THE CRUNCH
MSI has unveiled the Pro B550M WiFi6E, a micro-ATX board aimed at budget-conscious builders. It keeps the essentials, including PCIe 4.0 support and Wi-Fi 6E, while omitting fancy extras like RGB lighting, 2.5Gb LAN, and a preinstalled I/O shield. The board supports DDR4 memory up to 4,600MT/s and features one M.2 Gen 4 slot alongside a single PCIe 4.0 x16 slot for graphics.
The board measures 243.84 x 210mm and offers four USB 3.2 5Gbps ports, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, and three 3.5mm audio jacks. It is compatible with AMD's 5000, 4000, and 3000-series desktop processors, though the smaller VRM design may struggle with the power demands of 16-core Ryzen 9 chips. The article suggests pairing it with a Ryzen 5 CPU for optimal stability and recommends undervolting rather than overclocking.
Pricing has not been confirmed, but the piece estimates the board will cost under £90, similar to the MSI PRO B550M-P WIFI6E. This launch comes as DDR5 prices remain high, making DDR4 a more economical choice for those who do not require the latest memory standard.