ASUS Prime B550-PLUS AMD AM4 Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 & 3rd Gen Ryzen ATX Motherboard

ASUS B550-PLUS Overview Complement that AMD build with the Prime B550 Plus AM4 ATX Motherboard from ASUS. Designed for the AM4 socket and using the B550 chipset, this motherboard can support up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM with frequencies up to 3200 MHz or, if overclocking, up to 4800 MHz. Users can also connect up to six SATA III drives and up to two M.2 drives ranging from 2242 to 22110. One of these slots benefits 3rd Gen AMD processors with PCIe 4.0 x4 performance, while the other slot features PCIe 3.0 x4 speeds. The Prime B550 Plus also supports RAID 0, 1, 10, and 5 for more resilient data storage, and CrossFireX allows for multiple-GPU setups. In addition to one M.2 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and one M.2 PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, users have access to three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. In addition to water- and air-cooling components, the B550 Plus's internal threaders offer support for two USB 3.2 Gen 1 and four USB 2.0 Type-A ports, as well as a Thunderbolt 3 connection and a TPM for BIOS integrity. The back I/O panel also sports single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-C ports, alongside four Gen 1 Type-A ports. Two USB 2.0 ports also provide connections for a mouse and keyboard, while monitors can be connected via the HDMI or DisplayPort outputs. Five 3.5mm ports are present for audio, alongside an S/PDIF port. Audio is handled by the Realtek ALC887 7.1 Channel Audio codec and takes advantage of shielding and separate layers for the left- and right-side channels, reducing common audio bugaboos such as interference and crosstalk. An ARGB header is present, and the inclusion of ASUS Aura sync allows users to not only match the Prime B550 to their current setup, but also offers central control for compatible RGB components. This motherboard comes with two SATA III cables, as well as a support DVD and a screw package for mounting M.2 SSDs. The ASUS Prime B550 Plus is compatible with the Windows 10 64-bit operating system.

All-Around Energy Efficiency

With the Energy Processing Unit, or EPU, you'll enjoy system-wide power savings. The EPU automatically optimizes power consumption and maximizes savings with an away mode.

Flexible Cooling Controls

Fan Xpert 4 software provides comprehensive control over fans, water pumps, and all-in-one or AiO coolers. Whether cooling with air or water, an Auto-Tuning mode allows you to configure all parameters with a single click. There's also an Extreme Quiet mode that reduces all fan speeds below the default minimum to keep your system quiet when performing light tasks. Fans, water pumps, and AiO coolers can also be controlled via the UEFI BIOS.

Digital Power Control

The Digi+ voltage regulator module or VRM delivers real-time control over voltage drop, automatically switching frequency and power-efficiency settings. It also allows you to fine-tune your CPU for stability and performance.

VRM Heatsink and Thermal Pads

Two VRM heatsinks with thermal pads underneath to improve heat transfer from the MOSFETs and chokes for better cooling performance.

Cooler by Design

The Prime B550 series features cooling controls that are configurable via Fan Xpert 2+ software or via the UEFI BIOS. Furthermore, each header can dynamically reference three thermal sensors. And, with Fan Xpert 2+, you can map the temperature of supported ASUS graphics cards to optimize cooling for GPU- and CPU-intensive tasks. The Prime B550-Plus also features a dedicated PWM/DC header for self-contained water-cooling setups and onboard chassis fan headers supporting PWM and DC control.

Connectivity

Numerous USB ports support high-end rigs loaded with peripherals, including a USB Type-C and Type-A connector with USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity for compatible cases. The Prime B550-Plus also supports ThunderboltEX 3-TR, an Intel certified Thunderbolt 3 add-on card that enables bidirectional speeds of up to 40 Gb/s via a single cable. Additionally, an integrated Thunderbolt 3 header can support up to six devices in a daisy-chain and provide up to 100W of power to fast-charge devices.

Onboard M.2

PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots support drives up to 22110 and provide NVMe SSD RAID support for a performance boost. Create a RAID configuration with up to 64 Gb/s PCIe 4.0 storage devices to take advantage of the 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen platform. One M.2 slot supports PCIe 4.0 and one supports PCIe 3.0.

Optimized for Audio

Audio shielding separates analog and digital signal domains, reducing the chance of multilateral interference. There's also separate layers for left and right tracks, ensuring lower crosstalk between audio paths.

Aura Sync

ASUS Aura offers full RGB lighting control with functional presets for RGB LED strips connected to the onboard RGB headers. And, it can all be synced with Aura-capable hardware.

Addressable Gen 2 RGB Header

The addressable Gen 2 RGB header is now capable of detecting the number of LEDs on second-gen ARGB devices, allowing the software to tailor lighting effects to specific devices. This header also offers backward-compatibility with existing Aura RGB gear.

Armoury Crate

Armoury Crate is a software utility designed to give you centralized control of supported products. From a single interface, Armoury Crate allows you to customize RGB lighting and effects for compatible devices in your build. The software also provides control of settings for ASUS products, including keyboard and mouse preferences. Armoury Crate even features dedicated product registration and highlight to help you stay in touch with the ASUS community.