[SOLVED] Need help from someone knowledgeable about Asus ROG strix B450-F and B550-F motherboards.

G4M30V3R

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I have some questions. So, I read PCmag's review on Asus ROG strix B450-F and they say this about the M2 slots:

"Although it's helpful that Asus added a second M.2 slot to this board, you'll want to take note of the way it configured these slots. The longer M.2 Key-M 22110 slot is easier to access and should naturally be the primary M.2 slot due to these reasons, but you may want to avoid using this slot as your first choice if you have a graphics card. Asus configured this slot to use PCI Express 3.0 lanes from the CPU, which will effectively lock the primary PCIe x16 slot to an electrical PCI Express 3.0 x8 connection whenever an M.2 storage device is placed in the M.2 Key-M 22110 slot."

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/asus-rog-strix-b450-f-gaming

They say that this would hamper GPU performance. My first question is that is this true? And if so, then does the ROG strix B550-F address this? Or is it not a big deal and there's a work around on B450-F? (I guess that's sort of three questions in one :p)

My next question is related to the Asus ROG strix B550-F solely: The B550-F has a WiFi 6 version? What does that mean? That the motherboard comes with an in built router or something and you don't have to connect one externally in order to detect and use WiFi?
 
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I think i completely confused what wi-fi router is. What do wi-fi laptops and phones come with? The ability to detect, connect to and use wifi right? Like restaurant, hotel or home wifi which is provided by a 3rd party right? Is that same capability what B550-F come with?

I already have Wi-Fi (i have a 4G device of Zong company that can connect up to 8 wifi devices). B550-F can connect to that out of the box without other shenanigans unlike B450-F right?
Yes, a B550-F Wifi MB should be able to connect to your 4G wifi router out of the box.
With a B450-F you need to either plug it in via an ethernet cable OR add a wifi card to be able to connect.

Also how to tell what PCIe is the GPU? What's PCI-%3? Is it lower than PCIe-3...

DMAN999

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1. Yes it is true, BUT I seriously doubt the decrease in performance would be noticeable to you.
And you can use the Top M.2 slot with a PCI Express 3.0 SSD (like a Samsung 970) without affecting the GPU at all.
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-B450-F-GAMING/specifications/

2. From what I can tell from the B550-F Wifi Specs page, if you use a PCI-E 4.0 GPU and PCI-E 4.0 SSD in slot M.2_1 , The GPU performance is Not affected.
But since slot M.2_2 Shares bandwidth with PCIe3.0 x1_1, PCIe3.0 x1_2, PCIe3.0 x1_3 if you use a PCI-E 3 SSD in that slot and a PCI-E 3 GPU in one of the PCI-E 3 slots it may affect the GPU performance slightly.
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-B550-F-GAMING-WI-FI/specifications/

3. Wifi6 is just another name for 802.11ax.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/wifi6/

So you still need a router that also supports wifi6 to get anywhere near wifi6 speeds.
 
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G4M30V3R

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1. Yes it is true, BUT I seriously doubt the decrease in performance would be noticeable to you.
And you can use the Top M.2 slot with a PCI Express 3.0 SSD (like a Samsung 970) without affecting the GPU at all.
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-B450-F-GAMING/specifications/

2. From what I can tell from the B550-F Wifi Specs page, if you use a PCI-E 4.0 GPU and PCI-E 4.0 SSD in slot M.2_1 , The GPU performance is Not affected.
But since slot M.2_2 Shares bandwidth with PCIe3.0 x1_1, PCIe3.0 x1_2, PCIe3.0 x1_3 if you use a PCI-% 3 SSD in that slot and a PCI-E 3 GPU in one of the PCI-E 3 slots it may affect the GPU performance slightly.
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-B550-F-GAMING-WI-FI/specifications/

3. Wifi6 is just another name for 802.11ax.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/wifi6/

So you still need a router that also supports wifi6 to get anywhere near wifi6 speeds.
So like, I can't use WiFi out of the box for B550-F? As in, i can't pick up the signals from my wifi device right?

Also, how do i use WiFi on a B450-F? A usb device that picks signals and feeds net into my computer? Do i get a network card? If yes, where will the network card go? Or does it not support WiFi thus i can't do either of those?

