GIGABYTE B450 AORUS PRO Wi-Fi motherboard

 

Over the past years of testing AMD Ryzen based builds, we have had nothing, but success with the company motherboards and their B450 take its improvements from the X470 chipset and applies them to AMD’s updated mainstream chipset.

Features:

For those of you aren’t keeping up with the chipset changes, then the AMD’s increment from the 300 series to 400-series primarily includes improvements for the motherboard physical specifications to formally support XFR2 and precision boot override for what AMD calls its second-generation AMD Ryzen chips.

In addition, the AMD provides specifications for layered counts and supported memory speeds, regular design requirements, and other stipulations for these refreshed motherboards.

Between the X470 chipset and B450 chipset, the same IO dynamic support was found last year. In other words, B series motherboards support some USB 3.0 Generation 1 port, PCIe generation 3 x 16 slots, and PCIe Generation 2 lanes than their more expensive brothers.

On the surface, some slots and ports support sound like an instant con, but honestly, the majority of builders do not support a 2^nd graphic card, larger SATA RAID configurations, or a plethora of 5Gbps USB as well.

Also, with that same mindset, the manufacturers do not need to provide fully enable lower-end motherboards that directly compete with their higher-tiered offerings.

From there, it really is a thought experiment as to which chipset is better and hopefully, we will shine some light on that throughout the guide.

Moreover, enter the Gigabyte B450 AORUS Pro motherboard, Gigabyte has traditionally kept its AORUS brand relegated to premium offerings, but for the B450 chipset, they could not resist unleashing the falcon that we’ve appreciating from the previous reviews.

Bringing a well-respected brand to a very lower tier which might appear to be a marketing gimmick, but it turns out this Gigabyte motherboard is on par with similar offerings from the X470 chipset.

From an aesthetics perspective, this best performance motherboard looks shockingly similar to the X470 AORUS 5 with the omission of LED-lit DIMM slots and PCIe slots as well.

Comparing the B450 chipset motherboards against the X470 motherboards, the inclusion of WIFI in the B450 motherboards might be enough for some to negate the X470 improved connectivity.

This best Gigabyte B450 AORUS Pro motherboard equipped with ample RGB lights, RGB power switches, and addressable LED headers that helps mitigate these deficiencies for future upgrades.

For affordable or budget motherboards, we do not expect the content of the box to be substantial and the Gigabyte does not overwhelm with accessories and extra parts respectively.

So, the company includes their badge sticker along with the documentation and a couple of SATA cables, and a WIFI antenna for connecting the SMA plugs on the back panel.

Furthermore, the input or output panel reflects the B450-chipset’s decreased IO with access to only four USB 3.1 Generation 1 port, two USB 3.1 ports, an HDMI 2.0 ports, and DVI-D port, Gigabyte Ethernet, 5 analog audio, and one digital audio jack, and two WIFI antenna as well.

However, the Integrated back panel is a nice aesthetic inclusion that is usually found pricier enthusiast chipset motherboards. Additionally, builders with APUs like the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 are primed for upgrading from older chipsets, and special thanks to the video ports including an HDMI port and DVI port as well.

And, the lack of USB 2 ports means we are not left questioning which ports are high-speed when reaching around behind the PC or computer.

Audio coverage on this Gigabyte B450 motherboard provided through the Realtek ALC 1200-VB codec boasting improved audio signal-to-noise ratios and impedance detection for use with different strength drivers on various grades of head-worn audio devices.

As for the wired networking, the tried and true Integrated Intel 1211 at the controller issued here and Gigabyte includes its cFosSpeed Internet accelerator for prioritizing network traffic via or through the Ethernet port.

We do not have performance results with this fool, but it appears that more vendors are implementing features that mimic the rivet network killer brand which prioritizes packets for improved network performance, which is quite durable.

Although the one benefit we like with this Gigabyte motherboard is the inclusion of the 802.11 ac controller, even it’s a 1 x 1 design using Intel’s AC3168.

In addition, if you are planning to use wired Ethernet, then WIFI can be handy in pinch, when you are building, troubleshooting,l and upgrading your PC or computer, and your work kitchen table is nowhere near an Ethernet jack.

As we look along with the outer look of this best motherboard, we see two USB 2.0 headers, one USB 3.1 Generation 1 port, and many front panel headers on the bottom edge of this motherboard.

Moreover, the right edge hosts four-angled SATA 3 headers and the two vertical SATA headers which look lonely on this B450 motherboard. System power is provided is through the standard 24-pin ATX headers to the next to the 4 dual latch DIMMs slots and an 8-pin EPS 12 Volt plug is cramped next to the header in the to left quadrant of this Gigabyte motherboard.

Lastly, a single four-pin fan header is directly below the Vreg heatsink for use with fans directly above the IO shield as well. Furthermore, as simple as the PCIe configuration looks, there’re some interesting things that you’d kept in mind when picking parts.

First of all, the M.2 slots are wired out for the PCIe Generation 3 x 4 and x 2 as well, which is a pleasant departure from the Generation 2 variants on other motherboards.

However, the x16 slots are misleading with only the top slot being wired out for the PCIe Generation 3 x 16 slots. So, the middle x 16 slots and the bottom x 16 share bandwidth with the x 1 slot, and the middle slot only works at x 4 slot, when neither of the other is populated.

Final words:

This best quality Gigabyte B450 AORUS Pro motherboard can not quite push AMD Ryzen chipset to their limits, so only expect modest overclocks. But otherwise, this Gigabyte B450 motherboard delivers an excellent value that is worthy of the AORUS brand.

Overall, this best motherboard is a much cheaper and affordable price motherboard. Although, it has an amazing or robust performance as it is equipped with premium-quality features and specifications.