Question B450 vs B550 and higher

[Mawla]

If two or more motherboards for a Ryzen 7 5700G each meets all essential requirements such as those listed below, is there any practical benefit in buying one with a B550 (or higher) chipset over a cheaper B450 model? Please disregard factors like brand, build quality, overclocking, etc.

HDMI & VGA out
USB 3.2 Gen 2
M.2 PCIe 3x4
Up to 64GB 3600 DDR4
Other common specs assumed.
Crossfire/SLI, WiFi, etc. not needed.

 

[Flayed]

If two or more motherboards for a Ryzen 7 5700G each meets all essential requirements such as those listed below, is there any practical benefit in buying one with a B550 (or higher) chipset over a cheaper B450 model? Please disregard factors like brand, build quality, overclocking, etc.

HDMI & VGA out
USB 3.2 Gen 2
M.2 PCIe 3x4
Up to 64GB 3600 DDR4
Other common specs assumed.
Crossfire/SLI, WiFi, etc. not needed.

A B450 would most likely need a bios update in order to post with a 5700G. I would recommend getting a motherboard with a bios flashback button.

 

[CountMike]

If two or more motherboards for a Ryzen 7 5700G each meets all essential requirements such as those listed below, is there any practical benefit in buying one with a B550 (or higher) chipset over a cheaper B450 model? Please disregard factors like brand, build quality, overclocking, etc.

HDMI & VGA out
USB 3.2 Gen 2
M.2 PCIe 3x4
Up to 64GB 3600 DDR4
Other common specs assumed.
Crossfire/SLI, WiFi, etc. not needed.

Although most if not all 400 series MBs are compatible with 5000 Ryzen with proper BIOS, 400 series chipset MBs do not have all BIOS options like PBO2 and Core optimizer so for finer tuning so 500 series are somewhat better. Some may not have support for faster memory either. As for other features, you have to look at each MB in detail because they are not same.

 

[Mawla]

A B450 would most likely need a bios update in order to post with a 5700G. I would recommend getting a motherboard with a bios flashback button.

Thanks. I have my eye on the Asus Prime B450M-A II although I haven't finalized anything yet. It has a BIOS Flashback button.
The CPU support list says it supports a 5700G since BIOS 2409 which doesn't seem to be all that recent. So I'm hoping that it won't need a flash. I can do it if needed though.

 

[Mawla]

Although most if not all 400 series MBs are compatible with 5000 Ryzen with proper BIOS, 400 series chipset MBs do not have all BIOS options like PBO2 and Core optimizer so for finer tuning so 500 series are somewhat better. Some may not have support for faster memory either. As for other features, you have to look at each MB in detail because they are not same.

Thanks. I'm a conservative user, not a gamer or other power user. I don't think I'll miss not having PBO2 or other fine tuning options except to get the RAM up from the SPD value. The last time I overclocked a PC was back in the 90s when I pushed a Pentium 200 up to 266 MHz, the maximum possible with the mobo jumpers! I have checked the features of the mobo models I'm considering.

 

[drea.drechsler]

Although most if not all 400 series MBs are compatible with 5000 Ryzen with proper BIOS, 400 series chipset MBs do not have all BIOS options like PBO2 and Core optimizer so for finer tuning so 500 series are somewhat better.
....

I have to take issue with that. Some B450 may not have BIOS' with added support for PBO2 but I know many (if not most) others do. The key thing is get the latest BIOS' to be sure it's there, which is a good idea for any AM4 motherboard especially when mounting a 5000 series CPU.

It's the "A" series boards (A320, A520) that won't have PBO2, Curve Optimizer or any CPU overclocking capability.

I'm not sure a 5700G will support PBO2 and Core Optimizer though....maybe someone else has specific input on that.

As far as other benefits of a 500 series board I can agree memory overclocking potential is better since mfr's spent some time improving data paths for both 400 series and 500 series. But another big benefit is B550 series boards have greatly improved VRM power handling over B450 and, especially, B350 boards. But keep in mind both of these are generalities so doubtless there are oddities that break the rule.

 

[Karadjgne]

You may or may not continue to use the 5700G. The B550 is the last of the AM4 mobo's so will be supported with driver/chipset and bios updates for longer. PCIe 4.0 ability. Pcie 3.2+2 connectivity. Usb-C connectivity. Better/refined audio codecs. Better Sata chipsets. Better voltage regulation. There's multiple more reasons why a B550 is just better all around than its B450 predecessor but ultimately the decision seems to be budget based, otherwise this thread would not be in existence. The B450 boards generally being cheaper. There's no other real reason why anyone would have a preference for last year's model that's honestly a downgraded version and offers no actual or potential benefits.