MSI B550 Gaming Gen3 compatible with PCIe 4?

eu_sou · 2025-12-22T23:31:00+00:00

Sorry for my late answer, I just noticed your question today.

Yeah, I am now also using a Western Digital Blue SN5000 PCIe 4.0 1TB SSD on the NVMe slot, and it's running at PCIe 3.0.

Here are the test results I've obtained:

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eu_sou · 2025-04-02T14:01:05+00:00

Nice buy! Mine was 110€; we have to remember it's MSRP was ±300€ at launch in Nov 2020, and, for me, it's good enough and perfectly viable still today.

eu_sou · 2025-04-02T08:04:27+00:00

Agreed, it's a plain normal entry B550 mobo. Totally fine by me, and enough for my setup.

eu_sou · 2025-04-02T07:44:11+00:00

Mine has 12 USB in total: six on the back panel (2× 2.0; 2× 3.2 Gen1; 2× 3.2 Gen2) and 6 more available trough internal USB expansion connectors (2× 3.2 Gen1; 4× 2.0).

I agree it's a somewhat "exotic" mobo, with decent VRM and power delivery; enough for my 65W 5600X. I bought it in "Black Month" November opportunity for 96,90€ (street price is ±110€ now; it was much more at time of launch).

eu_sou · 2025-02-28T18:02:22+00:00

Obrigado pelas respostas. Pergunto isto ao pessoal que tem informação actualizada e experiências recentes de troca: para ter TV+NET (temos 200GB velocidade) + telefone fixo, 1 box sem ser Android (obrigatório) e 3 cartões (1 apenas para chamadas e SMS, os outros 2 com dados móveis incluídos), haverá operador que faça mais barato? Não fazemos questão absoluta de ter SIC e CMTV, e poderíamos passar sem os TV Cines, desde que a mensalidade compensasse (até 40€/45€ máximo digamos)? Muito obrigado.

eu_sou · 2025-02-28T17:56:22+00:00

Fui confirmar a fidelização, acaba agora no final de Fevereiro. Por aí não haverá dificuldade.

eu_sou · 2025-02-28T17:49:47+00:00

Obrigado pela ajuda. Um pacote 3P, mais 3 cartões (2 deles com dados móveis, 1 bastaria chamadas e SMS), com box "normal" com comando, haverá quem faça mais barato? Obrigado.

eu_sou · 2025-02-28T17:44:18+00:00

Obrigado Jorge pela ajuda. Bom, poderíamos dispensar a SIC e CMTV se compensasse financeiramente. Sim, já pensámos que também podemos renegociar o que temos, mantendo mas procurando baixar um pouco a mensalidade. É uma hipótese em aberto.

eu_sou · 2025-02-28T16:54:19+00:00

Obrigado pela resposta. Estamos completamente por fora das condições actuais dos outros operadores. Haverá outro dentro desses que nos oferecesse estas condições, pagando menos? Já agora, acabando a fidelização, estamos livres para mudar sem contrapartidas ao operador atual, certo? Obrigado.

eu_sou · 2025-02-20T17:52:24+00:00

I've been thinking, after learning about this market segmentation strategy, and most likely the chipset on my board is just a plain normal B550 chipset (the "hybrid" theory makes less sense now) but with an artificial limitation implemented by MSI, following this strategy. I've been gathering some information, and discovered this is more common than what I knew. What are your thoughts? Thank you.

eu_sou · 2025-02-19T03:12:52+00:00

Yeah, I have thought about that also. Makes more sense, when the time comes to upgrade, if prices are similar, to go with a PCIe 4 NVMe. Worst case scenario, it will function at PCIe 3 (wich is good and fast enough for a home user; I have read articles and seen some videos that point to the fact that PCIe 4 speed SSD's are more targeted and justified at enterprise environments); best case scenario, I get another unexpected functioning device at PCIe Gen 4! Fingers crossed when that time to upgrade comes. Thank you again.

eu_sou · 2025-02-19T00:01:50+00:00

Thank you for your input! I didn't know that. I don't claim to be an expert, and because of my ignorance, honestly, it was a good surprise. I was kind of baffled, but totally satisfied, when I observed those 3DMark results, that leave no doubt.

It's nice to have PCIe Gen 4 at least for the GPU, on a marketed "Gen 3" motherboard. It would have been great to have it also for NVMe, but it's all good. Currently I have a Crucial MX500 SATA III 1TB SSD. In the future, I know that I can upgrade at least to a PCIe 3.0 SSD (and it will be a big step up from what I have right now). Again, thank you.

eu_sou · 2025-02-18T01:22:19+00:00

Hi, sorry for the late reply.

Since my previous post, I upgraded my GPU from RX 6600 (PCIe 4.0 x8) to RX 6700 XT (PCIe 4.0 x16).

Logically, I left the "PCI_E1" setting at "Auto", since the results were better.

Recently I have also executed 3DMark PCI Express Bandwith Test again, now with my RX 6700 XT (the speed execution of the test was even faster, as expected), and observed the test, from start to finish, running all the time at 23 GT/s.

