Best B550 ITX Motherboards - Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock

[@Nijnvenijn]

I’ve learned a lot from this channel and just finished building my new gaming rig in the Nr200p. I went with the gigabyte aorus pro ax and couldn’t be happier.

[@dit_8424]

I am going to build my first pc in the nr200 (non p) does the gigabyte motherboard have any problems in the case?

[@AlexDiaz-sf4qj]

@@dit_8424 I have the gigabyte b550i pro ax and i have experienced usb issues and bluetooth issue. Im going to return it to microcenter and get the b550-i strix instead. I don’t overclock so it’s more than enough to handle my 5900x.

[@dit_8424]

@@AlexDiaz-sf4qj is the problem caused by the case or is a faulty aorus pro ax?

[@watintarnation9801]

It's a great hardware bugged by horrid software. BIOS menu keeps changing stuff without notice. Also has a messed up wireless voltage control for wireless adapter. Finally... it is incompatible with anything that is not Windows 10. That's a big no for me honestly, and so went with Strix.

[@thisisnotimportantanymoerijasd]

@@dit_8424 it’s the motherboard of case usually isn’t the problem

[@pm3272]

You just reviewed the Gigabyte board i was researching for my next build, thank you! Your timing couldn't have been better

[@EdwinGuillen]

dont buy. lots of issues

[@samhuang3017]

stay away from gigabyte. If you have any issues their warranty is non-existent.

[@hadoryu]

Yes! I've been waiting for this!

[@JjJj-ty7iy]

Damn I didn’t watch it yet but I order the asrock more expensive version last week

[@MartinRonky]

Exactly what i was asking for, thank you so much. My pre-watch fav is asrock.

[@tincanable]

Ditto! First review of all the B550 itx options I've seen

[@starrynight3945]

I also interested to know Intel alternative. You might ask why Intel. Intel good for developer leverage android emulator, by a bit.

[@MattVelic]

I just built a new system using the ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 - I was definitely a bit hesitant at first as I had never used ASRock before and was worried about quality. But it checked some important functions for me: (1) had USB-C header, and (2) had the most USB ports on the IO panel (that I was likely to use) than the other options. The rest of the system is fairly standard - Ryzen 3600, 32GB 3200 DDR4, a WD Black M2 (1TB), EVGA GTX 1080 SC2 all in an NZXT H1. Build mainly because I hadn't built a new PC in about 8 years, and I wanted to downsize and reorg my office. I'm also moving away from gaming (the GPU is overkill for me now) and focusing on music production, so I am not too worried about my overall specs or overclocking. Thus far the only issue I had with the board was during Windows installation. It did not recognize the hard-wired Ethernet cable, and I had to complete my install using the wireless instead. After updating the networking drivers, the Ethernet worked as expected. So annoying, but not awful. During typical usage, I'm seeing CPU temps between 30 and 50C, and GPU temps between 40 and 60C. Again, I'm not really pushing it, just wanted something new to help with the new office and studio setup.

[@Nomokuto]

Hey just wondered if u still happy with the ASRock. I can't decide

[@MattVelic]

@@Nomokuto No issues since the original build, still working strong

[@sinetwo]

I've rewatched this vid 3 times. I'm now armed with the knowledge required to make a sound purchase

[@xalmak]

What did you decide to get because I'm 5 watches in and I can't make up my mind.

[@sinetwo]

@@xalmak asus rog for several reasons

[@ughpoor]

Same... going with X570 lol

[@edwardputtock7778]

@@sinetwo watched 3 times and think will go for Asus.

[@twinjuke]

Now I go with the GB Aorus. Passive cooling is the main thing to me. This will be a NAS... a beast of a NAS. :D

[@antzpantz]

PERFECT TIMING! Just waiting for that Ryzen 4000 release and it's GO GO GO on my MiniITX build!

[@jlmonterrosa14]

I'm waiting for the exact same thing lol.

[@nolandderlugner1351]

same lol, will prop take the Aorus

[@jlmonterrosa14]

I considered that but it didn't have a USC C front header which was a no go for my case. Im going for the Strix board.

[@dv2045]

@@jlmonterrosa14 hi, I want to build a itx pc but what would you need a front USB C for?

[@jlmonterrosa14]

My case has a usb c output. So if I didn't have a motherboard with the proper header then it would just be a dead unused port on my case.

[@almostdead9567]

I guess when the b550 gigabyte board came out , majority of us knew that this was the board we want . It's a perfect balance between price and function

[@teengohann]

owner of one :) 2 m.2 slots right?