Also how to tell what PCIe is the GPU? What's PCI-%3? Is it lower than PCIe-3?

Can i use PCIe3 GPU in PCI-e4 and PCI-e3 SSD in M2_1? Or do both have to be in PCIe-3 and M2_2?

Sorry for the barrage of questions. Building my first PC. Learning it is fun but a bit frustrating.
 

G4M30V3R

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I think i completely confused what wi-fi router is. What do wi-fi laptops and phones come with? The ability to detect, connect to and use wifi right? Like restaurant, hotel or home wifi which is provided by a 3rd party right? Is that same capability what B550-F come with?

I already have Wi-Fi (i have a 4G device of Zong company that can connect up to 8 wifi devices). B550-F can connect to that out of the box without other shenanigans unlike B450-F right?
 

DMAN999

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I think i completely confused what wi-fi router is. What do wi-fi laptops and phones come with? The ability to detect, connect to and use wifi right? Like restaurant, hotel or home wifi which is provided by a 3rd party right? Is that same capability what B550-F come with?

I already have Wi-Fi (i have a 4G device of Zong company that can connect up to 8 wifi devices). B550-F can connect to that out of the box without other shenanigans unlike B450-F right?
Yes, a B550-F Wifi MB should be able to connect to your 4G wifi router out of the box.
With a B450-F you need to either plug it in via an ethernet cable OR add a wifi card to be able to connect.

Also how to tell what PCIe is the GPU? What's PCI-%3? Is it lower than PCIe-3?

Can i use PCIe3 GPU in PCI-e4 and PCI-e3 SSD in M2_1? Or do both have to be in PCIe-3 and M2_2?
What's PCI-%3? - That was just a typo it should be PCI-E 3

The version of PCI-E (3.0 or 4.0) used by a graphics card will be stated in it's specifications.

And yes you can use a PCI-E 3.0 graphics card in a PCI-E 4.0 slot without any issues that I am aware of.

You should read this:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pcie-definition,5754.html
 
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G4M30V3R

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Yes, a B550-F Wifi MB should be able to connect to your 4G wifi router out of the box.
With a B450-F you need to either plug it in via an ethernet cable OR add a wifi card to be able to connect.


What's PCI-%3? - That was just a typo it should be PCI-E 3

The version of PCI-E (3.0 or 4.0) used by a graphics card will be stated in it's specifications.

And yes you can use a PCI-E 3.0 graphics card in a PCI-E 4.0 slot without any issues that I am aware of.

You should read this:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pcie-definition,5754.html
Thanks a lot DMAN999. You truly are D-MAN!... I'll stop.

But seriously, thanks.
 
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G4M30V3R

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If you have extra money, go with the B450-E version as it is higher b450 tier and it has better VRm if i'm not wrong.
What about B550-F? It comes with support for 3rd gen ryzen CPU out of the box and has WiFi out of the box which i need.

But between B550-F and B450-E, which do you recommend? I have the money.
 

DMAN999

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X570? The Gigabyte motherboard? Or something else? Can you link price and specs to me please? Is it better than B550-F? I know that you can't go wrong with any of these companies but still, just curious.
Have a look at some of the Mid priced X570 motherboards listed here:
https://www.tomshardware.com/best-picks/best-x570-motherboards
and here:
https://www.gamingpcbuilder.com/best-amd-x570-motherboards-ryzen-3000/#:~:text=Top Enthusiast E-ATX X570 Motherboards. 1 MSI MEG,AORUS Xtreme. 3 MSI Prestige X570 Creation.

Personally I like the Asus ROG Strix X570-E Gaming but it is a bit pricey (~$300 US).
 
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G4M30V3R

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Have a look at some of the Mid priced X570 motherboards listed here:
https://www.tomshardware.com/best-picks/best-x570-motherboards
and here:
https://www.gamingpcbuilder.com/best-amd-x570-motherboards-ryzen-3000/#:~:text=Top Enthusiast E-ATX X570 Motherboards. 1 MSI MEG,AORUS Xtreme. 3 MSI Prestige X570 Creation.

Personally I like the Asus ROG Strix X570-E Gaming but it is a bit pricey (~$300 US).
Thanks. Will check it out. Later dude. Again. Thanks for everything.
 
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