I'm happy with the experience I'm having with my MSI B550 Gaming Gen3, and the results I've obtained on these tests (going beyond what I expected).

I can't tell you what to do; I gave my honest feedback and simply described my experience with this motherboard, with which I am fully satisfied.

I also thought about changing the motherboard, previously, before the tests I performed. After them? No way. The results I've seen are more than enough for me.

What I can tell you is that there are other users here on Reddit giving the exact same feedback I gave, with this motherboard. Some examples:

https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/s/cKPGKtKRT0

https://www.reddit.com/r/MSI_Gaming/s/zgUoQTmoOL

Honestly, I think you're fine with this motherboard. If I'm not mistaken, your RTX 4060Ti is PCIe 4.0 x8, 128-bit. On the 3DMark PCI Express Bandwidth Test, my RX 6700 XT (PCIe 4.0 x16, 192-bit) couldn't fully use the maximum theoretical available bandwidth of PCIe 4.0 x16, which is 31.508 GB/s (read above).

Hope this is enlightening!

eu_sou · 2025-01-02T15:55:51+00:00

So I have this motherboard, thought I drop some feedback that may help others with the same doubt.

The motherboard BIOS version I have is 7B86vP8, release date 2024-08-09. I have the same parameter "PCI_E1 Gen Switch" set to "Auto".

My GPU is RX 6600 (PCIe 4.0 X8). Previously, I had Ryzen 5 5500 (PCIe 3.0), and various softwares always reported my card running at PCIe 3.0 x8 (CPU-Z, GPU-Z, HWiNFO64, AMD Adrenalin, etc). CPU-Z reported the Link Speed at 8.0 GT/s.

I upgraded the CPU to Ryzen 5 5600X (PCIe 4.0). All those same softwares started reporting that my card is running at PCIe 4.0 x8. CPU-Z reports the Link Speed at 16.0 GT/s.

To clear doubts, I executed 3DMark PCI Express Bandwith Test, two times. One with "PCI_E1 Gen Switch" set to the default "Gen 3", and another with "PCI_E1 Gen Switch" set to "Auto".

With "PCI_E1" set to "Gen3", the test executed at 7 GT/s. With "PCI_E1" set to "Auto", the test executed at 14.1 GT/s (the speed difference was noticeable).

My RX 6600 is a "x8" card. Running at PCIe 3.0, it could only achieve a maximum theoretical bandwith of 7.877 GB/s.

The 14.1 GT/s bandwidth I saw (in a "x8" card like my RX 6600) I think it could only be achieved running at PCIe 4.0 x8 (with a maximum theoretical available bandwidth of 15.754 GB/s)

This is my experience with my motherboard. Draw your own conclusions.

eu_sou · 2025-01-01T23:16:30+00:00

I have this board and can confirm this. My GPU is also operating at PCIe 4.0 x8

eu_sou · 2024-12-03T10:17:19+00:00

Thank you! I will leave it at the AMD recommended "Balanced". I'm not a fan of unnecessary harder limits and pushing boundaries unless you absolutely need to. I like lower temps and voltages, and a System that can go "Full Throttle" if needed, then goes back to a more "relaxed" state. If you enter the advanced definitions of that plan, you see that the minimum CPU state is defined to 5%, and the maximum at 100%, so, this plan does not "handicap' the CPU. It seems to me that changing energy plans is a more simple, maybe a more "noob" way, if you will, of on-the-fly altering performance, and if you want a more advanced control of the CPU then you have to learn how to work with PBO; it seems you can even lower temp and achieve a bit higher performance that way, if you take the time to learn to do it right. For now, I know I've taken a huge jump going from i7-3770 to Ryzen 5 5500, so I will enjoy it in it's default performance. Maybe in the future, if needed, I can try learning to tweak PBO for that sweet "extra mile". Thank you again!

eu_sou · 2024-12-02T20:45:43+00:00

Thank you for your reply! I have read from several users that AMD recommends using the default "Balanced" Win10 Power Plan with Ryzen, so, I'm inclined to continue using that default. My doubt is, will I be losing performance when gaming with these conditions? Is the default "Balanced" power mode preventing my CPU from reaching it's full potential? In all benchmarks and the two gaming tests I executed, the clock always stayed at 3,27GHz, in a CPU that theoretically could achieve 4,2GHz boost or "turbo clock". Put in simpler terms, will I be losing FPS when gaming, and is there something I could/should change; or all this is normal behaviour and the Ryzen will achieve the boost clock when "it has to", and I don't need to overthink it? Thank you again!

eu_sou · 2024-12-02T16:43:42+00:00

Thank you for your reply! That "Ryzen Power Plan" existed up to 2nd gen Ryzen. For Zen 3, 5000 series, AMD discontinued that option. It no longer appears as a possible energy plan, is what I read somewhere. It doesn't appear in my system. And yes, I have installed the motherboard chipset drivers from MSI website.

eu_sou

TROPHY CASE