• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

ASRock B550AM Gaming Motherboard Pictured Up Close

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
46,274 (7.69/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Here are some of the first close-ups of the ASRock B550AM Gaming motherboard, which made its first appearance back in October 2019. The B550A is a rebadged B450 low-power "Promontory" chipset. Boards based on the chipset are guaranteed to support all 3rd generation Ryzen desktop processors out of the box. The B550AM Gaming draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the AM4 SoC with an 8+2 phase VRM.

The AM4 socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR4 memory; the board's sole PCI-Express 4.0 x16, and an M.2-22110 slot that has PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring. The only other expansion slot is a PCI-Express x4 wired to the B550A chipset, which is likely gen 2.0. Other storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes two USB 3.2 gen 2 ports (from which one is type-C), and six USB 3.2 gen 1 ports (from which two are by headers). Network connectivity includes WLAN (likely 802.11ac), and a 1 GbE wired interface. The 6-channel HD audio appears to be driven by a premium Realtek ALC1220-class CODEC. There are two 4-pin RGB and one 3-pin ARGB headers. The company didn't reveal pricing, or whether this board is even available in the retail channel, given that back in October we heard that the B550A was an OEM exclusive.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 

Cheeseball

Not a Potato
Supporter
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
1,834 (0.33/day)
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
System Name 2023 AMD Work & Gaming Rig
Processor AMD Ryzen™ 7 7950X3D
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi
Cooling ID-COOLING SE-207-XT Slim Snow
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB 2x16GB DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) ASRock Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB GDDR6 (MBA)
Storage 2TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe
Display(s) AOpen Fire Legend 24" 390Hz (25XV2Q), Alienware 34" 165Hz (AW3423DWF), LG C2 42" 120Hz (OLED42C2PUA)
Case Cooler Master Q300L V2
Audio Device(s) Kanto Audio YU2 and SUB8 Desktop Speakers and Subwoofer, Cloud Alpha Wireless
Power Supply Corsair RM850x White (2021)
Mouse Logitech Pro Superlight (White), G303 Shroud Edition
Keyboard Corsair K70 RGB TKL Champion Series / Wooting 60HE / NuPhy Air75
VR HMD Occulus Quest 2 128GB
Software Windows 11 Pro 64-bit 22H2 Build 22621.1992
@btarunr

You won't gen PCI-Express gen 4.0 x16 with this board (for that, you'll have to wait for the actual B550 chipset coming out later this year).

I definitely won't GEN dude.

Typo!
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
2,720 (1.19/day)
Location
Buenos Aires, Argentina
System Name System V
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Prime X570-P
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 // a bunch of 120 mm Xigmatek 1500 RPM fans (2 ins, 3 outs)
Memory 2x8GB Ballistix Sport LT 3200 MHz (BLS8G4D32AESCK.M8FE) (CL16-18-18-36)
Video Card(s) Gigabyte AORUS Radeon RX 580 8 GB
Storage SHFS37A240G / DT01ACA200 / WD20EZRX / MKNSSDTR256GB-3DL / LG BH16NS40 / ST10000VN0008
Display(s) LG 22MP55 IPS Display
Case NZXT Source 210
Audio Device(s) Logitech G430 Headset
Power Supply Corsair CX650M
Mouse Microsoft Trackball Optical 1.0
Keyboard HP Vectra VE keyboard (Part # D4950-63004)
Software Whatever build of Windows 11 is being served in Dev channel at the time.
Benchmark Scores Corona 1.3: 3120620 r/s Cinebench R20: 3355 FireStrike: 12490 TimeSpy: 4624
You won't gen PCI-Express gen 4.0 x16 with this board (for that, you'll have to wait for the actual B550 chipset coming out later this year)

Wait, what? I thought PCIe 4.0 was X570-exclusive?
 
