GIGABYTE B550 Aorus Pro AX DDR4 AMD Motherboard

The GIGABYTE B550 Aorus Pro AX is a full-sized ATX motherboard (305 mm x 244 mm) built on the AMD B550 chipset with an AM4 socket, making it compatible with AMD Ryzen 5000 Series, Ryzen 5000 G-Series, Ryzen 4000 G-Series, and Ryzen 3000 Series processors. Its 12+2 phase Digital Twin Power Design uses 50A DrMOS components alongside a digital PWM controller, Ferrite Core chokes, and all-solid capacitors to deliver stable, efficient power delivery to the CPU — a layout capable of handling high current demands during sustained workloads and overclocking sessions. Memory support spans four DDR4 DIMM slots with a maximum capacity of 128 GB (using 32 GB single-DIMM modules). The board runs native speeds from DDR4-2133 up to DDR4-3200, and supports overclocked profiles via XMP up to DDR4-5400(O.C.). Both ECC and non-ECC unbuffered modules are accommodated, with ECC mode availability depending on the installed CPU. Storage flexibility is addressed through two M.2 Socket 3 connectors — one CPU-connected slot supporting PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe drives, and a chipset-connected slot supporting PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 — both protected by thermal guards to help maintain drive temperatures under load. Six SATA 6Gb/s ports round out the storage interface with support for RAID 0, 1, and 10 configurations. Connectivity is a strong suit: onboard Intel Wi-Fi 6 (AX200) provides 802.11ax dual-band (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz) wireless with 2T2R MIMO and up to 2.4 Gbps theoretical data rate, while Bluetooth 5 is also integrated. Wired networking is handled by a Realtek 2.5GbE LAN chip supporting 2.5 Gbit, 1 Gbit, and 100 Mbit operation. The rear I/O panel includes one USB Type-C port (USB 3.2 Gen 2), two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, six USB 2.0/1.1 ports, one HDMI 2.1 output (up to 4096x2160 @ 60 Hz for APU users), an optical S/PDIF output, five audio jacks, and a Q-Flash Plus button for BIOS updates without installing a CPU or memory. The front panel header delivers an additional internal USB Type-C (Gen 1) port. Audio is powered by a Realtek ALC1220-VB codec supporting 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel output, DSD playback via the rear line-out, and S/PDIF Out, complemented by WIMA FKP2 and Nichicon Fine Gold capacitors for a rear SNR rating of 120 dB. RGB FUSION 2.0 manages onboard and peripheral lighting via two addressable LED headers and two standard RGB headers. Smart Fan 5 provides hybrid fan control across multiple headers — including water-cooling pump headers — using temperature sensors for precise thermal management. A Thunderbolt add-in card connector and TPM header (for the GC-TPM2.0_S module) add further expansion capability. Key Verified Specifications: - Socket: AMD AM4 | Chipset: AMD B550 - CPU Support: Ryzen 5000, 5000G, 4000G, 3000 Series - Memory: 4x DDR4 DIMM, max 128 GB, DDR4-2133 to 5400(O.C.) - M.2: 2x (1x PCIe 4.0 x4 CPU; 1x PCIe 3.0 x4 Chipset) with thermal guards - SATA: 6x SATA 6Gb/s, RAID 0/1/10 - WiFi: Intel AX200, 802.11ax, 2.4/5 GHz, BT5 - LAN: Realtek 2.5GbE - Audio: Realtek ALC1220-VB, 120 dB SNR (rear) - USB: Rear Type-C Gen 2, 2x Type-A Gen 2, 2x Gen 1, 6x USB 2.0 - Display: 1x HDMI 2.1 (APU required) - Form Factor: ATX, 305 mm x 244 mm - Warranty: 3 Years