MSI Pro B660M-A DDR4 Motherboard Review: Pro Board on a Budget

MSI’s Pro B660M-A DDR4 is a reasonably priced (sub-$140) and capable Micro-ATX motherboard.

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MSI Pro B660M-A DDR4
(Image credit: © MSI)

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Firmware

Like other MSI BIOS configurations, the Pro B660-A starts you out with an informational EZ Mode that allows editing of some high-level functions, including enabling XMP profiles, adjusting fan speeds, and more. The main menu is informational up top, while the bottom two-thirds is where the adjustments happen. You select the section you want on the left or right sides, and the details show in the middle. You don’t have to dig down several screens to reach the overclocking options, as they are mostly on the main page. Some digging is inevitable, but overall we find this BIOS full of options and easy to read and get around.

Joe Shields
Joe Shields
Staff Writer, Components

Joe Shields is a staff writer at Tom’s Hardware. He reviews motherboards and PC components.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • shady28
    It's interesting how much difference motherboards make to both performance and power consumption. There's a 35% difference in system power draw from top to bottom in that power chart.
    Reply
  • Udyr
    If the product doesn't include RGB in the naming or marketing, RGB should not be either a pro or con in the final result.
    Reply
  • Co BIY
    Great review. I think Raptor Lake will benefit from having these low end boards appropriate to the lower end chips available at release. Alder Lake was hampered by only very high priced premium Z-series boards being available. Hopefully the needed BIOS updates will be quickly available.


    What does this board do that allows for superior performance in the Office and Excel tests? It's beating the top Aorus/Hero/Taichi boards in these tests. I would expect these results to follow the others or at least be even across the boards. It's like a Toyota Camry actually handled a daily commute faster than a Corvette.


    Edit note:
    I think that is meant to be two full-length slots.
    Reply
  • Tom Sunday
    Co BIY said:
    I think Raptor Lake will benefit from having these low end boards. It's like a Toyota Camry actually handled a daily commute faster than a Corvette.

    Good Point…Toyota Camry qualified! If I could only convince my girlfriend in giving-up her 5-year old HP laptop, I would consider this kind of ‘economy class’ MB in building her a new daily driver. Going from her HDD 5200RPM to NVME! After all her laptop never leaves her one-room apartment and she has steadily refused for me in offering her new 27-inch monitor for the bigger picture. Her Corvette upside: “She can walk that walk and talk that talk and has other attributes which are uniquely visible.
    Reply
  • toooooot
    Tom Sunday said:
    Good Point…Toyota Camry qualified! If I could only convince my girlfriend in giving-up her 5-year old HP laptop, I would consider this kind of ‘economy class’ MB in building her a new daily driver. Going from her HDD 5200RPM to NVME! After all her laptop never leaves her one-room apartment and she has steadily refused for me in offering her new 27-inch monitor for the bigger picture. Her Corvette upside: “She can walk that walk and talk that talk and has other attributes which are uniquely visible.
    I used to have a 6 yo HP laptop. I loved that huge bulky baby.
    I did not use it often but sometimes I did. It looked so well that I did not have a problem selling it
    for good money.
    I think when you use a laptop all your life, you nevr know how comfy a PC feels at home.
    Reply