Asrock b450 vs b450m: Compare ASRock B450 Steel Legend vs B450M Steel Legend

What’s New With The B450 ChipsetASRock B450 Gaming K4ASRock B450 Gaming ITX/acASRock B450 Pro4 and B450M Pro4ASRock B450M-HDVASUS ROG Strix B450-F GamingASUS ROG Strix B450-I GamingASUS TUF B450-Plus Gaming and B450M-Plus GamingASUS Prime B450 PlusASUS Prime B450M-KGIGABYTE B450 Aorus M and B450 Aorus EliteGIGABYTE B450 Aorus Pro and B450 Aorus Pro WIFIGIGABYTE B450M DS3HMSI B450 Gaming Plus and B450M Gaming PlusMSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon ACMSI B450I Gaming Plus ACMSI B450 TomahawkMSI B450M Bazooka and B450M Bazooka PlusMSI B450M Mortar and B450M Mortar TitaniumMSI B450-A ProMSI B450M PRO-M2 and B450M PRO-VDHChoosing the Right B450 Motherboard

The ASRock Professional series drop the gaming-themed stylings the gaming range, with both the B450 Pro4 and B450M Pro4 featuring a subtler black PCB, with a grey contrasting pattern printed on. The Pro4 models are aimed at professional users looking for a solid foundation to build a system without sacrificing quality, but without encumbering budget away on unnecessary componentry and features.

While the primary difference between the B450 Pro4 and B450M Pro4 is form factor, the larger and ATX sized Pro4 model has a full-length PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, a secondary full-length PCIe 2.0 x4 slot and a total of four PCIe 2.0 x1 slots. The smaller B450M Pro4 is of the microATX standard, but also features two full-length slots with the top slot operating at PCIe 3.0 x16 and the bottom one running at PCIe 2.0 x4; a single PCIe 2.0 x1 slot is also present. The similarities don’t just stretch to design, but they look to share identical power deliveries with a 9-phase offering running in a 6+3 configuration; even the power delivery heatsinks are identical, with the chipset heatsink on the B450M Pro4 model being smaller due to size constraints.

Buy ASRock B450 Pro4 on Newegg

Both B450/B450M Pro4 motherboards have a total of four DRAM slots with a supported capacity of up to 64 GB of system memory. Support for up to DDR4-3200 is featured with both models offering support for ECC and non-ECC unbuffered DDR4 memory.

Gallery: ASRock B450 Pro4 Motherboard Gallery

Storage wise, the ATX sized B450 Pro4 has a total of six SATA 6 Gbps ports offering support for RAID 0, 1 and 10 arrays; the smaller microATX B450M Pro4 has a total of four SATA 6 Gbps. The Pro4 pairing also feature two M.2 slots each with the best slot operating at PCIe 3.0 x4, while the second M.2 slot on the ATX B450 Pro4 has support for both SATA and PCIe 3.0 x2 drives. Due to space constraints on the microATX B450M Pro4, the second M.2 slot is located on the rear of the PCB and only supports SATA 6 Gbps SSDs; this slot shares bandwidth with the SATA port number 3 meaning only one can be used at any one time. 

On the rear panels. Both the B450 Pro4 and B450M Pro4 share near identical connections with the biggest difference being that the B450 Pro4 has a DisplayPort 1. 2 video output, while the B450M Pro4 has a DVI-D instead. Both models feature a single HDMI port and a legacy D-sub output. On the rear panel for both are a single USB 3.1 10 Gbps Type-A port, a single USB 3.1 10 Gbps Type-C port, four USB 3.1 5 Gbps Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a PS/2 combo port, a single LAN port powered by a Realtek RTL8111H Gigabit controller and three 3.5mm audio jacks which are controlled by a Realtek ALC892 audio codec.

Buy ASRock B450M Pro4 on Newegg

Both B450 and the B450M Pro4 are designed for professional and regular system users, although gaming on either model wouldn’t have any detrimental effect on performance other than the lack of RGB lighting which seems to be the most popular feature on gaming branded boards. The B450 Pro4 is set to retail for around $89.99, with the microATX sized B450M Pro4 coming in at a slightly cheaper $79.99.

