ASUS ROG Strix B550-A Gaming Service Manual

4 (2)

ROG STRIX

B550-A GAMING

Motherboard

E16919

First Edition

July 2020

Copyright © 2020 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identification or explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.

Offer to Provide Source Code of Certain Software

This product contains copyrighted software that is licensed under the General Public License (“GPL”), under the Lesser General Public License Version (“LGPL”) and/or other Free Open Source Software Licenses. Such software in this product is distributed without any warranty to the extent permitted by the applicable law. Copies of these licenses are included in this product.

Where the applicable license entitles you to the source code of such software and/or other additional data, you may obtain it for a period of three years after our last shipment of the product, either

(1)for free by downloading it from https://www.asus.com/support/

or

(2)for the cost of reproduction and shipment, which is dependent on the preferred carrier and the location where you want to have it shipped to, by sending a request to:

ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

Legal Compliance Dept.

1F., No. 15, Lide Rd.,

Beitou Dist., Taipei City 112

Taiwan

In your request please provide the name, model number and version, as stated in the About Box of the product for which you wish to obtain the corresponding source code and your contact details so that we can coordinate the terms and cost of shipment with you.

The source code will be distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY and licensed under the same license as the corresponding binary/object code.

This offer is valid to anyone in receipt of this information.

ASUSTeK is eager to duly provide complete source code as required under various Free Open Source Software licenses. If however you encounter any problems in obtaining the full corresponding source code we would be much obliged if you give us a notification to the email address gpl@asus.com, stating the product and describing the problem (please DO NOT send large attachments such as source code archives, etc. to this email address).

ii

Contents

Safety information......................................................................................................

iv

About this guide...........................................................................................................

v

ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING specifications summary...........................................

vi

Connectors with shared bandwidth...........................................................................

x

Package contents.......................................................................................................

xi

Installation tools and components...........................................................................

xii

Chapter 1:

Product Introduction

 

1.1

Before you proceed....................................................................................

1-1

1.2

Motherboard layout....................................................................................

1-2

Chapter 2:

Basic Installation

 

2.1

Building your PC system...........................................................................

2-1

 

2.1.1

CPU installation...........................................................................

2-1

 

2.1.2

Cooling system installation..........................................................

2-2

 

2.1.3

DIMM installation.........................................................................

2-5

 

2.1.4

M.2 installation.............................................................................

2-6

 

2.1.5

Motherboard installation..............................................................

2-8

 

2.1.6

ATX power connection.................................................................

2-9

 

2.1.7

SATA device connection............................................................

2-10

 

2.1.8

Front I/O connector....................................................................

2-11

 

2.1.9

Expansion card installation........................................................

2-12

2.2

BIOS update utility....................................................................................

2-13

2.3

Motherboard rear and audio connections..............................................

2-14

 

2.3.1

Rear I/O connection...................................................................

2-14

 

2.3.2

Audio I/O connections................................................................

2-16

2.4

Starting up for the first time....................................................................

2-18

2.5

Turning off the computer.........................................................................

2-18

Chapter 3:

BIOS and RAID Support

 

3.1

Knowing BIOS.............................................................................................

3-1

3.2

BIOS Setup program..................................................................................

3-2

3.3

EZ Update....................................................................................................

3-2

3.4

ASUS EZ Flash 3.........................................................................................

3-3

3.5

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3............................................................................

3-4

3.6

RAID configurations...................................................................................

3-5

Appendix

 

 

Notices

.....................................................................................................................

 

A-1

ASUS contact information......................................................................................

A-6

iii

Safety information

Electrical safety

To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the system.

When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.

Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that all power cables are unplugged.

Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord. These devices could interrupt the grounding circuit.

Ensure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power company.

If the power supply is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified service technician or your retailer.

Operation safety

Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package.

Before using the product, ensure all cables are correctly connected and the power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.

To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.

Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area where it may become wet.

Place the product on a stable surface.

If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualified service technician or your retailer.

Your motherboard should only be used in environments with ambient temperatures between 0°C and 40°C.

iv

About this guide

This user guide contains the information you need when installing and configuring the motherboard.

