Verdict and Conclusion
Before the B550 chipset was released, there were rumors floating around that this chipset would support PCIE 4.0, as well as overclocking … features that were reserved for the higher-end X570 chipset. It turns out that these rumors were true. What made AMD decide to do this remains unclear, but it could be due to the fact that Intel was launching their the Z490 chipet, and its 10th gen processors around about the same time. Anyway, when AMD finally announced they would release the B550 chipset for the mainstream market, I was really excited.
The ASRock B550 Taichi is one of our first motherboards we’ve reviewed using the B550 chipset … and I have to say I’m extremely impressed. It’s marketed as being their flagship motherboard in the Taichi series that uses the B550 chipset … something which I didn’t expect from ASRock, as most of their Taichi series of motherboards were mostly aimed at the enthusiasts and high-end market.
The B550 Taichi offers a ton of features including PCIE 4.0 support and overclocking, which are normally found on their high-end X570 motherboards. Plus you get all the extras that the Taichi series has to offer, such as 2.5GB LAN, wifi 6 support, USB 3.2/Thunderbolt, 8 x SATA ports, 3-way CrossfireX, 3 x PCIE 4.0 x16 steel slots, 2 x PCIE 3.0 x1 slots, 1 x Ultra M.2 slot, 1 x Hyper M.2 slots for SSDs (covered my a full coverage heatsink), as well as onboard diagnostic LEDs, and buttons for clear CMOS, power on/off and reset.
During our benchmarks, we got some really impressive scores including a Cinebench score of 2,032, and a PCMark 10 score of 6,940. For Port Royal, we got a score of 6,684 and a DLSS score of 45.06 fps. For 3DMark Timespy and Firestrike, we got scores of 10,957 and 23,231 respectively.
Aesthetically, the ASRock B550 Taichi looks beautiful and comes with that iconic Taichi design, as well as a packed feature list. If the price is holds true, it could be the best motherboard that we tested, here at Funky Kit.
The ASRock B550 Taichi is surprisingly affordable for what you’re actually getting. You’re literally getting a X570 motherboard, but cheaper. My only question is … will the B550 cannibalize the X570? Well, that’s something AMD will have to worry about.
You can buy the ASRock B550 Taichi motherboard
Pros:
- Supports all AMD Ryzen 3rd and 2nd Gen processors
- AMD B550 chipset
- AMD 3-way Crossfire support
- Support memory speeds of up to DDR4-5200+ OC
- Excellent performance
- 2.5GB LAN and Wifi 6
- Thunderbolt 3
- Support PCIE 4.0
- Polychrome Sync
- 1 x Ultra M.2 and 1 x Hyper M.s slots for SSD covered by a full coverage heatsink
Cons:
- None I can think of
Final Words:
The ASRock B550 Taichi takes the crown for performance, price and features. If you want a motherboard that will take advantage of the latest technologies offered by AMD, such 7nm processors, as PCIE 4.0, and of course, affordability … then look no further the ASRock B550 Taichi motherboard is your answer.
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