[@kakeru123]

The bios on Gigabytes is not the best

[@FreaqqShow]

​​​@@kakeru123True. I currently have that board and the bios actually makes me put gigabyte on the list for mainboards not to buy anymore (the only other one on that list is biostar). Latest bios installed and it still has some bugs and performance problems. My 5600G could run with co -20 prime95 stable on the b450m mortar but on this board I even get errors with co -17. It also rarely crashes in the bios when trying to safe at the smart fan settings. Also sometimes after leaving the bios it's stuck in posting so I have turn off the pc and restart. Then when I activate above 4g decoding and re-bar it doesn't recognize my m.2 drives anymore. If I have a graphics card in the pcie slot the igpu can not be activated. It can't handle one of my m.2 pcie drives (it's a pcie 3.0 x2 drive), when I have this installed it takes two minutes to post, sometimes doesn't post and boot at all and sometimes the keyboard doesn't work in the post screen. With a different m.2 pcie ssd it works fine (pcie 3.0 x4). My b450m mortar worked with the x2 ssd without a problem. Also somehow the dram voltage in windows is higher than set in the bios (1.4v in bios -> 1.45v in windows). When I turn on the pc all fans spin up to their max rpm for 2-3 seconds which is very annoying. And even though it doesn't have an internal usb-c header it only has 2 full size 4pin fan headers. The 3rd on is a mini 4pin for which you have to use an adapter (there is one included but that doesn't stick on the header well and often comes lose when I'm working on the pc. Luckily I could get the asrock b550 itx board. I hope its bios is better.

[@Noctane]

@@kakeru123 ok but ASRock isn't any better lol

[@jakew3]

Hey Ali. Just want to say a sincere 'thank you' for all of your videos. With your help, I've recently done my very first PC build in the ncase M1. I couldn't be happier. Thanks for all you do and keep up the great work. -Jake

[@muammar1895]

your welcome

[@kenzzz9410]

u know its gonna be a very educated video when its Optimum tech , the Presentations, the B rolls , the info for all the gear and gadget links

[@jasonfloyd2564]

Just wanted to comment and say the MSI B550I - Gaming Edge now has the Clear CMOS accessible from the backplate. :-)

[@onhagen1]

Can confirm. Picked up my MSI this week in Norway, and the I/O shield had a cut-out for clear CMOS.

[@RazzaDazza0]

Do you know if the refreshed version, the MSI B550I- Gaming Edge MAX has the mounting backplate fixed? I heard on the original motherboard they used nonstandard mounting so most air coolers couldn't mount to it is that still a thing?

[@jasonfloyd4194]

@@RazzaDazza0 Hey! So this year was the first time I’ve built a pc so bear with me as I’m a noob, but on the MSI this year alone I’ve had a wraith prism, wraith stealth, scythe, and now a CORSAIR cappellix (I think that’s how it’s spelled?) on there with no issues. Hope this helps!

[@RazzaDazza0]

@@jasonfloyd4194 yes it does thanks so much

[@idk-mg9rh]

@@RazzaDazza0 not fixed. Returned mine because of this crap.

[@MrUsbekistan]

Great Test ! I already got the Aorus Pro AX a few weeks ago, now I'm desperately waiting for my cooler master NR 200P to finsh the build.

[@kingnormie]

hows the rgb software?

[@randalllawkin]

How did it fit in the case? Any issues?

[@osubuckeye2009]

@@randalllawkin if you run any top fans, it's bad because the socket is off-center

[@Trainz2950]

Just got the ASRock board in the mail, glad to see this and hear it performed pretty well

[@hpicketttttt]

ive been looking for this vid for ages hahaha

[@littledragonmeiling]

Best comment because I've been a good mini-itx for b550 for months 😫😫

[@lCielConLimon]

Me too! Lol

[@David-lr4vx]

Also about that MSI board: Just about all the headers are located in the worst locations: Front audio, both front panel headers, one of the internal USB 3, system fan, and ARGB are not at the edge of the board like the other brands. They are all directly on top of the PCIe slot. This makes for horrible cable management and access. They did put the CPU and PUMP fan connections at the edge of the board, but on the far side of the RAM And the stock AMD Wraith Stealth does not fit. It needs to be wedged in between the VRM cover and the RAM. I was using G.Skill Trident Z and the cooler ends up pushing the RAM leaving no space in between. I switched to a Bequiet! Dark Rock 4 and now there is no unnecessary touching. The CMOS jumper is the icing on the cake. Don't get this board. ASRock, Gigabyte, and Asus are all good motherboard manufacturers and from what I can tell their layouts are much better. This is my last MSI motherboard.

[@LiveYuan]

Actually you can clean cmos through pressing the power button for 5 seconds when the board is power off

[@marioman971]

MSI boards always seem to be pretty rock solid imo, but layout is nearly always awful. Had one a while ago where the SATA ports were all next to the PCIe x16 slot... and entirely blocked by the GPU; even a short one like my 7850. Had to order special right angle SATA cables just to use more than 2 of the ports.

[@noahellice2184]

Thanks man - almost bought the msi board

[@warnacokelat]

doesn't look like a big downside for me considering how currently i run fan cables and the front audio wires directly on top the PCI-E slot right now with Gigabyte B450i. the easy diagnosis LED is really interesting. however when I look at Gigabyte B550i and how the board got some fancy heatshield at the back of the board, and how it is priced lower and does not have obsolete PS2 port connection, I gotta say I'm also leaning on Gigabyte now.