Joined
Jun 23, 2011
Messages
389 (0.08/day)
System Name potato
Processor Ryzen 9 3950X
Motherboard MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk
Cooling Custom WC Loop
Memory 2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600
Video Card(s) Radeon VII
Storage SSD: Team 512GB NVMe + Team 2TB SATA || HDD: 2x WD VRaptor 500GB & 2x WD Blue 4TB
Display(s) XIAOMI Curved 34" 144Hz UWQHD
Case be quiet dark base pro 900
Audio Device(s) Edifier R1800T, Logitech G733
Power Supply Corsair AX860i
Mouse Logitech G Pro
Keyboard Corsair K65
Software win 10 amd64
looking at the spec,, it should support PCIE 4.0 on the x16 slot, and also M.2 gen4 x4, both from CPU

b550am.png
 
Joined
Aug 6, 2017
Messages
7,412 (3.05/day)
Location
Poland
System Name Purple rain
Processor 10.5 thousand 4.2G 1.1v
Motherboard Zee 490 Aorus Elite
Cooling Noctua D15S
Memory 16GB 4133 CL16-16-16-31 Viper Steel
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
Storage SU900 128,8200Pro 1TB,850 Pro 512+256+256,860 Evo 500,XPG950 480, Skyhawk 2TB
Display(s) Acer XB241YU+Dell S2716DG
Case P600S Silent w. Alpenfohn wing boost 3 ARGBT+ fans
Audio Device(s) K612 Pro w. FiiO E10k DAC,W830BT wireless
Power Supply Superflower Leadex Gold 850W
Mouse G903 lightspeed+powerplay,G403 wireless + Steelseries DeX + Roccat rest
Keyboard HyperX Alloy SilverSpeed (w.HyperX wrist rest),Razer Deathstalker
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores A LOT
Their rebadged b450 supports 4.0 but high end x470s dont.
 
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
Messages
502 (0.14/day)
System Name Personal Rig
Processor Intel i5 3570K
Motherboard Asus P8Z77-V
Cooling Noctua NH-U12P Push/Pull
Memory 8GB 1600Mhz Vengeance
Video Card(s) Intel HD4000
Storage Seagate 1TB & 180GB Intel 330
Display(s) AOC I2360P
Case Enermax Vostok
Audio Device(s) Onboard realtek
Power Supply Corsair TX650
Mouse Microsoft OEM 2.0
Keyboard Logitech Internet Pro White
Software Legal ;)
Benchmark Scores Very big
someone should try crossflashing a similar b450 board with this bios to gain pcie 4.0 :D
 
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
3,595 (1.27/day)
Somehow unintelligent design - especially coming from AsRock.
Putting aside a few basic A320 motherboards, this AFAIK this will be their only mATX model with just 2 PCIe slots.

I understand it's a bit crowded, but why isn't one of the M.2 put on the other side of PCB?
looking at the spec,, it should support PCIE 4.0 on the x16 slot, and also M.2 gen4 x4, both from CPU
I don't understand why PCIe4.0 is available with Summit Ridge according to this information (whatever it is). In fact: isn't Summit Ridge incompatible with X570?
 
Last edited:
Joined
Sep 19, 2017
Messages
173 (0.07/day)
Location
Germany
Processor R9 5900X
Motherboard X570 Aorus Master
Cooling MO-RA3 420 LT | 4x NF-A20
Memory F4-3600C16D-32GTZN @ 3800C16
Video Card(s) RTX 4090 TUF
Storage 2x 1TB SN750 | 1x 2TB SN850X
Display(s) AW3423DW | S2721DGFA
Case Enthoo 719
Audio Device(s) AE-5 | DT1990 Pro | Rode NT-USB
Power Supply SP 11 Pt 750W
Mouse G502 X Plus
Keyboard Ducky Shine 7
PCIe 4.0 availability has nothing to do with the chipset. Only the x16 and M.2 slot wired directly to the (Zen2) CPU get Gen4. Everything else that goes through the chipset is Gen2.

Their rebadged b450 supports 4.0 but high end x470s dont.
Some of them maybe could support it (most likely ITX because of short traces) but definitely not all of them.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 18, 2010
Messages
7,106 (1.46/day)
Location
Rīga, Latvia
System Name HELLSTAR
Processor AMD RYZEN 9 5950X
Motherboard ASUS Strix X570-E
Cooling 2x 360 + 280 rads. 3x Gentle Typhoons, 3x Phanteks T30, 2x TT T140 . EK-Quantum Momentum Monoblock.
Memory 4x8GB G.SKILL Trident Z RGB F4-4133C19D-16GTZR 14-16-12-30-44
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX 7900XTX + under waterblock.
Storage Optane 900P[W11] + WD BLACK SN850X 4TB + 750 EVO 500GB + 1TB 980PRO[FEDORA]
Display(s) Philips PHL BDM3270 + Acer XV242Y
Case Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO
Audio Device(s) Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W
Mouse Razer Basilisk
Keyboard Razer BlackWidow V3 - Yellow Switch
Software FEDORA 39 / Windows 11 insider
ITX because of short traces

It's not only about short traces, but material and how you trace them. It may work, but the error rate may may trigger unwanted signal correction mechanisms. Just remember Sandy Bridge case with PCIE3. It later had workaround Erratas to escape few init bugs, for certain HW. Basically, everyone claiming that their B450 worked fine on PCIE4 mode doesn't apply to all devices, to give it a solid certification.

