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ASRock B550M Steel Legend AM4 Micro ATX Motherboard $179 + Delivery ($0 SYD C&C) @ PCByte

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ASRock B550M Steel Legend AM4 Micro ATX Motherboard $179 + Delivery ($0 SYD C&C) @ PCByte
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Look Up on 29/11/2022 - 15:28 pcbyte.com.au (800 clicks)
Last edited 03/12/2022 - 23:49

Replacement for the ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus now OOS
The cheapest ASRock B550 board with decent DrMOS VRM's in 8+2 configuration - not for overclocking but will easily run a 5600 all the way to a stock 5950X

Previous discussion here and here
Does not have BIOS flashback so confirm with PCByte on the BIOS version unless you have a spare Zen1/2 CPU to use for the initial upgrade

Minimum BIOS 1.20 required for Ryzen 5000 series
Minimum BIOS 1.90 required for Ryzen 5000G series

Supports AMD AM4 Socket Ryzen™ 3000, 3000 G-Series, 4000 G-Series, 5000 and 5000 G-Series Desktop Processors
10 Power Phase Design, Dr. MOS
Supports DDR4 4733+ (OC)
1 PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 PCIe 3.0 x16, 1 PCIe 3.0 x1, 1 M.2 Key E for WiFi
Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort
AMD CrossFireX™
7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1200 Audio Codec), Nahimic Audio
6 SATA3, 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4), 1 M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x2 & SATA3)
2 USB 3.2 Gen2 (Rear Type A+C), 8 USB 3.2 Gen1 (4 Front, 4 Rear)
Dragon 2.5G LAN

Full specs

Computing AM4 ASRock Computer Component Micro ATX Motherboard

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PCByte
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closed Comments

  • atom1319 on 29/11/2022 - 15:30
    +3

    Great little board. Have one with no issues.

    • MasterScythe on 29/11/2022 - 19:56
      +1

      Seconded.

      VRMs are cool, layout is good, BIOS is great, and supports multibit correction with ECC UDIMMs.

  • Schnox on 29/11/2022 - 15:43

    I own 2 of these boards and the layout design and variety of features are the best part. Extremely good value. Comparing the price of this to AM5 boards with their lack of optical out just drives home what a scam the new boards are. Don't come and tell me how prices are always elevated on new releases. I know. The point is that the gulf now is wider than ever.

  • Phoebus on 29/11/2022 - 15:43

    shouldn't 550 boards all ship with a 5000 series compatible BIOS?

    • mystarey on 29/11/2022 - 15:52
      +3

      No, and for a couple of reasons. One is that B550 was originally released a few months before 5000 series CPUs. The second is that new CPUs in the 5000 series were steadily being released over the following couple of years so support for them has to be added individually.

      Therefore a launch model B550 board such as this Steel Legend originally needed an update to run any of the 5000 series. A more recent B550 board such as the Asrock Riptide would automatically support the launch 5000 series CPUs such as the 5600X and 5800X, but not the more recent releases such as the 5600 non-X and the 5700X.

  • Phoebus on 29/11/2022 - 15:44
    -7

    and…
    why would anyone start building an AM4 system now?

    • Nalar on 29/11/2022 - 15:50
      +13

      Price

    • Sinnerator on 29/11/2022 - 17:04

      You don't deserve the negs, yours is a valid question and as Nalar answered PRICE.
      The new boards are crazy expensive for almost no better features than this, a whole new 7xxx ryzen system is not worth the money from a value point of view.

    • LuslecGrace on 29/11/2022 - 17:28

      Cuz people aren't as rich as u.

  • klef on 29/11/2022 - 15:45

    Is this one of those boards that'll fit in the NR200?

    • mystarey on 29/11/2022 - 15:47
      +1

      No, this is microATX, you would need a mini-ITX board to fit the NR200. The most common affordable AM4 motherboards that would fit are the Asrock B550M-ITX or the Gigabyte A520I ac.

      • klef on 29/11/2022 - 16:34

        Remember reading somewhere some ASRock mATX boards fit in the nr200 because they're slightly smaller than standard mATX boards.

        • mystarey on 29/11/2022 - 16:43

          Ah yes, that's true. But this Steel Legend and most mid-to-high-end boards are the full 244x244mm mATX spec so they wouldn't fit without some adventurous case modding. The example boards listed in Pugkin's comment below for example is mostly the ultra-budget Asrock HDV line-up.

    • Pugkin on 29/11/2022 - 16:36
      +2

      some matx boards fit in the nr200, but its very specific and requires keeping an eye on dimensions https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/indo3u/matx_in_nr200…

  • mystarey on 29/11/2022 - 15:45
    +2

    At a time when all mid-range B550 boards have climbed above $200, having one model buck the trend is great news. Even if you need WiFi / Bluetooth, it's easy to add an Intel AX200 kit for around $40 and still be ahead of the boards that come with it included, thanks to the presence of the relatively rare M.2 E-key slot.

