Conclusion
In our review, we took a look back at a new/old motherboard, the MSI B550 GAMING WiFi6E and its utility in today’s landscape. Given the re-release of the GOAT 5800X3D on its 10th anniversary, a new socket AM4 motherboard becomes interesting, especially at a bargain price. Then there’s that part where you are able to use older components that were sitting on a shelf, rather than taking out a loan to buy new ones. The MSI B550 GAMING WiFi6E is an upgraded socket AM4 ATX motherboard that supports Ryzen 3000 and 5000 CPUs, DDR4 RAM, and has room for Gen4 NVME. While this board is missing RGBs, it does have the addition of WiFi6E, which is the major upgrade in this model. Oh yeah…..$109. 😮
Installation and use
We encountered no issues in our time with this motherboard. Overall, the design and implementation are very good. About the only minor gripes are the placement of the battery and the lack of any EZ-DIY components. MSI says the primary PCIe latch is “extra-large”. We still had to use a pencil with an eraser to get the latch to release……so. Component installation was no issue, other than refreshing the memory with the placement of the little gold triangle on the CPU. The socket design of the AM5 is certainly a big improvement in that regard, but it reminded me of why I liked AM4 sockets overall…..no socket pins to get bent if you look at them wrong. Just to review, the primary M.2 heatsink has screws and both drives are held in by that little tiny screw on the back.
First boot, loading Windows 11 and flashing the BIOS were no issue. The BIOS is a bit retro in appearance, but finding items and the one- click feature works just fine. Navigation and selection were crisp and quick. We had no issues running any benchmarks.
Brent’s Thoughts
Hello all, editor Brent Justice here. I’d like to chime in with my opinions on the AM4/5800X3D platform. The re-release of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is, of course, not a new CPU inherently. I think the main takeaway is just how relevant the AM4 platform has remained and stood the test of time. Certainly, if you look at where AMD was right before the original Ryzen launch, to the huge revolution the AM4 platform brought forth, it is pretty spectacular. This is partly due to the sheer revolution and innovation of the AM4 platform and Ryzen CPUs, and partly due to the RAM crisis we currently find ourselves in.
The Ryzen 7 5800X3D remains, to this day, a good solution for gamers wanting a high-end gameplay experience. If the cost of DDR5 and motherboards had remained low, where it should be, we’d absolutely be recommending making the upgrade to AM5 and DDR5. However, with the state of things now, if you have an AM4 motherboard and/or DDR4, then the Ryzen 7 5800X3D remains a great value for gaming. If you are on a slower Ryzen CPU on AM4, making the upgrade to a Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a worthy benefit to increase longevity with gaming. It’s actually cheaper than upgrading the platform at this point.
It is almost by chance that the AM4 platform has become Legendary Status, due to this DRAM crisis. It has put the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in a very comfy position for the gameplay experience in 2026. With motherboards like these, at extremely affordable prices, just above $100, you may even consider changing your motherboard if you need more features. The MSI motherboard reviewed today has increased the WiFi and Bluetooth support. However, the real gems are coming up in a couple of other motherboard refresh reviews we have coming from MSI, which have actual major PCIe lane improvements and expand options. So, stay tuned; we have more coming. Overall, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a very capable and worthy experience for gaming in 2026 since prices are completely insane for DDR5 at the moment. You really can’t go wrong, and nobody should give you any grief for choosing a Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU in 2026 for gaming.
Final Points
This was an interesting review with the MSI B550 GAMING WiFi6E. It’s not often that we actually go backwards to look at new material. Things become obsolete generally way before the warranty expires. Here we look at a motherboard that was released over 6 years ago and is essentially the same, save for adding WiFi, which was not included on the OG. Given the proper supporting components, you have a pretty good gaming platform for just over 100 dollars. If you have retired parts in your closet, this would be an excellent second PC or a nice build for someone wanting a PC on the cheap for a child or relative. Even if you resorted to buying parts on a forum for-sale site, the build would be much less expensive than going all new, and the foundation would be solid, with a 3-year warranty. The idea of teaming this motherboard up with a 5800X3D is a good one. Both have good miles left and would make a very good gaming platform. This motherboard performed and tested very well; there were no issues. We like what MSI has done here.
Discussion (3 replies)
Join Discussion →Nice to see these reviews. Love the dive into older tech.
I'm a sucker for featureful motherboards - but there's an elegance to the simplicity here.
Everything you need, nothing you don't, less to go wrong!
Some people prefer to drive a BMW with every feature and dct transmission. Others prefer a standard transmission and manual windows.
One of those will still be in like original condition with 300k miles in 20 years. The otner will be totalled because the owner didn't know what a turn signal was. ;)