Description
The B550 AORUS PRO AC version includes an Intel Wi-Fi 5 interface,two PCIe M.2 slots, one PCIe 4.0 x4 and one PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, a Realtek 2.5 G Ethernet controller, and three full-length PCIe slots that operate at x16 and x16/x+4/x+2 are the most notable additions.
In terms of design, the GIGABYTE B550 Aorus Pro AC has an all-black PCB with black and grey heatsinks. GIGABYTE advertises a 12+2 power delivery with a single 8-pin 12 V ATX CPU power input that powers the processor directly.
There are two M.2 slots for storage, with the top slot powered by the processor and supporting up to PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 SSDs, and the second slot controlled by the chipset and thus supporting up to PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 drives. In addition, there are six SATA ports that support RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays. One thing we’ve noticed with the B550 is that vendors are QVL’ing even fast memory, which the B550 Aorus Pro supports DDR4-5200 memory with a maximum capacity of 128 GB across four memory slots.
The B550 Aorus Pro AC use a 12+2 phase power delivery, with twelve Vishay SiC651C 50 A CPU power stages and two SiC651AD 50 A SoC power stages. It is using an Intersil ISL229004 in a 6+2 configuration, with six ISL6617A doublers for the CPU section.
On the back panel of B550 Aorus Pro AC there is a single USB 3.2 G2 Type-C port, two USB 3.2 G2 Type-A ports, three USB 3.2 G1 Type-A ports, and six USB 2.0 ports. There is also a Q-Flash Plus button and a single Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 G Ethernet port. The B550 Pro AC model has two antenna ports for the Intel AC3168 Wi-Fi 5 adapter. The rear panel is completed by a single HDMI 2.1 video output for users looking to use Ryzen-based APUs, while the 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output are powered by a Realtek ALC1220-VB HD audio codec.
The GIGABYTE B550 Aorus Pro AC
The GIGABYTE B550 Aorus Pro AC has a lower price point, it costing $189 without the Wi-Fi 6 adapter. For the price, this model is still stacked and provide PCIe 4.0 support in both the top full-length and top M.2 slots. There is also 2.5 G Ethernet, which the X570 models do not have at this price point, making the B550 an appealing alternative. Not to mention the board’s large 12+2 advertised power delivery.
The GIGABYTE B550 Aorus Pro AC
CPU | AMD Socket AM4, support for : AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series/ Ryzen™ 5000 G-Series/ Ryzen™ 4000 G-Series and Ryzen™ 3000 Series Processors |
Chipset | AMD B550 |
Memory | 4 x DDR4 DIMM sockets supporting up to 128 GB (32 GB single DIMM capacity) of system memory
Support for DDR4 5400(O.C.) / 5300(O.C.) / 5200(O.C.) / 5100(O.C.) / 4800(O.C.) / 4600(O.C.) / 4400(O.C.) / 4266(O.C.) / 4133(O.C.) / 4000(O.C.) / 3866(O.C.) / 3733(O.C.) / 3600(O.C.) / 3466(O.C) / 3400(O.C.) / 3200 / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 MHz memory modules Dual channel memory architecture Support for ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8 memory modules* * ECC memory (ECC mode) support varies by CPU Support for non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx16 memory modules Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules |
Onboard Graphics | Integrated Graphics Processor:
1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096×2160@60 Hz * Support for HDMI 2.1 version, HDCP 2.3, and HDR. Maximum shared memory of 16 GB |
Audio | Realtek® ALC1220-VB codec
* The back panel line out jack supports DSD audio. High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel Support for S/PDIF Out |
LAN | Realtek® 2.5GbE LAN chip (2.5 Gbit/1 Gbit/100 Mbit) |
Expansion Slots | x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX16), integrated in the CPU:
AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series and Ryzen™ 3000 Series Processors support PCIe 4.0 x16 mode AMD Ryzen™ Ryzen™ 5000 G-Series and Ryzen™ 4000 G-Series Processors support PCIe 3.0 x16 mode * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX4), integrated in the Chipset: Supporting PCIe 3.0 x4 mode * The M2B_SB connector shares bandwidth with the PCIEX4 slot. The PCIEX4 slot will become unavailable when an SSD is installed in the M2B_SB connectors. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX2), integrated in the Chipset: Supporting PCIe 3.0 x2 mode * The PCIEX2 slot shares bandwidth with the SATA3 4, 5 connectors. The PCIEX2 slot will become unavailable when a device is installed in the SATA3 4 or SATA3 5 connector. 2 x PCI Express x1 slots |
USB | CPU:
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports on the back panel 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port (red) on the back panel Chipset: 1 x USB Type-C™ port on the back panel, with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port (red) on the back panel 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports available through the internal USB header 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports on the back panel Chipset+2 USB 2.0 Hubs: 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers) |
Internal I/O Connectors | 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector 2 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors 1 x CPU fan header 1 x water cooling CPU fan header 4 x system fan headers 2 x system fan/water cooling pump headers 1 x CPU cooler LED strip/RGB LED strip header 2 x addressable LED strip headers 2 x RGB LED strip headers 1 x front panel header 1 x front panel audio header 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header (2×6 pin, for the GC-TPM2.0_S module only) 2 x temperature sensor headers 1 x Thunderbolt™ add-in card connector 1 x Clear CMOS jumper 1 x Thunderbolt header *All fan headers are subject to support AIO_Pump, Pump and high performance fan with the capability of delivering up to 2A/12V @ 24W. |
Back Panel Connectors | 1 x HDMI port
2 x SMA antenna connectors (1T1R) 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports 1 x USB Type-C™ port, with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red) 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x Q-Flash Plus button 1 x RJ-45 port 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector 5 x audio jacks |
I/O Controller | iTE® I/O Controller Chip |
H/W Monitoring | Voltage detection
Temperature detection Fan speed detection Water cooling flow rate detection Overheating warning Fan fail warning Fan speed control * Whether the fan (pump) speed control function is supported will depend on the fan (pump) you install. |
BIOS | 1 x 256 Mbit flash
Use of licensed AMI UEFI BIOS PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0 |
Unique Features | Support for APP Center
* Available applications in APP Center may vary by motherboard model. Supported functions of each application may also vary depending on motherboard specifications. @BIOS EasyTune Fast Boot Game Boost ON/OFF Charge RGB Fusion Smart Backup System Information Viewer Support for Q-Flash Plus Support for Q-Flash Support for Xpress Install |
Bundled Software | Norton® Internet Security (OEM version)
XSplit Gamecaster + Broadcaster (12 months license) Realtek® 8125 Gaming LAN Bandwidth Control Utility |
Operating System | Support for Windows 10 64-bit |
Form Factor | ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm |