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Comparison MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS vs MSI B550-A PRO

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MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS
MSI B550-A PRO
MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUSMSI B550-A PRO
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Featuresgaming for overclockinggaming for overclocking
SocketAMD AM4AMD AM4
Form factorATXATX
Power phases12
VRM heatsink
LED lighting
Lighting syncMSI Mystic Light Sync
Size (HxW)305x244 mm305x244 mm
Chipset
ChipsetAMD B550AMD B550
BIOSAmiAmi
UEFI BIOS
RAM
DDR44 slot(s)4 slot(s)
Memory moduleDIMMDIMM
Operation mode2 channel2 channel
Max. clock frequency4400 MHz4400 MHz
Max. memory128 GB128 GB
XMP
Drive interface
SATA 3 (6Gbps)66
M.2 connector22
M.21xSATA/PCI-E 4x, 1xPCI-E 4x1xSATA/PCI-E 4x, 1xPCI-E 4x
M.2 SSD cooling
Integrated RAID controller
 /RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10/
 /RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10/
Expansion slots
1x PCI-E slots22
PCI-E 16x slots22
PCI Modes16x/4x16x/4x
PCI Express4.04.0
CrossFire (AMD)
Steel PCI-E connectors
 /PCI-E 4.0/
Internal connections
TPM connector
USB 2.022
USB 3.2 gen111
USB C 3.2 gen111
RGB LED strip
/2x3-pin RAINBOW LED, 1x4-pin RGB LED/
Video outputs
HDMI output
HDMI versionv.2.1
DisplayPort
Integrated audio
Audiochip
Realtek ALC892 /ALC897/
Realtek ALC892
Sound (channels)7.17.1
Optical S/P-DIF
Network interfaces
LAN (RJ-45)1 Gbps1 Gbps
LAN ports11
LAN controllerRealtek 8111HRealtek 8111H
External connections
USB 2.044
USB 3.2 gen122
USB 3.2 gen211
USB C 3.2 gen211
PS/211
BIOS FlashBack
Power connectors
Main power socket24 pin24 pin
CPU power8 pin8 pin
Fan power connectors88
CPU Fan 4-pin1
CPU/Water Pump Fan 4-pin1
Chassis/Water Pump Fan 4-pin6
Added to E-Catalogoctober 2020may 2020

Power phases

The number of processor power phases provided on the motherboard.

Very simplistically, phases can be described as electronic blocks of a special design, through which power is supplied to the processor. The task of such blocks is to optimize this power, in particular, to minimize power surges when the load on the processor changes. In general, the more phases, the lower the load on each of them, the more stable the power supply and the more durable the electronics of the board. And the more powerful the CPU and the more cores it has, the more phases it needs; this number increases even more if the processor is planned to be overclocked. For example, for a conventional quad-core chip, only four phases are often enough, and for an overclocked one, at least eight may be needed. It is because of this that powerful processors can have problems when used on inexpensive low-phase motherboards.

Detailed recommendations on choosing the number of phases for specific CPU series and models can be found in special sources (including the documentation for CPU itself). Here we note that with numerous phases on the motherboard (more than 8), some of them can be virtual. To do this, real electronic blocks are supplemented with doublers or even triplers, which, formally, increases the number of phases: for example, 12 claimed phases can represent 6 physical blocks with doublers. However, virtual phases are much inferior to real ones in terms of capabilities — in fact, t...hey are just additions that slightly improve the characteristics of real phases. So, let's say, in our example, it is more correct to speak not about twelve, but only about six (though improved) phases. These nuances must be specified when choosing a motherboard.

LED lighting

The presence of its own LED backlight on the motherboard. This feature does not affect the functionality of the "motherboard", but gives it an unusual appearance. Therefore, it hardly makes sense for an ordinary user to specifically look for such a model (a motherboard without backlighting is enough for him), but for modding lovers, backlighting can be very useful.

LED backlighting can take the form of individual lights or LED strips, come in different colours (sometimes with a choice of colours) and support additional effects — flashing, flickering, synchronization with other components (see "Lightning synchronization"), etc. Specific features depend on the motherboard model.

Lighting sync

Synchronization technology provided in the board with LED backlight (see above).

Synchronization itself allows you to "match" the backlight of the motherboard with the backlight of other system components — cases, video cards, keyboards, mice, etc. Thanks to this matching, all components can change colour synchronously, turn on / off at the same time, etc. Specific features the operation of such backlighting depends on the synchronization technology used, and, usually, each manufacturer has its own (Mystic Light Sync for MSI, RGB Fusion for Gigabyte, etc.). The compatibility of the components also depends on this: they must all support the same technology. So the easiest way to achieve backlight compatibility is to collect components from the same manufacturer.

RGB LED strip

Connector for connecting a decorative LED strip and other devices with LED indication. Allows you to control the backlight of the case through the motherboard and customize the glow for your tasks, including synchronize it with other components.

HDMI version

HDMI connector version (see above) installed in the motherboard.

— v.1.4. The earliest of the standards found nowadays, which appeared back in 2009. Supports resolutions up to 4096x2160 inclusive and allows you to play Full HD video with a frame rate of up to 120 fps — this is enough even for 3D playback.

— v.1.4b. A modified version of v.1.4 described above, which introduced a number of minor updates and improvements — in particular, support for two additional 3D formats.

— v.2.0. Also known as HDMI UHD, this version introduced full 4K support, with frame rates up to 60 fps, as well as the ability to work with 21:9 ultra-widescreen video. In addition, thanks to the increased bandwidth, the number of simultaneously reproduced audio channels has grown to 32, and audio streams to 4. And in the v.2.0a improvement, HDR support has also been added to all this.

— v.2.1. Another name is HDMI Ultra High Speed. Compared to the previous version, the interface bandwidth has really increased significantly — it is enough to transmit video at resolutions up to 10K at 120 frames per second, as well as to work with the extended BT.2020 colour space (the latter may be useful for some professional tasks). HDMI Ultra High Speed cables are required to use the full capabilities of HDMI v2.1, but older standard features are available with regular cables.

Optical S/P-DIF

Output for sound transmission, including multi-channel, in digital form. Such a connection is notable for its complete insensitivity to electrical interference, since an optical cable, rather than an electrical cable, is used to transmit the signal. The main disadvantage of optical S / P-DIF, in comparison with coaxial, is a certain fragility of the cable — it can be damaged by strongly bending or stepping on it.

CPU Fan 4-pin

A four-pin connector used to connect a processor cooling fan. The first contact in it corresponds to the black wire of the cooler — it is the "ground" or minus of the power supply. The second contact is the plus of the power supply (yellow or red cooler wire). The third one is involved in measuring the rotation speed of the impeller (green or yellow fan wire). The fourth pin, corresponding to the blue wire, receives control signals from the PWM controller to adjust the cooler rotation speed depending on the temperature of the processor.

CPU/Water Pump Fan 4-pin

A four-pin connector for connecting a water cooling pump fan. It can also be used to turn on an additional CPU cooler.

Chassis/Water Pump Fan 4-pin

A connector responsible for connecting additional coolers for the benefit of better cooling of components inside the system unit. Most often it is located on the edges of the motherboard — closer to the front side and the ceiling of the "system unit". It is made according to the four-contact scheme.
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