In its most recent AORUS Direct Mini event on June 17th, Gigabyte unveiled a new line of top-notch motherboards designed for AMD Ryzen Series 3000 CPUs: the B550 Series. These boards are outfitted with premium features and powerful hardware yet are priced like mid-range products. This will make them a fantastic choice for most PC gamers who are looking to get the most value out of their money. In addition, Gigabyte also showed off some brand-new gaming monitors as well. Like the B550 motherboards, these monitors offer elite specs and performance for an affordable, mainstream price. Here’s a complete overview of everything Gigabyte had on display.
B550 Series Motherboards
Gigabyte had five different B550 motherboards to show off during it’s presentation. All of them support Wi-Fi 6, Intel 2.5GbE LAN, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and PCIe 4.0, but there are some differences – minor and major – between each specific model. Here’s a breakdown of everything there is to know about each B550 motherboard.
First up is the B550 AORUS Master, which is the most capable motherboard in the lineup. It has a killer 16-phase VRM with a powerful 70A power stage, which ensures that you’ll have all the power delivery you need for overclocking. To help keep things from getting too hot, the motherboard also comes with top-tier cooling equipment such as a direct touch heat pipe, a Fins-Array heatsink, a thermal baseplate, three thermal guards for each of the M.2 slots, and a LAIRD 7.5 W/mK thermal pad. In terms of memory, the B550 AORUS Master supports speeds up to 5400MHz, supports up to single 32GB DIMM, and features shielded memory routing that protects your memory from external interference, boosting efficiency significantly. Rounding things out is the suite of hi-fi audio hardware including a fantastic Realtek ALC1220-VB2 audio chip, high-quality WIMA audio capacitors, and a special noise guard that protects the motherboard’s audio components from noise pollution. This motherboard retails at the fantastic price of $279.99.
Next is the B550 AORUS PRO AC, which is a slight step down from the B550 AORUS Master. It’s VRM has 14 phases instead of 16 and comes with a less powerful 50A power stage. Additionally, it also comes with one less M.2 slot. However, it comes with all of the other features and capabilities that the B550 AORUS Master has, and it’s also cheaper at $189.99. This makes it an incredible choice if you want something in the mid-range.
The B550 AORUS ELITE is next in the lineup. It’s incredibly similar to the B550 AORUS PRO AC, with the primary differences being that the VRM is slightly less powerful at 12+2 phases, the Realtek ALC1200 sound card is a little less capable than the ALC1220-VB2 found in the more expensive boards, and that there isn’t shielded memory routing. As a result of these downgrades, the B550 AORUS ELITE is also a little less expensive than the B550 AORUS PRO AC. It retails for $159.99, making it the most affordable option.
The fourth board in the B550 AORUS Series, the B550I AORUS PRO AX, is designed for people making smaller PCs. As such, it has an ITX form factor. It’s got a VRM with 8 phases, which is a lower amount than the other boards so far, but it does have an incredible 90A power stage. Additionally, it also has the elite audio equipment found on the B550 AORUS Master. It comes with two M.2 slots as well. Though it’s smaller, the B550I AORUS PRO AX features all the other features that the regular-sized B550 motherboards have such as advanced cooling measures, although it does lack shielded memory routing. When you consider that it’s price is $179.99, it’s easy to see why this board is a stellar option for ITX fans.
The last motherboard in the lineup is the B550 VISION D. This motherboard differs from the others in that it’s designed to be for content creators instead of people solely playing games. As a result, it features support for Thunderbolt 3, Bluetooth 5.0, Error-Correcting Code memory, and SATA DOM storage. It can also support dual GPUs, and it has upgradable M.2 slots as well so that you’re guaranteed to never run out of storage. It also has the elite audio tech found in the high-end B550 AORUS models. The VRM isn’t the best at 12+2 phases, but it’s enough to support any content creator’s needs with ease. Overall, this motherboard, currently priced at $259.99, is perfect for professionals.
New Gigabyte Gaming Monitors
After showing off it’s B550 motherboards, Gigabyte also presented three brand new gaming monitors as well. Here’s a full overview of each of them.
The first monitor to talk about is the GIGABYTE G32QC Monitor. It’s sized at 32 inches and has a 2560x1440 resolution, a 1ms response time, and a huge refresh rate of 165Hz. Additionally, the screen is also curved. It’s got a stellar accuracy rating of 94% for DCI-P3 color, and it also fully supports VESA Display HDR400. You can get one for $369.
Next up is the GIGABYTE G27QC, which is essentially identical to the GIGABYTE G32QC in every way except size. It has the same resolution, response time, refresh rate, curved screen, and HDR400 support. The only differences are the smaller 27-inch size and the slightly lower DCI-P3 color accuracy rating of 92%. It goes for $319.99.
Last but certainly not least is the GIGABYTE G27F. It sports a straight 27-inch IPS panel with 1920x1080 resolution, a 1ms response time, and a 144Hz refresh rate. It fully supports HDR400 and has an incredible DCI-P3 color accuracy of 95%. It can be yours for $249.99.
Whether you need a motherboard or monitor, Gigabyte has you covered
Both the B550 motherboards and the new gaming monitors that Gigabyte showed off during it’s AORUS Direct Mini event are fantastic, and both lines of products offer an immense amount of value for manageable and affordable prices. Thanks to Gigabyte, a premium gaming experience no longer has to come with a premium-level cost.