GIGABYTE B650M Aorus Elite DDR5 AMD Motherboard

The GIGABYTE B650M Aorus Elite DDR5 is a Micro-ATX motherboard built on the AMD B650 chipset and designed for AMD Socket AM5 processors, including Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000, and Ryzen 9000 series CPUs. Its compact 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm footprint makes it a practical choice for space-conscious builds without sacrificing the feature set demanded by performance-oriented users. Power delivery is handled by a 12+2+1 phase digital VRM solution, providing stable and efficient power to the processor under sustained workloads and gaming sessions. Thermal management extends to the M.2 slots, with M.2 Thermal Guards fitted to help maintain SSD performance and longevity during demanding transfer tasks. Memory support spans four DDR5 DIMM slots in a dual-channel configuration, accommodating up to 256 GB of system memory using modules with up to 64 GB per DIMM. Rated speeds extend from 4400 MT/s at stock up to 8000 MT/s via overclocking, with native support for both AMD EXPO and Intel XMP profiles for straightforward memory tuning. Storage is served by two M.2 connectors: the primary slot (M2A_CPU) supports PCIe 5.0 x4 SSDs on Ryzen 7000 and 9000 processors and accepts drives up to 25110 mm in length, while the secondary slot (M2B_CPU) supports PCIe 4.0 x4 SSDs on the same platforms. Four SATA 6 Gb/s ports are also available, with RAID 0, 1, and 10 support for both NVMe and SATA arrays. Connectivity highlights include a Realtek 2.5GbE LAN port, a rear USB Type-C port running USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s), an internal USB Type-C header with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gb/s), DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 3840×2160 @ 144 Hz) and HDMI 2.1 (up to 4096×2160 @ 60 Hz) for integrated graphics output, plus GIGABYTE's THB_U4 connector for an upcoming USB4 add-in card. Audio is powered by a Realtek High Definition Audio CODEC supporting up to 7.1-channel output with S/PDIF out. Fan and thermal control is managed by Smart Fan 6 across five fan/pump headers, including a dedicated water-cooling CPU header, with voltage, temperature, and flow-rate monitoring via the onboard H/W monitoring block. RGB and ARGB headers are present for lighting customisation. BIOS management uses AMI UEFI with Q-Flash and Q-Flash Plus, allowing firmware updates without installing CPU, memory, or a graphics card. The EZ-Latch mechanism on the PCIe x16 slot and M.2 connectors enables tool-free and screwless component swaps. Verified Specifications: - Form Factor: Micro-ATX, 24.4 cm × 24.4 cm - Chipset: AMD B650 - Socket: AM5 (Ryzen 7000 / 8000 / 9000 series) - Memory: 4× DDR5 DIMM, dual-channel, up to 256 GB, 4400–8000 MT/s (OC), AMD EXPO & XMP - M.2 Slots: 1× PCIe 5.0 x4 (up to 25110), 1× PCIe 4.0 x4 (up to 22110) - SATA: 4× SATA 6 Gb/s with RAID 0/1/10 - LAN: Realtek 2.5GbE (2.5 Gbps / 1 Gbps / 100 Mbps) - Rear USB: 1× USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 2× USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 5× USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4× USB 2.0 - Internal USB-C header: USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gb/s) - Display outputs: DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1 - Audio: Realtek HD CODEC, 7.1-channel, S/PDIF out - VRM: 12+2+1 phase digital - OS Support: Windows 11 64-bit, Windows 10 64-bit