AMD’s X570 and B550 platforms may be the freshest kids on the block, but the older B450 chipset still has a lot of fight in it – particularly for budget builds. Knowing this, ASUS has introduced three new B450 motherboards as part of its latest Edge Up article: the ROG Strix B450-F Gaming II, TUF Gaming B450-Plus II, TUF Gaming B450M-Pro II, TUF Gaming B450M-Plus II, and Prime B450M-A II.
As you might imagine, none of these motherboards support PCIe 4.0, but they improve upon their predecessors with upgrades such as better power delivery and cooling. You can check out ASUS’s Edge Up article for the complete details on the entire range of refreshed B450 motherboards, but we’ve copied what the company has to say about its flagship model below. Availability and pricing is TBA.
The ROG Strix B450-F Gaming II Lets Budget Builders Have It All
“We’re starting this upgrade bonanza with the top dog: the ROG Strix B450-F Gaming II. This enthusiast- and wallet-friendly board gets quite the generational boost. Starting from the literal top, the VRM on the B450-F Gaming II now uses a sturdy 8+4 discrete MOSFET layout. The individual VRM components are sandwiched between an improved heatsink with high-grade thermal pads and a new backplate that’s an integral part of the power-delivery cooling stack.”
“The four memory slots next to the CPU socket can take in up to 128GB of RAM and overclock compatible sticks to speeds reaching 4400MHz, while two M.2 sockets allow for plenty of solid-state storage and even NVMe RAID arrays if you’re so inclined. The main M.2 socket now boasts an aluminum heatsink to keep speedy SSDs from getting too toasty. While this board doesn’t include built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, we do include a handy E-key M.2 socket for an easy Wi-Fi 6 networking upgrade.”
“The rear panel includes a carefully considered combo of eight USB ports. Two 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A connectors deliver high speeds to the latest peripherals, and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port makes it easy to hook up and charge modern devices. One USB port handles BIOS FlashBack™ duties, allowing for a firmware upgrade or reflash with nothing more than a PSU and a USB thumb drive.”
“The B450-F Gaming II is quite a looker, too. Its shadowy PCB is enhanced by cybertext motifs and bright accents atop the I/O shield and chipset heatsink. Black and gray are both excellent base colors for additional lighting. You can hook up lighting devices to two standard RGB LED strip headers, plus an addressable header with low latency functionality and configuration presets. Our AI noise-canceling microphone software efficiently cuts down your microphone’s background chatter in office meetings, online classes, and games.”
ROG Strix B450-F Gaming II Specifications
| Size | ATX |
| Memory | 4 x DDR4 up to 4400+ (OC) |
| Multi-GPU | 3 x CrossFireX |
| PCIe | 2 PCIe 3.0 x16: x16 or x8/x4 1 PCIe 2.0 x16: x4 3 PCIe 2.0 x1 |
| Storage | 1 x M.2 22110 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1 x M.2 2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA) 6 x SATA 6Gbps |
| Networking | Intel I211-AT Gigabit Ethernet M.2 E-key socket for Wi-Fi cards |
| Audio | SupremeFX S1220A codec |
| USB | 3.2 Gen 2: 2 x Type-A 3.2 Gen 1: 3 x Type-A, 1 x Type-C, 2 x front 2.0: 2 x Type-A, 2 x front |
| Aura | 2 x strip headers, 1 x Gen 2 addressable headers |
| Cooling | 1 x pump headers 5 x fan headers |
| Availability (USA) | TBA |
| Availability (Canada) | TBA |