MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus Motherboard

The MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus is an ATX-form-factor motherboard built on the AMD B550 chipset, designed for AM4 socket processors including AMD Ryzen 5000 Series, Ryzen 4000 G-Series, and Ryzen 3000 Series desktop CPUs. Note that this board is not compatible with the AMD Ryzen 5 3400G or Ryzen 3 3200G; a BIOS update may also be required to support 5th-generation Ryzen processors. At the heart of its storage and graphics capability is a full-length PCIe 4.0/3.0 x16 slot paired with a primary M.2 slot (M2_1) routed directly from the CPU, supporting PCIe 4.0/3.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb/s NVMe drives in 2242, 2260, 2280, and 22110 form factors. A secondary M.2 slot (M2_2) from the B550 chipset supports PCIe 3.0 x4 and accommodates 2242, 2260, and 2280 drives. Six SATA 6Gb/s ports add further storage flexibility, with RAID 0, 1, and 10 supported on SATA devices and RAID 0 and 1 for M.2 NVMe. Both M.2 slots feature MSI's M.2 Shield Frozr thermal solution to help manage drive temperatures during sustained workloads. Memory support extends to four DDR4 DIMM slots accommodating up to 128 GB of non-ECC unbuffered RAM in dual-channel configuration. JEDEC-standard speeds range from 1866 to 3200 MHz, while A-XMP overclocking profiles push frequencies up to 4400 MHz (1DPC 1R configuration). Power delivery is reinforced by a thickened 2 oz copper PCB and MSI's Core Boost design with a digital PWM IC. Connectivity is handled by USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) ports — one Type-A and one Type-C — on the rear panel, sourced from the AMD processor. The B550 chipset contributes additional USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) and USB 2.0 ports internally and on the back panel. Networking is provided by a Realtek 8111H Gigabit LAN controller. Audio uses a Realtek ALC892 codec supporting 7.1-channel HD audio with optical S/PDIF output. Display output is available via one HDMI port (up to 4096×2160 @ 24 Hz) and one DisplayPort (up to 4096×2160 @ 60 Hz) for systems using processors with integrated graphics, with up to 16 GB shared memory. Lighting and customisation headers include one 4-pin RGB and two 3-pin RAINBOW LED connectors. The pre-installed I/O shield, Flash BIOS Button, and EZ Debug LEDs simplify the building process. Fan control covers one CPU fan header, one water-pump fan header, and six system fan headers, monitored by the NUVOTON NCT6687-R controller. Verified Specifications: - Socket: AM4 - Chipset: AMD B550 - Form Factor: ATX (12 in × 9.6 in / 30.5 cm × 24.4 cm) - Memory: 4× DDR4 DIMM, dual-channel, max 128 GB, up to 4400 MHz (OC, 1DPC 1R) - Primary M.2: PCIe 4.0/3.0 x4 + SATA 6Gb/s (CPU), up to 22110 - Secondary M.2: PCIe 3.0 x4 (chipset), up to 2280 - SATA: 6× SATA 6Gb/s - USB (rear): 1× USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1× USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2× USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 4× USB 2.0 - LAN: Realtek 8111H Gigabit - Audio: Realtek ALC892, 7.1-channel HD - Display: 1× HDMI, 1× DisplayPort - Expansion: 1× PCIe 4.0/3.0 x16, 1× PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 speed), 2× PCIe 3.0 x1 - Warranty: 3 Years