Gigabyte B450 Aorus Pro WIFI
Tom’s Hardware Verdict
This board can’t quite push Ryzen chips to their limits, so only expect modest overclocks. But otherwise, Gigabyte delivers an excellent value here that’s worthy of the Aorus brand.
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Introduction to B450 and Product Description
AMD’s Ryzen 2000 CPUs (like the Ryzen 7 2700X) might be old news by now, but AMD’s new budget-focused B450 chipset comes out of the gate ready to inject more value into the AMD AM4 platform. Our success with the X470 Aorus Gaming 7 WIFI gives us high hopes for the lesser B450 Aorus Pro board, but Gigabyte does hold back on some features that could have made this board spectacular. Regardless, the B450 chipset is a sweet spot for builders and gamers who don’t need X470’s added feature set, and Gigabyte delivers a great product with the B450 Aorus Pro WIFI, at a surprisingly affordable $120 MSRP.
Specifications
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Socket | AM4 |
| Chipset | AMD B450 |
| Form Factor | ATX |
| Voltage Regulator | 8+3 Phases |
| Video Ports | (1) HDMI 2. 0(1) DVI-D |
| USB Ports | 10Gbps: (1) Type A, (1) Type-C5Gbps: (4) Type-A |
| Network Jacks | (1) Gigabit Ethernet |
| Audio Jacks | (5) Analog, (1) Digital |
| Legacy Ports/Jacks | ✗ |
| Other Ports/Jack | (2) SMA Antenna |
| PCIe x16 | (1) v3.0(1) v2.0 (x4) *shared with PCIEX1_2(1) v2.0 (x1) |
| PCIe x8 | ✗ |
| PCIe x4 | ✗ |
| PCIe x1 | (1) v2.0 |
| CrossFire/SLI | 2x / 4x |
| DIMM slots | (4) DDR4 |
M. 2 slots |
(1) PCIe v3 x4 / SATA 42/60/80/110(1) PCIe v3 x2 / SATA 42/60/80 |
| U.2 Ports | ✗ |
| SATA Ports | (6) 6Gb/s |
| USB Headers | (1) 5Gbps(2) USB2.0 |
| Fan Headers | (5) 4-pin |
| Legacy Interfaces | ✗ |
| Other Interfaces | (2) RGB Header(1) RGBW Header(1) CLR CMOS, (1) TPM |
| Diagnostics Panel | ✗ |
| Internal Button/Switch | ✗ |
| SATA Controllers | Integrated (0/1/10) |
| Ethernet Controllers | Intel® I211AT |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 card |
| USB Controllers | ✗ |
| HD Audio Codec | Realtek® ALC1220-VB |
| DDL/DTS Connect | ✗ / ✗ |
| Warranty | 3 Years |
Over the past year of testing Ryzen-based builds, we’ve had nothing but success with the company’s boards, and their B450 takes its improvements from X470 and applies them to AMD’s updated “mainstream” chipset.
- Gigabyte B450 Aorus Pro Wifi (AMD Ryzen) at Amazon for $182.90
AMD Socket AM4 Chipset Features
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Row 0 — Cell 0 | USB 3.1 Gen2 | USB 3.1 Gen1 | USB 2.0 | SATA 3.0 | SATA Express / PCIe Gen3 | PCIe Gen2 | CPU PCIe Gen3 | Overclocking | XFR2 | XFR2 Enhanced | Precision Boost Overdrive |
| X470 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1×16 / 2×8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| X370 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1×16 / 2×8 | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| B450 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1×16 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| B350 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1×16 | Yes | Yes | No | No |
For those of you not keeping up with chipset changes, AMD’s increment from the 300 series to 400 series primarily includes improvements for board physical specifications to formally support XFR2 (an update of AMD’s extended frequency range feature) and Precision Boost Override for what AMD calls its 2nd Generation Ryzen chips (Ryzen 2000 series).
AMD provides specifications for layer counts and supported memory speeds, regulator design requirements, and other stipulations for these refreshed boards. Between X470 and B450, the same IO support dynamic that was found with last year’s X370/B350 remains. In other words, B series boards support fewer USB3.0 Gen1, PCIe Gen3 x16 slots, and PCIe Gen2 lanes than their more expensive brothers. For more details, you can check the chart above.
