ASUS ROG STRIX B450-F Gaming Motherboard Review

ASUS B450

The latest wave of motherboards from AMD have just landed, and they’re out to impress. While not as feature packed as the current Ryzen flagship X470 series, they’re focusing on a balance between price and features for the mass market. Extreme overclockers and system builders will no doubt still want X470. However, for most system builders and gamers, B450 ticks all the right boxes, offering NVMe RAID support, overclocking, and much more.

With the new ASUS motherboard packing support for Aura Sync RGB lighting tech, Intel Gigabit Ethernet, GameFirst, one-click optimisation and overclocking, and the fantastic SupremeFX S1220A audio hardware and Sonic Studio III, it’s pretty robust on paper. Of course, none of this tech is particularly new either, so we know it’s all good stuff. It seems to blend the high-end hardware of X370 and X470 with the more cost-focused B350 range, leaving us with the new B450 hardware. It’s a bit of a refresh, but a promising looking one so far. Plus, it’ll offer support for 2000-series Ryzen CPUs right out of the box.

Features

• AM4 socket: Ready for AMD Ryzen™ processors
• Fast memory and storage: Dual-channel DDR4 3200MHz (OC) and NVM Express® RAID supported.
• Aura Sync RGB: Synchronize LED lighting with a vast portfolio of compatible PC gear.
• Gaming connectivity: Dual M.2 and USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A connectors.
• Gaming networking: Intel Gigabit Ethernet, plus ASUS LANGuard and GameFirst technologies.
• 5-Way Optimization: Automated system-wide tuning, providing overclocking and cooling profiles that are tailor-made for your rig.
• Gaming audio: SupremeFX S1220A teams with Sonic Studio III to create an aural landscape that draws you deeper into the action.
• Gamer’s Guardian: Pre-mounted I/O shield, ASUS SafeSlot and premium components for maximum endurance.

Specifications

For in-depth specifications, please visit the official ASUS product page here.

What ASUS Had to Say

“With ample power to fuel Ryzen’s cores, plus cooling, storage and connectivity options for a range of hardware, the ROG Strix B450-F Gaming motherboard has everything you need to build on a budget or load up with high-performance components to game in the big leagues.” – ASUS

What’s in the Box?