Gallery: ASRock B450M Pro4 Motherboard Gallery

ASRock B450 Gaming ITX/ac
ASRock B450M-HDV
What’s New With The B450 ChipsetASRock B450 Gaming K4ASRock B450 Gaming ITX/acASRock B450 Pro4 and B450M Pro4ASRock B450M-HDVASUS ROG Strix B450-F GamingASUS ROG Strix B450-I GamingASUS TUF B450-Plus Gaming and B450M-Plus GamingASUS Prime B450 PlusASUS Prime B450M-KGIGABYTE B450 Aorus M and B450 Aorus EliteGIGABYTE B450 Aorus Pro and B450 Aorus Pro WIFIGIGABYTE B450M DS3HMSI B450 Gaming Plus and B450M Gaming PlusMSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon ACMSI B450I Gaming Plus ACMSI B450 TomahawkMSI B450M Bazooka and B450M Bazooka PlusMSI B450M Mortar and B450M Mortar TitaniumMSI B450-A ProMSI B450M PRO-M2 and B450M PRO-VDHChoosing the Right B450 Motherboard

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ASRock B450 Steel Legend vs MSI B450M Mortar Max: What is the difference?

54points

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

47points

MSI B450M Mortar Max

Comparison winner

vs

74 facts in comparison

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

MSI B450M Mortar Max

Why is ASRock B450 Steel Legend better than MSI B450M Mortar Max?

• 2 more fan headers?
  6vs4
• 1 more PCIe 3. 0 x16 slots?
  2vs1
• 2 more SATA 3 connectors?
  6vs4
• Supports ECC memory?
• 1 more USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-A)?
  2vs1
• Has RGB lighting?
• 2 more PCIe x1 slots?
  4vs2

Why is MSI B450M Mortar Max better than ASRock B450 Steel Legend?

• 1200MHz higher ram speed?
  4133MHzvs2933MHz
• 1 more M.2 sockets?
  2vs1
• 1 more PCIe 2.0 x16 slots?
  1vs0
• 61mm narrower?
  244mmvs305mm

Which are the most popular comparisons?

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Gigabyte B450 Aorus Elite

MSI B450M Mortar Max

vs

Gigabyte A520M H

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

MSI B450M Mortar Max

vs

ASRock A520M-HVS

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Gigabyte B550M DS3H

MSI B450M Mortar Max

vs

Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

ASRock B550 Steel Legend

MSI B450M Mortar Max

vs

MSI MAG B550M Mortar

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Gigabyte B450 Aorus M

MSI B450M Mortar Max

vs

Gigabyte B450M Aorus Elite

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Asus TUF A520M-Plus Gaming

MSI B450M Mortar Max

vs

MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Gigabyte B450 Aorus Pro

MSI B450M Mortar Max

vs

Asus TUF A520M-Plus Gaming

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite

MSI B450M Mortar Max

vs

MSI B450 Gaming Plus Max

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Gigabyte B450M Aorus Elite

MSI B450M Mortar Max

vs

Gigabyte B550M DS3H

Price comparison

User reviews

Memory

1. maximum memory amount

The maximum amount of memory (RAM) supported.

2.RAM speed

2933MHz

4133MHz

It can support faster memory, which will give quicker system performance.

3.overclocked RAM speed

3533MHz

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (MSI B450M Mortar Max)

The motherboard supports overclocking the RAM to a higher speed. By increasing the speed at which the memory runs, you can boost the performance of your computer.

4.memory slots

More memory slots (also known as DIMM slots) allow you to add more RAM to your computer. It is also useful when upgrading, as you can add RAM to an empty slot instead of replacing an existing memory module.

5.DDR memory version

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (MSI B450M Mortar Max)

DDR (Double Data Rate) memory is the most common type of RAM. Newer versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy-efficient.

6.memory channels

More memory channels increases the speed of data transfer between the memory and the CPU.

7.Supports ECC memory

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✖MSI B450M Mortar Max

Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.

Ports

1.USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-A)

USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports speeds of up to 10Gbps. It was formerly known as USB 3.1 Gen 2. These ports use the older USB-A connector.

2.USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-A)

USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports speeds of up to 5Gbps. It was formerly known as USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0. These ports use the older USB-A connector.

3. USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-C)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports speeds of up to 10Gbps. It was formerly known as USB 3.1 Gen 2. These ports use the USB-C connector.