[@rockytruelyrox]

My suggestion would be to rewire the front reset button to clear CMOS header. So that you don't have to go through the trouble. Use power button to reset and reboot. Reset for clear CMOS.

[@djentleman7]

I just finished a sliger sm550 with the gigabyte b550i, so far I'm very happy with it

[@RoccondilRinon]

On the one hand, you posted this literally a couple of hours after I ordered one of these boards. On the other, your coverage makes me more comfortable with my choice of board.

[@ftj8279]

So which one did you choose?

[@RoccondilRinon]

Felix Tj went with the Asus.

[@teiji_ishida]

I did my research and am leaning toward the Asrock B550 ITX. It's got front USB-C 3.2 gen 2 (10 Gbps; most other mobo either don't have one or only 5 Gbps), addressable RGB header, beefy VRM with no active fan (so no extra noise, and 1 less point of failure), and good reviews on Newegg. I'm surprised it didn't get recommended. I'm still sticking with this for Ryzen 4000. Good video, nonetheless.

[@lost_in_spice]

Yeah, that's what I found out as well. Asrock is the only MB in the range to offer USB-C 10Gbps. But I've also found that the reviewed version of Gigabyte has got an USB-C 5Gbps header.

[@MattiaMirabello]

I looked for this like 2 hours ago. You are the algorithm.

[@Revolve-Studios]

I can personally vouch for the Gigabyte board, love built-in IO shields. It has some nice subtle LED lighting as well.

[@imasalipis4057]

Wont touch a Gigabyte board for a long time. My z370 aorus gaming 7 audio stopped working after 1 year and my X570 Aorus ultra died after 3 months.

[@Revolve-Studios]

@@imasalipis4057 Wow, can't blame you then. Hope mine fares better.

[@al_old]

Also had 2 Gigabyte x570 boards dead, one dead on arrival and one after 4 months of use. Never going for Gigabyte again.

[@visuallin]

Yup been using this board since launch. Except for the lack of type-c it's really a beast especially for those who love to tweak and OC

[@Rikarth]

The gigabyte and MSI boards have their sockets a bit off center so an Ncase M1 V6 would not be able to fit a noctua C14S without rotating the cooler so the heat pipes invade on gpu space.

[@lilyusi]

thank you so much for elaborating this!!!! I'm building my first computer and didn't think about this at all. Asus it is then

[@goswami]

Do you have any idea if the noctua NH-D15 would fit well in the gigabyte board?

[@eljosho8184]

@@lilyusi Not sure if you've got one already or not, but be gentle with the USB 3.1 Header. The bracket isnt glued to the board, mine just came right off when disconnecting the cable.

[@ZetsabreJuno]

If I got the Noctua L9A, will I have to worry about any fitment issues using the MSI board?

[@Rikarth]

@@ZetsabreJuno i think it would work. It's a petite cooler my friend

[@Oscar-xw7nt]

These are gonna be perfect for my build in the NR200 build next year. Thanks!

[@galaxxy09]

Omg I've been comparing these boards online for ages, this vid is great. Ty

[@xuhanwen97]

3:38 Optimum, isn't the stacked right angle ports an issue in terms of clearance in some ITX cases? The one that comes to my mind immediately is the NCase M1 in it's default config!

[@hashbiasshate8904]

They should make it so that half of them are right angle and half of them point upwards since in itx builds you wont be using many sata drives.

[@warnacokelat]

It should have enough clearance for SATA cable in Ncase M1. Probably will be a problem if you use a sandwich style case like Ghost S1 and Dan A4 tho.

[@tobzdaman619]

@@warnacokelat Yep, main reason I bought the Gigabyte board :(

[@LiLBitsDK]

would much prefer the stacked right angled ones to be honest

[@ellismcpickle720]

the do not fit stock, I had to drill new psu mounting holes to use my sata drive

[@Nuri_91]

I'm so glad we got you for proper SFF hardware reviews. Thank you!

[@pohalsted8847]

This is some pretty shallow information. It is all just minor surface information. I want to know more. How quick do we get bios updates? Which board is better with ram? Any compatibility issues with coolers or other things? How's Lan between all boards since they differ? -MSI board has some issues with after market coolers with back plate compatibility due to board design. EK backplates do not fit without cutting or modification. -The MSI board m.2/chipset fan is actually worse than a m.2 with decent stock heatsink. Chipset doesn't really suffer either way. -The ASUS board overclocks ram far better than the MSI or Aorus. -MSI and Gigabyte use Realtek for Lan. ASUS uses Intel. Realtek on both boards resets a few times a day especially if you saturate the 2.5G for long periods. Intel is far better for Lan. Wifi performance is similar across all boards. -MSI has updated there IO shield with a slot to access the BIOS jumper. It is the easiest jumper to access now. -All 3 boards overclocked a 5600x and 5800x similarly without issues. VRM on these baords due not matter for the CPU's mentioned. I have the MSI, ASUS and Gigabyte. Price/performance, I would go with the ASUS, then the Gigabyte, and I would skip the MSI. Going away from reference board design can cause so many issues with coolers, cases, and other after market items that do follow reference. Plus the MSI had weird BIOS issues with ram and XMP settings. I don't have the Asrock so I can't really comment.