On the surface, fewer slots and port support sounds like an instant “con,” but honestly the majority of builders don’t support for a second graphics card, larger SATA RAID configurations, or a plethora of 5Gbps USB. Also, with that same mindset, manufacturers don’t need to provide fully enabled lower-end boards that directly compete with their higher-tiered offerings. From there, it really is a thought experiment as to which chipset truly is “better,” and hopefully we’ll shine some light on that throughout the article.
Image 1 of 2
Enter the Gigabyte B450 Aorus Pro WIFI.
Gigabyte has traditionally kept its Aorus brand relegated to premium offerings, but for B450 they couldn’t resist unleashing the falcon that we have appreciate from previous reviews. Bringing a well-respected brand to a lower tier might appear to be a marketing gimmick, but it turns out this board is on-par with similar offerings from X470. From an aesthetics perspective, the B450 Aorus Pro WIFI looks shockingly similar to the X470 Aorus 5, with the omission of LED lit DIMM and PCIe slots. Comparing the B450 board against the X470 Aorus Ultra, the inclusion of Wi-Fi in the B450 Pro might be enough for some to negate the X470’s improved connectivity elsewhere.
The B450 Pro WIFI comes equipped with ample RGB lights, RGB power switches, and an addressable LED interface that helps mitigate these deficiencies for future upgrades for builders. For a budget board, we don’t expect the contents of the box to be substantial and Gigabyte doesn’t overwhelm with accessories and extra parts. The company includes their badge sticker along with documentation, a couple SATA cables, and a Wi-Fi antenna for connecting the SMA plugs on the back panel.
Image 1 of 2
The I/O panel reflects the B450 chipset’s decreased IO, with access to only four USB3.1 Gen1, two USB3.1 Gen2, HDMI 2.0, DVI-D, Gigabit Ethernet, five analog audio and one digital audio jack, and two Wi-Fi antenna ports. The integrated back panel is a nice aesthetic inclusion that’s usually only found on pricier enthusiast-chipset boards. Builders with APUs like the Ryzen 5 2600 are primed for upgrading from older chipsets thanks to the video ports. And the lack of USB 2 means we aren’t left questioning which ports are high speed when reaching around behind the PC.
Image 1 of 2
Audio coverage on the B450 Aorus Pro is provided through the Realtek ALC1220-VB codec boasting improved audio signal-to-noise ratios and impedance detection for use with different strength drivers on various grades of “head-worn audio devices.” As for wired networking, the tried and true Intel I211AT controller is used here and Gigabyte includes its cFosSpeed Internet Accelerator for prioritizing network traffic through the Ethernet port.
We don’t have performance results with this tool, but it appears that more vendors are implementing features that mimic Rivet Network’s Killer-brand, which prioritizes packets for improved network performance. One benefit we like with this board is the inclusion of the 802.11ac controller, even if it is a 1×1 design using Intel’s AC3168. Even if you’re planning to use wired Ethernet, Wi-Fi can be handy in a pinch when you’re building, troubleshooting, or upgrading your PC and your work bench/kitchen table is nowhere near an Ethernet jack.
Image 1 of 6
As we look along the outer edge of the board, we see two USB2.0 headers, one USB3.1 Gen1, and various front-panel headers on the bottom edge. RGB connectors are located in the bottom-left and top-right quadrants of the board, also accompanied by three of the board’s five 4-pin fan headers. The right edge hosts four angled SATA3 headers and the 2 vertical SATA headers which look lonely on this B450 chipset board. System power is provided through the standard 24-pin ATX header next to the four dual-latch DIMM slots, and an 8-pin EPS 12V plug is crammed next to a fan header in the top-left quadrant of the board.
Lastly, a single 4-pin fan header is directly below the Vreg heatsink, for use with fans directly above the IO shield.
Image 1 of 2
As simple as the PCIe configuration looks, there are some interesting things to keep in mind when picking parts. First, the M.2 slots are wired out for PCIe Gen3 x4 and x2 respectively, which is a pleasant departure from the Gen2 variants on other boards. However, the x16 slots are misleading, with only the top slot being wired out for PCIe Gen3 x16. The middle x16 and bottom x16 share bandwidth with the x1 slot, and the middle slot only works at x4 when neither of the others is populated. Otherwise, it runs at x2 mode.
Image 1 of 2
Having looked at a few higher-end boards with X470, building with the B450 shows its limitations: The target audience steers component choices and our nitpicks. The fan header by the 8-pin EPS header really needs to be in a different location to be considered useful, and it would have been nice to have the 2 vertical SATA headers converted to angled headers and moved closer to the chipset.
