Help me decide what motherboard to buy [R5 3600] [550 mATX]

Apr 29, 2020
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Why Are You Upgrading: I'm upgrading from a R3 2200G and 16GB 2400 to R5 3600 and 32GB 3200/3600. I want a 550M Motherboard for future-proofing. I can't buy an x570 because I'm using a mATX Q300L that I don't intend to replace. My current mobo is an ASUS Prime B450m-A/CSM, I've always chosen budget mobos, so this will be my first time upgrading to a mid-tier board.

Approximate Purchase Date: the closer the better
Budget Range: $120-$170
What will your machine be used for? gaming,
Parts to Upgrade: CPU, mobo, RAM
Preferred Website(s) for Parts? Newegg or Amazon or any reputable store that ships to Orlando, FL
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

I want to pull the trigger on one of these, if I manage to find them on stock and near the MSRP, but I'm confused by the price difference between the Aorus and everything else, I'd love to hear some comments about it:

$129.99 GIGABYTE B550M AORUS PRO
$154.99 ASRock B550M STEEL LEGEND
$159.99 ASUS TUF GAMING B550M-PLUS
$159.99 MSI MAG B550M MORTAR

Here's a product comparison on Newegg.

I would like it to have an integrated I/O shield.
I don't care about PCI slots at all other than plugging in my GPU.
I don't own an M.2 at the moment, but I do want to get one in the near future.
I don't use USB ports for anything else than peripherals and flash drives or connecting my phone.
 
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Stick with your B450 motherboard and wait for more B550 boards to be available / have come down in price.

To be honest, you might as well keep the 2666MHz RAM too. The cost of the upgrade is unlikely to be worth it.
 
TBF if the OP is looking to squeeze more performance out of their (as yet unpurchased) 3600, rather than spending $160 on a mobo whose features they're not even going to use yet or in the foreseeable, they might as well stick to their current mobo and buy an R7 3700x instead of the 3600. :)

Re: B550 performance, it's possible by the time the board ended up in the OP's system - or soon thereafter - new BIOS versions would also have affected the (very slim) performance differences too.
 
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