I compared Asrock B450 PCB's also, this a totally new design. For example this one at last has more advanced(Voltage or temperature or both) controlled crystal near the CPU socket. None of B450 for asrock had that, X470 was first. The CPU VRM changed also. It has the base of the most recent X570 design they have.

Basically calling a total rebadge ain't right. You get a new product.
 
Last edited:
Joined
May 2, 2017
Messages
7,762 (3.08/day)
Location
Back in Norway
System Name Hotbox
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, 110/95/110, PBO +150Mhz, CO -7,-7,-20(x6),
Motherboard ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 ITX/ax
Cooling LOBO + Laing DDC 1T Plus PWM + Corsair XR5 280mm + 2x Arctic P14
Memory 32GB G.Skill FlareX 3200c14 @3800c15
Video Card(s) PowerColor Radeon 6900XT Liquid Devil Ultimate, UC@2250MHz max @~200W
Storage 2TB Adata SX8200 Pro
Display(s) Dell U2711 main, AOC 24P2C secondary
Case SSUPD Meshlicious
Audio Device(s) Optoma Nuforce μDAC 3
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Keychron K3/Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M w/DSA profile caps
Software Windows 10 Pro
Somehow unintelligent design - especially coming from AsRock.
Putting aside a few basic A320 motherboards, this AFAIK this will be their only mATX model with just 2 PCIe slots.

I understand it's a bit crowded, but why isn't one of the M.2 put on the other side of PCB?
It's an OEM-only board as the B550A is an OEM-only chipset. The only reason for its existence is that OEMs demand a new model number to put on their boxes. As such it's not designed to fit DIY tastes/needs.
 

silentbogo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 20, 2013
Messages
5,470 (1.45/day)
Location
Kyiv, Ukraine
System Name WS#1337
Processor Ryzen 7 3800X
Motherboard ASUS X570-PLUS TUF Gaming
Cooling Xigmatek Scylla 240mm AIO
Memory 4x8GB Samsung DDR4 ECC UDIMM
Video Card(s) Inno3D RTX 3070 Ti iChill
Storage ADATA Legend 2TB + ADATA SX8200 Pro 1TB
Display(s) Samsung U24E590D (4K/UHD)
Case ghetto CM Cosmos RC-1000
Audio Device(s) ALC1220
Power Supply SeaSonic SSR-550FX (80+ GOLD)
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Modecom Volcano Blade (Kailh choc LP)
VR HMD Google dreamview headset(aka fancy cardboard)
Software Windows 11, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
@buildzoid will do a breakdown soon enough. As far as board designs go, it looks more like a stripped-down and cheapified X570M Pro4.

Somehow unintelligent design - especially coming from AsRock.
Putting aside a few basic A320 motherboards, this AFAIK this will be their only mATX model with just 2 PCIe slots.
First, having only 2 slots on the uATX board is a matter of taste and build requirements. Remember - it's an OEM product, which will most likely have only one slot occupied for the entirety of its lifetime.
Second, I think you don't know AsRock that well. They are the staple of motherboard re-badging (in some cases quite literally), and design recycling. Also, they are the poster-child for two-slot board, so it looks like we are talking about different AsRock.

I understand it's a bit crowded, but why isn't one of the M.2 put on the other side of PCB?
These are CPU lanes. x16 for GPU, x4 for single NVME, and x4 for chipset downlink. It is simply maxed out.
 
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
3,595 (1.27/day)
First, having only 2 slots on the uATX board is a matter of taste and build requirements.
Of course. Which means this mobo will not be interesting for people who need 3+ slots. Unlike all alternatives from AsRock. Or Asus. I haven't checked other makers, but I bet it's similar.
The only mobos with 2 slots I could find are some cheap A320.