[@CknSalad]

I wanted to go itx again and instead of using my old NCase m1 v1, build in a NR200 case. However, after reading through issues threads for all these itx boards, I think I’ll just go mATX with an old classic case, tj08e, with either the asus b550m tuf plus or the msi b550m mag mortar mobo. Intel itx boards just seem better in terms of stability and qc.

[@samhuang3017]

stay away from gigabyte. If you have any issues their warranty is non-existent.

[@CknSalad]

Sam Huang I get ptsd from my gigabyte gtx 670 that didn’t work. Had to not only give a long detailed explanation that I used all my available pcie slots as well as give a KZbin link showing the rebooting issues I had. The new one I got as a replacement constantly crashed randomly on select games (tried every possible driver - clean install). I had to literally install a weird firmware gpu bios on it for it to finally stop crashing randomly...

[@kennethoh9313]

I have been looking forever for someone to review all the B550 ITX... You, sir, deserve a like and a sub

[@MentePositivaRafael]

I’m a big fan of your work, really nice way to present all this tech and the videography is spot on, beautiful lighting and attention to detail. Spot on, congrats!!

[@eatnooM]

Just thought I'd mention that MSI seem to have come to their senses and in the B550I Gaming Edge I bought a couple of weeks back, there's a punched-out area in the IO shield so you just need to push through the foam with a screwdriver if you need at the clear CMOS header without a full disassembly. Still not perfect but saved me from preemptively running a little extension cable for those headers in case I ever want to overclock.

[@leonmah]

my msi comes with a reset CMOS button now at the IO shield panel. I am not sure they have revised it with the B550i gaming edge max.

[@evl619]

Thanks for recommanding Asus ROG B550-I, now we are stuck with a motherboard that can't support 40 series, good review!

[@Sinjected]

Came here for info on this issue as i haven't found a solution online yet. @optimum have you heard of this problem?

[@Kirinboi]

Using the Gigabyte B550i. And considering im using a NR200, it was the perfect ITX for it tbh

[@jacksonng8193]

still struggle between nr200p or nr200

[@Kirinboi]

@@jacksonng8193 nr200 easily haha

[@soxtaw7710]

out of stock

[@chaloobywazowski8784]

Just finished the same build.

[@thusedilshan11127]

@@Kirinboi why is that. I'm also looking for the same case.

[@pppete]

I'd love to see gigabyte come out with a revised board with USB C header :) that is the best board otherwise . In my opinion!

[@oneyedthing]

Until you install RGB fusion.... You wished you just bought the ASrock

[@ChironMS]

@@oneyedthing is it that bad? Ive time and again heard the rgbfusion is ass, is it really that bad?

[@oneyedthing]

@@ChironMS Yes it is a hit and miss on some Aorus motherboard. Some has gotten it to work somehow. To those who didn't it's hell. I can't get the Fusion to work even with Gigabyte support assistance. In the end they forced me to reinstall the OS which doesn't make sense because 99% of my software installed are fine and the RGB fusion is the only software that has a problem.

[@420f37]

@@ChironMS it didn't work with my b350 ds3h as well as I wished

[@danielhnewman]

@@oneyedthing lmao asrock polychrome is garbage as well, got one lmao.

[@Im_kirito]

You should do a series of this.... Like... Best motherboards... Best cases.... Best cpu cooler..... And talking about them based on performance, aesthetics, price etc etc....

[@Crustee0]

That will include too much personal bias, im not saying bias is bad, but as every person have different bias (some values performance above everything, some want nice aesthethic, some want good price, some want certain features) it wont be a good series really. These reviews channels (for mobo) often only compare vrm as the main point (because thats one of the most important job of mobo), with the features mentioned if they feel its necessary (as most mobo have some features baseline). My point is, your comparison variable is too much, and some variable have huge personal bias (aesthetic). We should compare stuff ourselves, because only we know our own bias.

[@Im_kirito]

@@Crustee0 agreed bro..👍👍👍👍

[@yakovgolyadkin]

10:50: To claim the ASRock board "doesn't really have problems" is a hugely inaccurate statement. The SATA ports on the board are turned 90° and face out off the side of the board instead of forward, which on cases like the NCase M1 means they would be almost completely blocked by the PSU. I feel like failing to mention this is a fairly significant oversight.

