b450 vs x470: Which One Is Worth Your While?

Trying to choose between the b450 vs the x470 can be quite the feat when you need the best motherboard. You can’t just choose one without really delving into the different aspects that make them both great.
Thankfully, our experts have done just that. This article will help you to understand when you need to buy the b450 motherboard or the x470 motherboard.

A Quick Comparison: B450 vs X470

Individual Reviews

1. MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470

● Designed with gamers in mind
● Considered an entry level board
● Has an absolutely beautiful design
● Pretty easy to find

Overall Review

The MSI X470 Gaming Plus is one of the most beautiful motherboards that you have ever seen. It is just the type of board that you cannot look away from. Built for open cases, the red and black design steals the show whenever it is built into a gaming rig. The customized RGB lighting shows up extremely well on camera, making it perfect for those who stream or competitively game on camera.

This is one of the best values for the price on the list. It consistently falls at the top of efficiency for AM4 motherboards. It uses very, very low wattage when it is idle and when you are gaming, coming in at about 2W on average.

For audiophiles, the performance is on the standard side. However, it has slightly better bass levels than most other motherboards. You can get to about 86% volume before the bass starts to sound a bit weird and hurts your ears.

For gamers, overclocking is fairly painless with this motherboard, as it hits 4.0 GHz easily. While you won’t be able to be as competitive with this one, it is great for those who only play for fun. During overclocking, the heatsinks are pretty good and while it did get a bit warm, it shouldn’t be a problem. You should pair it with a better cooling system if you plan to push it.

If you are building your own rig, this motherboard has some amazing connections and more ports than other motherboards within this price range and even within higher price ranges. It has eight USB ports in total, though you will have to plan out your usage to take advantage of all of them. You also get a DVI-D and an HDMI 2.0 port, which is a bit unusual for a board in this range.

Finally, the last standout feature of this motherboard is that it has MSI’s Steel Slot armor protection on the PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. This will help to future-proof the board and prevent corrosion that can render a motherboard useless.

• Who Is This For?

This board is a beautiful entry-level choice for people who are interested in serious gaming, but maybe not professional gaming.

2. Asus ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard

● Dimensions (W x H x D): 10.8 x 13.3 x 2.7 in
● Features INclude: AI Suite 3; Gigabit LAN; Pre-mounted I/O Shield; DDR4-3200 Support; ● SupremeFX S1220 audio; FanXpert 4
● Enhanced DRAM Overclocking Capabilities For Serious Gamers
● Some Users Experienced Problems With BIOS

Overall Review:

If you want to spend a little bit more money on your B450 motherboard, then the Asus ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard is going to be a fantastic option for you. This comes with a wide variety of slots and options so that you will be able to expand as necessary. For versatility, you really cannot get any better. There are so many headers that you can personalize and adjust this motherboard as needed.

If you are an audiophile, this is going to be the best option for you. It has many different performance options thanks to the SupremeFX audio. With this, you get a clean and clear output, even if you are going to create music. While we wouldn’t necessarily call this professional-grade, it is something that you can appreciate.

If you are a gamer, this is another great option for you. There are some excellent settings within the CPU and GPU that you will be able to push. This makes it a good motherboard for overclocking. The XMP settings and manual core voltage settings help to formulate the best possible gaming experience if you are willing to tweak it.

There were some users who complained about the BIOS functionality with this particular iteration, but thankfully recent updates have solved those problems. If anything, this proves that Asus is listening to complaints about it and are going above and beyond to make changes. You may still need to tweak things, but overall it is pretty great.

If you are looking for a motherboard that combines performance with a wide array of features, this is going to be a great option for you. It is consistently labeled as one of the best motherboards for the value.

• Who Is This For?

This motherboard was designed with gamers in mind, but maybe not those who stream as there aren’t many RGB features (which some people will love and some people will dislike). This model is great for gamers who want to overclock automatically instead of those who need to manually overclock.

Product Comparison

The main difference between b450 and x470 is, AMD X470 Ryzen 2 has more available PCIe Gen 2.0 lanes, both SLI and Crossfire compatibility and four SATA III’s availability while the Asus ROG Strix B450-F has two available.

So immediately, you can see that both of the options are pretty good and it will depend on what you need them for and how you want to use them. The comparison really comes down to the chipsets themselves and not so much the motherboards. Both offer up some pretty beautiful designs and some great support, so it is hard to compare on that end.
However, there are a few different comparisons that we can make:

» PCIe Lanes

The first comparison that you want to make is between the usable PCIe Gen 2. Lanes. PCIe lanes help with connections to expansion devices that allow you to personalize your devices, such as GPUs, soundcards, SSDs, HDDs, and more. These link to the motherboard for better performance and more options. Each lane has two wires, one that transmits data and one that receives data.

There are different types of PCIe slots that range from 1, 4, 8, or 16 lanes.

If you look at both of the options, it becomes clear that the MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2 is the clear winner here because it has more available PCIe Gen 2.0 lanes. While the difference isn’t large, it is enough to make it an easy decision.

• Winner: The MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2

» SLI/Crossfire Support

The next thing you will need to look at is the SLI (Scalable Link Interface) and Crossfire support. These are the brand names given to the multi-GPU technology given to Nvidia and AMD products. This tech allows for two (or more) GPUs to be linked together and then act as one. This will increase the power of the GPU and of the individual parts.

This has always been one of the biggest selling points of the X470 because it had both SLI and Crossfire compatibility. Unfortunately, not all B450 motherboards can say that. However, luckily the Asus ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard does have that capability, even if it isn’t as good.

Over the last few years, this is a feature that isn’t quite as necessary for most people.

• Winner: The MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2, but it may not matter.

» SATA III Availability

The next thing to pay attention to is the SATA III availability. This is another area where most X470 motherboards have the chance to shine and will almost always win. As you can see once you compare the specs of these two boards, B450 motherboards have two SATA III’s available, whereas the X470s have four available, meaning that you will have faster SATA interfaces.

For people who are still using SATA SSDs, HDDs, or optical drives, an X470 will give you two more options for SATA connections over the B450. This is another aspect that you will have to take into consideration for yourself: some people simply won’t need it.

• Winner: The MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2, but it may not matter.

» Costs & Maintenance

Finally, there is the price to consider. Price is going to play a major role in the differences between the X470 and B450 motherboards. However, we aren’t going to compare the actual prices of the motherboards, but rather the value of each motherboard.

Most often, the X470 motherboards will come in at a higher price, but they will also have a higher value. They tend to be more accessible as well. However, the Asus ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard has some great value as well.

• Winner: Tie between the MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2 and the Asus ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard

AMD Chipset Comparison

When making an AMD chipset comparison, you need to look at all of the options available, not just the B450 and the X470, even though those are the most commonly compared. Here is a full comparison that is easy to understand:

Conclusion: B450 Vs X470, Which One Should You Buy?

So naturally, this leads us to the end of the guide where we answer the “Which one should I buy” question. Our experts have done quite a bit of investigation and it is a really difficult choice between the MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2 and the Asus ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard.

However, after fully comparing the two it seems fairly obvious that the MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2 is the better board.

However, you want to ask yourself whether or not you are going to use all of the extra features that the X470 board is going to provide. If you aren’t going to use them, then the Asus ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard is still a fairly solid option.