4.USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-C)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (MSI B450M Mortar Max)

USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports speeds of up to 5Gbps. It was formerly known as USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0. These ports use the USB-C connector.

5.USB 2.0 ports

More USB 2.0 ports allow you to connect more devices to your computer that support USB 2.0.

6.USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 ports

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (MSI B450M Mortar Max)

USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 was introduced in 2019. It supports speeds of up to 20Gbps and uses the USB-C connector.

7.USB 4 40Gbps ports

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (MSI B450M Mortar Max)

This version of USB 4 supports very high speeds of up to 40Gbps. Unlike USB 3.2, USB 4 can dynamically allocate bandwidth to video and data. These ports use the USB-C connector.

8.USB 4 20Gbps ports

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (MSI B450M Mortar Max)

This version of USB 4 supports speeds of up to 20Gbps. Unlike USB 3.2, USB 4 can dynamically allocate bandwidth to video and data. These ports use the USB-C connector.

9.Thunderbolt 4 ports

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (MSI B450M Mortar Max)

The number of USB ports that are compatible with Thunderbolt 4. These ports support speeds of up to 40Gbps, including a minimum of PCIe 32Gbps. This guarantees that it can support two external 4K displays (or one external 8K display).

Connectors

1.USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (through expansion)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (MSI B450M Mortar Max)

The number of USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports that can be added by using the USB headers (connectors) on the motherboard.

2.USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (through expansion)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (MSI B450M Mortar Max)

The number of USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports that can be added by using the USB headers (connectors) on the motherboard.

3.USB 2.0 ports (through expansion)

The number of USB 2.0 ports that can be added by using the USB headers (connectors) on the motherboard.

4.SATA 3 connectors

SATA is an interface used to connect mass storage devices such as hard drives and Blu-ray drives. SATA 3 has a native transfer rate of 6 Gbit/s, which is twice as fast as SATA 2, the previous revision. This is particularly useful if you use an SSD as it can perform at higher speeds.

5.fan headers

Fan headers are connection points on the motherboard that cooling fans can be connected to. Fans can also be connected straight to the power supply, but when connected to the motherboard you gain much finer control over them through software.

6.USB 3.0 ports (through expansion)

The motherboard has USB 3.0 headers, which are pin connections that you can connect additional USB ports to.

7.M.2 sockets

M.2 is an interface used to connect different types of devices, mainly mass storage devices like M.2 SSDs. It is a revision of mSATA and can support much higher data transfer rates.

8.Has TPM connector

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✔MSI B450M Mortar Max

Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a component that significantly increases security. One example is that it allows encryption keys to be created in a secure environment, minimizing the risk of a hacker gaining access.

9.U.2 sockets

U.2 is an interface used to connect different types of devices, mainly mass storage devices. It has the same performance as M.2, but U.2 SSDs come in the form of regular 2.5″ SATA drives and could therefore support much higher capacities than mSATA drives.

Expansion slots

1.PCIe 3.0 x16 slots

PCIe slots allow you to connect various components to the motherboard, such as graphics cards and sound cards. The number after the ‘x’ represents the number of lanes, with more lanes supporting higher data transfer rates. PCI Express 3.0 has a bit rate of 8 GT/s, delivering 985 MB/s per lane.

2.PCIe 4.0 x16 slots

PCIe slots allow you to connect various components to the motherboard, such as graphics cards and SSDs. The number of data-transmission lanes (specified by the number after the ‘x’) determines the data transfer rate. PCIe 4.0 provides a 16 GT/s bit rate that doubles the bandwidth provided by PCIe 3.0.

3.PCIe x1 slots

Using PCIe slots, you can connect different components to your motherboard, such as graphics cards and RAID cards. The number after the ‘x’ represents the number of data-transmission lanes. More lanes result in faster data transfer rates. A PCIe x1 slot has one lane and can move data at one bit per cycle.

4.PCI slots

PCI slots allow you to connect peripherals to the motherboard, most commonly graphics cards but also others such as sound cards and network cards. PCI has been superseded by PCI Express which offers faster data transfer rates, but many cards today still use PCI.

5.PCIe 2.0 x16 slots

PCIe slots allow you to connect graphics cards, SSDs, and other components to the motherboard. The number after the ‘x’ represents the number of lanes, with more lanes supporting higher data transfer rates. PCI Express 2.0 has a transfer rate of 5 GT/s, providing 500 MB/s per lane.

