation process was easy and straightforward, even though this is my first build.M.2 NvMe doesn't come with a heatsink which is reasonable at this price range, it would be nice if it comes with it.It was delivered in a good condition.It works seamlessly with all my other pc components!

31.5.2019

Plus points:- Its a motherboard- It works.- Adequate ports- Multiple fan drivers for around 4 fans- Minimal touch so far as drivers are concerned. On first boot post build it prompted me to download the tools for the motherboard which was a nice touch.Not so great:- Just adopt the Intel Front Panel pin outs! The Intel solution is well thought out and just works. Forget trying to read the pin labels unless you have a microscope!

31.1.2020

I bought this motherboard for my first ever build to go with my Ryzen 7 3700x AMD CPU, which it works no problems. All black with a little RGB logo in top left, very good motherboard. Didn't need to update any bios for the Ryzen 7 3700x to work. It worked as soon as i set it all up. M.2 installed, RTX 2070 installed, no issues with any of the slots, no errors, no faulty connections. Highly recommend this to anyone!

21.5.2020

I bought this board to build a computer for my daughter. Combined with a Ryzen 5 3600x and a RTX 2060 it has proved a top notch performer for games and productivity. It has a sensibly configured layout making it easy to assemble and the BIOS is up to ASUS's usual high standard. If I have any criticism it would be that i wish it had a header on the board for the USB C connector that most modern cases come with.

1.2.2019

Runs great with 2600x. Be mindful of how small it actually is. Its my first ITX motherboard and it would have helped greatly if you route your cables first to the mobo and only then clamb it down. For instance the 8 pin at top left corner was impossible for me with fingers, had to use a screwdriver to reach. Also there is only 1 CHA_FAN so you will need a splitter if you want 2 or more case fans.

25.3.2020

The MB is great for gaming, the preinstalled IO Shield saves messing about with it and the design is good.I haven't had any issues with overclocking so far.The RGB light thing in the top left adds a nice glow.The only thing that I have found is that there is not a lot of fan headers meaning you need to purchase an extension or hub if you have a lot of fans.Other than that I would recommend.

Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming - Reviews

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