As for component recommendations, we suggest a dedicated GPU and either running a capture card or other device in the top or bottom slots. If extra bandwidth is needed, you can populate the x4 slot. But if you do, we see the risk of blocking the GPU’s airflow. We do not recommend running more than two IO cards in this motherboard.
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Gigabyte B450 Aorus Pro Wifi: Price Comparison
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Introduction to B450 and Product Description
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GIGABYTE AORUS B450 I PRO WIFI Review
Article NavigationPage 1: IntroductionPage 2: Technical SpecificationsPage 3: Packaging & First LookPage 4: Closer LookPage 5: BIOS & OverclockingPage 6: Test Setup & SoftwarePage 7: Benchmarks: Power ConsumptionPage 8: Ray Tracing Performance POV-Ray 3.7Page 9: AES Encryption Performance TrueCrypt 7.1aPage 10: Encoding Performance x264 HDPage 11: Processing Features Performance AIDA64Page 12: Memory Transfer Performance AIDA64Page 13: Processing Power Performance Cinebench R15Page 14: Bandwidth Performance — SiSoftware SANDRAPage 15: Image Editing Performance PCMark 8 PhotoshopPage 16: Overall System Performance PCMark 8Page 17: VR Performance — VRMarkPage 18: 3D Performance 3DMarkPage 19: Gaming Performance — Rise of the Tomb Raider & Total War: WARHAMMERPage 20: Conclusion
GIGABYTE AORUS B450 I PRO WIFI Review
?by Matthew Hodgson
Comments
?04-09-18
Introduction
Product on Review:Aorus B450 I AORUS Pro WiFi
Manufacturer:AORUS
Street Price: UK — 139.
99 / AUSTRALIA — $209.99 AUD
AMDs release of the Ryzen CPUs has sparked excitement throughout the PC community over the last year or so, giving users massive multithreaded power at an affordable cost, however, those CPUs also required large motherboards with big heatsinks. AORUS believe theyve fixed that issue with the AORUS B450 I Pro WiFi, catering to the Mini-ITX form factor while still providing a feature-packed B450 chipset.
While the AORUS board measures only 170mm x 170mm, the 2700X can still be equipped, giving any small form-factor system a healthy number of cores for processing work of any kind, providing you can cool the chip sufficiently, obviously. Not only are you capable of running massive CPUs, we also get four SATA connections, an M.2 slot with a sizeable heatsink and twin-antenna WiFi.
Many people may plan to use this as a small media hub under the TV; the B450 I Pro WiFi uses an ALC1220-VC Audio chip for clear sound, perfect for movie watchers and theres also a pair of HDMI 2.
0 ports and a Display Port 1.4, all capable of 4K output.
The B450 I Pro WiFi offers all of the essentials without any of the size, however, with a pricetag of 139.99, it needs to perform just like the big guns. Read on to see how it fares.
AORUS on the B450 I Pro WiFi:
AORUS B450 I AORUS PRO WIFI uses an all IR digital CPU power design which includes both digital PWM Controllers and Power Stage controllers, capable of providing at least 50A of power. These 100% digital controllers and additional 8 Solid-pin CPU Power Connectors offer incredible precision in delivering power to the motherboard’s most power-hungry and energy-sensitive components, allowing enthusiasts to get the absolute maximum performance from the new 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen processors.
20 pages
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2
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>
»
Page 1: IntroductionPage 2: Technical SpecificationsPage 3: Packaging & First LookPage 4: Closer LookPage 5: BIOS & OverclockingPage 6: Test Setup & SoftwarePage 7: Benchmarks: Power ConsumptionPage 8: Ray Tracing Performance POV-Ray 3.
7Page 9: AES Encryption Performance TrueCrypt 7.1aPage 10: Encoding Performance x264 HDPage 11: Processing Features Performance AIDA64Page 12: Memory Transfer Performance AIDA64Page 13: Processing Power Performance Cinebench R15Page 14: Bandwidth Performance — SiSoftware SANDRAPage 15: Image Editing Performance PCMark 8 PhotoshopPage 16: Overall System Performance PCMark 8Page 17: VR Performance — VRMarkPage 18: 3D Performance 3DMarkPage 19: Gaming Performance — Rise of the Tomb Raider & Total War: WARHAMMERPage 20: Conclusion
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Test and Review: Gigabyte B450 AORUS Pro Motherboard with Advanced Features
Of course, Gigabyte couldn’t miss the announcement of the new B450 chipset, the company released four different motherboards aimed at the mainstream market.
