ASUS ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Review

ASUS ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Review

Introduction

The AMD Ryzen 2nd Generation has proven itself to be a popular choice, combining outstanding CPU performance with good gaming performance, and on a platform that has all the latest bells and whistles.

If you’ve been following along with our reviews you’ll have spotted that ASUS and their Strix range in particular has taken up the mantle of providing motherboards that come with all the features we’d expect from a modern setup, without totally breaking the bank. With RGB lighting, high bandwidth connectivity and great looks, there is no denying that there are a lot of reasons to lean towards owning a Strix.

Until now we’ve largely been looking at the flagship X470 chipset that forms the basis of the AM4 platform. Understandably this high end setup isn’t the most affordable option around, and with so many people on the AMD platform utilising the gradual upgrade process that they are famous for, cost effectiveness is perhaps even a higher consideration than it is for those of you who run Intel hardware.

If you are one of those users on a tight budget but still want to take advantage of the latest Zen Architecture, the B450 chipset might be just the ticket, combining much that makes the 2nd Generation Ryzen attractive, but in a more stripped down – and thus affordable – package. We’ve got two B450 motherboards in for review and firstly we’re looking at the ITX ASUS ROG Strix.

Technical Specifications

The B450 chipset might not quite hit the heights of its more illustrious X470 brother but that doesn’t mean that it is lacking. Naturally in the ITX format there are some reductions in power phases and PCI Express slots to accommodate the small form factor, but for those of you who run a single GPU, a decent but not extravagant amount of DDR4, and a handful of storage options then the Strix B450-I wants for nothing.

ASUS ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Review  
ASUS ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Review  
ASUS ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Review Â