6.PCIe x4 slots

PCIe slots enable you to connect various components to your motherboard, for example, graphics cards, RAID cards, SSDs. The number of data-transmission lanes (specified by the number following ‘x’) determines the data transfer rate. A PCIe x4 slot has 4 lanes, with a speed of 4 bits per cycle.

7.PCIe x8 slots

PCIe slots allow you to connect components such as graphics cards and sound cards to the motherboard. The number after the ‘x’ represents the number of data-transmission lanes. More lanes result in faster data transfer rates. A PCIe x8 slot has 8 lanes and can move data at 8 bit per cycle.

Audio

1.Signal-to-Noise ratio (DAC)

When a digital signal is converted to an analog one (for example when playing audio through speakers or headphones), a certain amount of noise is carried in the signal. A higher SNR means that there is less noise and the audio quality is better.

2.audio channels

Each channel is a separate stream of audio information. More channels can provide a more realistic experience, such as providing surround sound.

3.Has S/PDIF Out port

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✔MSI B450M Mortar Max

S/PDIF is an interface used to transmit digital audio with high fidelity.

4.audio connectors

More connectors means that more audio devices such as speakers or microphones can be connected.

Storage

1.Supports RAID 1

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✔MSI B450M Mortar Max

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disks into one unit. RAID 1 mirrors the data across the drives. This gives you greater data security as if one drive fails, the data will still be accessible from another.

2.Supports RAID 10 (1+0)

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✔MSI B450M Mortar Max

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disks into one unit. RAID 10 (1+0) stripes and mirrors the data across the drives. It gives increased capacity and performance compared to a single disk. It also provides greater data security as if one drive fails, the data will still be accessible from another.

3.Supports RAID 5

✖ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✖MSI B450M Mortar Max

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disks into one unit. RAID 5 stripes the data across the drives, giving increased performance compared to a single disk. It also provides greater data security as if one drive fails, the data will still be accessible from another due to the use of parity.

4.Supports RAID 0

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✔MSI B450M Mortar Max

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disks into one unit. RAID 0 stripes the data across the drives, giving increased performance and capacity compared to a single drive. The drawback is that if one drive fails, you lose the data on all drives.

5.Supports RAID 0+1

✖ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✖MSI B450M Mortar Max

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disks into one unit. RAID 0+1 stripes and mirrors the data across the drives. This gives increased capacity and performance compared to a single disk. It also provides greater data security in case one drive fails, as the data will still be accessible from another.

Price comparison

Cancel

Which are the best motherboards?

0024 2933MHz vs 2666MHz

1 more PCIe 3. 0 x16 slots?
2 vs 1

Why is Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming better than ASRock B450 Steel Legend?

• 867MHz faster RAM speed?
  4400MHz vs 3533MHz
• 0.9 more audio channels?
  8 vs 7.1
• 1 more PCIe 2.0 x16 slots?
  1 vs 0
• 1 more DVI outputs?
  1 vs 0
• 61mm narrower?
  244mm vs 305mm

Which comparisons are the most popular?

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Gigabyte B450 Aorus Elite

Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

vs

Asus TUF B550M-Plus Gaming

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

MSI B450M Mortar Max

Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

vs

Asus TUF A520M-Plus Gaming

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Gigabyte B550M DS3H

Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

vs

Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

ASRock B550 Steel Legend

Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

vs

Gigabyte B450 Aorus Elite

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

0003

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Asus TUF A520M-Plus Gaming

Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

vs

Asus Prime B550M-A

ASRock B450 Steel Legend

vs

Gigabyte B450 Aorus Pro

ASUS TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

VS

MSI B450M MORTAR MAX

ASROCK B450 STEEL LEGEND

VS

GIGABYTE AORURUS ELITE

ASUS TUF BUF BUF0003

3. speed RAM

3533MHz

4400MHz

The motherboard supports overclocking RAM to a higher speed. By increasing the memory speed, we increase the performance of the computer.

4.memory slots

The more memory slots (DIMMs), the more RAM you can add to your computer. This is relevant for the upgrade, because. The memory bar can be installed in an empty slot, rather than replacing an already installed one.

5.DDR memory version

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming)

DDR (Dynamic Dynamic Random Access Memory Double Data Rate) is the most common type of RAM. New versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy efficient.

