[SOLVED] STRIX B550-F GAMING vs TUF GAMING B550-PLUS

[ambrosevh]

Hey everyone!

So I've nearly finished choosing every component for my new build, but I've been caught up in the small details a bit with choosing between the STRIX B550-F GAMING or TUF GAMING B550-PLUS motherboard.

From what I've seen on the official websites and comparison websites, both perform quite similarly, and both don't have USB C headers (RIP). The one advantage I believe that the TUF has is that it contains two PCIE gen 4 slots, compared to one on the STRIX. However, I've heard that the STRIX is better for audio work (my job) due to a "very low DPC latency", and that it also has "more stable VRMs".

Is it worth getting the TUF just for the extra PCIE gen 4 slot? I've got an RTX 3070 graphics card and a Samsung 980 SSD on order, which I believe both need PCIE gen 4?

Will the lower DPC latency actually matter as I've got an external sound card?

Finally, after researching I know that VRMs are important and they need to be as stable as possible, but is the TUF actually that unstable?

Thanks!

 

[drea.drechsler]

Hey everyone!

So I've nearly finished choosing every component for my new build, but I've been caught up in the small details a bit with choosing between the STRIX B550-F GAMING or TUF GAMING B550-PLUS motherboard.

From what I've seen on the official websites and comparison websites, both perform quite similarly, and both don't have USB C headers (RIP). The one advantage I believe that the TUF has is that it contains two PCIE gen 4 slots, compared to one on the STRIX. However, I've heard that the STRIX is better for audio work (my job) due to a "very low DPC latency", and that it also has "more stable VRMs".

Is it worth getting the TUF just for the extra PCIE gen 4 slot? I've got an RTX 3070 graphics card and a Samsung 980 SSD on order, which I believe both need PCIE gen 4?

Will the lower DPC latency actually matter as I've got an external sound card?

Finally, after researching I know that VRMs are important and they need to be as stable as possible, but is the TUF actually that unstable?

Thanks!

First thing to know is the TUF's 2nd PCIe slot will be gen 3, not gen 4 as it's a B550. 2nd thing is it's only going to be 4 lanes wired, not all 16. Third thing is that using the right combination of devices will probably consume those 4 lanes for them. So...no, it's probably not worth worrying about if you don't already have need for a low-bandwidth PCIe x16 card to fit in there.

Also, the STRIX B550-F GAMING has a 2nd PCIe x 16/4 slot too, with all the same limitations the TUF B550 Plus' has since they're both B550 chipsets.

I'm not sure why the board would have 'better DPC latency' but if that's important for you then great. Otherwise, the Strix definitely does have a better VRM but if not running an extreme CPU like a 5950x the TUF will be more than adequate anyway. It's kind of your choice otherwise.