GIGABYTE B550M Aorus Elite DDR4 AMD Motherboard

The GIGABYTE B550M Aorus Elite DDR4 is a Micro ATX motherboard built on the AMD B550 chipset, designed for the AM4 socket and compatible with 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen processors as well as 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen processors with Radeon Graphics. It is aimed at enthusiast builders who need reliable power delivery, modern connectivity, and solid storage options in a compact form factor. Power delivery is handled by a 10+2 phase Digital Twin Power Design, combining a digital PWM controller with DrMOS components and all-solid capacitors for stable, efficient voltage regulation. A 24-pin ATX main power connector and an 8-pin ATX 12V connector are provided. GIGABYTE's 2X Copper PCB design supports adequate current-carrying capacity for the CPU power delivery area. Memory support spans four DDR4 DIMM slots with a maximum capacity of 128 GB (using 32 GB modules per slot) in dual-channel configuration. Supported speeds include DDR4-2133 through DDR4-4000 (OC) for standard Ryzen 3rd Gen CPUs, and up to DDR4-4733 (OC) for Ryzen with Radeon Graphics APUs, with XMP profile support. Daisy-chain routing on the memory traces helps push overclocked memory frequencies. For storage, two M.2 Socket 3 connectors are present: the first (M2A_CPU, CPU-connected) supports PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe and SATA SSDs up to the 22110 form factor; the second (M2B_SB, chipset-connected) supports PCIe 3.0 x2 NVMe and SATA SSDs up to 2280. Both slots feature an M.2 Thermal Guard for thermal management. Four SATA 6 Gb/s ports round out storage with RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 support. AMD StoreMI technology is also supported for tiered storage configurations. Expansion is provided by one PCIe x16 slot (CPU-connected, PCIe 4.0 x16 with Ryzen 3000), one PCIe x16 physical slot running at PCIe 3.0 x4 (chipset), and one PCIe x1 slot (chipset). Networking is handled by a Realtek GbE LAN chip supporting 10/100/1000 Mbps. Note: the source description references 2.5GbE connectivity, but the specifications table lists a Realtek GbE (1000 Mbit) chip — the verified spec is Gigabit Ethernet. Display outputs include one HDMI 2.1 port (up to 4096×2160 @ 60 Hz, HDCP 2.3, HDR) and one DVI-D port (up to 1920×1200 @ 60 Hz), active only when using an APU with integrated Radeon graphics. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC887 codec supporting High Definition Audio in 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel configurations, with an onboard audio noise guard separating sensitive analog circuitry from digital PCB noise. USB connectivity on the rear panel includes four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports and four USB 2.0/1.1 ports, plus additional internal headers for two USB 3.2 Gen 1 and two USB 2.0 ports. Fan management is provided by GIGABYTE's Smart Fan 5 system with hybrid PWM/voltage fan headers and a dedicated CPU fan header plus two system fan headers. RGB Fusion 2.0 manages two addressable LED headers, two standard RGB headers, and one CPU cooler LED header. The BIOS uses AMI UEFI firmware with Q-Flash and Q-Flash Plus support. The board carries a 3-year manufacturer warranty. Verified Specifications: - Chipset: AMD B550 - Socket: AM4 - Form Factor: Micro ATX (24.4 cm × 24.4 cm) - Memory: 4× DDR4 DIMM, up to 128 GB, DDR4-2133 to DDR4-4000 (OC) - Primary M.2: PCIe 4.0 x4 / SATA (CPU-connected, up to 22110) - Secondary M.2: PCIe 3.0 x2 / SATA (chipset, up to 2280) - SATA: 4× SATA 6 Gb/s with RAID 0/1/10 - PCIe: 1× PCIe 4.0 x16, 1× PCIe 3.0 x4, 1× PCIe 3.0 x1 - LAN: Realtek GbE (10/100/1000 Mbps) - Audio: Realtek ALC887, 7.1-channel HD Audio - Display: HDMI 2.1 (4K/60Hz), DVI-D (1920×1200) - USB (rear): 4× USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4× USB 2.0 - BIOS: AMI UEFI, 256 Mbit flash, Q-Flash Plus - Warranty: 3 Years