Our test system uses Windows 10 64-bit OS (1909) with all threat mitigations applied. The motherboard BIOS used is the latest non-beta available to the public unless otherwise noted. The hardware used is as follows:
| CPU | AMD Ryzen R9 3900X (opens in new tab) | |
| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z Neo 2x8GB DDR4 3600 (F4-3600C16Q-32GTZN) (opens in new tab) | |
| GPU | Asus ROG Strix RTX 2070 (opens in new tab) | |
| CPU Cooler | Corsair H150i (opens in new tab) | |
| PSU | Corsair AX1200i (opens in new tab) | |
| Software | Windows 10 64-bit (opens in new tab) 1909 | |
| Graphics Driver | Nvidia Driver 445.75 | |
| Sound | Integrated HD audio | |
| Network | Integrated Networking (GbE or 2.5 GbE) | |
| Graphics Driver | GeForce 445.74 |
For this review, we’ll be comparing the Asus TUF Gaming B550M-Plus Wi-Fi ($179.99 (opens in new tab)) against other B550 motherboards including the Asus Prime B550M-A Wi-Fi ($149.99 (opens in new tab)) we recently reviewed.
Benchmark Settings
| Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
|---|---|
| PCMark 10 | Version 2.1.2177 64 |
| Essentials, Productivity, Digital Content Creation, MS Office | |
| 3DMark | Version 2.11.6866 64 |
| Firestrike Extreme and Time Spy Default Presets | |
| Cinebench R20 | Version RBBENCHMARK271150 |
| Open GL Benchmark - Single and Multi-threaded | |
| Application Tests and Settings | |
| LAME MP3 | Version SSE2_2019 |
| Mixed 271MB WAV to mp3: Command: -b 160 --nores (160Kb/s) | |
| HandBrake CLI | Version: 1.2.2 |
| Sintel Open Movie Project: 4.19GB 4K mkv to x264 (light AVX) and x265 (heavy AVX) | |
| Corona 1.4 | Version 1.4 |
| Custom benchmark | |
| 7-Zip | Version 19.00 |
| Integrated benchmark | |
| Game Tests and Settings | |
| The Division 2 | Ultra Preset - 1920 x 1080 |
| Forza Horizon 4 | Ultra Preset - 1920 x 1080 |
Software
Asus includes a few applications designed for a variety of functions, including RGB lighting control, audio, system monitoring, and overclocking. Below, we’ve captured several screenshots of AISuite and Armory Crate.
Firmware
To give you a taste of the Firmware, we’ve gathered screenshots showing a majority of the BIOS screens. There’s not much here we haven’t seen before. The theme is different compared to the ROG boards, with a black, white and blue color scheme that’s more in line with the TUF brand. But aside from aesthetic differences, this is still a typical Asus BIOS. Most functions are not buried deep within the menus and it’s generally easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for.
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