    If the lack of Flashback (depending on PCByte policy) and a USB-C front panel header aren't dealbreakers, this is easily the best B550 board below $200. Just glancing at PCPartPicker prices, probably the best below $230 even.

    • blewey on 11/01/2023 - 10:02

      Can anyone explain why all the boards have climbed above $200? It's doing my head in trying to find cheap new or secondhand

  • ggzdwy on 29/11/2022 - 16:08

    isn't this one better for just $10 more?
    www.scorptec.com.au/product/motherboards/amd-socket-am4/8336…

    • Qbagger on 29/11/2022 - 16:13
      +3

      Good board, just not micro-ATX size

    • mystarey on 29/11/2022 - 16:59

      Fair few trade-offs. The Gaming Plus adds a USB-C header and Flashback, plus the larger size in general - I know some people can get a little fussy about the look of a mATX board in a windowed full tower case. However its lower-end roots show in the basic onboard audio, Gigabit LAN (vs 2.5Gbit) and lack of E-key M.2 slot meaning you'd need to buy a full-size PCI-E card to add WiFi.

      The Steel Legend is also one of the few boards that fit a white-themed PC build, niche as that is. ;)

    • MasterScythe on 29/11/2022 - 19:54

      Nope.
      MSI wouldn't place above AsRock for me.
      BIOS features alone lifts the asrock higher.

      I only build 10-20 machines a year, so my sample size isnt massive, but msi have been much more generally finicky.

  • qube on 29/11/2022 - 16:30

    I've tried to research these, but it seems there's no definitive answer whether a Ryzen 5 5600 will suit this out of the box? Don't have an older CPU that would fit for flashback

    • twisti on 29/11/2022 - 16:39
      +2

      Wait a week or two. It seems a few vendors are waiting shipments of B550 motherboards. You might be able to get one then that's a little more recent and supports 5600 out of the box.

      • qube on 29/11/2022 - 16:41

        Seems like I might have to. Been slowly building parts for this build over months and just waiting for mobo now, getting impatient hah

        • twisti on 29/11/2022 - 16:50
          +1

          Same, disappointed there wasn't any decent sales on B550 boards during the past weekend.

    • mystarey on 29/11/2022 - 16:50
      +1

      Yeah, there can't be a definitive answer because it's essentially a lottery. All but the oldest stock will support the oldest 5600X CPU, for example. Decent odds of compatibility with the 5600G which was released not long after. But the 5600 non-X is basically the most recent release (alongside the 5700X and 5800X3D), so it has the lowest chance of compatibility. How low is low? Can't say so it's a big risk.

      That said, this pricing is good enough such that even if you had to take it to a local PC store and pay a nominal fee of say $10 to do it, it'd still be a good deal. Check with PCByte first about their BIOS update policy though.

    • CheapGit on 29/11/2022 - 17:00
      +1

      Not sure about other manufacturers but with the MSI boards i have that have flash bios button on the i/o you can update to latest bios without cpu installed. Pretty straight forward to do.

      • mystarey on 29/11/2022 - 17:04
        +2

        Yeah, that's what "Flashback" is, although technically only Asus and Asrock call it that. Gigabyte call it "Q-Flash Plus" while MSI call it, rather boringly, "Flash BIOS button".

        For this generation (A520/B550), what you generally find is that Gigabyte boards have it throughout the entire product stack, Asus and MSI have it on mid-range and above products, and Asrock only have it on their very top-of-the-line boards.

        • CheapGit on 29/11/2022 - 18:00

          Just doing a budget build for youngest kid and chepeast B550m board i could get with flashback was Gigabyte B550m gaming for $105 last week.

  • iseeyou1312 on 29/11/2022 - 18:30

    The cheapest ASRock B550 board with decent DrMOS VRM's in 8+2 configuration - not for overclocking

    What nonsense. 86 degrees on the pcb pulling 200 watts is perfectly acceptable for 5950x overclocking.

    • MasterScythe on 29/11/2022 - 20:07

      Absolutely. IIRC those VRMs were 99c/120c burst rated.

  • getit on 29/11/2022 - 18:57

    AsRock B550 Steel Legend was $139

  • getit on 29/11/2022 - 18:58

    AsRock X570 Steel Legend WiFi was $160

  • Lofty248 on 29/11/2022 - 22:40

    Oos 😔

  • f38r1 on 30/11/2022 - 08:09

    looks like better feature than the mortar that I currently have. and good price too!

  • Radiskull on 01/12/2022 - 11:26

    Great motherboard with solid featureset. Don't buy it for mouse control in the BIOS. I don't know how good it is for this price (not familiar with the market as of now - pretty sure I got this for $150).

    Ask if you have any questions for using it and I'll be happy to answer if I can.

  • Look Up on 03/12/2022 - 23:49

    Back in stock and SYD pickup available

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