Motherboard msi B550I Gaming Edge Wifi

[Tuscany]

For me the non-standard backplate is true deal-breaker.
You will always have to "think of something" in order to use cooler of your liking or thermal needs. For an example - standard mounting for EK water blocks is no-go. Noctua offer spacers (which tend to bend the board), but who else does?

 

[AlexTSG]

For me the non-standard backplate was the biggest reason for almost going for another board, and this does effect you given your choice of CPU cooler.

However, when I looked at all the different coolers that I planned to use, they all worked with the included backplate, so that's been a non-issue for me.

I really wanted the support for a front panel USB C connector which this has, and I also didn't want the Intel 2.5Gbps network controller, which often needs to be run at 1Gbps to avoid issues, unlike the Realtek chip on this board. Also, the fan on the M.2 heatsink, is just for the M.2 drive and can be disabled for fanless operation, although it's inaudible anyway.

The MAX version fixes the horrible BIOS reset placement on the standard board, so no problem there.

Take a look at this comparison video from Hardware Unboxed, and you'll see just how impressive the VRM is on this, especially for an ITX board.