MSI Launches B350I PRO AC AM4 Mini-ITX Motherboard
Ron Perillo / 7 years ago
MSI is announcing the latest addition to their AMD Ryzen AM4 motherboard line with the new B350I PRO AC. It uses a mini-ITX form factor measuring just 170 x 170mm. In comparison, a full size ATX motherboard measures 305 x 244mm, so it is practically less than half. However, that does not mean that the B350I PRO AC lacks in features.
In fact, the “AC” in the name means it comes with a built-in 802.11AC Wi-Fi. Specifically, it uses an Intel AC-3168 module on an M.2 (Key E) slot. It is mounted vertically and is part of the rear IO so as not to interfere with the component clearance.
MSI PRO Features
Despite using a B350 chipset, this motherboard is part of MSI’s PRO line. It even comes with a 6-phase CPU power design. The use of a B350 chipset makes sense considering the lack of PCIe slots. Also, unlike Intel, the B350 chipset from AMD does not prohibit overclocking of CPU or RAM.
Aside from the Wi-Fi AC connectivity, a Realtek 8111H Gigabit LAN port is available. The audio subsystem similarly uses a Realtek product. Specifically the ALC887 Codec. It is not lacking in USB ports either, even including two USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A ports. It also has a storage-dedicated M.2 slot for PCIe x4 SSDs as well.
Pricing Information
Pricing information is not available yet. However, the MSI B250I PRO AC Mini-ITX using an Intel chipset currently costs £104.00. So expect the price to be around that or even less.