Is this mobo placed so low in the lineup? Seriously? :)
Remember - it's an OEM product, which will most likely have only one slot occupied for the entirety of its lifetime.
Chipset may be for OEMs, but this is a standard mATX mobo that AsRock likely intends to sell.
OEMs make their own motherboards.
These are CPU lanes. x16 for GPU, x4 for single NVME, and x4 for chipset downlink. It is simply maxed out.
But another PCIe slot could be connected to the chipset. I mean... that is this B550A doing anyway?
 
Joined
Nov 18, 2010
Messages
7,106 (1.46/day)
Location
Rīga, Latvia
System Name HELLSTAR
Processor AMD RYZEN 9 5950X
Motherboard ASUS Strix X570-E
Cooling 2x 360 + 280 rads. 3x Gentle Typhoons, 3x Phanteks T30, 2x TT T140 . EK-Quantum Momentum Monoblock.
Memory 4x8GB G.SKILL Trident Z RGB F4-4133C19D-16GTZR 14-16-12-30-44
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX 7900XTX + under waterblock.
Storage Optane 900P[W11] + WD BLACK SN850X 4TB + 750 EVO 500GB + 1TB 980PRO[FEDORA]
Display(s) Philips PHL BDM3270 + Acer XV242Y
Case Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO
Audio Device(s) Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W
Mouse Razer Basilisk
Keyboard Razer BlackWidow V3 - Yellow Switch
Software FEDORA 39 / Windows 11 insider
OEMs make their own motherboards.

No all of them.

I understand your pain, but it really ain't crucial for most of the market. Yes a good point, but on the paper it's wasted resource and not needed. Most people won't populate all slots.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 18, 2010
Messages
7,106 (1.46/day)
Location
Rīga, Latvia
System Name HELLSTAR
Processor AMD RYZEN 9 5950X
Motherboard ASUS Strix X570-E
Cooling 2x 360 + 280 rads. 3x Gentle Typhoons, 3x Phanteks T30, 2x TT T140 . EK-Quantum Momentum Monoblock.
Memory 4x8GB G.SKILL Trident Z RGB F4-4133C19D-16GTZR 14-16-12-30-44
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX 7900XTX + under waterblock.
Storage Optane 900P[W11] + WD BLACK SN850X 4TB + 750 EVO 500GB + 1TB 980PRO[FEDORA]
Display(s) Philips PHL BDM3270 + Acer XV242Y
Case Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO
Audio Device(s) Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W
Mouse Razer Basilisk
Keyboard Razer BlackWidow V3 - Yellow Switch
Software FEDORA 39 / Windows 11 insider
Am I the only one who can see a second (possibly double-stacked) NVME position to the right of the lower PCIe slot?

No, the discussion is to take away from the the PCIE area to have more dedicated PCIE slots, thus moving the nvme slot to the backside of the board.
 
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
3,595 (1.27/day)
I understand your pain, but it really ain't crucial for most of the market. Yes a good point, but on the paper it's wasted resource and not needed. Most people won't populate all slots.
But I'm not saying this is a mandatory feature. As you say: it's just for some clients.
What I am saying: these clients (as small as this group may be) will instantly reject this product, because basically every alternative has 3 slots (unless future B550A boards also won't...).

What if this was something more material to you. For example: if it turns out this board doesn't support CPUs over 8 cores?
The group of clients who would use this with 3900X or 3950X is also small. But I'm sure this would seem more significant - being a serious upgrade limitation. :)
 
Joined
Aug 6, 2017
Messages
7,412 (3.05/day)
Location
Poland
System Name Purple rain
Processor 10.5 thousand 4.2G 1.1v
Motherboard Zee 490 Aorus Elite
Cooling Noctua D15S
Memory 16GB 4133 CL16-16-16-31 Viper Steel
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
Storage SU900 128,8200Pro 1TB,850 Pro 512+256+256,860 Evo 500,XPG950 480, Skyhawk 2TB
Display(s) Acer XB241YU+Dell S2716DG
Case P600S Silent w. Alpenfohn wing boost 3 ARGBT+ fans
Audio Device(s) K612 Pro w. FiiO E10k DAC,W830BT wireless
Power Supply Superflower Leadex Gold 850W
Mouse G903 lightspeed+powerplay,G403 wireless + Steelseries DeX + Roccat rest
Keyboard HyperX Alloy SilverSpeed (w.HyperX wrist rest),Razer Deathstalker
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores A LOT
Am I the only one who can see a second (possibly double-stacked) NVME position to the right of the lower PCIe slot?
good find,looks like the slot is on the backside
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
833 (0.54/day)
Location
Maryland, USA
Processor Ryzen 5 5600X
Motherboard MSI MPG X570S Carbon Max Wifi
Cooling CPU: bequiet! Dark Rock 4. Case fans: 2x bequiet Silent Wings 3 140s, 2x Silent Wings 3 120s
Memory 2 x 8 GB Patriot Viper Steel DDR4-4400 C19
Video Card(s) Sapphire NITRO+ RX 5700 XT
Storage 2TB Mushkin Pilot-E M.2, 1 TB SK Hynix P31 M.2, 1 TB Inland Professional, 500 GB Samsung 860 Evo
Display(s) MSI Optix MAG271CQR 1440p 144Hz, MSI Optix MAG241C 1080p 144Hz
Case Lian Li Lancool III
Audio Device(s) Philips SHP9500, V-Moda BoomPro, Sybasonic Better Connectivity USB DAC/Amp
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G3 80+ Gold 750W
Mouse Glorious Model D Wireless
Keyboard Custom Qwertykeys Navy QK80: Sarokeys Strawberry Wine switches, GMK CYL DMG3 keycaps
Other storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gbps ports.
Could you please point out where you see the 5th and 6th SATA port? That stack alongside the lower right end only looks to be 4.

Am I the only one who can see a second (possibly double-stacked) NVME position to the right of the lower PCIe slot?
I see it as well. The slot must be on the back (or just not there, it looks like the holes for the M.2 standoffs are empty). To me, this looks like a stripped down/re-purposed higher end board. Very similar to the X570 Phantom Gaming 4 line: https://www.asrock.com/mb/photo/X570 Phantom Gaming 4S(L2).png
 

iO

Joined
Jul 18, 2012
Messages
526 (0.12/day)
Location
Germany
Processor R7 5700x
Motherboard MSI B450i Gaming
Cooling Accelero Mono CPU Edition
Memory 16 GB VLP
Video Card(s) AMD RX 6700 XT
Storage P34A80 512GB
Display(s) LG 27UM67 UHD
Case none
Power Supply SS G-650
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
833 (0.54/day)
Location
Maryland, USA
Processor Ryzen 5 5600X
Motherboard MSI MPG X570S Carbon Max Wifi
Cooling CPU: bequiet! Dark Rock 4. Case fans: 2x bequiet Silent Wings 3 140s, 2x Silent Wings 3 120s
Memory 2 x 8 GB Patriot Viper Steel DDR4-4400 C19
Video Card(s) Sapphire NITRO+ RX 5700 XT
Storage 2TB Mushkin Pilot-E M.2, 1 TB SK Hynix P31 M.2, 1 TB Inland Professional, 500 GB Samsung 860 Evo
Display(s) MSI Optix MAG271CQR 1440p 144Hz, MSI Optix MAG241C 1080p 144Hz
Case Lian Li Lancool III
Audio Device(s) Philips SHP9500, V-Moda BoomPro, Sybasonic Better Connectivity USB DAC/Amp
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G3 80+ Gold 750W
Mouse Glorious Model D Wireless
Keyboard Custom Qwertykeys Navy QK80: Sarokeys Strawberry Wine switches, GMK CYL DMG3 keycaps

silentbogo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 20, 2013
Messages
5,470 (1.45/day)
Location
Kyiv, Ukraine
System Name WS#1337
Processor Ryzen 7 3800X
Motherboard ASUS X570-PLUS TUF Gaming
Cooling Xigmatek Scylla 240mm AIO
Memory 4x8GB Samsung DDR4 ECC UDIMM
Video Card(s) Inno3D RTX 3070 Ti iChill
Storage ADATA Legend 2TB + ADATA SX8200 Pro 1TB
Display(s) Samsung U24E590D (4K/UHD)
Case ghetto CM Cosmos RC-1000
Audio Device(s) ALC1220
Power Supply SeaSonic SSR-550FX (80+ GOLD)
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Modecom Volcano Blade (Kailh choc LP)
VR HMD Google dreamview headset(aka fancy cardboard)
Software Windows 11, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
Is this mobo placed so low in the lineup? Seriously? :)
Yes, think of it as a typical low-budget board in a sub-$100 segment. With WiFi, Intel LAN, RTL1220, radiators and other trinkets, I'd say having more unnecessary slots on a limited BOM was at the bottom of their list.
Steve at GN went as far as saying sub-$80, but that's an overstatement.