6.Memory channels

More memory channels increase the speed of data transfer between memory and processor.

7.Supports Memory Error Code

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✔Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

Memory Error Code can detect and repair data corruption. It is used when necessary to avoid distortion, such as in scientific computing or when starting a server.

Ports

1.USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) ports

USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports speeds up to 10Gbps. It was previously known as USB 3.1 Gen 2. These ports use the older USB-A connector.

2.USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) ports

USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports speeds up to 5Gbps. It was previously known as USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0. These ports use the old USB-A connector.

3.USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-C) ports

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming)

USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports speeds up to 10Gbps. It was previously known as USB 3.1 Gen 2. These ports use a USB-C connector.

4.USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-C) ports

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming)

USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports speeds up to 5Gbps. It was previously known as USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0. These ports use a USB-C connector.

5.USB 2.0 ports

The more USB 2.0 ports, the more USB 2.0 compatible devices you can connect to your computer.

6.USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 ports

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming)

USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 was introduced in 2019. It supports speeds up to 20Gbps and uses a USB-C connector.

7.USB ports 4 40Gbps

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming)

This version of USB 4 supports very high speeds up to 40 Gbps. Unlike USB 3.2, USB 4 can allocate bandwidth for video and data. These ports use a USB-C connector.

8.USB ports 4 20Gbps

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming)

This version of USB 4 supports speeds up to 20Gbps. Unlike USB 3.2, USB 4 can allocate bandwidth for video and data. These ports use a USB-C connector.

9.Thunderbolt 4 ports

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming)

Number of Thunderbolt 4 compatible USB ports. These ports support speeds up to 40 Gb/s, including a minimum PCIe speed of 32 Gb/s. This ensures that it can support two external 4K screens (or one external 8K screen).

Connectors

1.USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (via expansion)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming)

The number of USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports that can be added using the USB connectors on the motherboard.

2.USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (via expansion)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock B450 Steel Legend)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming)

The number of USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports that can be added using the USB connectors on the motherboard.

3 USB 2.0 ports (pass-through expanders)

Number of USB 2.0 ports that can be added via pins (USB headers) on the motherboard.

4.SATA 3 connectors

SATA is an interface used to connect storage devices such as hard drives and Blu-ray discs. The native data transfer rate of SATA 3 is 6 Gb/s, which is twice as high as that of SATA 2. It can be useful to use an SSD, because it improves the speed.

5. fan headers

These are the contact surfaces on the motherboard to which fans can be connected. Fans, of course, can also be connected directly to the power supply, but by connecting them through the motherboard, we get the ability to control devices through software.

6.USB 3.0 ports (pass-through expanders)

The motherboard has pins in the form of male connectors to which additional USB ports can be connected.

7.M.2 connector

M.2 is an interface used to connect various devices, mainly storage devices such as M.2 SSD. It is a revision of mSATA and supports much higher data transfer rates.

8. There is a TPM connector

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✖Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a component that greatly improves security. For example, it enables the creation of RSA keys in a secure environment, minimizing the risk of hackers.

9.U.2 connectors

U.2 is an interface used to connect various types of devices, mainly storage devices. It is equal in performance to M.2, but U.2 SSD drives are made in the format of regular 2.5″ SATA drives, and because of this they support much larger volumes than mSATA drives.

Expansion slots

PCIe slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network «x16» indicates the number of lanes. The more lanes, the higher the data transfer rate. PCIe 3.0 offers a higher speed than PCIe 2.0 and higher performance

2.PCIe 4.0 x16 slots

PCIe slots allow you to connect various components such as video cards and SSDs to the motherboard. The number of data lanes (determined by the number after the «x») determines the data rate. PCIe 4.0 provides transfer speeds of 16GT/s, doubling the bandwidth provided by PCIe 3.0.

3.PCIe x1 slots

PCIe slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network. «x1» indicates the number of tracks. The more tracks, the higher the data transfer rate.

4.PCI slots

PCI slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network cards. PCI technology has been superseded by PCI Express technology, which offers higher data transfer speeds, but there are still many cards using PCI slots these days.

5.PCIe 2.0 x16 slots

PCIe slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network. «x16» indicates the number of tracks. The more tracks, the higher the data transfer rate.

