MSI B450M Pro-M2 Max DDR4 AMD Motherboard

The MSI B450M Pro-M2 Max is a Micro-ATX (mATX) motherboard built on the AMD B450 chipset, designed for the AM4 socket and compatible with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen processors, as well as Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics and Athlon with Radeon Vega Graphics desktop CPUs. Its compact 9.6 × 8.1 inch (24.4 × 20.6 cm) footprint makes it a strong choice for space-conscious desktop builds without sacrificing expandability. For memory, the board provides two DDR4 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel operation and up to 32 GB of capacity. JEDEC-standard speeds of 1866, 2133, 2400, and 2667 MHz are supported natively, while A-XMP overclocking modes extend support up to 3466 MHz for most CPUs and up to 4133 MHz on Ryzen 3rd Gen (R5/R7/R9) platforms. MSI's DDR4 Boost technology is designed to deliver cleaner signal integrity for improved stability at higher speeds. Storage is handled by four SATA 6 Gb/s ports with RAID 0, 1, and 10 support, alongside a single M.2 Key M slot that accommodates PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe drives (2242/2260/2280) on Ryzen platforms — enabling the Turbo M.2 feature for high-throughput NVMe storage. SATA-based M.2 drives are also supported. Connectivity includes a full complement of USB ports: four USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports on the rear panel (from the AMD processor), two additional USB 3.2 Gen1 ports via an internal header, and six USB 2.0 ports (two rear, four internal). Networking is provided by a Realtek 8111H Gigabit LAN controller. Audio comes via a Realtek ALC887 codec delivering 7.1-channel HD audio. For users with integrated graphics processors, the rear panel includes a VGA output (up to 2048×1280 @ 60 Hz), a DVI-D output (up to 1920×1200 @ 60 Hz), and an HDMI 1.4 port (up to 4096×2160 @ 30 Hz). These video outputs are active only when using a Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics or Athlon with Radeon Vega Graphics processor. Expansion slots consist of one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot (operating at x16, x8, or x4 depending on the installed CPU) and two PCIe 2.0 x1 slots. The board also features fan headers with Total Fan Control — including automatic DC/PWM mode detection — for flexible thermal management. An LED strip connector, chassis intrusion header, TPM module header, and Clear CMOS jumper round out the internal connectivity. MSI's Flash BIOS feature allows BIOS updates via USB without a CPU or memory installed. The board carries a 3-year warranty. Key Specifications: - Form Factor: Micro-ATX | 9.6 × 8.1 in (24.4 × 20.6 cm) | 9 mounting holes - Socket: AM4 | Chipset: AMD B450 - CPU Support: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen; Ryzen/Athlon with Radeon Vega Graphics - Memory: 2× DDR4 DIMM | Max 32 GB | Dual-channel | Up to 4133 MHz (A-XMP OC, Ryzen Gen3) - Storage: 4× SATA 6 Gb/s (RAID 0/1/10) | 1× M.2 Key M (PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA, up to 2280) - Display: VGA, DVI-D, HDMI 1.4 (iGPU only) - USB: 4× USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A (rear) | 2× USB 3.2 Gen1 (internal) | 6× USB 2.0 - Audio: Realtek ALC887, 7.1-channel HD Audio - LAN: Realtek 8111H Gigabit Ethernet - Expansion: 1× PCIe 3.0 x16 | 2× PCIe 2.0 x1 - OS: Windows 10 64-bit; Windows 7 64-bit (requires Pinnacle Ridge or Summit Ridge CPU) - Warranty: 3 Years