In addition to the B450M DS3H and B450 AORUS M, Gigabyte introduced the B450 AORUS Pro and B450 AORUS Pro WIFI. Our test lab received the B450 AORUS Pro, which we will consider in the review.
In terms of dimensions, the Gigabyte B450 AORUS Pro is a full-fledged ATX motherboard, and note the absence of the usual «Gaming» in the title. Nevertheless, the equipment of the motherboard is very decent. Gigabyte has installed four DDR4 DIMM slots, various storage ports and expansion slots. Note the abundance of USB interfaces.
PCB is black, same goes for most interfaces. Not without the AORUS logo.
Specifications
With the Gigabyte B450 AORUS Pro we get the following set of features:
| Manufacturer and model |
Gigabyte B450 AORUS Pro |
|---|---|
| Motherboard format | ATX |
| CPU socket | PGA AM4 (for Summit Ridge, Raven Ridge and Pinnacle Ridge) |
| Power connectors | 1x 24-pin ATX 1x 8-pin EPS12V |
| Phases/chokes | 12 units (11x CPU, 1x RAM) |
| Retail price | N/A |
| Manufacturer website | Gigabyte |
| Chipset/CPU functions | |
| Chipset | AMD B450 |
| Memory and type | 4x DDR4 (two channels), up to 2. 933 MHz |
| Memory subsystem | Max. 64 GB (in 16 GB UDIMM sticks), ECC |
| SLI / CrossFire | 2-Way CrossFireX |
| Built-in functions | |
| PCI Express | 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16) via CPU, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x8) via APU 2x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4/x1) via AMD B450 1x PCIe 2.0 x1 via AMD B450 |
| SATA(e), SAS and M.2/U.2 interfaces | 4x SATA 6Gb/s via AMD B450 2x SATA 6Gb/s via CPU/APU 1x M.2 M-Key PCIe 3.0 x4 via CPU/APU 1x M.2 M-Key PCIe 3.0 x2 via AMD B450 |
| USB | 2x USB 3.1 Gen2 (external, Type A/C) via AMD B450 6x USB 3.1 Gen1 (4x external, 2x internal) 4x via CPU/APU, 2x via AMD B450 4x USB 2.0 (4x internal) via AMD B450 |
| Video outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b 1x DVI-D |
| WLAN / Bluetooth | — |
| Thunderbolt | — |
| LAN | 1x Intel I211-AT Gigabit-LAN |
| Audio controller and interfaces | Realtek ALC1220 8ch 5x 3.  5mm audio jacks 1x TOSLink |
| LED light | RGB LED 2x RGB |
| FAN and CBO connectors | 1x 4-pin CPU FAN 1x 4-pin CPU OPT 2x 4-pin Chassis FAN 1x 4-pin Chassis/W_Pump |
| Manufacturer’s Warranty | 3 years |
Package Contents
You will receive the following accessories with the motherboard:
- Motherboard manual, DVD with drivers and software
- Two SATA cables
- Two M.2 screws with nut
- G-Connector
- AORUS sticker
Includes motherboard manual, support DVD, two SATA cables, G-Connector, and M.2 hardware.
<>Test & Review: Gigabyte B450 AORUS Pro — Advanced Feature Motherboard
Gigabyte B450 AORUS Pro | Features and layout (1)
GigaByte B450 I Aorus Pro WiFi 9 motherboard0001
Description
Features
general information
Manufacturer
Gigabyte
Model
B450 I Aorus Pro WiFi
CPU
Socket
AM4
Number of Sockets
1
Supported processors
AMD Ryzen 2nd, 1st Generation
Support for multi-core processors
yes
Chipset
Chipset
AMD B450
BIOS
AMI
SLI/Crossfire support
no
Memory type
DDR4 DIMM
Memory
Memory frequency
2133 — 3200 MHz
ECC Support
ECC, non-ECC
Number of memory slots
2
Dual channel support
yes
Maximum Memory
32 GB
Expansion slots
PCI-E 16x
1
ethernet
1000 Mbps
WiFi
802.
11ac
Bluetooth
yes
Disk controllers
SATA
4
Number of M.2 slots
1
M.2 slot type
Socket 3, M key, 2242/2260/2280
RAID
0, 1, 10
Audio Video
Sound scheme
7.1ch
Sound
HDA based on Realtek ALC 887
Interfaces
RJ45 (LAN)
1
USB 2.