[@PHENN7]

Who uses SATA? Honestly though...why even bother if you can use an M.2 drive? SATA feels like an appendix at this point. Personally I think they will be phased out in favor of M.2 drives. If you really need to hook up a 10TB drive, just get an external and use USB3, which is completely adequate for the data transfer speeds you need.

[@fVNzO]

That could be considered a very specific use case. The same argument could most likely be made by upward facing sata connectors in another environment.

[@ouisi7]

You should also mention that they include 90degree sata cables. So unless you need every port, you'll be fine.

[@pleasegoawaynowpleas]

Great presentation, but some feedback about content and structure: I feel like throughout the video you keep stressing that the VRM testing isn't the main differentiator between the boards. If so, why not take a deeper dive into the feature differences throughout the video instead of placing it all towards the end? It's also a little unstructured there, more a stream of feature differences than a table of comparisons.

[@luigius8590]

Throughout

[@sangwonpark8967]

Anyone can look at the spec sheet on amazon and compare features like the number of USB/SATA ports, IO configuration, etc. VRM info on the other hand is quite difficult to obtain.

[@kickazzdrummer666]

all about VRM 'coz you're watching a video of enthusiasts' motherboard lineup. duh..

[@DrDingus]

He did mention they aren't the differentiating factor IF you're just building a gaming rig and he said 'most of you guys' aren't running a 3900X or 3950X. Since many of his viewers and people coming to these types of videos are enthusiasts and probably will be running 3900X, 3950X or the next gen equivalent, it's good info get out there up front. In addition, All of the regular specs and feature are something anyone can just look up online and look at the spec sheet. These kind of VRM specs and thermal tests are something most people wouldn't be able to know unless they bought the board and tested it themselves, so it's a valuable thing for him to include here. If you want a table of comparisons, just look at spec sheets..

[@chaveed]

Man your B-Roll is out of this world amazing! You earned yourself a new sub!

[@andresantos8783]

Are you a mind-reader? So long story short: I've built a 3d workstation in itx format so I can take it with me when I travel and still need to work. Came across your channel soon after I started planning the build - Immediately a fan of your work, keep it up! But here's the funny part, I've initially ordered the Gigabyte board. Then with the system already running, it freaked me out I couldn't find any "fan smoothing" options in the bios. Some quick googling and at first glance, it looked like Asus had a better bios/fan management. I was still within the return period for the Gigabyte so I've ordered the Asus to replace it. Specs on the website looked good, plus it was a bit more expensive... I've been out of building my own PC's for over 16 years now so I fell into the trap of "more expensive must be better right?!" Then last night, while looking for user's experiences with Asus fan management I came across some Reddit posts with people trashing the Asus VRM design... I started wondering, was it a right call or not? ... these boards are relatively new so there's not a lot of information. I was looking for answers without finding them and having to test it out myself. Now, 10 minutes or so before Amazon delivered the Asus at my doorstep, I see your video online! What?! Too cool! Solved my motherboard doubts! I'm keeping the Gigabyte. Thanks for your content Man! Absolutely top notch Keep it up 🤜🤛

[@Kokinkun]

All B550/X570 ITX boards have beefy VRMs compared to older B450/X470 boards. No current or even future CPU will be able to stress these VRMs, yet people seem to be making such a big fuss over them. Even with the "weakest" Asus B550i board, you're looking at a combined 400A for CPU power. The highest-end 3950X will require somewhere between 100-150A during high load usage, so don't get wrapped up in pointless Reddit threads. I'd would recommend sticking with the board which either has the cheapest price or has all the features you are likely to use.

[@suny0000]

Gigabyte's also has 3x 4K display output for ultimate APU build.

[@TheBlindphleb]

This is the video I was waiting for! That cmos reset location for the MSI is such a self sabotage. It wouldn’t have taken much to make it a reset button on the rear IO. And that would actually make it a nice feature that other boards don’t have. My vote goes to the Gigabyte board. I don’t put much value in the USBc port just yet.

[@userxolli3568]

02:12 Asus B550-I Strinx 02:31 MSI B550I Edge Gaming 03:24 ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming ITX Summaries: 04:54 Asus B550-I ROG Strix 05:17 MSI B550I Edge Gaming 05:29 ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming ITX 05:41: Gigabyte B550I Pro AX

[@mhein5589]

This answers my question for best mini-itx boards with a front USB-C header, thank you so much!

[@TheXtrafresh]

I LOVE that cmos reset pin placement! A tiny mod to the IO shield (a button or switch if you want to be fancy, or just a slit to poke a screwdriver through) and it's MUCH more accessible than any normal placement I've ever seen.

[@Z7.8]

This was my next KZbin search in mind. Damn man you always read my mind ☺ Optimum Tech is excellence and beyond 😍😍

[@ailluinthethyra6139]

Can you please check out the A520 ITX boards? They actually look like they have decent VRM setups and only cost $100+ and support the upcoming Zen 3 processors.