But another PCIe slot could be connected to the chipset. I mean... that is this B550A doing anyway?
Second slot IS connected to the hub. Don't forget that it's technically a B450 chipset with only six PCIe lanes (one of which is occupied by LAN, another one is eaten by bundled WiFi/BT card, and four routed to the bottom slot). They didn't add another PCIe or the second M.2, cause let's be honest - shared lanes suck and no one wants to explain why their second SSD does not work with capture card installed (especially in a prebuilt). Plus, it's cheap. Another thing to note, is that the bottom slot should be 4xPCIe gen 2.0.
 
Joined
May 2, 2017
Messages
7,762 (3.08/day)
Location
Back in Norway
System Name Hotbox
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, 110/95/110, PBO +150Mhz, CO -7,-7,-20(x6),
Motherboard ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 ITX/ax
Cooling LOBO + Laing DDC 1T Plus PWM + Corsair XR5 280mm + 2x Arctic P14
Memory 32GB G.Skill FlareX 3200c14 @3800c15
Video Card(s) PowerColor Radeon 6900XT Liquid Devil Ultimate, UC@2250MHz max @~200W
Storage 2TB Adata SX8200 Pro
Display(s) Dell U2711 main, AOC 24P2C secondary
Case SSUPD Meshlicious
Audio Device(s) Optoma Nuforce μDAC 3
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Keychron K3/Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M w/DSA profile caps
Software Windows 10 Pro
Chipset may be for OEMs, but this is a standard mATX mobo that AsRock likely intends to sell.
OEMs make their own motherboards.
No. This is an OEM only product, and will never be sold at retail. AMD sells the B550A chipset to board manufacturers as an OEM only part, and they would thus violate their agreement with AMD if they sold it separately.

As for OEMs making their own motherboards - sure, the big ones like Dell or HP or those with motherboard design teams like Asus. The rest have them made by other companies.

But I'm not saying this is a mandatory feature. As you say: it's just for some clients.
What I am saying: these clients (as small as this group may be) will instantly reject this product, because basically every alternative has 3 slots (unless future B550A boards also won't...).

What if this was something more material to you. For example: if it turns out this board doesn't support CPUs over 8 cores?
The group of clients who would use this with 3900X or 3950X is also small. But I'm sure this would seem more significant - being a serious upgrade limitation. :)
Again: OEM only. This board is only going into pre-built systems where the OEM picks the parts. <99% of these will never be upgraded or have any add-in-cards installed beyond factory issue. OEMs know this and thus don't give a damn about the number of PCIe slots. They just want a new chipset name and PCIe 4.0 for their marketing materials.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 15, 2020
Messages
28 (0.02/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Motherboard ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming ITX/ax
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420 rev.5 + Conductonaut
Memory 2x16GiB G.SKILL TridentZ DDR4-3200 CL14
Video Card(s) Sapphire RX 6900XT TOXIC Limited Edition
Storage Sabrent Rocket 4.0 1TB, addlink S70 1TB
Audio Device(s) Creative SoundBlasterX G5
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Ultra Titanium 850W
If anyone gets their hands on such board could you please dump the bios to see if its different agesa with pcie4 unlocked
 
Joined
May 2, 2017
Messages
7,762 (3.08/day)
Location
Back in Norway
System Name Hotbox
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, 110/95/110, PBO +150Mhz, CO -7,-7,-20(x6),
Motherboard ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 ITX/ax
Cooling LOBO + Laing DDC 1T Plus PWM + Corsair XR5 280mm + 2x Arctic P14
Memory 32GB G.Skill FlareX 3200c14 @3800c15
Video Card(s) PowerColor Radeon 6900XT Liquid Devil Ultimate, UC@2250MHz max @~200W
Storage 2TB Adata SX8200 Pro
Display(s) Dell U2711 main, AOC 24P2C secondary
Case SSUPD Meshlicious
Audio Device(s) Optoma Nuforce μDAC 3
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Keychron K3/Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M w/DSA profile caps
Software Windows 10 Pro
Does it support nvidia graphic cards
A) this is an OEM-only motherboard that isn't for sale anywhere except in pre-built PCs.

B) of course it does. GPUs are PCIe devices, they work in anything with a PCIe slot as long as the operating system has drivers available. In other words, any GPU works in any motherboard, barring some major mess-up.
 
Top