MSI B450-A PRO MAX
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2019 full-length mid-range ATX motherboard with AMD AM4 processor socket. It differs from its predecessor (MSI B450-A PRO) by an improved subsystem for interacting with RAM and guaranteed support for AMD Ryzen 3/5/7/9 processors with the Matisse/Matisse Refresh core. It will be a good choice for users looking for a solid base for a versatile home PC, powerful multi-functional office PC or workstation.
The board supports any AMD processors with Zen and Zen2 microarchitecture. Provides full compatibility with any 3-generation 2/4/6/8/12/16-core AMD Ryzen CPUs (Matisse Refresh/Matisse/Pinnacle Ridge/Summit Ridge), Radeon Vega APUs (Raven Ridge/Picasso), and low-cost CPU Athlon Zen (Raven Ridge). Equipped with a solid 6-phase CPU VRM power supply system based on high-quality DrMOS components, cooled by additional aluminium radiators. With the ability to install 4 double-sided DDR4 modules, the board supports up to 128 GB of RAM, which will allow you to cope with any household, office and professional tasks. For quick processing of large volumes of traffic, there is a Realtek RTL8111H network controller, and a high-speed SSD drive can be installed in the M.2 port.
Top value for money
MSI B450-A PRO MAX is one of the most successful motherboards that came out on the B450 chipset and is tailored for the latest generations of Ryzen processors. Some might argue, hey, why do you need a B450 when the B550 came out? Answered by Maxim Potashov. First, it's about the price. Yes, the B550 is a newer chipset, but objectively it does not offer any special advantages over its predecessor. Secondly, this particular board from MSI supports Ryzen Matisse processors out of the box. That is, no BIOS updates are required from the user. Just as important, thanks to the increased capacity of the UEFI chip, processors based on the Zen, Zen+ and Zen 2 architectures work as they should, retaining all the functionality.
The same element base as MSI boards of a much higher class
The board is more focused on work systems, but this does not prevent it from becoming the foundation for a solid gaming computer without frills. There are also four slots for DDR4 memory modules with a maximum frequency of 4133 MHz, a set of expansion slots includes a pair of PCI-E 16x in case of installing two video cards in Crossfire mode, 6 SATA connectors and one M.2 for installing a compact SSD. However they stuck it right under the graphics card slot, where it is already hot. Much more interesting is the fact that here we actually have the same element base that was used in the cooler B450 TOMAHAWK and MPG X570 GAMING PLUS boards. Not surprisingly, it does a good job of overclocking simple processors like the Ryzen 5 1600.
Support even monsters like Ryzen 9 3950X
Considering its reasonable price, full support for all previous generations of Ryzen, and full-format size, the MSI B450-A PRO MAX could be the start of an impressive upgrade. Start the story with a simple Ryzen 3 1200 and a graphics card left over from an old computer, and a year later install a full-fledged Ryzen 5 Matisse 3600 and a graphics card of any size like the excellent Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER GAMING. And this is not the ceiling, it officially supports the 16-core monster Ryzen 9 3950X. Well, 4 slots for RAM will make it possible to add RAM as needed, without overpaying for high-capacity slats. Almost its only minus is that knowledgeable people are buying it like hot cakes, so you should not postpone the purchase for a long time.