How this guide is organized

This guide contains the following parts:

Chapter 1: Product Introduction

This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it supports. It includes description of the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the motherboard.

Chapter 2: Basic Installation

This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components.

Chapter 3: BIOS and RAID Support

This chapter tells how to boot into the BIOS, upgrade BIOS using the EZ Flash Utility and support on RAID.

Where to find more information

Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates.

1.ASUS website

The ASUS website (www.asus.com) provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products.

2.Optional documentation

Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty flyers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not part of the standard package.

Conventions used in this guide

To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual.

CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components and injuries to yourself when trying to complete a task.

IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task.

NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task.

v

ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING specifications summary

CPU

AMD Socket AM4 for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors*

*

Refer to www.asus.com for the AMD® CPU support list.

 

Chipset

AMD B550 Chipset

 

3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors

 

4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, 4600(O.C)/4400(O.C)/4266(O.C)/4133(O.C)/

 

4000(O.C)/3866(O.C)/3600(O.C)/3466(O.C.)/3200/3000/2800/2666/

Memory

2400/2133 MHz, Un-buffered Memory*

Dual Channel Memory Architecture

 

 

OptiMem II

 

*

ECC memory (ECC mode) support varies by CPU.

 

*

Refer to www.asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).

 

 

 

1 x DisplayPort 1.2*

Graphics

1 x HDMITM 2.1 (4K@60HZ)

 

*

Graphics specifications may vary between CPU types.

 

 

 

3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors

 

1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 SafeSlot (supports x16 mode)

Expansion Slots

AMD B550 Chipset

1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot (supports x4 mode)*

 

 

3 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots

 

* PCIEX16_2 shares bandwidth with PCIE x1_1, PCIE x1_2, and PCIE x1_3.

 

 

Multi-GPU Support

Supports AMD 2-Way CrossFireX™ Technology

 

Total supports 2 x M.2 slots and 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports

 

3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors

 

M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110

 

(supports PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA modes)

Storage

AMD B550 Chipset

M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110

 

 

(supports PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA modes)*

 

6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports

 

Supports RAID 0,1,10

 

*

When M.2_2 slot is populated , SATA6G_5/6 ports will be disabled.

 

 

Ethernet

1 x Intel® I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet

ASUS LANGuard

 

 

Rear USB (Total 8 ports)

 

2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (1 x Type-A + 1 x Type-C®)

 

4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (4 x Type-A)

USB

2 x USB 2.0 ports (2 x Type-A)

 

Front USB (Total 6 ports)

 

1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header supports additional 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports

 

2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports

 

 

(continued on the next page)

vi

ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING specifications summary

 

 

ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC

 

 

 

S1220A

 

 

 

- Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs

 

 

 

- Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking

 

 

 

- High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR

 

 

 

recording input

 

 

Audio

- Supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback*

 

 

Audio Features:

 

 

 

 

 

 

- SupremeFX Shielding Technology

 

 

 

- Dual OP Amplifiers

 

 

 

- Premium Japanese audio capacitors

 

 

 

- Audio cover

 

 

 

* Due to limitations in HDA bandwidth, 32-Bit/192 kHz is not supported for 7.1

 

 

 

Surround Sound audio.

 

 

 

2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (1 x Type-A + 1 x Type-C®)

 

 

 

4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (4 x Type-A)

 

 

 

2 x USB 2.0 ports (2 x Type-A)

 

 

 

1 x DisplayPort

 

 

Back Panel I/O Ports

1 x HDMITM port

 

 

 

1 x Intel® I225-V 2.5G Ethernet

 

 

 

5 x Audio jacks

 

 

 

1 x Optical S/PDIF out

 

 

 

1 x BIOS FlashBackTM button

 

 

 

Fan and cooling-related

 

 

 

1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header

 

 

 

1 x 4-Pin CPU_OPT Fan header

 

 

 

1 x 4-pin AIO_Pump header

 

 

 

3 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers

 

 

 

Power related

 

 

 

1 x 24-pin Main Power connector

 

 

 

1 x 8-pin +12V Power connector

 

 

 

1 x 4-pin +12V Power connector

 

 

 

Storage related

 

 

 

2 x M.2 slots (Key M)

 

 

Internal I/O Connectors

6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports

 

 

 

USB

 

 

 

1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header supports additional 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports

 

 

 

2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports

 

 

 

Miscellaneous

 

 

 

1 x AURA Addressable Gen 2 header

 

 

 

2 x AURA RGB headers

 

 

 

1 x Clear CMOS header

 

 

 

1 x Front Panel Audio header (AAFP)

 

 

 

1 x 20-5 pin System Panel header

 

 

 

1 x Thermal sensor header

 

 

 

1 x Thunderbolt header

 

 

 

(continued on the next page)

 

vii

ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING specifications summary

 

AURA Sync

 

- Aura RGB headers

 

- Addressable Gen 2 RGB header

 

ASUS Q-Design

 

- ASUS Q-DIMM

 

- ASUS Q-LED (DRAM [yellow],CPU [red], VGA [white], Boot Device

 

[yellow green])

 

- ASUS Q-Slot

Special Features

ASUS Thermal Solution

 

- Aluminum M.2 heatsink design

 

ASUS EZ DIY

 

- BIOS Flashback™ button

 

- BIOS FlashBack™ LED

 

- Clear CMOS header

 

- ProCool

 

- Pre-mounted I/O shield

 

- SafeSlot

 

ROG Exclusive Software

 

- RAMCache III

 

- ROG CPU-Z

 

- GameFirst VI

 

- Sonic Studio III + Sonic Studio Virtual Mixer

 

- Sonic Radar III

 

- DTS® Sound Unbound

 

- Overwolf

 

- Anti-virus software

 

ASUS Exclusive Software Features

 

Armoury Crate

 

- AURA Creator

 

- AURA Sync

Software Features

- AI Noise Cancelling Microphone

 

AI Suite 3

 

- PPSU

 

EPU

 

Digi+ VRM

 

Fan Xpert 4

 

TurboV EVO

 

- EZ Update

 

WinRAR

 

UEFI BIOS

 

ASUS EZ DIY

 

- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

 

- ASUS EZ Flash 3

 

- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode

 

(continued on the next page)

viii

ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING specifications summary

BIOS

256 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS

Manageability

WOL by PME, PXE

Operating System

Windows 10 64 - bit

Form Factor

ATX Form Factor

12 inch x 9.6 inch (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)

 

Specifications are subject to change without notice. Please refer to the ASUS website for the latest specifications.

ix

Connectors with shared bandwidth

FLBK_LED1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RGB_HEADER1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPU_FAN

CPU_OPT

 

 

 

BIOS_FLBK

EATX12V_2 EATX12V_1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U2_56U32G1_78

 

DIGI+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VRM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U32G2_C6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U32G2_5

 

 

 

 

 

 

AM4SOCKET

module)pin-288(64bit,B1DIMM

module)pin-288(64bit,B2*DIMM

module)pin-288(64bit,A1DIMM

module)pin-288(64bit,A2*DIMM

EATXPWR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOOT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VGA

LAN_U32G1_34

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DRAM

HDMI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_DP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AUDIO

Intel

®

CHA FAN1

AIO PUMP

 

 

 

DDR4

DDR4

DDR4

DDR4

12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_

 

I225-V

 

 

256Mb

 

 

 

 

 

 

U32G1

 

 

 

 

 

BIOS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22110

2280

 

2260

2242

1(SOCKET3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M.2_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PCIEX16_1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A

 

 

 

 

 

AMD

SATA6G 12

 

 

 

 

 

34

 

 

 

BATTERY

 

 

B550

Super

PCIEX1_1

 

 

 

SATA6G

I/O

 

 

 

 

 

 

A

 

 

 

 

 

 

56

 

PCIEX16_2

 

 

 

 

SATA6G

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A

 

 

 

 

 

 

2(SOCKET3)

 

PCIEX1_2

22110

2280

2260

2242

 

 

 

AURA

 

 

 

 

A

PCIEX1_3

 

 

 

 

 

M.2

COM_DEBUG

 

 

 

 

 

TB_HEADER

RGB_HEADER2

ADD_GEN 2

T_SENSOR

USB_E34

USB_E12

PANEL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AAFP

 

 

CLRTC

CHA_FAN3

 

 

CHA_FAN2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Configuration

1

2

 

 

PCIEX16_2

x4

x1

 

 

A

 

PCIEX1_1

-

x1

 

PCIEX1_2

-

x1

 

 

 

 

PCIEX1_3

-

x1

Configuration

1

2

B

 

M.2_2

PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA

-

 

 

SATA6G_56

-

v

 

 

B

B

PCIEX16_2 shares bandwidth with PCIEX1_1, PCIEX1_2, and PCIEX1_3. When PCIEX16_2 runs x4 mode, PCIEX1_1, PCIEX1_2, and PCIEX1_3 will be disabled. PCIEX16_2 will run x1 mode when PCIEX1_1, PCIEX1_2, or PCIEX1_3 is occupied.

When M.2_2 slot is populated, SATA6G_56 will be disabled.

x

Package contents

Check your motherboard package for the following items.

Motherboard

1 x ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING motherboard

Cables

1 x Addressable RGB extension cable

4 x SATA 6Gb/s cables

 

 

1 x Cable ties pack

 

1 x M.2 Rubber Package

Miscellaneous

1 x M.2 SSD screw package

1 x ROG key chain

 

 

1 x ROG STRIX sticker

 

1 x ROG STRIX thank you card

 

 

Installation Media

1 x Support DVD

 

 

Documentation

1 x User manual

 

 

If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

xi

ASUS ROG Strix B550-A Gaming Service Manual

Installation tools and components

Phillips (cross) screwdriver

PC chassis

Power supply unit

AMD AM4 CPU

AMD AM4/AM3 compatible CPU Fan

DDR4 DIMM

SATA hard disk drive

SATA optical disc drive (optional)

Graphics card (optional)

M.2 SSD module (optional)

1 Bag of screws

The tools and components in the table above are not included in the motherboard package.

xii

Product Introduction

1

1.1Before you proceed

Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings.

Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component.

Before handling components, use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or a metal object, such as the power supply case, to avoid damaging them due to static electricity.

Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.

Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component.

Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the ATX power supply is switched off or the power cord is detached from the power supply. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard, peripherals, or components.

Chapter 1

ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING

1-1

1 Chapter

1.2Motherboard layout

17

 

 

FLBK_LED1

 

 

 

 

 

BIOS_FLBK

 

 

 

U2_56U32G1_78

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U32G2_C6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAN_U32G1_34

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HDMI _DP

AUDIO

6

5 4

EATX12V_2 EATX12V_1

DIGI+

VRM

Intel®

CHA FAN1

AIO PUMP

 

 

I225-V

 

256Mb

 

 

BIOS

22110

2280

2260

PCIEX16_1

1

24.4cm(9.6in)

 

SOCKET AM4

2242

1(SOCKET3)

 

M.2_

4

11

 

2

 

 

 

 

RGB_HEADER1

 

 

 

 

CPU_FAN CPU_OPT

A1DIMMDDR4(64bit, 288-pin module)

A2*DIMMDDR4(64bit, 288-pin module)

 

 

 

B1DIMMDDR4(64bit, 288-pin module)

B2*DIMMDDR4(64bit, 288-pin module)

EATXPWR

12

30.5cm(12in)

 

 

 

 

BOOT

 

18

 

 

 

 

CPU

 

 

 

 

 

VGA

 

 

 

 

 

 

DRAM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

_

8

 

 

 

 

 

U32G1

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

AMD

 

SATA6G 12

 

 

 

 

BATTERY

 

 

B550

 

34

 

Super

PCIEX1_1

 

 

 

 

SATA6G

7

I/O

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

56

 

 

 

PCIEX16_2

 

 

 

 

 

SATA6G

 

 

 

22110

2280

2260

2242

 

2(SOCKET3)

 

6

 

PCIEX1_2

 

 

 

 

 

AURA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PCIEX1_3

 

 

 

 

 

M.2

 

 

 

COM_DEBUG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TB_HEADER

RGB_HEADER2

ADD_GEN 2

T_SENSOR

USB_E34

USB_E12

PANEL

AAFP

 

 

CLRTC

CHA_FAN3

 

 

CHA_FAN2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13

16

11

10

12 15

 

 

9

 

 

14

4

4

1-2

Chapter 1: Product Introduction

Layout contents

1.CPU socket

2.DIMM slots

3.Expansion slots

4.Fan and Pump headers

5.Power connectors

6.M.2 slots (SOCKET 3)

7.SATA 6Gb/s ports

8.USB 3.2 Gen 1 header

9.USB 2.0 headers

10.AURA Addressable Gen 2 header

11.AURA RGB headers

12.Clear CMOS header

13.Front Panel Audio header

14.System Panel header

15.Thermal sensor header

16.Thunderbolt header

17.BIOS FlashBack™ LED

18.Q-LED

Page

1-4

1-5

1-7

1-9

1-10

1-11

1-12

1-13

1-14

1-15

1-16

1-17

1-18

1-19

1-20

1-20

1-21

1-21

Chapter 1

ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING

1-3

1 Chapter

1.CPU socket

The motherboard comes with an AMD Socket AM4 designed for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors.

SOCKET AM4

The AM4 socket has a different pinout design. Ensure that you use a CPU designed for the AM4 socket. The CPU fits in only one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the connectors on the socket and damaging the CPU!

Ensure that all power cables are unplugged before installing the CPU.

1-4

Chapter 1: Product Introduction

2.DIMM slots

The motherboard comes with Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) slots designed for DDR4 (Double Data Rate 4) memory modules.

A DDR4 memory module is notched differently from a DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 module. DO

NOT install a DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 memory module to the DDR4 slot.

DIMM B1

DIMM B2*

DIMM A1

DIMM A2*

Recommended memory configurations

Chapter 1

ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING

1-5

1 Chapter

Memory configurations

You may install 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB unbuffered non ECC DDR4 DIMMs into the DIMM sockets.

You may install varying memory sizes in Channel A and Channel B. The system maps the total size of the lower-sized channel for the dual-channel configuration. Any excess memory from the higher-sized channel is then mapped for single-channel operation.

• The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its Serial Presence Detect (SPD), which is the standard way of accessing information from a memory module. Under the default state, some memory modules for overclocking may operate at a lower frequency than the vendor-marked value.

For system stability, use a more efficient memory cooling system to support a full memory load or overclocking condition.

Always install the DIMMS with the same CAS Latency. For an optimum compatibility, we recommend that you install memory modules of the same version or data code (D/C) from the same vendor. Check with the vendor to get the correct memory modules.

Visit the ASUS website for the latest QVL.

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Chapter 1: Product Introduction

3.Expansion slots

1

2

3

4

5

Unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components.

Chapter 1

PCIEX16_1

PCIEX1_1

PCIEX16_2

PCIEX1_2

PCIEX1_3

Please refer to the following table for the recommended VGA configuration.

Recommended VGA configuration

Slot Description

Single VGA

Dual VGA

 

PCIE x16_1

x16

x16

 

PCIE x16_2

-

x4

 

 

 

 

 

 

• We recommend that you provide sufficient power when running CrossFireX™ mode.

Ensure to connect the 8-pin and 4-pin power plugs when running CrossFireX™ mode.

Connect a chassis fan to the chassis fan connectors when using multiple graphics cards for better thermal environment.

ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING

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1 Chapter

Hyper M.2 X16 series card configuration

Slot

PCIe bifurcation settings in PCIe x16 slots with different Ryzen™ CPUs

 

3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors (Support PCIe Gen 4 SSDs)

 

Supported SSDs

PCIEX16_1

4

• Hyper M.2 X16 series card is purchased separately.

When using 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors and a Hyper M.2 X16 series card with 4 M.2 SSDs, if you wish to connect a display, we suggest installing a VGA card to PCIEX16_2, which will run at x4.

Set PCIEX16_1 to [PCIe RAID Mode] under BIOS settings to enable the Hyper M.2 X16 series card.

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Chapter 1: Product Introduction

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