Motherboard msi B550I Gaming Edge Wifi

SimonC

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
May 23, 2020
7
10
Don't think there's a product page up yet but live stream currently ongoing revealing some details - MSRP $199 (no sales tax) / €219
(with VAT)

Key points so far I've spotted:
  • USB C Header, 3.0 Header, 2.0 Header
  • Semi-passive fan for NVMe (only comes on if needed and controllable - mainly for Gen 4 which might get quite hot
  • 5 Rear USB + 1 USB C
  • Realtek 2.5GBe
  • 2 NVMe slots (Gen 4 on front, Gen 3 on rear)
  • HDMI 2.1
  • 8+2+1 Phase VRM / 60A power stages
 

Tristanoz

Caliper Novice
Mar 9, 2020
22
21
There was a screenshot in the discord, credit to @blacklagann




Doesn't look bad at all, not a big fan of the... fan though. no pun intended.
 

SimonC

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
May 23, 2020
7
10
Yeah think it's definitely my pick of the B550 ITX boards so far. In the stream they were keen to stress that the fan was strictly for the NVMe (should it need it) as the chipsets are all sufficiently passively cooled but in an ITX case a Gen 4 NVMe could potentially need the extra cooling (the non-ITX boards don't have fans at all). I suspect the fan will only come on if using a Gen 4 NVMe anyway and think I may stick with Gen 3 for a while longer. I'm still going to be waiting quite a while for my H1 case anyway so hopefully by then all the boards will be out and some reviews may have begun to appear.
 
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AlexTSG

Master of Cramming
Jun 17, 2018
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You can find most of the info on this board at 2:03:15 in the MSI Insider video.


It looks like an really good board, and probably the top choice for anyone looking to build something for home theater as it has both HDMI 2.1 and SPDIF.

I'm also glad to see that the fan you can see on the M.2 heatsink is semi passive, and can be controlled through the BIOS.
 

Dunedan

Caliper Novice
Sep 14, 2019
26
18
Doesn't look bad at all, not a big fan of the... fan though.

As the fan is part of the heatsink of the front M.2 slot, I suspect it's connected to a regular fan header and easy to remove and to replace with a passive heatsink. Also MSI mentioned it's possible to disable the fan completely in the BIOS. Therefore I wouldn't worry about the fan at all.

One of the few boards with a full set of audio jacks!

It's actually the only mini-ITX board with AMD B550 so far featuring that many audio jacks, isn't it?
 

LNH

Cable Smoosher
May 23, 2020
12
7
Looks like the mini-ITX is talked about starting around 0:44:02 in the above listed video. Also the back panel shows a PS-2 mouse port and a single HDMI. If you're looking at the upcoming Ryzen 4000 desktop APUs this motherboard gives a bit less flexibility than some of the others. Here are two screen grabs from the video...
 
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AlexTSG

Master of Cramming
Jun 17, 2018
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oh no I don't see TB3 in the back - that's a must have for my new build epic fail :(

Thunderbolt 3 isn't particularly common on AMD motherboards, but if it's a must have for you then I'd recommend looking at Asrock's X570 Phantom Gaming ITX/TB3. Not only does it have Thunderbolt 3, it's also Thunderbolt certified by Intel.
 

kiehl

Average Stuffer
Feb 23, 2020
58
18
Thunderbolt 3 isn't particularly common on AMD motherboards, but if it's a must have for you then I'd recommend looking at Asrock's X570 Phantom Gaming ITX/TB3. Not only does it have Thunderbolt 3, it's also Thunderbolt certified by Intel.
yeah i have seen it. but no front usb C. Decided to go z490 with 10900 non k with my dan a4 build.
 

Valantar

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 20, 2018
2,201
2,225
Just have to comment on how horribly those two people work together as hosts, jeez. That was painful to watch. One is trying to go through various aspects of the board, though in a chaotic and seemingly poorly thought out manner, with the other one at random intervals half shouting random questions from chat in the middle of the other one talking. Wtf?

The board looks pretty decent, I/O is a mixed bag (no DP?), and I'm not super happy with all the designs pushing the CPU socket all the way towards the upper edge of the board - though that's a concern specifically for my HTPC build and likely not for many others. I'd also like an explanation of what the "2+1" part of 8+2+1 means, as they handily skipped over that part in their "explanation" of the VRM. Their product page also lists 8+2+1, yet only lists 8 CPU and 2 SoC - is the last phase the RAM power phase? That isn't typically included, given that it normally has a separate controller ...
 

AlexTSG

Master of Cramming
Jun 17, 2018
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@Valantar I‘d also assume that the 8+2+1 refers to CPU, SoC, and RAM. That makes the most sense, especially in the context of an ITX board that only supports 2 DIMMs. I can’t see the CPU position being a problem for my build, but I’m interested to know what it interferes with for yours?

Out of all the B550 boards I’ve seen so far, this one is still at the top of my list. I’d have liked to see a few more USB ports personally, but if I connect up the front panel ones for my M1 v6 I’m sure I’ll make do.
 

Valantar

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 20, 2018
2,201
2,225
@Valantar I‘d also assume that the 8+2+1 refers to CPU, SoC, and RAM. That makes the most sense, especially in the context of an ITX board that only supports 2 DIMMs. I can’t see the CPU position being a problem for my build, but I’m interested to know what it interferes with for yours?

Out of all the B550 boards I’ve seen so far, this one is still at the top of my list. I’d have liked to see a few more USB ports personally, but if I connect up the front panel ones for my M1 v6 I’m sure I’ll make do.
I'll be using a modified Arctic Accelero S1 (bent up to clear RAM etc., with a custom AM4 mounting bracket) with a 140mm Noctua fan as a semi-passive cooling solution (fan only running when needed), but due to the size of the heatsink, my chosen case (Lazer3D HT5), and going for an internal 12V PSU, fitting everything won't be a walk in the park. I want to mount my PSU on the "top" side of the board (away from the PCIe slot) in case I ever want to add a GPU to the build, but having the CPU socket too far towars that side might block that. It'll be a tight squeeze no matter what, but hopefully it will all fit in the end. I did a dry fit on my Biostar X370GTN at one point, and I would like the socket to be no closer to the top than it is on that board. I'm leaning towards the Asrock B550 PG ITX/AC for pretty much that reason alone, even if it's a bit overkill for that use case. At least its VRM should be more than adequate for pushing the iGPU as far as it can go!
 
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AlexTSG

Master of Cramming
Jun 17, 2018
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There's a bundle deal available for this board when you purchase it with a Ryzen processor. You can get between $40 and $60 of steam credit.

However, from the Terms and Conditions it looks like this is mainly available to Eastern Europe, South America, and India, so check if your region is listed first.

 
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ignsvn

By Toutatis!
SFFn Staff
Apr 4, 2016
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TL;DR version:

Eligible Regions: Estonia, Latvia, Albani, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Republic of Kosovo, Ireland, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Mauritius, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, República, Dominicana, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Puerto rico, Uruguay, Perú, Colombia, Ecuador, Panamá, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russian Federation.
 
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SimonC

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
May 23, 2020
7
10
Well this is now available for pre-order in the UK at £189.99 which is actually a little less than I was expecting given the previously announced MSRP $199. Hopefully have it next week if ebuyer's stock expectation is to be believed!