ASUS ROG STRIX B550-E Gaming Motherboard Review

How Much Does it Cost?

Of course, I’m writing this review before the stock is available on Amazon. However, I will update the prices as the stock goes live after we publish the review. For now, though, you can check the up to date stock of the ASUS ROG STRIX B550-E Gaming on Amazon UK here, and on Amazon US here.

Overview

OK so let’s get one thing pretty clear (again), we’ve reviewed two ASUS motherboards today and they are very similar to each other, one is called the ASUS ROG STRIX B550-E Gaming and the other is the ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F Gaming. The E is the more powerful and feature-packed of the two, but overall they are mostly the same.

Build Quality & Design

The ASUS ROG STRIX B550-E Gaming is every bit a premium motherboard, as one would expect from the STRIX series. With an impressive 14+2 Power Stage, and some massive heatsinks, thick heat pipes, and armour on two of the PCIe slots. You get big M.2 heatsinks, you get premium audio hardware, premium black caps all over the board. It’s extremely well made and honestly we would not expect anything less from ASUS STRIX products, the build quality is world-class from top to bottom.

Performance

Make no mistake, this is about the best you can expect from the B550 chipset, as this board is much closer to the X570 specification than most. It’s almost overkill really. All the boards performed about the same in benchmarks, however, that robust VRM, the added stability, the improved cooling, it’s all going to impact long-term performance. If you’re rendering or gaming for hour after hour, you’ll be glad to invest in a well-made board. Of course, you get the speed boost of Gen 4 M.2 and PCIe too!

Added Value

It’s not so much added value as much as it’s a more expensive motherboard rammed full of features. I’m not saying it’s bad value for money, it just is expensive. Of course, compared to the slightly less expensive F Gaming, you get more VRM, more armour, and WiFi 6, and that’s all good in my book.

Should I Buy One?

It’s a pretty fantastic motherboard, and I honestly have nothing bad to say about it. A premium product ASUS and anyone who buys it can be proud of. Then again, if you don’t need those few extra features, the F Gaming is also a great choice.