[@randalllawkin]

Just get the asrock 550bitx-ac$130 just now wifi6 and only 1 gig plan not 2.5

[@riadtt]

Hello Ali, can you do this same test with ryzen 5000 cpus? I'm wondering if it's the same with 3000. Thanks for the amazing work, keep it up.

[@mattevans1643]

I have a 5800x in the gigabyte board. It's fine.

[@pskoglund]

I went for the ASrock. It was the most appealing to the eye and I always liked the Asrock UEFI. It's currently housed in my new Ghost S1 MK3. Just waiting for that 4000 series to be released!

[@danmyname]

As usual, the comparison is excellent. Very good in detail. Not many people would have been able to pick the reset pins only to discover it once they have to dismantle the board from the case.

[@Housele]

MSI is refreshing their B550 itx board with a MAX version. It puts a clear CMOS button on the IO shield, so you don't have to take your build apart.

[@fishijoe]

I am very happy to learn this the day after I bought the non max version. I tried looking to buy this board instead but cant seem to find it anywhere in canada

[@grandwizardnoticer8975]

FYI for future, Any time that there is a CMOS shorting header in a bad location, buy a two-pin connector with flying leads, and a small switch of some sort. (maintained-rocker or push-button) Then you have a way to perform the CMOS short by only taking off a case cover. With a tiny bit of modding skill, the push button could be mounted in the I/O faceplate, but I'd want it to be a recessed push-button, to avoid accidental CMOS reset.

[@RojasTKD7]

@@fishijoe I read that pushing and holding them power button down for 5 second, while powered off, will work as a clear CMOS button. I don't know if that's true or not and don't have the board, but one KZbin channel reported that.

[@MrOkieChef]

The lack of the type c front panel connector made the MSI my choice, as well as the SPDIF output for my headphone DAC and Amp stack.

[@ElTejocotetl]

I use the usb-c down the audio out put from my b550i strix for my dac/amp , and also because it was half price the b550i ax lol

[@thanefenrir]

9:10 for anyone that wants the answer!

[@LiveYuan]

3:10 Actually you can clean cmos through pressing the power button for 5 seconds when the board is power off

[@2old4Thiz]

Or you simply extend the port with a cable to a position you prefer

[@mcp20366]

I'm curious about setting them all to 3900MHz and see what de VRM temps do. But that's for another video I supppose.

[@kevinpedersen5290]

Completely unrelated to the video and you'll probably not see this amongst the many other comments, but thanks a ton for your content, it's very nice to get deep insight into SFF builds, and it brought me into the whole mini computer building scene. The thing that interests me is how you learn to understand what you work with, since everything matters. (Airflow, what connectors are important, which ones aren't. How good a GPU is compared to its size etc). Definitely means that you respect the companies behind the hardware more, than just slamming another ATX tower together with the default setup that everyone uses.

[@MidCoastGent]

For anyone viewing this video late December 2020 or later, the MSI board now comes with a rear IO plate that has a cutout allowing access to the clear CMOS header, marked "Clear CMOS". Probably a factory blunder that led to this oversight in the earliest-produced boards and the edition reviewed here. I still fault MSI for not upping the board 'revision number' when they started to do this; it would have been easier to confirm a non-issue on purchase. However, the change could have happened long enough ago to have impact on your decision.

[@toshka3514]

Your videos are so clean and consise! That's why I always find myself coming back and watching more.

[@Boiler98]

I am really hoping for an update to your $1400 build video when the Gen4 comes out! I got my NZXT this week and am waiting for the Gen4s to decide if I go latest tech, or discounted last-gen. These videos have been really helpful in narrowing down what to choose from!! Thank you!

[@executor2056]

Gigabyte and ASRock just announced an ITX A520 motherboard. I wonder how it will perform. Buildzoid approved the gigabyte a520 itx board. But I'm still looking forward for a comprehensive review.

[@ChristopherMichaelR]

Excellent video. Im planning my next build to be an ITX and im so happy I found your channel. It's so informative for anyone looking to build SFF

[@marcin_karwinski]

One other issue you might have mentioned is the way the Asus boards are offering the 5.1 analog audio-out 3.5mm jacks - they are coming with 3x rear jacks, but to use 5.1 audio with them you can only connect rear and center/sub channels, the front is being delivered through front panel's headphone jack only. The others allow you to use their rear slots for 5.1 audio output!

[@jfcm]

Please review the budget A520 ITX boards if you have the chance. Thanks!

[@purplecrayon7281]

I'm not sure there are any, as far as I know.

[@lCielConLimon]

Yeah, please! :)

[@shinjari]

@@purplecrayon7281 ASrock and Gigabyte have announced A520 ITX Mobos. =) Downsides of A520 to me are only (1) M.2 slot and using Wi-fi AC instead of Wi-Fi 6.

[@syntheticXstasy]

Exactly the comparison I was looking for, thanks for coming in clutch! Hate how expensive these boards are though D:

[@jlmonterrosa14]

Thank you very much for this video. Very helpful. Been waiting for a solid comparison of all of these boards.

[@fifty_10]

This must've taken forever to test! Thank you for the video, a lot of valuable information here.

[@lxfguits]

It would have been interesting to see chipset and m.2 drive thermal comparisons. I think this looks to be a difficult spot on these boards, especially the x570 boards.

[@ytvanced3551]

Thank you! I've decided to go for the Asus Rog Strix B550i

[@sparketech]

Asrock I really like the bios layout however the Asrock B350/B450 had been a nightmare overclock the ram or anything too high; prepare to use the CMOS jumpers a lot. The bios reset/clear CMOS is in the same bad spot that requires the removal of the graphics card to access. Gigabyte the darned B450 coil whine drove me nuts as did certain bios settings like eco mode hiding itself and again no optical. If no optical audio weren't an issue the bios is at least manageable and would consider this board... As long as coil whine is removed should you have a silent system like myself. Asus has the least USB ports but not by much, no optical and fan cooling which is a point of future failure and some fan noise. Worst overall value board. MSI the board I personally own, has optical audio. Bios reset is in a stupid spot but if you turn off and hold the power button for 5 seconds the bios resets and if an overclock fail unlike Asrock it rarely requires a bios reset to get into the bios which on Asrock you must remove the graphics card every time if not using a G series with built in graphics CPU. A lot of comments are saying but CPU cooler issues, so far it has worked with all 3 coolers I have tried thus far. AMD waith Prism, BeQuiet Shadow Rock LP installed over ram but you must have Corsair LPX or Kingston Hyper X Fury low profile ram and Noctua NH-L12S fits installed nearly all directs but not towards IO cause the heat pipes hit the ram. Gigabyte is the best value would put it at the top of my short list for value MSI if your cooler works with it (I have no issues yet 3 of 3 worked). Beware if bios older than 1.2 bios a "negative voltage offset" is a very bad idea like 1.61 volts to CPU bad... This board is a bios power users dream. ASrock if you don't tweak too much or just want it to work and are not worried about a bios failed update (no flash back) or not mind the work the bios is very friendly to use if you just want something that works Asus worst value, not bad otherwise and is generally well thought out. Usually a very good bios layout and overall design layout but cost for what you get tends to be on the high side.

[@3dPropheta]

You pretty much spot on. That Msi is a little beast period. Gigabyte has really nice price but hit and miss in some functionality, Asus always top notch sound and some interesting upgrades but always overpriced. Asrock don't see anything special as usual, the usual cheaters.

[@sparketech]

@@3dPropheta Have my comparison video up now of these 4 motherboards... I avoid opinions for the most part where it requires me to specifically be certain of certain facts. I didn't mention Gigabyte and there super fast loading bios, MSI I mentioned more about it is my everyday board that I personally own and yes there is another better way to reset the bios I have it in my video.

[@superpandabacon]

Thank you for the details! I ended up ordering the Gigabyte.

[@liquicitizendirk2147]

I went with the MSI and couldn't be more happy, my main reason for going with it was the SPIDF and USB-C Front Panel Header. In due time I"ll throw in a second m2 in due time.

[@Zolaire.]

My NR200P just arrived yesterday (Europe, The Netherlands). This will help me decide with which ITX board I should pair my case!

[@forestR1]

caring to point out that the clock frequency graph was cropped.... this makes me happy :)

[@sm7314]

Thanks so much for the comparisons! Please do the same for A520 boards as well when they come out!

[@stnhm0004]

I just wanted to thank you. I love watching your videos they are such a inspiration. Thank you!

[@darylcrabb8228]

I just got an Asrock b550m itx/ac and a r7 3700x. Maybe I should’ve waited a few more weeks to see this video, but I was really eager to upgrade from my old fx-8350

[@joshlumley3851]

Such a great video, absolutely smashed it and covered a lot of areas that so many other reviewers miss.

[@SpaceGladiator]

A very interesting fact for me would be the power consumption of all those boards as i'm planning to build a undervoltet Dan A4 + Black Ridge Ryzen 5600X build. But looking at the frequency and temperature charts strengthens my interest in the Gigabyte which will be my way to go i guess. Had the Gigabyte in my closest choice anyway. Great video and analystics, thank you.

[@trixniisama]

Curious of what you did in the end and what were your discoveries.

[@PrashantVerma1]

I was searching this video and this one popped up just now. looks like you were listening!!

[@Cla55icG00se]

Just what I was waiting for! You are a godsend!!

[@GiulianoMazzina]

Very happy I came across this video. I'm parting out a new build and the gigabyte board in the video is the one I've chosen.

[@gordonjohnston8321]

I just bought the MSI board, it has had a small revision and there is now a 'CMOS Reset' button on the IO shield, fixing the rather major design flaw.

