The B550 motherboards are the upgrade of motherboards with B450 chipsets.
That said, the range of B550 motherboards is quite diverse.
Youll find cheap, budget-oriented options as well as boards with high-end features.
But the question is, are B550 motherboards better than X570 boards?
This post is curated explicitly to answer this question.
Here, I am going to simplify the differences between these two chipsets.
So, lets waste no time and dive straight into the discussion.
Is X570 Better than B550 Motherboard?
In technical terms, a motherboard with an X570 chipset is better than a board with a B550 chipset.
But in terms of reasonability, the B550 board is better.
You may ask: Is X570 more future-proof?
No, the X570 motherboards arent future-proof.
Not all motherboards support all types of CPUs.
Depending on the chipset types, compatibility differs across various models.
That said, the boards with B550 chipsets come with good compatibility.
These boards are compatible with Ryzen 3000 CPUs and beyond.
That eventually means a B550 motherboard supports most CPUs under theRyzen 3000 and Ryzen 5000 series.
However, this B550 motherboard doesnt support Gen 1 and Gen 2 CPUs from Ryzen.
For the AM5 socket, the chipset also doesnt support the latest Ryzen 7000 series.
Therefore, if you look beyond Ryzen Gen 3 CPUs, then its B550 boards you should go for.
Other than this, you could settle with an X570 motherboard.
PCIe 4.0 Support
The presence of the PCIe 4.0 interface in your motherboard does make a difference.
It results in facilitating high-speed data transfer from GPU, SSDs, and other expansion cards.
It eventually means youll get the advantage of using extralanes for GPU& extra SSD slots.
Now, the PCIe support for the motherboards with B550 and X570 chipsets isnt the same.
And that is because the boards with PCIe 4.0 have more lanes.
That means B550 mobos can use PCIe 4.0 for twofastest PCIe SSDs, an upgrade from the B450 boards.
Other than this, the X570 boards support dual PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots.
That said, the X570 board consists of 8 more USB 3.0 ports than that of the B550 board.
You will get additional 6 SATA ports on the X570 board, which can be reconfigured.
But note that these specs are theoretical maximums.
For example, some PCIe lanes have to be sacrificed to use all SATA ports.
Thats what both chipsets do and mix & match the specs.
The outcome here is the utilization of the maximum potential of the CPU.
That said, the more the number of VRMs, the better it is.
The board will have better control over the power delivered and lessens the load on VRMs.
Now, between the X570 and B550 motherboards, the number of VRMs is higher on the X570 ones.
And the main advantage here is that it allows the overclocking of powerful processors with stability.
Price
Lastly, price plays a huge part when you consider the buying decision.
The motherboards with the X570 chipset are more premium options with extensive features compared to the B550 boards.
Or else, for a cheap and mid-range option, the B550 motherboards are good to go with.
Is X570 Worth It Over B550?
But in terms of mass appeal & in general usage, I would prefer the B550 motherboard.
For any regular build, the features present in a motherboard with a B550 chipset are more than enough.
That said, aside from a few differences, a B550 board is almost like the X570 board.
Now, an X570 board consists of various fancy features that wont give any good advantage for any build.
FAQs
Should I get a B550 or an X570?
It depends on your requirements & usage scenario.
For a top-tier Ryzen 5000 processor with overclocking intention, the X570 chipset will be your best pick.
But for mid-tier Ryzen 5000 processors, B550 will do the job.
Is the X570 newer than B550?
The X570 chipset came in July 2019, while BB50 came into the market in June 2020.
What does the X570 have that the B550 doesnt?
The AMD X570 provides more GPU slots along with PCIe Gen 4.0 CPU lanes.
It also has an onboard chipset fan, which is not included in the B550 chipset.
After reading this article, youll be able to find out the differences that exist between them.