6.PCIe x4 slots

PCIe slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network. «x4» indicates the number of tracks. The more tracks, the higher the data transfer rate.

7.PCIe x8 slots

PCIe slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network. «x8» indicates the number of tracks. The more tracks, the higher the data transfer rate.

Audio

1.signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)

When a digital signal is converted to analog (for example, when playing sound through speakers or headphones), a certain amount of noise is carried in the signal. Higher SNR means less noise and better audio quality when converting.

2. audio channels

Each channel is a separate stream of audio information. The more channels, the more realistic the experience, such as surround sound.

3.S/PDIF out port

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✖Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

S/PDIF is an interface used to transmit high quality digital audio.

4.audio sockets

The more sockets, the more audio devices (speakers, microphones) can be connected.

Memory

1.RAID 1 support

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✔Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disks into one array. RAID 1 is a technology of mirror duplication of information on disks. Provides increased data storage security, as if one drive fails, the data will be available from another drive.

2.RAID 10 (1+0) support

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✔Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disks into one array. RAID 10(1+0) is a technology for striping and mirroring information on disks. Has higher processing capacity and performance compared to a single drive. It also provides increased data storage security, as if one drive fails, the data will be available from another drive.

3.RAID 5 support

✖ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✖Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

RAID is a data storage technology that combines multiple drives into one array. RAID 5 is a disk striping technology. It has higher performance compared to a separate disk. It also provides enhanced data storage security, as if one disk fails, the data will still be available on the other, thanks to the use of non-dedicated parity disk technology.

4.RAID 0 supported

✔ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✔Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

RAID is a data storage technology that combines multiple drives into one array. RAID 0 is a disk striping technology. Has higher processing capacity and performance compared to a single drive. The disadvantage is that if one drive fails, data will be lost on all drives.

5.Support RAID 0+1

✖ASRock B450 Steel Legend

✖Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple drives into one array. RAID 0+1 is a technology of striping and mirror duplication of information on disks. It has higher processing capacity and performance compared to a single drive. It also provides increased data storage security, because if one drive fails, the data will be available from another drive.

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B450 R2.0: ASRock Introduces Three New B450 Motherboards

Gigabyte decided to introduce new B450 motherboards in addition to the new B550 line, ASRock also took the opportunity to announce three new models on its website. Namely, the second edition of the budget B450M Pro4, B450 Pro4 and B450M / ac. ASRock labeled the new models «R2.0» to avoid confusion.

The differences between the new motherboards can only be found under a magnifying glass. For the three R2.0 models, ASRock minimally tweaked the power subsystem and added one more phase. For the rest of the set of functions, we got the same level, except that the coloring has become more modern.

ASRock B450 Pro4 R2.0 is the only new ATX model with a large number of expansion slots, namely two mechanical PCIe 3.0 x16 and four PCIe 2.0 x1. The board has six SATA 6 Gb / s ports and two M.2 M-key slots for connecting drives. Of course, there are USB ports of all modern generations (with the possible exception of USB 3.2 Gen2x2).

ASRock also offers the B450M Pro4 R2.0 in a more compact Micro-ATX format, so the motherboard takes up less space but offers fewer expansion slots. But it has one PCIe 3.0 x16, one PCIe 2.0 x16 (mechanical), and one PCIe 2. 0 x1 for system expansion. There are also two M.2 M-Key slots and four native SATA 6Gb/s ports. Of the common functions of the two motherboards, we note the built-in audio subsystem based on Realtek ALC892/897 and a Gigabit LAN port, as well as three video outputs: HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort and D-Sub in the case of ATX, HDMI 1.4, DVI-D and D-Sub on the Micro-ATX model.

The third and last updated board is ASRock B450M/ac R2.0, which is also very similar to the first version. Here, too, ASRock has added a CPU power phase. And everything else has not changed. We note the slot PCIe 3.0 x16 and PCIe 2.0 x16 (mechanical), four SATA 6 Gb / s, four DDR4 UDIMMs, providing installation of up to 64 GB of RAM. But the board only has one M.2 M-key slot with PCIe 3.0 x4 connectivity.

In addition to the a Gigabit LAN port, the board has a WLAN AC module, as you can guess from the model name. Compared to the two Pro4 versions above, the B450M/ac R2.0 has slightly fewer USB ports, with six USB 3.