MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK Motherboard ATX - Supports AMD Ryzen 3rd Gen Processors, AM4, DDR4 Boost (4866MHz/OC), 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 x M.2, HDMI, 2.5G LAN

OK so it's not the best 500 series board out there but the 5 star rating is simply because of value for what's included - two M.2 slots for your NVME drives, Wifi, a USB-C header (check your case has a USB-C port - if not just leave it unplugged), two 3 pin RGB headers, and two 4 pin RGB headers,.Oh and it has 5 fan headers, which would be enough for most people I would think.And while I have only installed low power CPU's like 3600 and 5600 on it, according to Hardware Unboxed it also handles more powerful chips surprisingly well considering how light it looks. Superb board!I should also add that I only installed NVME drives in this board, no SATA SSD's so I can't speak for how well placed the SATA headers are if you had a long graphics card installed, but just from looking at it I'm guessing you would be fine, especially as they are side mounted and not front mounted like a different motherboard I recently worked with, which was a pain

Wifi works great! It's a nice motherboard and it fits the description of specs. The first thing I did when I received the motherboard was update the BIOS using the bios flash button on the motherboard so that I wouldn't face any compatibility issues with my Ryzen 5 5600X. I am unable to say whether there was any compatibility issues before the bios update, however, using the BIOS flash button on the motherboard worked flawlessly.

I purchased the MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS Motherboard for a new build featuring a Ryzen 5600X, and I couldn't be happier with my decision. The setup was incredibly easy, and the motherboard has been performing flawlessly for over six months now. My son uses this PC daily for both gaming and regular activities, and there have been no issues reported so far.Pros:Easy Setup: The installation process was straightforward and hassle-free. The motherboard was well-documented, and everything fit perfectly.Seamless Compatibility: It worked right out of the box with the Ryzen 5600G, with no need for any additional tweaks or troubleshooting.Flawless Performance: The system has been running smoothly without any hitches. My son uses it for gaming and everyday tasks, and it's been reliable throughout.Affordable: This motherboard offers great value for its price. It’s affordable yet packed with features that cater to both gamers and regular users.Well-Packaged: The packaging was secure and ensured that the motherboard arrived in perfect condition.Fast Delivery: The delivery was quick, which is always a plus when you’re eager to complete your build.Cons:Previous Experience with Another Brand: Before this, I tried another manufacturer’s motherboard and faced numerous boot issues. Despite following the recommended firmware update steps meticulously, I had no success and eventually gave up. The MSI motherboard, in contrast, worked perfectly from the get-go, saving me a lot of time and frustration.Conclusion:The MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS has been a fantastic purchase. The ease of setup, compatibility, and reliable performance make it a standout choice. After my experience with the previous motherboard, this was a breath of fresh air. I wouldn’t hesitate to order this motherboard again in the future. It’s a solid investment for anyone looking to build a dependable PC.

works fine for me out o the box the realtek audio is a bit on the naff side I'm told a dac could address the issues what do I know it is however not a terrible budget buy pci-e 4.0 for the nvme like it. It can also handle beefier zen 3 cpus. great for the price probably wouldn't have bought it if it hadn't been on sale.

First of all before going into anything further, I'd like to point out the review below me is incorrect and your older GPU's will be fine. It is likely that the user beneath me reporting his GTX 980 didn't work, did not have an up to date BIOS on his board (mine had a BIOS revision compatible with the Ryzen 9 5900x CPU, if he had a Ryzen 5000 series CPU, it's likely he had to flash it if he was recieving no video) and didn't do enough research. Your older graphics cards will work with this board, I originally had a GTX 960 in here and it worked right away. I also didn't have to flash my BIOS... some boards made prior to 2021 of this variant might need a flash - in which case, look up a YouTube video for it - it's a pretty simple process and doesn't require a compatible CPU to do it... just a USB pen!Easy installation into most modern ATX cases as no having to mess around the I/O shield as it's pre-applied to the board as part of the heat sink... long gone are the days of messing around with those unless you go for a cheaper board.There's enough space between the PCIE x16 4.0 slot for your GPU to the lower down PCIE x16 3.0 slot for another peripheral with a modern graphics card installed... although I'm not sure about the width/bulk of RTX 3090, a RTX 3070 fits here fine with enough space inside a Corsair 4000d Airflow.Lots of system fan headers for a good case to have everything connected individually for monitored RPM usage on most, if not all your fans (depending on how many you have!) without having to connect multiple fans to the same header. The CPU PUMP header can be used as a CPU OPT header also (optional CPU fan) if you say, want to monitor both fans of a cooler like the very popular Noctua NH-D15.The only cons here I'd say are as follows:Two PCIE x1 ports... really? Just make them X4's or X16's are PCIE 3.0 - so many modern peripherals don't fit an X1 slot and need the wider variant.if the PCIE x16 3.0 slot is in use, I believe the lower M.2 slot also become nulled... I've not treid this myself, but the manual mentions it. Please look up the manual and read about this yourself for more information if having two NVME M.2 drives is a necesscity for you... (the lower M.2. slot is also 3.0, not 4.0) for me, it isn't, and the one NVME 4.0 slot is enough.