[@Hellbryan1]

Isnt it just a hole on the io shield?

[@kylerichardson8559]

Awesome. Thank you for detailing all the differences. I'm thinking I'm going to take back my MSI MB now and go for the ASUS or Gigabyte.

[@the_haakinton8924]

Yes!! Was waiting but unfortunately notification was turned off, that isn't gonna happen next time ;)

[@2cer2]

You explained everything really really well. Two thumbs up for you man!

[@SnoopWog]

This guy just seems to have all the videos and comparisons I'm looking for!

[@peeborp]

doing budget SFF & just got ASRock B550M-ITX/AC, will see if tiny VRM heatsink holds up 🤞

[@skywalk_7]

How its going? :)

[@peeborp]

@@skywalk_7 been great, no thermal issues!

[@svencolakic8457]

Love it, but can you please review the A520 ITX boards, there are 2 and the Gigabyte one could be really good for a stock 3950x, since some of us don't even touch overclocking, source is Actually Hardcore overclocking - Bulidzoid

[@phenheyden6094]

Ended up buying the gigabyte a week ago, wish this had come out before then! Basically came down to price to performance and not caring about usb c on front IO.

[@u2py599]

Ate there going to be a Review of a520 Boards? The gigabyte UD looks to be quite promising, even more so at a price of only 100$.

[@u2py599]

@danturbo316 oc wont be working on the CPU. The RAM however can still be overclocked. And considering how much performance RAM can give you on Zen2, i think (at least for my needs) that is enough. (All i would have done is undervolting the CPU anyways, so no performance is lost for me)

[@AF-O6]

I just built an Ncase M1 with the Asus and 3700X, and it works just fine for my purposes. Factors for me were two M.2 NVME slots and the front USB C header.

[@kizanko]

Erhm just a update for MSI B550I Edge Gaming concerning the jumper pins, if your MSI motherboard won’t boot because of a failed Over Clock: Power off your PC, hold down the power button for 5 seconds. It will do a series of power ons and reset your BIOS to factory settings, and then boot. This means you don't have to take off the IO shield anymore to access the reset jumper pins! Just in case it was a deal breaker for anyone else :)

[@janhusenica1311]

This video is a blessing ! Thank you for all the time put into this so we can make a MOBO decision in 12 minutes.

[@brendonlaucheekeong636]

The ITX B550 motherboard costs like SGD 300 and it was very small and with only 2 ram slots but i immediately bought a Gigabyte B550 DSHC AC motherboard for AMD 4600G.

[@kurtrojas7195]

Hi @Optimum Tech, I'd like to suggest putting a "higher is better" label on your graphs for clarity. Thanks.

[@FeWolf]

I picked up the ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming ITX and Gigabyte B550I Pro AX, I am very happy with the Asrock, which is in my NZHT H1 v2, the Gbigabyte was having more of thermal issues in the case, so I have it now in my V1 Core case, which does not have a USB C port on it, both are running same hardware : Corsair Force Series MP600 2TB Gen4 PCIe X4 NVMe M.2 SSD, AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, G.SKILL Trident Z Neo Series (Intel XMP) DDR4 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 4000MT/s CL18-22-22-42

[@dzikputih]

Was asking the same question, and i knew youll make this vid 😋

[@punkyman69]

Great review; as a owner of the MSI board, I'm happy to see that you noted the clear CMOS jumpers issue, which is a serious flaw of this board ! One thing to know is that you can clear CMOS on this board by pressing the power button to power up the machine and keep it pressed for 5 seconds. I heard the board needs to be flashed with BIOS 7C92v11 (the second one) to support this, luckily it was my case, and the clear CMOS through power button did work. Also, this board is limited to 5gbps on the front usb-c header. Don't know why, but worth to be noted compared to the other boards that have usb-c front header and do it full speed.

[@David-lr4vx]

Hey, not only did they put the CMOS jumper in a horrible location, they put all the headers in horrible places too if you wanted to not have cables all over the place. This MSI board is pretty disappointing and I wish I had gone with any of the other three motherboards.

[@Skyblue90a]

I bought the MSI one in late July, very terrible stock situation. I had an order in for the Gigabyte but it kept being pushed. The ASrock was a few in stock but they were priced much higher than the MSI, only a couple of weeks after I bought did they come down in price. Ideally I would have wanted the gigabyte but this MSI board works okay too. I don't think the difference are that monumental, but the gigabyte is a clear value for money if all are available to choose from.

[@bobmamipoko]

Brilliant video. The quality of your content is great!

[@yanniskouretas8688]

Thanx for the very nice presentation. Actually it came in just the right time as I'm thinking about building the same affordable ITX system for my daughter as in the 11:58 time stamp ...

[@ThaWoundedFox]

this is just what i needed to see today

[@rahulvasishta9185]

Hey Ali the new intro looks clean

[@ericyuan9718]

Hope you do an A520 ITX review once they come out.